The Cost of Being Plus-Size - 3

In my previous blogs, I've been talking about the foolish claims made by people who "create" diets so that those of us who fall into the trap of believing their claims, will follow. And even though people everywhere will follow those diets religiously and stringently over time, their expectations are never quite realised. Why? Because yes, they may lose a little weight but as soon as they revert to eating what the body by that time is craving, then they will pile on the weight again. And always it is more weight than they first started off with. That sets in motion a roller-coaster ride, because most plus-sizers will try and try and try again; sometimes the same "diet", most times any other diet that makes outlandish claims and seems to have the answers to everyone's dreams. As one of these people over decades, I can speak with authority and experience - diets don't work.

So let's get on with what other way the media, and even our family and friends can offer "help". It's very insidious and it's very damaging and it's very discriminatory and it's very abusive.

I'm talking about being told that the only way to fix the problem is to have weight loss surgery. In fact here in Australia there's a move by the government to insist that "morbidly obese" people have one form or another of stomach banding and that these operations will be subsidised. What has the reaction been by those people who are not overweight or obese? Utter condemnation that people of size deserve any subsidisation! The anger continues.

But WLS is NOT the answer for everyone at all. It's all very well for the media (and I blame the women's magazines as much as I do the advertisers of companies who are out to make millions from this form of torture. And I do call it torture, because I've seen a number of women who have had the operation and who have been scarred both physically and emotionally to such an extent that they are only reflections of their former self. They're "confidence" is equated with how they look when they are dressed; NOT when they are eating a meal, or when they are living their lives. In fact these women have been so traumatised by the surgery that they verablise the words "I wish I hadn't done it".

Now, I know I'll get many people saying all this is just imagination. That they're had WLS and their lives have changed dramatically for the good, and they would tell everyone to had the surgery carried out. Well, I say to these people, congratulations. I'm glad it's worked for you. And I'd like you to tell me in 5 years, 10 years time that you still feel the same way.

But there is another high cost. These operations cost a lot, financially, and people go into great debt for them. So that's one aspect. The other aspect is that if the surgery does not work, and it doesn't always, how does the person feel? Shattered.

Many overweight people (who are now told they're "obese" or morbidly obese) have other health problems as well as being overweight. Those problems may even be hidden until the surgery and then come out fighting. Even if those health problems have been diagnosed and are being treated, they can get worse.

Most people who have WLS have to undergo ongoing surgery for the removal of loose skin. Now that doesn't sound so bad does it? But if you were shown photos of some of the loose skin that has to be removed after WLS surgery, during your consultations with the WLS surgeons BEFORE surgery, and have that aspect of the operation explained to you, then perhaps you'd try and go another route to becoming the slimmer person you want to be.

You've got to talk about these things with your doctor. You've got to have confidence in your doctor to be able to be assured that he is telling you everything you need to know. You need to ask questions and more questions, and to even write down the answers. Over and over again.

You see it's your body, and your emotional being, that is being treated in a WLS situation. You have to have as many facts as possible (even the negative ones) in order to make a valuable decision.

And don't believe all the hype you see on television and read in magazines that are "advertisements" and not necessarily recommendations from real people. There's a lot of make believe out there, and we get caught up in that make believe without even knowing.

So it absolutely astounded me when I heard on radio this morning that many hospitals here in Australia have been overwhelmed with the numbers of babies being registered for weight control advice. These babies haven't necessarily been "big" or heavy babies at birth , but within 12 months they're seen to be "obese". Tell me what is going on here.

Are these babies being breastfed? If so, why are they becoming overweight? If they are not being breastfed, I ask the same question. Because you can't tell me that a baby between birth and 12 months is eating nasty "fast-foods" filled with saturated fats and over zealous amounts of sugar, that are making them fat, all day and every day.

It's becoming more and more obvious to adults and now children who are labelled as being plus-size, that it is NOT the food they are eating, nor the quantity of food they are eating. Too many only eat normal and small sized meals with no snacks in between and no high-fat foods within their normal eating patterns. But I've been saying this for decades now. And I'll repeat it again and again until someone takes notice.

It is NOT so much the food we are eating,
but it is what is IN the food we are eating.

All natural ingredients are being processed, with additives and chemicals, that no-one has any idea what will be the result of ingestion over periods of time. Just take a quick look at the labels on food. I bet, like me, you can't understand what you're reading. So when are the authorities going to get manufacturers and suppliers to really tell the truth? And why are many foods grown or manufactured in one country, imported to ours, and then packed here, and labelled "made from imported and local ingredients". What does this tell us? Absolutely nothing.

Let the experts (dietitians/nutritionists/scientists) do some research. Let them do some serious analysing of the food that we all eat every day, and this includes the staple foods; bread, eggs, flour, meat, vegetables, fruit, lentils, rice. Then let's do some serious talking about what is going on with food in our bodies. This is a conspiracy.