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A British woman who had gastric bypass surgery in an effort to reverse her morbid obesity is speaking out against the operation, saying:
I want people to know gastric surgery isn’t the answer to obesity … If I could only turn the clock back and lose weight with a combination of diet and healthy eating, I would.
Malissa Jones, who once weighed four times what she does now, is now battling with anorexia, and credits her food-revulsion to poor digestion, which she says is a direct result of the surgery. This poor girl is only 21 years old, and her body has already been ravaged by both extremes. Her story is a reminder that there are no quick routes to lifelong health and sustainable weight loss. Take her advice: Do it the old-fashioned way.
What’s interesting about Jones’ story is that her doctor’s “finally conceded that a £10,000 [$20,000] gastric bypass operation was her last chance of leading a normal life.” Why are doctors telling people to opt for surgery instead of diet and exercise? Gastric bypass involves cutting your body open, slicing your stomach to a quarter of its original size, shortening the small intestine, then patching it all together with staples. Some of the side effects of the surgery include hyperthyroidism, iron/zinc/thiamine/B12 deficiencies, protein malnutrition, and frequent vomiting. But let’s not the forget the biggest risk you take with any surgery: death. When did this become the preferred option?
Yes, exercise is hard, especially for the morbidly obese, who are more prone to injury due to their size. But when done safely, the side effects most people will experience include happiness; a sense of accomplishment; reduced risk of heart disease, blood pressure, and cholesterol; lower risk of type II diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis; better sleep; more energy; better moods; a longer life; better sex. Oh, and something called weight loss. Ya, that too.
Jones’s story is heart-breaking in that she went from dealing with the physical and emotional ramifications of obesity, then the physical and emotional terror of the surgery, and now the physical and emotional destruction of anorexia. This is not something anyone should have to go through, especially when the solution is so simple.
Yes, exercise and proper diet take longer and more effort than surgery, but unlike surgery, they are sustainable. They are lifestyle practices you can maintain forever. And every time you do them, you add years to your life. Jones’s consultant is now telling her that she may only have six months to live. I’m sure that’s not something those foolhardy doctor’s warned her about when encouraging her to go under the knife.
No surgery, no excuses.
(Photos: The Daily Mail UK)
