The easy way out?!?!

For the first time yesterday I had someone insinuate that WLS is the easy way out. She actually made said "Well, you should lose more, XYZ is doing it the hard way." (the hard way in this case is weigh****chers) This is a friend of mine that said it and she's been supportive, was actually the only friend who visited in the hospital...so I was just stunned when she said it. I've thought numerous times about how I HATE that people think that but I have never figured I'd need a come back for it. So how do you respond (or will you if it hasn't happen yet) when people say WLS is the easy way out?

My first response is normally, "Excuse me!" then I proceed to say, "The easy way out, being cut down the middle of my stomach and having organs taken out and shrunk down, then sewn back up. Then being forced to eat a certain way and only certain amounts is the easy way out?" At least they can cheat on their diets. LOL We are forced to eat this way for the rest of our lives. Thank goodness we cant cheat. LOL That is how we gained all the weight in the first place. Whew, now I am done.

My first instinct would be to become defensive and go into detail with a response like Jennifer suggests (because it's SO true), HOWEVER, I just don't have the energy anymore to be on the defense.. so I think I would say, "I wish XYZ the best of luck with Weigh****chers" and change the subject. We've been judged our whole lives of being obese and it's sad that people continue to judge us even after what we've gone through. *sigh*

see you have was more class then I do. the one time someone did this to me. I flipped out. TOTALLY flipped out. I went on about never eatting something every again.. Surving on bites of food. The pain of surgery. the blood work I will have ot go through the rest of my life... the judgement people like *YOU* give people like *ME* and just went into total defensive Biotch mode Then I went on the sarcasm kick of well I suppose I could just con't to fail at yo-yo dieting and had a stroke like my sister, and then my kid grows up with out a mom...

This is an interesting one. We all know it is not the easy way out. However, I have to say the whole time I was struggling with having the surgery or not I somewhere in the back of my mind thought of it as the easier choice. The very reason being that I had reached the point where I needed the choice taken away from me. In some ways it is easier. I do not have a choice if I over eat by a bite I feel like I am going to die before I feel better. If I eat sugar my body will not let me get by with it. I ate some by mistake and discovered what pain really was. So from the level of feeling like I am fighting to make a choice it is easier. However, it is not easier to decide to trust a doctor to help me over come what my own will power could not. It is not eaiser to go into the hospital and have someone cut you open and change the way your body responds to food. It is not easy knowing that this choice could cost you your life. Niether is it easy to get to a point where your life is so mixed up due to your weight issues that the thought that you might die in surgery is not a concern becasue you know you are already the walking dead. Yes the weight will come off quicker at first. however it is just a beginning. After a year the process is the same. The pouch can grow if it is not feed properly. So my responds is yes for me this was the easy choice. Living is always easier than not. However, the work I have to do to reach my goal is no differnt than anyone elses and I deserve respect for the choices I make to live and to improve my life. I respect what you are doing to take care of yourself please respect what I am doing for myself. Terrie