A really great point!

Hi DeAnna!! I really wish that she had worded this differently, because it is being taken out of context, from what I can gather. Apparently, when she says it will "ruin it for future patients", from what I can understand, she is relating to the way that because of failure rates, more and more insurance companies are starting to drop the procedure from their list of approved surgeries, or are making it even harder to get (now many carriers won't cover it in some places, and quite a few now require "supervised" diets for 6 months or a year), back when I had my procedure this was not even a requirement. Thanks for taking the time to respond though - I never meant for it to be a topic that would bring out so much in so many people (have you read all the replies - wow!) - it was just something that I though****ing the nail on the head, and I wanted to share. Please have a great day - and thanks! Michael

Hi Marilyn, While I am not disputing THIS particular rant (much...LOL), I believe that it *should* have been related to us (NOT meaning the original poster...) from someone that has never fallen off his/her pedestal. She HAS/HAD regained a significant amount of weight,...judge not, lest ye be judged...right? I certainly have no room to cast stones, due to my recent weight gain...post-op baby weight gain that I haven't completely lost and just plain bad eating habits being established during that period of time... (And, if you have/had read March 06's rant before it was pulled and edited, you are a MUCH more forgiving person than I. (((Hugs))) ~~Sherry BTW...SM DOES ask people to order from me... remember that, for the longest time, you would see numerous (pretty much daily) posts thanking SM for their orders, etc.? They were personally requested by SM to do so. I know this because the same was requested of me upon every order.

OH - the March 06 RANT - OK, I really wish I could have read it! I would really like to have seen and judged for myself....not that I stand in judgement of anyone, but I like to know all sides of a person......and maybe I am not seeing all sides of Susan?? Anyway, truthfully I have purchased very few products from her, but when I met her at the last event I was at, she was very helpful and gave me some great referrals to other companies for some really neat products...and she did seem genuinely interested in everyone's success......but you know how that goes, you only see sometimes as much as they are willing to show? Or something like that LOL...... Thanks - have a great day!!!! Michael

I am turned off by the fact that being a formerly obese person, living with the ridicule and stigma associated with being fat she seems to easily fall into name calling and finger pointing and blaming and generalizing and throwing people into "those" groups etc. I could give a chit about politics and sales. If she has something I want, I buy it, if I find it cheaper elsewhere I buy it elsewhere and visa versa. Did I buy her book. No. Perfection is unobtainable and goal weights are all different. For a 400-500 pound individual to reach 250 is awesome, and yet they are still 100 pounds overweight.... She knows better than to generalize a bariatric patient as fat, based on the way they look. I'm betting money she will say she is "at goal" but she is not at a normal BMI, did I call her fat? No. There is telling it like it is, and there is selectively forgeting where you came from and alienating people she could be helping rather than belittling them for thier struggles. Thats not what I call "caring" for people. Opinions are like......well you know the rest. We all have the option to walk away. M

You are my hero ! Wish I could be as eloquent with what I wanted to say. You are so right about the start weight....Most of the WLS people I know who are board thin now started out at not much more than I weigh now, granted, I am 5'10 and some of them are hitting around 5'5, but their start weights were about 225-250 (preop), and now have trouble maintaining 115.....(and most of them also smoke). I started at 300, lost down to about 170 (and was wearing 12s), now back up to 220, but STILL very glad I had surgery, and don't really appreciate someone telling me maybe I should not have even been granted that right... PS - looked over your profile and pics - you look fabulous!! DeAnna.

Hi there, Michelle! Great post! I really had no idea that my sharing this rant from her site would cause this much response! LOL.... As a man (yes yes, I know, we lose easier than women), who started at 408 pounds, and who now maintains between 165 and 168 (almost a year now - hurray!), I have to constantly struggle with so many internal food issues still. I mean really - it has been so difficult, and as you know, the most difficult thing that some of us will ever do. I just saw some of myself in that rant, which was the only reason I shared it....I could not care any less about her sales, or her business, etc. - but I just liked how straight forward she was being in her rant. Honestly, I think this would have come across much better if it had been written by someone else other than her; someone who would have no stake in our community and no possible agenda (books, sales, etc.)... But, in all honesty, I was just sharing a small part of what's inside of me. I identified with some of that. I know for a fact that it is SOOOO possible (and I say POSSIBLE, never a guarantee) for ANYONE to get to goal weight, based on how they approach the task with REALLY being honest with themselves, eating the right things, and daily exercise. - - in my groups, I have many women who made it too, with lots to lose! However, sadly, I see WAY too many times the regains, the self shame, and the "giving up".....I just wish we could have been better prepared for what it TRULY MEANS to be all the way to goal, and now having to MAINTAIN it.....because, in my eyes, maintaining is so much harder than losing by leaps and bounds..... We have all lost weight in the past. For that matter, virtually any program (Jenny Craig, Weigh****chers, what ever) will help someone lose. I have lost my weight many times, only to regain even worse. I have NEVER kept it off, and I think now where I am, that is my biggest fear.... Anyway, thanks again for your very insightful and well though-out response. I truly had *NO CLUE* about any of the controversy surrounding her lately, I have been out of the loop for quite a while at my new job Have a terrific week!!!! Michael

Hi there, Marilyn!! Thanks for your response. You know, I met her in person a few times at different events, and I have spoken with her at length. I truly believe (and I am usually a very good judge of people), that she is not just in this for the business - she really believes very strongly in what she says. But like many of us, sometimes our passions can get the best of us, and we go over the top LOL..... Susan has also turned me on to so many different products and techniques that has made my life so much easier - and NOT from her business - from other sources, so she made no money there. She just wanted to help.....BUT - people are mentioning something that happened this past March?? I wish I knew what it was, I have been out of the loop on her for quite a while and now I am dying to know what it was.... But for the most part I do believe she is genuine... Have a terrific day!! Michael

I agree with her in many points. I'm a 5 year post op who hasn't regained and I'm not listened to on other boards I'm on as "I've not been there through the regain struggles" that others have been through. I don't have the "self control" issues others have so I couldn't possibly have any answers anyone else can use. I too am amazed at the people who go through major surgery, major life style change, changing their family's eating and dynamics and then don't use this tool they've been so lucky to be given in the best way possible? Sometimes I just want to ask some why they even bothered to have it in the first place? You have to have lived in a cave for the last 5-10 years to NOT know about weight loss surgery AND what it entails afterwards. You don't have surgery and still eat crap and lose weight. Anybody who's ever dieted knows you can't eat 5000 calories a day and lose weight no matter what a surgeon has done to you digestive tract! The amount of regain, failures (not related to medical problems) and excuses she's right on the money with. I've seen it in the 7 wls boards I belong to and this one also. Too bad people don't see it for what it is - a wake up call for them and a reason to reach out and help others.

Okay, so, the "psych eval" is only to weed out the people not capable of making their own medical decisions, it is NOT to tell us whether to have surgery or not, unless we are mentally retarted or not able to make medical decisions for ourselves. I have gained weight, but not because I have a mental disorder. I had a gastric bleed, an ulcer that I did not know about. It left me very anemic and fatigued, not just tired, but to me (not an expert) it felt like hunger, so I ate often to try to get over the fatigue, and I could not exercise because of the fatigue, now that is my EXCUSE!!!, and the only blame I will take is that I missed some doctor appointments, did not get my blood counts, and did not know I was anemic.....and now that everything is better, and I am not a new postop, getting the weight off is a little slow and hard. I did not care much at all for this "little" article. Thanks. d.

Hi DeAnna - You are 100% right - in your cir****tance. I say this, because I genuinely believe that your case is special, in that you really had no control over it - you had genuine physical difficulties. But in the majority of cases that I have dealt with (members of my two groups) who have regained, they were always 100% related to practical application and common sense (diet, lifestyle, etc.) - and this was never the case with the problems you encountered.... Anyway - I think it's great that you got through that, and I already can tell that you will get to goal - you seem to have the determination! Have a fantastic day, Michael