These words are the most feared words to someone who has had bariatric surgery. Why? There is a misconception that choosing to get surgery instead of just “eating better and working out” is a simpler, lazier, and quicker alternative.
I have heard from so many people in my bariatric community that they’ve heard these dreadful words. Since my surgery in February 2020, I only heard it once and it was in July 2021. And I was floored.
BULLSHIT
IT IS NOT THE EASY WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT
It was by far one of the hardest things I have had to endure in my roller coaster adult life with way too many traumas for one human to have.
I have been overweight my entire life. I have been on every diet known to man. I wreaked havoc on my metabolism, so much so that it was broken.
My heart was also broken. My chest always felt like it was under a pile of bricks. I went to a cardiologist in September 2019 to find out what could be causing this. I then received the most devastating news: I had Grade 3 diastolic dysfunction. My heart was struggling to relax as fast as the blood was coming through. This was the start of congestive heart failure and I was 39 years old with 3 year old twins and a loving husband.
I needed help STAT
My team of doctors all agreed that I needed to have the surgery. I without a doubt agreed and had surgery in February 2020. The recovery was brutal. Imagine being on a 6 week liquid only diet. Then reintroducing soft textured foods for 2 weeks and then slowly adding back solid foods. Your mental state is challenged during this time from feeling amazing, exhausted, frustrated, defeated, and sometimes down right angry. All while praying to god that you don’t projectile vomit, dry heave, deal with constipation, or even worse explosive diarrhea. And let’s not forget recovering from MAJOR SURGERY.
To the naysayers, I double dog dare you to follow this “diet” and tell me that I took the easy way out.