Fitness and Health Shows v. Surgery shows

[Eden]

Well, here goes.... I may offend someone... but I think that weight loss surgery is taking the easy way out. Basically those people are saying I can't exercise any willpower or control over myself, so I'm going to have it surgically implanted... I don't regularly watch biggest loser, etc, (though there was as show called Honey Were Killing the Kids, that focused on changing kids/families eating and exercise habits while they are still young that I found to be quite interesting) but I do think that those shows set a really good example of what is possible when a person really wants to change their life. Even really heavy people have proven that weight loss is possible without resorting to surgery.

Yes, the people on those shows get support unlike anything most people have access to, but they have to do it all themselves in the end. They have to control what they are eating and they have to do the exercise. There's no doubt its hard work and they have to have a lot of commitment to keep going.

I've heard that many of the gastric bypass patients end up back at high weights in a few years (the stomach *can* be re-expanded slowly to the point that the person can again overeat.... and I heard about one guy (he was on NPR) who figured out he could "cheat" by drinking full fat latte drinks..). Because they never had to learn better eating habits or exercise habits they just end up going back. I know that some people who lose weight just through dieting end up heavy again too, but I'd be curious to know which group (surgery vs intensive diet/exercise program) has better long term success. I'd also be curious to the long term health implications of the surgery vs diet/exercise.... the surgery has some side effects (possible vitamin deficiencies, etc) and it may be promoting thinness over fitness - so I'd be curious to see how healthy the people from each group without considering how thin they are.