Surgery to lose fat?
I stumbled on an article today which is alarming to say the very least. It claims that Australians are turning to the knife for weight loss and that a new survey shows the number of Australians using surgery to lose weight has increased tenfold in the past 10 years.
This is very scary indeed considering 1 in 5 people in Australia are considered obese.
Amazingly, weight-loss surgery cost the Federal Government about $15 million (AUS) in Medicare benefits in 2007.
Unfortunately, I think the fitness industry itself needs to cop some of the blame for this squarely on the chin.
How can this be?
With a myriad of quick-fix solutions being flaunted by every second ‘snake-oil’ salesman, one can be easily misled down the wrong path into ‘delusional fatloss’.
‘Six-pack abs in 5 minutes a day!‘, ‘Lose your beer-gut in just 5 weeks!‘ and ‘Lose fat sitting on your arse whilst this vibrating device melts your fat away‘ are all ridiculously common selling propositions.
Someone tipping the scales into the ‘obese’ category can potentially fall into such traps rather easily.
It’s once having trialled such expensive time-wasters, that people are left opting for ‘last-resort’ weight-loss methods such as lipo-suction and gastric banding to name but two.
The rest of the blame lands squarely on the individual
Make no mistake, we are all responsible for what goes into our bodies and how much we choose to exercise. There is no quick fix, not magical pill.
It’s all about dedication and sticking to your plan for the long haul.
Editor’s Note: Would you consider surgery to lose fat? Comment below.
No but then again I’m not in other peoples shoes .. sometimes it can feel hopeless so these people turn to the easy fix but it has to be a last resort.
Raymond
No, I would never even think about going under the knife to have the “hollywood” body. Nothing is achieved this way. So you lost 30 pounds under the knife… what about your stamina, strength, dietary habits? I bet those didn’t get upped in the surgery, only you can do that for yourself. If you feel that looping a band around your stomach to make you eat less is necessary ( and pay someone to do this too.. ) then by all means give all your money to charity and starve yourself that way. Now, there are people with extenuating circumstances where this is the option best suited for the job, but when the choice is mingled with changing your lifestyle through self commitment and dedication TO YOURSELF that is where the line is drawn. Do what is right for yourself, and get up and walk, go up the stairs, drink only water. Start small and slowly get yourself into a healthier you. Every marathon has it’s first step, you just have to take that step to be a part of it.
Nice post Bryan.
It’d be easy for someone aspiring to achieve a ‘Hollywood’ body to THINK that surgery is an option (especially to the uninformed).
Changing your lifestyle one step at a time is the only TRUE way to achieve permanent results— Sure, you got surgery and remove 20lbs of fat. If you don’t change what you did to achieve the ‘flab’ it’ll come back with a vengeance, and probably even bring its friends ;)
Jordan
I don’t think I would ever do that, but as Raymond says some people might be in hopeless situations. My concern is that in Canada, some of these surgeries are being paid for or subsidized by the government (tax payer money). This is a problem. I think before anyone goes under the knife they must exhaust all other options. We know that there is a better way to get in shape, because we have experienced it. We need other people to get motivated to take control of their lives. I think lack of motivation, and fear of failure is the biggest hurdles to overcoming weight loss challenges. Great post.
Cheers,
Jordan
I agree, It ‘should’ be a last-resort, but quite often it’s seen as a first-resort and the first thing people will try.
@Jordan Motivation is definitely a defining factor.
It needs to be instilled at an early age.
I know when I was in high school, sport and exercise was of super-importance.
I’m not sure this is the case anymore.
Anyone with kids in high school that would care to shed some light?
I’ve been overweight all my life and tried so many things. Different things work for different people and I was lucky enough to find one that worked for me. I lost 19 pounds in one month without exercise and it’s been a life changer. I’m a little embarrased to post my before and after photos here but if anyone actually cares to hear what I’ve been doing then I’d be happy to help in any way. Just shoot me an email at oceanflowers82@gmail.com and I’ll show you my before and after photos, and tell you about how things are going for me with the stuff I’ve tried. I wish someone would have helped me out when I was struggling to find a solution so if I can help you then it would make my day