You will still be the same person after you lose weight.

http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/the-downside-to-downsizing-20101210-18sj1.html

I love her comment:

"Best tip for maintaining motivation

Stay calm and believe that you really can do this. Once I stripped the emotion away from weight loss and looked at it as the mechanical process that it is, it suddenly seemed doable." (emphasis from me)

Remember, overweight is not a sin, being slim does not make you a more worthwhile person.  So approach it like any other life problem - develop a plan...make a commitment.....expect good (not perfect) from yourself.....acknowledge your achievements.

No one is immune!

Check out this article written by a physician who was obese and he talks about how he was mocked and derided and sidelined in his profession because of his weight.

http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/lifematters/doctors-not-immune-from-fatbashing-20101209-18qv6.html 

As a species this seems to be the last bastion of prejudice - excess weight.  And of course we all internalize the concept that its a character flaw or personality defect.  In reality overeating is "A COPING MECHANISM FOR DEALING WITH EMOTIONAL ISSUES THAT IS INEFFECTIVE IN THE LONG TERM" just as smoking, drinking, retail therapy, cannabis and other recreational drugs are.  

Think about challenging your own prejudices about excess weight and stand out from the crowd (or should I say herd).  Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent (good old Eleanor Roosevelt).

Obesity as Metaphor

Sadly I can't take credit for that phrase.  But I love the eloquent way Jennette Fulda writes about the concept of obesity as a character flaw in her blog PastaQueen.

Here's the link

http://pastaqueen.com/blog/2010/11/obesity-as-an-illness-of-metaphor/  

In fact I've been telling my clients this for years.  Now I just have some better words to use in the summary of this flawed argument.

If I find more, interesting blogs or sites that are balanced, appropriate and, hopefully, humorous I'll let you know.

And if you're surprised that I've blogged twice in one day....so am I!

In the "Lap" of the gods

When all else fails.....there's always a lapband.  Is it the perfect solution that is the easy way out?  No.  Is it a great help for people who have life threatening obesity-related diseases/conditions?  Yes.

For a balanced view of this and similar weight loss tools, check these articles out.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40498098/  this one talks about reducing the BMI level for lapband surgery so that people with lower levels of obesity can become eligible.  The article warns, however, that "experts stress that the Lap-Band cannot stop deeply ingrained behavior that drives people to overeat. "  And   "There are certainly people who've had gastric bypass surgery and managed to turn themselves back into their original size by sipping on milkshakes all day."   

What does this mean?  A lapband is no substitute for dealing with the use of food to control mood.  Otherwise, people WILL find a way to continue to cope by eating, in some form or another.  Or they will find another unhealthy behaviour to use as a coping mechanism (e.g. drinking, spending etc.)

For some people the combination of lapband and emotional eating counselling may be the best option - but my advice is get the counselling first, before you spend $15,000 dollars on a "fingers crossed" procedure because you've "tried every diet under the sun and failed".  Of course that was a failure, but YOU didn't fail the diet, the DIET failed you.  And the failed diet plus the guilt and shame it engenders may well be the reason you are overweight/obese. 

And this article talks about an interesting phenomenon for people who have lost weight through bariatric surgery.  Guess what...you're still the same person, you're just 50kg lighter.  This busts the myth that when you become slim...life will be perfect.  Damn, this really bugs me.  I, too, am guilty of putting things off and expecting miraculous change when I lose the last 15 - 20 kg that persists.  I think after all the years of dieting (I have probably lost 200kg over the years - and gained 220kg) I deserve to have life offer me health, wealth, happiness, love, confidence etc. etc. etc.  The truth is that this is something that you have to go and get for yourself, no matter what your weight is.  

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36784702/ns/health-behavior/  read it and weep...or resolve to be your best self no matter what your weight is.

So get your hand out of the cookie jar right now and go for a walk!