Buy Walking VideosPostSecret: Gastric Bypass Hypocrite
This postcard from PostSecret made me really think.
It reads:
Six months ago, I had gastric bypass, have lost 100 lbs. and have never felt better.
I am terrified that the conversations with my daughter about body image, self-confidence and loving who you are will make me a hypocrite.
I think gastric bypass is a bad idea. It’s dangerous (1 out of 200 die within 30 days of the surgery). I really don’t consider the risk of the surgery to be worth it.
Then again, we don’t know everything about the human body. It may be that in the future, we will know EXACTLY what causes obesity and one simple operation can be done to prevent or correct it. Will I think that surgery is a bad idea? No, I don’t think so. I think I’ll be all for it once we absolutely KNOW what causes obesity and how to fix it as long as the survival rates and post-surgery symptoms are better than they are now.
Is this woman a hypocrite? No. She did what she had to do to get to a healthy weight. I’m sick of all this moral judgment about gastric bypass surgery. She’s not a bad person for taking the “easy” way out, she was willing to take the risk of death and severe symptoms. I don’t find that risk acceptable, but everyone gets to make their own decision about it as long as they are FULLY informed about the potential complications.
For more info about the risks and symptoms:
PostSecret‘s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.
Previous: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-11-17
Next: Lionel Strongfort: The Precursor of Charles Atlas
November 20th, 2009 at 11:23 am
This has nothing to do with your take on this woman (which I agree with), but, umm, I think we already know what GENERALLY causes obesity ~ eating unhealthy foods and consuming far more than we need to for the amount of calorie-burning we do each day. Too many of us live to eat instead of eating to live. Changing that doesn’t require a miracle surgery; it requires a change in attitude and self-discipline.
November 20th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Judging from the postcard, which is just a small snippet of her thoughts, she didn’t do the gastric by-pass for her health, but for more superficial reasons. If she wants to teach her daughter to love herself no matter what she looks like, then yes, that would make her a hypocrite (and clearly she is judging herself as being one).
That being said, I doubt “looks” was the only reason for the surgery. There must have been health-related concerns, and if she focused on those and how she has overcome them with the help of the surgery, then perhaps she can stop being so hard on herself. What she needs to emphasize is that she was taking care of herself using the best means possible (for her), so that she would still be around to take care of her daughter.
I do hope her surgery has led to better nutrition and a more healthful lifestyle, in general. If not, then what was the point?