Denise Morris
New Member
There seems to be great public criticism generally regarding people who have weight loss surgery, generally to do with cost etc.
I personally think that if you can achieve weight loss through dietry changes/exercise then brilliant but for some people including myself it proved very difficult, I think this was partly due to hypothyroid which for past 18 years I have been treated although I had all symptoms for 7 years prior and was undiagnosed/untreated.
Resorting to surgery to help lose weight its not an easy decision to make and takes 'guts' to admit you need it , because like any major surgery it is not without risk and the heavier you are coupled with pre existing health problems increases the risks.
From my own point of view what put me off considering surgery for so long was I think initially I felt a failure at being unable to lose adequate weight naturally even with the aid of xenical and reductil.
Even when my weight was causing health problems it still took a lot of consideration of the pros and cons and it took me 2 years to decide to to ask my GP to refer me for it and then I had almost 2 years from seminar to surgery (almost 4 years).
Having had sleeve in January I have no regrets and wish I'd be my decisive earlier because I have lost more weight since surgery than I did in over 25 yrs of diets etc and already I am feeling the benefits in my health.
I also think the obesity epidemic (if thats the acceptable term) is due to the easy access of fast food and unhealthy food which certainly was not so easy to get when I was in my teens and what was available was kept as occasional treats.
Many argue that healthy food is more expensive than unhealthy food so here's a solution which might resolve this - apply a health tax (such as that on alcohol/cigarettes/sweets) on the unhealthy food which could then be used to subsidise the healthy food making it cheaper.
It does not remove a persons right to eat 'rubbish' but by making it more expensive it may well provide a deterrent to eating it everyday.
I personally think that if you can achieve weight loss through dietry changes/exercise then brilliant but for some people including myself it proved very difficult, I think this was partly due to hypothyroid which for past 18 years I have been treated although I had all symptoms for 7 years prior and was undiagnosed/untreated.
Resorting to surgery to help lose weight its not an easy decision to make and takes 'guts' to admit you need it , because like any major surgery it is not without risk and the heavier you are coupled with pre existing health problems increases the risks.
From my own point of view what put me off considering surgery for so long was I think initially I felt a failure at being unable to lose adequate weight naturally even with the aid of xenical and reductil.
Even when my weight was causing health problems it still took a lot of consideration of the pros and cons and it took me 2 years to decide to to ask my GP to refer me for it and then I had almost 2 years from seminar to surgery (almost 4 years).
Having had sleeve in January I have no regrets and wish I'd be my decisive earlier because I have lost more weight since surgery than I did in over 25 yrs of diets etc and already I am feeling the benefits in my health.
I also think the obesity epidemic (if thats the acceptable term) is due to the easy access of fast food and unhealthy food which certainly was not so easy to get when I was in my teens and what was available was kept as occasional treats.
Many argue that healthy food is more expensive than unhealthy food so here's a solution which might resolve this - apply a health tax (such as that on alcohol/cigarettes/sweets) on the unhealthy food which could then be used to subsidise the healthy food making it cheaper.
It does not remove a persons right to eat 'rubbish' but by making it more expensive it may well provide a deterrent to eating it everyday.
my surgery is being filmed for a documentry about wls bein avalible on the nhs and if its worth the money the ops cost. as u may well know alot of people who are not over weight dont agree with wls on the nhs and the documentry im doin is to show people its not an easy way out and u still have to work hard even after wls xx
