Teens Are Encouraged to Have Weight-Loss Surgery. Wait, What?

Today I have a special treat… this is an awesome guest blog post from Fit Is The New Black blogger Holly. She is a up and coming writing and a complete fitness freak (us freaks have to stay together) and though we’ve only chatted through email, I like her already! Her blog is very “tell it like it is” which is what I love!

Plus with me being a Southern Chick, it’s nice to bring in a bit of the North from time to time… new perspective ladies!! So read… comment on it… and head over to her blog!

Oh and PS… Holly let me post up a little video and workout that is posted up there… so go right after you read this:

Teens Are Encouraged to Have Weight-Loss Surgery. Wait, What?

Leave it to big business to make a profit off of America’s obesity epidemic. According to a new article in the New York Times, about 220,000 people use surgery to shed lbs. With insurance companies more eager to foot a surgery bill than a gym tab, weight-loss surgery has become a $6 billion dollar business. Cha-Ching!

But none of this surprises me. We live in an instant gratification culture. Everything’s got to be fast. And I’m from New York, so I’m an expert on these things. Fast rides, fast food, fast weight loss. It’s the American way. But is that really the right attitude to have about our health?

The article in The Times wasn’t detailing the weight-loss biz as much as it was describing the newest client that is falling victim to it-adolescents. Say what? Yes, more teenagers are being considered acceptable candidates for weight loss surgeries, like the lap-band.

As parents... it's our job to teach our kids to live a healthy life... not obsess!

Journalist Anemona Hartocollis, followed 19-year-old Shani Gofman for a year, and chronicled her experience pre and post surgery. Because you can read, I won’t go into extreme detail about what the story revealed. What I will mention, however, is what I found most disturbing.

The first thing was that Gofman ended putting weight back on, after her initial weight loss. I’m not a licensed nutritionist, trainer or doctor, but it’s obvious why Gofman saw poor results from her surgery- She didn’t learn how to eat properly! Altering somebody’s insides so that they can only have a golf ball amount of food is NOT teaching them proper nutrition. It’s teaching them frustration and deprivation, and frankly, you can learn that trying a Hollywood fad diet.

While some of us may struggle with our weight because of real medical issues, many of us battle the pounds because we lack basic nutritional understanding. We’re not taught to eat clean, or choose whole foods in grade school. Nutrition labels can read like Latin to the unlearned eye. It’s not our fault. We aren’t born with this knowledge. Like most things, we have to be educated about it. It’s inexcusable and sad that no one thought of educating Ms. Gofman. She may have been legally an adult, but she was also a teenager, and teens need guidance.

The American Way?

The second thing that bugged me from the article was that Gofman was actually discouraged from losing the weight the natural way. Seriously? WTF!

What type of world is this, where doctors steer away patients from diet and exercise, and onto the operating table? It’s like the bloody Twilight Zone.

Why wouldn’t they encourage her to enroll at the gym, or hire a trainer first? If money was an issue (her surgery was paid for by insurance), she could have gone old school, aka walking outside. And with the amount of fitness videos available on YouTube and Netflix, everyone has access to fitness today. You don’t even have to leave your home. And I don’t even want to hear the excuse that she was just too heavy to risk her losing weight the healthy way. Hello! What about the show, Ruby? That sweet southern belle proved that anyone can lose weight. Maybe Gofman’s doctors forgot to TIVO it.

I hate to say that there are no quick fixes, because it’s cliché, and everyone says it. What I will say is that if we are to become a fit and healthy nation, we have to be willing to do the work. Pills, fad diets, surgery, and everything in between may work, but only for a little while. While insurance may foot the bill for surgery, it won’t save you the heartache and disappointment when quick slim schemes don’t last. Working out, a healthy diet, and patience is the only recipe for lasting success. I hope someone teaches Gofman that recipe soon.

Thanks Holly! Remember… now you can go to: Fit Is The New Black

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