His point, in the larger scheme of things, is a good one. Too many people don’t consider the surgery itself as a possible reason for subsequent heart attacks, just as too many people don’t consider dieting as a possible reason for subsequent health problems. It’s all fat, fat, fat.

But that doesn’t mean that’s what you were saying, necessarily.

I don’t think I “needed” the surgery as much as I “thought” I needed the surgery. I was in denial. Everyone, including the doctor told me the reason for my MI was because I was fat; if I lost weight, I would lower my risk. I lost weight, didn’t modify my smoking and bang, I had another MI.

I didn’t write this post to criticise or to help anyone decide whether to have WLS or not; I wrote it merely to let others know that simple or surgical weight loss does not solve all of life’s problems. Those “problems” have to be dealt with internally.

I guess my whole post should have said…. “if you want to have WLS merely to look better; you will not win. You will always be as beautiful as you are inside right now.

Fat people aren’t walking times bombs. A fat person has more of a chance to live another year without the surgery than with it. All of the condemnations of the health of fat people doesn’t change that.

I had my surgery 2 days after my 45th birthday. That was 6 years ago. I lost about 180 lbs and began walking and exercising, not to excess, but to the ability I could now do. Before, my activity level was low because I worked all day and was exhausted when I came home.

Now, as far as the psychological aspect of things; I did not want to lose weight so I could be more attractive, fit into tight clothes, look sexy to the opposite sex; mine was out of desire to see my children as long as I could. Some people have WLS for all the wrong reasons and soon find out that what they thought their lives would be is not even close to the expected.. For me, the “side-effect” of the surgery was being able to buy clothes without paying an arm and a leg for them.

I have never had self esteem problems or self loathing problems, neither when I was 300 lbs or now. What I did have problems with is the way I was perceived; not how I was perceveived then, but how I am perceived now. When I was “fat” I was stupid, lazy, and just out of control; now, suddenly what I have to say has some validity. (big eye roll). I was told by a person who has known me for a long time that “I have changed.” I shook my head and grinned. “No,” I said, “I haven’t changed a bit, I’ve always been the same inside, but your perception of me has changed. Now I’m a person of “worth” because you perceive me as a “person” you used to see me as fat or a non person. I smiled again and said, “It’s a shame you never saw me as I always was, because now I can see clearly how you are.”

Bariatric surgery isn’t for everyone. All sides have to be weighed and you need to do your own research and make up your own mind as to “WHY” you think you want to have this type of surgery. If you want this surgery to look good, you are doing it for all the wrong reasons, you should be able to look in the mirror right now and see the beauty within. I look in the mirror and see the exact same person that I was in 2000.

Oh, and by the way…. after my 2nd heart attack in 2005 complete with a 6 vessel bypass I quit smoking. Buttttttttttt… maybe that’s a story for another day!

This is just me rambling…. take me or leave me…. but I’ll still kinda like ya whether you want me to or not!

I personally cannot stand Star Jones and I’m a straight black
woman. She looked better before; now she looks sickly.

And when you think about it? Is her life really that much better
after WLS. Most people I know can’t stand her, she got
kicked off The View and she has a gay husband.

Yeah, as a size 24 woman, I’m really envious of her.
*sarcasm*