Intolerance=Ignorance

I was reading Marie Claire magazine this month and there is an article in there about a brave woman who lost 200 pounds, then gained half of it back. She is not a WLS surgery patient.

Here's the link for the article:
marieclaire.com/supersize

It's a good read, but the comment that was left is what concerns me the most. People that say this is the easy way out should be slapped. I know it sounds rude and I'm sorry, but they have no idea. My hubby was a person that thought this was the easy way out; sometimes I wonder if he still does. That all it would take is a little time in the gym and I'd be all better.

I'd tried it all before this. NutriSystem, Weight Watchers, Atkins......many, many others. I succeeded at some and failed at others, regardless I always gained back whatever I had lost, and then some. Which is why I made the decision in the beginning to tell very few people that I was getting banded. Some of my family didn't even know this is what I had chose to do untill it was already done.

Why do people think this is the easy way out? Has anyone seen the new commercial for the Realize Band? I think it's amazing! The first thing the gentleman on the commericial says is that if people think bariatric surgery is the easy way out, they're wrong. Which they are. Very, very wrong indeed. And it's also hurtful when people say things like that; what makes them so much better than me, have they never failed at anything?

I've told my family that they don't need to center my life around my band. I'm the same person I always was, just going to be healthier. Yes, there are certain things that I can't eat, but that doesn't mean that my family can't eat them. I knew what I was doing going into this. I also knew what to expect, good and bad. When people always ask me how much weight I've lost or what it's like, it creates a stigma for bariatric patients that I'm not comfortable with. It's great they're concerned with my weight loss and are curious at how I'm doing, but it feels like since I have a LapBand, I've become one......does that make any sense?

I had a bad habit going into this of not sticking to "diets". When I discovered they weren't going to work I abandoned them. Why stick with something that I know isn't working?

Getting banded really was the best thing that I've ever done. I was reading some of the other blogs and it has been mentioned that they wished they would have done it when they were younger. I'm 29, actually got banded when I was 28. The only issue that I have is that I wish I would have done this sooner. I got married when I was 26.....I don't even look like the same person anymore than in my wedding pictures.

I am so upset that people think this is the easy way out. Most of the time it's people that it's easy for them to diet, they lose weight by cutting soda out of their diet. They're the lucky ones. Do they honestly think that if we (bandsters) could do that we would, or that we haven't tried that before? I've also heard that we make ourselves victims by saying that we can't lose weight in conventional ways. How are we victims by making lifestyle changes and taking control of our lives?

Has anyone else had this issue? That people treat you differently? Or they think you only did this cuz you're "lazy", "looking for the easy way out", etc?

*whew* That felt good. Sorry about that everyone. I just have a difficult time with people that spout off about things they know absolutely nothing about. If you ask me, it's intolerance to our way of life. Intolerance=Ignorance.