Why are we willing to lie to ourselves?

     While visiting with my daughter in Iowa City today, we took a tour of the campus of The University of Iowa. We stopped at an outdoor mall area and a woman caught my eye. She had stopped her morning jog, and was resting on a public bench. I could not help but notice her stylish outfit. She had on the latest of twenty-first century fitness attire,  running shoes, a very stylish jogging outfit, a matching head band, and an Ipod complete with an armband holster to keep it in place while exercising. 
     Now, what really caught my eye wasn't all this, nor was it her shapely figure. No, what caught my eye was the reason that she had stopped her morning job and was taking this break. She stopped to smoke a cigarette! This brought to mind an important lesson in our attitudes towards WLS. This woman was going through all the motions of looking like she was conscientiously taking care of her health, but ultimately she was neglecting it.
     It is a good reminder for those of us both pre and post op. If our goals are to merely look good, then we are short changing ourselves. We should always keep in reminding ourselves that our goal is to get healthier and enjoy a better, longer life. Otherwise, we can end up, like her, not realizing that we are only taking are of appearances, and not ourselves.

 I had to but in in the men's forum - I do like men.   

I quit smoking in December, and had RNY surgery July 16 (last month).   I smoked for a year and a half after having quit for the 10 years prior to that.  I hope I never pick up another cigarette.  I was hospitalized for what my doc thought was a heart attack and turns out it was bronchial spasming and asthma like condition from smoking.

Both my parents died from lung problems although neither smoked.  My father died of mesothelioma - asbestos cancer, and my mother died from pneumonia after a fall a couple of years ago (at 88).  I know these are not related to smoking, but I still wonder if some of us have genetic sensitivities in certain areas.

I dont get it either.. I saw someone in 98deg temps smoking and coughing, then *****ing that their chest hurts from coughing..

My fav is the person in this one biker bar that is smoking and huffing on oxygen.  

Ah, Joe, if you ever get out to hunt with me in Wyoming, there is a regular spot we often go, for lunch or breakfast, on the way to town. We always get a chance to make note of a table of regulars there. these 3 guys are there every day having coffee, smoking their cigarettes with their oxygen takes at each of their sides.

 wow,  lol .... I cant wait till the day i am able to come up there. When one of them goes boom maybe they will get it.. 

Nick, You gotta look into the minds of these types.  They are on the same level as the quarter pounder with diet coke crowd.  They have their own versions of off-sets. Like the WLS'ers who needs alcohol 3-5 mos out.  They find calorie off-sets for a 700 calorie daily alcohol intake.
Carbon credits WLS style.   I make off-sets on my WLS journey.  I live in Anne Arundel Cty, MD one of the highest pollution zones in the east and I have to breath in air that represents 1/5 pk of cigs a day.  You put the top down on the car and your face, and hair are pasted with  pollution inside 30 minutes. We wont move so I need alot of motion work at the gym to clear my lungs. 
The info is out there.  Its the reasoning thats screwed up.  Kinda like my obesity (my friend the all-u-can eat) buffets.  I took them seriously  and drank  1/2 gal of water the next day as an off-set
Good luck
 

Oh I understand their mind sets. It was the same mind set that got us to needing WLS. My point was that this is a nice reminder to us to avoid that mind set. Thanks for replying though, you do make some great observations.

Be it smoking, alcohol, drugs, food or whatever - seems everyone has their own form of demons to fight.  Hopefully, they can find a way to assist to overcome their personal battles.

 Excellent point, Nicholodeon ..    And something I have pointed ou on TT before, sometimes to my peril .. 

  I just don't understand why someone who is so concerned about getting healthier as to go through WLS will engage in health-risking habits afterward ..   This includes smoking, drinking, etc.    

  I remember sometime back a gal that posted on her profile "after" pics of herself enjoying life now by riding around on the back of her DH's Harley chopper, touring the country ..  That sounds great, except, with NO helmet on in any of her pics ..       I let her know promptly what I thought of her risky behavior in a comment to one of her pics  (no response from her, though) ..   Hopefully she has changed her ways in that regard ..   

   We had a biker killed here just earlier this week in a car wreck ..  not wearing a helmet ..   The cops left his bloody body out in the street for over 4 hours, with just a sheet over all but his feet ..   Anyone who sees something like that I bet never goes w/o a helmet again (if they have any sense) .. 

Topic: Why are we willing to lie to ourselves?

Cause we're humans. And that's what humans do.