:-o Need some help

Just thought I would run this by some of you... Any comments would be appreciated. My mother is having the gastric bypass next Tuesday in Mississippi and she went to her first support group earlier this week. My father, brother and brother's fiance' went with her. After the meeting, my brother's fiance' handed her a brochure from a local hospital offering their services to diet rather than have the surgery. As she handed this to my mom, she told her she should look into the brochure before taking "the easy way out" meaning surgery. I was appalled. By no means has this been the "easy way out" for me, and why would people feel this way? By the way, the fiance' is tall and thin (rail thin). Maybe cause she has never been where we are/were, she feels that this was easy. I don't know, but I would like to put her in her place. Please help. Thanks and Hugz, Cherice

skinny people seem to think this is so easy, even if it was a easy way out, who cares, it gets us to the goal we need to achieve, thinner, and above all healthier. I myself have tried all diets for years, since i was a child. I'm also a nurse, and know this is a major surgery, with possible comlications. I don't know how old your mom is , but she should weigh all her options and make her own choices. I don't think it is a easy way out by any means. I feel overweight people really want to lose weight, and surgery allows us to get fuller faster, and get faster results. so don't let anyone make you feel bad, but let your mom make her own decision. You did what it took to make it to your desired goal. You wanted to do what it took to be healthier, and feel better about yourself. Good Luck!

People who are undereducated will ALWAYS feel that this is the "easy way out"... There is not a lot that can be done to change their minds, simply because they are clueless about the tremendous differences faced by the morbidly obese. They are thinking in terms of smaller weight loss goals and saying to themselves "Oh well it's just a little more to lose".... These people think about the 20 or 30 "vanity pounds" they or friends need to lose and they aren't considering genetic factors at all. They often argue in disbelief against the genetic component of obesity. These are the people *****ally* believe that obesity is a sign of weakness... These are the people who perpetuate discrimination and hate towards the obese... To that I say two things: 1. Why do you believe you can change a whole mindset of someone so closed-minded? Might as well try to convince a Ku Klux Klan member to not be racist.... 2. Someone who thinks that it's the "easy way out" to intentionally undergo general anesthesia, intubation, surgical incisions, revision of the gastric tract with millions of possible complications, continuous infusions of substances that can quickly become toxic/deadly, malabsorption which can cause permanent damage if not countered daily, and being unable to eat "normal" for as much as a year (for some it's more)... well that person is just plain ignorant. Would you actually LISTEN to a plumber giving electrical advice? Same thing... a "rail thin" person, who presumably never had a clue about weight or medicine... obviously not thinking before she speaks.... Don't doubt for a moment that your mom knows she's an idiot! HA!