My Disdain For Gastric Bypass

I've made it no secret to any of my friends that I totally can't stand people who have gastric surgery (bypass, sleeve, whatever).  My PCP actually recommended it to me in late 2012 and I briefly considered it.  I had lost weight in the past, so I knew I could do it without surgery and I think I would have been very disappointed in myself if I had caved.  

Now, it seems as though everyone is having GS.  GS was designed for people who were 100+ pounds overweight.  It's just a straight cop out.  Get off your butt and move.  Watch your nutrition and don't depend on having your stomach redesigned to help you out.  

I only know two people who had GS that it worked the way it was intended.  My friends Norri and Anissa.   Norri had the surgery close to ten years ago and worked out, maintained her diet just like she was supposed to.  She may yo-yo up a size or two here and there, but she knows when to get back on track and get her weight back down.  Anissa is a little over a year out from her surgery and she participated in a half-marathon in November.  These are success stories and probably the only two people who had surgery that I respect...because they used it as a jumping off point to get active and eat the way everyone should eat.

The number of people that I know who have had the surgery and gained all the weight back and/or do not follow the post-op lifestyle are unfortunately the norm.  Why would you alter your body only to gain it all back?  What a let down.

Now, some of you might think that I am harsh and wrong to judge people who choose surgery, but I don't necessarily blame the person per se.  There are so many doctors that must be getting referral kickbacks because I can't imagine why someone would think that a patient who had less than 60 pounds to lose should opt for surgery.  Sure, they'll argue about joint issues, diabetes, high blood pressure, but I had the same issues, too, and I am doing things the least invasive way by going to the gym and learning about nutrition.

Rant over.