A few weeks ago, Oprah ran two episodes about a set of obese teens. In the first episode, the teens went through a workshop where they talked about their bodies, how they felt about food, and the various problems in their families that contributed to their weight. I found the first episode to be a bit melodramatic. I sort of felt like I was watching a car wreck - disturbing but captivating it in its gruesomeness. In the second episode, a team of experts educated the teens (and their families) about proper nutrition and exercise. After an hour of hearing about wearing a pedometer and getting ideas for healthy snacks and school lunches, one of the obese teenagers asked Dr. Oz about getting gastric bypass.

UGGHHHHHHHHH.

I felt like screaming at the TV, “Were you not listening during the past hour?!?” After all of that (we’re talking expert after expert giving them hints and advice and really useful tips), she asks about gastric bypass. It was almost like she was saying, “Well, that’s all well and good but it really seems like a lot of trouble.” And that attitude is what irritates me about gastric bypass.

It’s not a secret that I’m not a fan of gastric bypass. Even when I was at my heaviest and most desperate and when I could have easily done it, I knew I would never be able to live with myself if I chose that route. I’ve been fat my whole life and I can’t think of anything else that I’ve wanted more than to be thin. In fact, somebody with my profile (lifetime of being obese, have tried almost everything to no avail, family history of obesity, family history of heart disease/diabetes) would be the perfect candidate for gastric bypass. I could have done it (and I probably still can). But I didn’t because I was not going to achieve my goal that way.

I’ve worked really hard for most of what I’ve accomplished in my life. Nothing has ever been handed to me. I don’t take the easy way out. I do things the right way. I’m an idealist and I have extremely high standards. Gastric bypass doesn’t feel right to me. I think it is the easy way out. Instead of taking the time (and yes it may take me several years) to understand the root cause of my obesity, I could have just reduced the size of my stomach and forced my body to consume less food. If that’s not the easy way out, I’m not sure what is. We’re talking about mutilating one of your organs. How is that *not* the easy way out?

In my mind, getting gastric bypass is like amputating your leg because you’ve got a few bruises on it. I really don’t think having a large stomach is why people are fat. People are fat because of their behaviors and their lifestyles. Getting gastric bypass isn’t going to change that. I’m not surprised when I hear about people getting the surgery and gaining the weight back after a few years. They attempted to solve the problem by fixing a symptom, not the root issue. If you’re using food to cope with your emotions, then guess what! You’re still going to use food to cope with your emotions, regardless of the size of your stomach.

The medical community seems to be branding it as this quick-fix easy solution to losing weight. I think that’s so irresponsible and frankly the medical community should be ashamed of itself for prescribing it to so many people. Instead of working with patients on modifying their behaviors, we’re giving up on them and simply pointing them to the quickest easiest route. I think gastric bypass is an extreme measure that should only be employed in desperate cases. I’m talking about those bed bound 600+ pound people who could die at any minute. But if you can get your ass to the gym and to a nutritionist’s office (and maybe even a therapist’s couch), then I don’t see any reason why you need to mutilate your body to lose weight.

Losing weight is extremely hard and it takes a long long time. I really don’t think that anybody who’s had gastric bypass can honestly sit there and compare their weight loss with mine. I’ve had to work really really hard to conquer my demeans on my own. There is nothing in my body holding me back from overeating or eating the wrong things. I have to make those decisions myself. And trust me, when I do mess up, I can’t just run an extra mile the next day (it actually takes me weeks of training before my body can run an extra mile). Eating the wrong foods usually sets me back weeks.

I might be insensitive about the whole thing but don’t you *dare* tell me that getting surgery is harder than losing weight naturally. If that was the case, then why go through surgery?