Yes I’m Pro-Choice! And proud of it! If we’re talking about reproductive rights, I don’t see “pro-choice” as pro-abortion. I see it as PRO CHOICE. As in, give people choices and let them decide. It’s not my business. When we take choices away from people, then we ARE trying to tell them how they can and can’t live. We can’t impose shame on their judgment.
Yesterday I watched a trailer for another of those gloom and doom “obesity is killing America” documentaries. Flashing on the screen we see “No surgery” “No fad diets” “No drugs” “No lap band” Because all those are bad, right? Once a year People magazine does a “Half Their Size” edition to feature people who have lost weight through “no gimmicks, no surgery, just real results.” As if losing weight through surgery would be “fake” results???
When it comes to weight loss surgery (WLS) I am definitely PRO CHOICE! It is the right choice for some people and only they can make that decision, guided by a doctor they trust and based on their own medical condition and history. The person living in that body is the only one with the final decision-making power.
How is it we are a society that would decry and demean fat people while also criticizing and judging when a person chooses a medical procedure to take control of a medical condition? It’s the WORST form of fat shaming and fat hating.
And yet. There’s one thing that pisses me off even more. When people who have lost weight without surgery believe themselves to be somehow “superior” to WLSers. Hey. I know. Losing a lot of weight is really REALLY exciting. For awhile you have this totally unstoppable “King of the World” kind of feeling. But you don’t need to put other people down to build yourself up. There is NO easy way. Anybody who thinks surgery is “easy” should probably also believe in parallel universes.
The battle with weight is deeply personal. The whole point of Powerful Hunger is to drive home the fact that only you can find what will allow you to take control of your life and your weight. If you want to learn about surgery, put in the due diligence. Do your homework. Accept that it’s a tool that will work for awhile and eventually its effects will wane. Whatever your decision, make absolutely sure it’s the right choice for you.
If you’re not medically a candidate for surgery or it’s just not for you, find what works. Extend your support to everyone in the trenches with you! The path of WLSers is no less fraught with challenges and in the long-term, everyone will eventually find themselves back on level ground. That’s maybe the most critical fact for everyone to accept and understand.
If you’ve considered surgery, what are your concerns? Do you believe WLS is “cheating”? Would you explain why you feel this way?
For everyone, wherever you may find it—-Seize your power and put it to work in your life!
