Weight Loss Does Not Cure Obesity Issues

If you are overweight and really want to make a change in your life to become thin and are considering weight loss surgery we want to get your attention for a moment.  You are obese and you not only want to lose weight, you need to lose weight for health reasons.  You are considering the option of weight loss surgery and that is alright, but we really want you to stop and think for more than a moment.  Weight loss surgery may cure obesity in the short term but it may not cure you for the long-term.  In fact, weight loss surgery may create more issues than in the long term than you realize.

Not too long ago I went out to dinner with a friend of mine and he had weight loss surgery about 18 months ago.  Back when the surgery was recent he could only eat a nugget and a french fry with a few sips of water.  Since the time he has had the surgery he lost over 100 pounds and that is great.  It is what I saw next that really caused me to worry about the reality of weight loss surgery.  Not too long ago we were out to eat and I was shocked with the fact that he ate an entire meal.  He had a bit of bread, drank soda with a straw and ate a meal that anyone would be able to eat, surgery or not.

While we were eating he was still basking in the reality that he lost so much weight but he said that the weight loss had slowed down quite a bit.  He said it was normal for the slower loss but what was not normal was how much food he was able to eat.  It was obvious to me that his stomach pouch is expanding again and is getting larger with every meal.  I feel as if he is setting himself up again for weight gain and more obesity issues.

What we have learned over the years is that food is only the end product of obesity and the root cause of obesity is never merely food.  What we mean is that there is always an emotional issue that causes a person to over eat.  For some people there may be binge eating while others may have issues with eating as a relief for some emotional insecurity, such as suffering from lonliness. The superstar trainer Jillian Michaels covers this subject quickly on almost every Biggest Loser episode.  She is always clawing her way past the tears to reveal what causes the personal issue that is behind the obesity that her contestants deal with.  What is revealed so often is that obesity is only the end result of some emotional roller coaster ride.

As you consider the option of weight loss surgery you need to be aware that surgery is merely a business.  As nice as that doctor may seem you are merely a down payment on that new car or summer home.  Weight loss surgery will never be able to force you to put that fork down.  Weight loss surgery will not heal the emotional wounds that caused you to overeat in the first place.  These are the issues that need to be resolved prior to any weight loss diet, meal plan or surgery.

As with any diet or meal plan you need to be committed for weight loss surgery to work.  Do not think that by merely having surgery you will never have to be concerned with your weight again.  The fact is that after the surgery you will have to be very concerned with what you eat and how much you eat.  If you do not cure or deal with the emotional issues before you have the surgery there is a good chance you will be forced to deal with it after the surgery.