There is not a woman on this planet that doesn’t have fat days or puffy moments – followed by feelings of remorse that she weren’t at least ten pounds thinner. But far too many women have made being thin their ultimate goal, almost as if they expect life to be different for them on the other side of the fence.Some feel like they are on a permanent diet, with the question of “how much further” repeating in the back of their minds, like children in the back car seat on a road trip counting down the minutes until the next ice cream stop.
But life doesn’t get started twenty pounds from now, and what if you’re body never reaches the goal weight that you have set for yourself? It’s a tough call when you start bursting out of your clothing, on one hand it seems like buying a bigger size is admitting that this is a permanent gain but then if you don’t, how long can you wear clothes that are too small for you before giving in? Some women will never get to the weight they are striving for…..and those that do, will only set new expectations and goals for themselves.
Recently I listened to five women on The View a (very) American show, discussing current issues that affect lives. I sat through two boring interviews and two commercial breaks waiting for the topic that had caught my attention – Total Body Lifts, hoping to see the Hollywood version of the newest push ups, intense cardio, leg work, sensible diet and weight training. Not even close. Their total body lift was in reference to gastric bypass surgery (and the cosmetic cleanup after it) as a solution for the obese.
Gastric bypass surgery is defined by Web MD as a procedure that makes the stomach smaller and allows food to bypass part of the small intestine. Patients feel full more quickly than when their stomach was its original size, which reduces the amount of food consumed which leads to weight loss. After this operation patients can loose 150lbs or more – at this time they will need to drop another $40,000 if they want to chop off the loose skin with another medical procedure. To lose 150lbs, you first have to allow yourself to balloon to about 300lbs. Health Associations of various nations are trying to help people from becoming this much of a health risk, but ultimately, it has to come from them (you can lead a horse to the water, but you can’t make them drink!).
Nancy Routely, Registered Clinical Counselor suggests that overeating becomes an addiction – a way to numb out the ’I don’t feel’ factor, similar to those who indulge in drugs or alcohol. “ These days we are more disconnected to each other, but more obese than ever. Perhaps more people are empty today, than they have been before. Typically speaking, if you eat a second piece of pie, its not because you’re hungry. There’s some other reason to overeating.”
Happy Meals don’t really make you happy – and candy bars aren’t fun when you become addicted to the sugar high. When you eat well and exercise daily, weight loss surgery will never be something that crosses your mind when you think about ’total body lifts’.
- (C) Cat Smiley, 2012
