“Weight Loss Surgery is the Easy Option!”
We’ve all heard people say it. Weight loss is the easy option, a cheat’s way of losing weight. The underlying message is that if you were just more motivated, eat in moderation, stop being lazy, you would be thin.
This is a common misconception that needs to be addressed. Let me use an analogy to explain. I am a busy, working parent, and right now, my yard is a mess. It needs a whole new garden built from scratch. Now, of course, I have the capability of buying plants, fertiliser, edging, equipment and spend time teaching myself how to build a garden. I could fumble my way through every afternoon and weekend, for month on end. I could follow gardening Instagrammers, I could ask for advice from friends, and I could do my own research. At the end of the day, I could try and try and try, and after all my efforts, it’s likely my yard would become an even bigger mess. But with dead plants now too!
The point is, if I hired a professional to build my garden for me, no one would say I had taken the easy way out. No one would judge me. And of course, I am happy to take responsibility to water and care for the garden once it’s built, but despite my best efforts, I just can’t build it myself.
That brings us to the next question…If it is OK to get help with something when it is not your strength, why is it taking the easy way out when we talk about weight loss? Society has created a persistent narrative around obesity that we are immersed in every day of our lives. TV shows, movies, social media… overweight people are consistently portrayed as lazy, gluttonous and for some reason, stupid as well. And bizarrely, even though research has consistently shown that over the long term, the majority of diets fail, society still sees it as the appropriate way to lose weight (compared the “cheats” way of weight loss surgery). This leads to the last unwinnable situation for the plus size person. How do diet books, eating programs, shakes, and supplements continue to fail their consumers and still stay in business? By blaming the overweight individual for not trying hard enough, being lazy.
But the reality is you’ve actually tried harder than anyone could ever imagine…
According to a paper published by Harvard Health, for some people up to 80% of obesity is genetically influenced (https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/why-people-become-overweight). For these people, calorie restriction and exercise only have a minimal effect on their body. Now imagine on top of this, despite desperately wanting to be healthier and smaller and doing everything you are supposed to lose weight, you were told that you are lazy or lack self-control. Most people would give up.
What makes all of this even harder is when health professionals (the people you turn to when you need help) don’t fully understand or appreciate what it’s like to struggle with weight loss despite your best efforts. I have been there and I get it. For some of us, weight loss surgery is the only chance we have at the moment to achieve a body that is healthy and feels comfortable to be in. Weight loss surgery is the tool that can help you physically with the change, and engaging in counselling with a trusted professional will help bring change to your feelings, self-esteem, mental health, and other ways to deal with the stressors of life without comfort food.
I am here to help!
As a counsellor who has been in your shoes, I am ready and waiting to support you as you consider the huge decision to undertake bariatric surgery, including exploring step by step of what to expect, how to deal with eating issues, self-esteem issues, and everything else that comes along with it. I am also here without judgement to support those who have had weight loss surgery and is still dealing with disordered eating.
I offer in person counselling services from my offices in Edithvale and Somerville as well as Australia wide online.
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