TODAY'S RANT: LAP BAND AND BARIATRIC SURGERY

This makes me SICK.

I got this in the mail yesterday.

Hey everyone!


Sorry i've been MIA a good portion of this week, but I have been beyond overwhelmed. But don't worry, I'm back! Glad to say I'm up to almost 20 followers! Exciting, right!?


So let's get down to business..Today I just need to vent on a subject I am EXTREMELY passionate about. I am not trying to offend anyone that has got any of these procedures done, but I am hoping to SAVE people from going this route or letting their loved ones go there in the future. It is UNNECESSARY. As you now I am pro-health and fitness. I am all about healthy living, exercise, and all that good stuff in between. You know from past posts I don't believe in starving yourself temporarily and dieting for weight loss. I believe in long term life-time change and eating what you want, when you want it in moderation, while incorporating the good healthy tips I give on here.


Lap Band is one of the most irritating things to me. I get so frustrating with their billboards, their commercials, and NOW, they're even sending flyers (see picture above of flyer i got yesterday) in the mail. Their slogan is "Diets Fail, Lap-band Works". This is the most naive and sickening statement known to man. Diets do "fail" when people eat well for a month and go back to stuffing their faces like they did before, OF COURSE IT WILL FAIL. Any logical person can tell you that. If you slowly cut out some of the high fatty and high sugar foods you are eating in mass quantities and eat them only in moderation, you will see results, but you know you need to stay with it and exercise. This is an unnecessary procedure for 80% of those who get it, in my opinion. I don't care who you are, if you are overweight (not counting those that are in the 500+ weight range that immediately have to lose weight or their health is going to fail) you CAN do this on your own. In some cases, I agree that weight loss surgeries are necessary for those that have health issues that are going to take your life before you have time to lose it. (See I'm not that bad, right?).


There are people that are like 180 pounds and 220 and whatever else getting this procedure and in my opinion that is WRONG. I truly believe that people taking this route want to take the easy way out and just don't want to work hard for weight loss. I can also guarantee you that it is much more rewarding knowing you lost that weight yourself. Lap band is the process in which a ring is placed around the opening to your stomach slightly down below the esophagus that will block the entrance of more than a very tiny amount of food at a time. Although adjustable, I still don't see anything healthy about this. People all over are definitely getting the idea from all of these billboards and messages all over that it is the easy way out of being overweight..and that you SHOULD do it. NO NO NO! Lap-Band's REAL message is that "you don't need to eat healthy and work hard, just come give us your money and get surgery and you can continue to be lazy, AND you'll lose weight!" Do they tell you that you're also extremely likely to become nutrient deficient in many areas later and the long term negative affects on you body (your heart, muscles, organs, etc.) I have seen people that have had this surgery and gastric-bypass. Some of these people do NOT look healthy after a long period of time. I argue every day with people that want to get these procedures and hopefully I talk them out of it. I believe that with some hard work and calorie management and consistency in your diet and exercise, you can avoid these procedures.


Gastric Bypass. I don't even know where to begin with my hatred toward this irreversible procedure.  I know a few people that have gotten this, and some do look good (although I believe they could have lost the weight on their own, with a little hard work at time), and some just don't. They are stapling your stomach so that your entire stomach can only hold a such little amount of food, you can't even drink with your meals because it will fill up so fast. Your stomach is reduced to the size of a walnut or small egg. If you eat more than a handful full at one time, you will likely throw up because your stomach will reject the excess food. I'm sorry, but your stomach is made to expand, absorb and consume vital nutrients necessary to the functioning of the human body. A majority of those individuals who receive this procedure will have to be on nutritional supplements the rest of their lives, because without them their body's will be in a state of mal-nutrition. And nutritional supplements (which are a good topic for another day) are not like the real nutrients that our bodies get from real food. Your body is not made to consume that little food. No matter what size you are/were.


If you are considering this surgery and are not near or over that 500 lb mark and have health issued related to your obesity, PLEASE take the healthy and rewarding route. EAT HEALTHY, EXERCISE, and take pride in your weight loss that you are doing on your own. The unhealthiness and procedural risks in these procedures are just not worth it. Take some initiative and do a little work. Don't take the easy way out that will ultimately have a chance of taking your life SOONER from the malnutrition and the stress on your body and heart from these procedures. I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to be. I just give you the facts when it comes to food and exercise. Always consult your physician before beginning any major diet changes or exercise routine. <3