Today I saw a blog comment that felt like a dagger to the heart. I monitor a great many blogs through RSS feed. This comment was to a physician’s post about weight loss surgery on a\u00a0gastroenterology blog. The person commenting was bemoaning a\u00a0significant\u00a0regain following weight loss surgery,<\/p>\n
“My problem is, I thought it would always be surgery <\/em>[controlling her weight]. I never wanted to be in control of my own weight again.”<\/em><\/p>\n Wow. In my estimation, pre-screening should have required this person to undergo psychological counseling before being approved for surgery. She clearly did not understand the basics of WLS. In part, I have to hold her surgeon responsible for seemingly communicating nothing to his\/her patient about how the procedure works. I’m confident anyone who has had surgery would agree with me on this.<\/p>\n Just about everyone with 100 lbs. or more to lose considers surgery nowadays. It’s true it is a very powerful tool. The most powerful tool there is. So powerful, for awhile it can seem like a “magic bullet.” But do not be mislead. Even while the effects of WLS are their strongest, strict compliance with the limitations those effects impose are necessary, not only to maximize the results but to protect your health. Conscientious attention to nutrition is essential as is proper care of a surgically-modified stomach.<\/p>\n Make no mistake. The effects of WLS wear off. A significant lifestyle transformation must be firmly in place by the time this happens. I write in Powerful Hunger<\/em> that weight loss by surgery is no less a story of significant transformation than a non-surgical effort.<\/p>\n Have you considered weight loss surgery? What are your perceptions of how it would change your life?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today I saw a blog comment that felt like a dagger to the heart. I monitor a great many blogs through RSS feed. This comment was to a physician’s post about weight loss surgery on a\u00a0gastroenterology blog. The person commenting was bemoaning a\u00a0significant\u00a0regain following weight loss surgery, “My problem is, I thought it would always … <\/p>\n