One of my dearest friends had gastric bypass surgery four or five years ago. She had tried numerous ways to lose weight, and was not able to budge the scale more than a few pounds. Her weight was a constant emotional issue for her. And she was always dealing with the physical challenges obesity brings.
She underwent counseling, and a surgery day was scheduled. She took off work that week. The days right afterward were a tiny slice of hell -- recovery, pain, and a liquid diet. She wondered if she'd done the right thing.
She didn't tell people for a while. She was afraid of what they'd think. As she lost more and more weight, quickly, it became sort of obvious, so she had to "confess" what she'd done. And I use the word confess because that's how she felt. People in the office were talking behind her back! It was insane. There seems to be a particularly mean kind of gossip that swirls around people's personal choices regarding their weight, wouldn't you agree?
She lost more than 100 pounds and has kept it off. She eats well and has become a bit of a gym rat. But she also knows, even all these years later, that people still watch her to see if she'll gain the weight back.
Some people would say she "took the easy way out." I'm here to tell you that the opposite is true. It's a tough surgery with a lot of difficult work that follows. The first couple of months especially, as you are recovering and then relearning how to eat (and how much you cannot eat) was particularly hard for my friend. But years later, I can tell that for her, it was the absolute best choice.
I'm wondering if this is the experience others have had. Why are we so interested in what others are doing about their weight, and why do we feel we have the right to have an opinion about it? Does the fact that someone is shrinking before our eyes merit our comment? Or should we ignore it if they have chosen to? And why do some people almost hope that others will fail in their efforts?