tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106221024087263603.post4344751666581122700..comments2023-06-10T09:32:50.096-04:00Comments on Everyday Glory: Bariatric Surgery for Children = A Terrifying IdeaSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06261420110467034277noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106221024087263603.post-34070471475228634322009-11-10T22:24:38.891-05:002009-11-10T22:24:38.891-05:00My first reaction was "oh my gosh". I re...My first reaction was "oh my gosh". I really think you hit on a lot of what I was thinking. The whole thing about losing weight and keeping it off is making the change. Diets don't work. Changing your lifestyle is what works. And it is tough. However, unless one makes the change, then they will go back to the way that they were before. A child can't make the change on their own and they didn't get to their weight on their own. I'm glad that you wrote out this well presented post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106221024087263603.post-12647043973335569302009-11-10T17:35:43.166-05:002009-11-10T17:35:43.166-05:00Thank you, Sarah, for expressing your opinion so s...Thank you, Sarah, for expressing your opinion so strongly on this subject. I agree that bariatric surgery on children is terrifying. <br /><br />Thanks also for ending your post by mentioning the West Virginia program, which shows what's so wrong with the surgical approach. People learn, particularly children, but surgical approaches for behavioral conditions condition people to be passive. It sounds like Overeater's Anonymous does a very good job with educating people to be more responsible, and with providing social support to reinforce personal responsibility. <br /><br />My sister-in-law had a very successful bariatric surgery, and has managed to keep her weight off for several years. I'll see her at Thanksgiving. <br /><br />From what I know and have seen with people who are seriously obese, self-image is a key aspect of the condition. People have to be encouraged to feel good about themselves, not abstractly, in the way so many people speak of self-image, but concretely, in the way we breathe, and move, and actively engage with the world. I've seen a lot of people lose weight rather easily when they learned to breathe and move more skillfully with FlexAware(R) and Feldenkrais, and I attribute that progress to the change in self-image.Stevenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00782180684337175033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106221024087263603.post-50428296833104275972009-11-08T22:26:46.589-05:002009-11-08T22:26:46.589-05:00Thanks. This is a subject near to my heart and sou...Thanks. This is a subject near to my heart and soul. I'm not uniformly against bariatric surgery for adults, but I can't get my head around operating on 2 year-olds.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13173621157483762091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106221024087263603.post-19326767507971173442009-11-06T12:12:00.924-05:002009-11-06T12:12:00.924-05:00I originally found your blog via Megan McArdle. Ar...I originally found your blog via Megan McArdle. Around the same time she recommended you she also recommended two books: The Obesity Myth by Paul Campos and Rethinking Thin by Gina Kolata. Campos has some interesting chapters on childhood obesity.<br /><br />More generally I just wanted to say that while I find all your posts interesting I really appreciate your writing on the topics of weight, obesity, health myths, and OA.Elisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06594477709835944165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106221024087263603.post-5672024871526688662009-11-05T16:50:17.900-05:002009-11-05T16:50:17.900-05:00Not all gastric bypass patients fail at keeping th...Not all gastric bypass patients fail at keeping the weight off. But you are right-- the bypass is just step one. The rest of it is all about attitude and actions. It's not a cure-all and most definitely must be paired with healthy eating and exercise. I know two people who had this surgery and it made a tremendous positive impact on their lives. Sure, every once in a while they suffer from "dumping" (drastic drop in sugar levels), nausea, etc., but it's certainly not a normal occurrence, at least for them. <br /><br />It's a complicated subject. But definitely NOT something that should be foisted on children. Their guardians should do a better job at taking care of them and helping them make responsible choices.elanithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06928945623585995083noreply@blogger.com