NBC 30 news story . . . . .

Maybe we should invite the news station to one of our area support groups so they can become "more informed" about what WLS is all about...maybe they'll finally do a segment on us! Was this broadcast from WVIT channel 30 out of West Hartford??? I'm in RI now, but when I lived in CT, I thought this station was the most inept station of them all, and their broadcasters were lame "bottom of the barrel" too! So, it doesn't surprise me that this story (with holes in it) came from that station. And, another thing that bothers me these days is everytime they do a weight loss story, they put in bold letters, "No surgery, no gimmicks, just lost it on their own" Yeah, I'd love to see these people two years down the road to see if they've kept it off... paula

hey thanks bob,,obviously she knows nothing about most of us,i for one struggle everyday with weight issues,have dieted ,,exercised,but then fell and had 5 ,,yes 5 knee surgeries to slow down the exercise,then diagnosed with hypo thyroid,which exercise will not help,let alone the bad knee stopping that too,,then sleep apnea.etc,etc,,this kind of stuff really ****** me off and i will send them a letter too,i am totally not copping out,i am looking for a tool(which this is)to help me gain a healthy lifestyle and get rid of these medical issues to go back to work,i also have 4 bulging discs in my back to make exercise not so easy.i have a gazelle in my home and use it reguarly,i dont not over eat,this lady should have thought out her words about g/b before she spoke them..i saw the show too and boy oh boy,,,i feel the same way you do,i am gonna go write them right now,,,thanks bob!!!!! cyndee

Bob you are so right about people not researcing their facts before they pass judgment........ I love OPRAH, absolutely LOVE HER, but she always made me angry when she said she didnt "believe" in WLS......... Well I dont know if any of you saw Stacy Halprin's story, she had Gastric Bypass and lost 356 pounds.....She totally was a "lightbulb moment" for OPRAH when she told her that Gastric Bypass was not the quick fix everyone thinks it is...........aftet the surgery is when the work begins and we (WLSers) must work at it FOREVER...... she said this on the show "My life has literally been turned upside down," Stacey says of her weight loss. "It's a hard adjustment. People think that's going to be all great; it's not all great. It's a life to get used to, it's a new person." As she continues to live in her "new" body, Stacey struggles to maintain a positive identity that reflects who she is now. "I never thought there could be anything harder than losing weight, but there is. And that is getting rid of that 500-pound voice in your head all the time." Oprah has a new way of veiwing WLS and thank goodness because she of all people understand what its like to lose weight and try and keep it off!!! So Bob, Kudos to you for emailing them and I hope they do do some research into WLS and perhaps attend a support group..Im sick of people thinking "oh she just doesnt eat anything" or "she took the easy way out" ~Bethany 266/203/???

Well, she may be that way now!!! But what will happen when she GAINS??? , people have to do what they have to do , like any other thing. I am mad because of the skin problem side, but I do not put the surgery down, I would not have had it, nor would I do it again, but for my own reasons. I commend folks who have done well. This woman is ignorant, but she may find that when and if she gains her weight back, then, what will be her next move. As for OPRAH, she can kiss my.... she is 0ver 50 and her skin sags and hangs, to say that she has had nothing is to me a lie.. if I had that kind of money, you can have anything done and no one will know. I have no respect for her and never will in terms of her losing her weight and making others feel bad. This is not what I was looking for, but for others it means the world and it was a good journey and I have found a lot of support, but the skin thing is not for me, that is the only thing that I find as a downfall and makes me wish that I would have opted for something different, and I could have. But what is done is done, and I have to move on.. but that woman on TV may have to eat her words (pun) People lose the fact that this surgery is a "tool" and not a cure or cop out or whatever. If I was a drug addict or a alcoholic and took methadone or antabuse, would that be a cop out too? or a treatment? I think that folks need to think that again, as obsisity is more addicting as we have to eat, but we do not have to drug and drink alcohol. Sooo for that woman and OPRAH... do your homework .. and let folks that have done what they have to do to make themselves feel better and lead a better quality of life!!! Kudos to those who wrote to the station.... Me, I am going to write to the insurance and see about getting help for the reconstructive surgery.. If that is a cop out, so what, so be it, !!!! BlkNectar