WLS: A true account

Have you ever struggled with weight loss? If so I am sure you tried all the fad diets, weight loss pills, fasting, weight watchers and even starving yourself at times. Maybe you even tried exercising excessively for a week or two before giving in. Weight loss is an exhausting journey and many don't understand how hard it is on our person physically or emotionally. Weight loss journeys should not feel like you are failing or that you are starving yourself. People say getting WLS is the "easy way out" but what they don't know is the hard parts after the surgery. They don't know that you go through extreme depression and obsess over your weight. They don't realize that your image becomes more noticeable and people say things. They don't often say nice things. Often it is "wow you look half the size that you used to." It hurts and it feels shameful to know people viewed you this way but never said anything. You hope that your spouse never felt this way but you don't truly know. Spouses are supposed to "love you no matter what" but does this truly mean they overlooked this in us. Battling with weight is extremely emotional and also hard to overcome knowing that you may have eaten to forget, to protect yourself and to love something other than yourself. Sounds sad, right? Well, it is a true account of what people can go through. Mental illness is difficult before weight loss surgery but even harder after it. You hate and feel guilty you took this route. You also start to judge every aspect of your body throughout the journey especially when you plateau. It is about 1 year when you may or may not be happy with yourself. You may hate or love yourself at this point. You may still struggle to eat at all or feel hunger. You may have loose skin that is more disturbing and disgusting than prior to WLS. You contemplate whether you should've done the surgery in the first place. You truly struggle. Whatever your decision is, don't ever feel like you are alone. Every decision around weight loss is hard. There is no right answer but whatever path you take is yours. Don't let others judge the path you take. If I could do it all again, I would. Despite all of the challenges faced, it was worth it.

~Author: Anonymous