diets don't work... but surgery does!

[keryx]

It seemed like such a promising title...

But noooooo, the article about "why diets don't work" is in fact about why losing weight is still vitally important, and how surgery is the only "proven" way.

Also, apparently a specific type of diet, according to their little sidebar, does work. If you exercise over an hour a day [Which I on average do, though I'm in fact putting back on some of the weight I lost before.].

Comments

[tupelo.livejournal.com]

Strange that they're saying that the surgery is successful long term. I know several people personally who had that surgery (which terrifies me) not only gained back most of the weight they took off, but ended up with a laundry list of complications/health problems thanks to the WLS.

[queerbychoice.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I know one person on LiveJournal who had the surgery and hasn't gained back the weight, but has developed life-threatening colon problems as a result that have required multiple surgeries to correct, and that keep coming back again after the surgeries (and now she doesn't have health insurance anymore to get them fixed, so the life-threatening problems are now more life-threatening than ever).

[keryx.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm perplexed by that, too. I wonder if WLS is actually long-term successful or if the data's not as readily available or bent in some way.

[suzy-hendrix.livejournal.com]

God, if I could flip a switch, I'd never hear the word "diet" ever again. You're not gonna solve much by *not* doing something, like eating. And god damn if people would just spend their energy trying to not do a plethora of other stupid god damn things that are even more important or more damaging to your health and self-esteem than fat.

And this is coming from a complete and total hypocrite, by the way.

[volondoinyaface.livejournal.com]

I like that they acted like her current weight was healthy though, even if the healthy at any size thing was totally unexamined (as in, how did her losing that weight lower her cholesterol? Not explained).

[keryx.livejournal.com]

True. There were SOME good aspects of the article - and I feel good that more and more weight-related press at least gives a nod to the possibility that people can be fat and not in mortal peril.

Yep.

[fatfu.livejournal.com]

Any time you get any kind of anti-diet or non-moralizing study actually reported in the news (omg!) they still always have to find somebody on the other side to completely undermine and contradict it. (Something that never happens if the article is just supporting the popular prejudices).

If the study says -- the article will conclude:

Diets don't work -- but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to lose weight!!!
Fat people live about as long -- but fat is still unhealthy!!!
There are genes controlling fat -- but you shouldn't use that as an excuse to be fat!!!
It may not be all calories in/calories out -- but it's still boils down to eating fewer calories than you burn!!!!
Weight Loss Surgery can be dangerous and only modestly effective -- but for many it's the only hope!!!!