| I hear this statement everyday in my office like | | | | Every day, I do my very best to help my patients in |
| clockwork. I promptly ask "Do you have a thyroid | | | | every way including weight loss. They are always |
| condition?" "Are you currently taking steroids?" The | | | | looking for that magic pill to melt pounds away. Why? |
| answer 99.9% of the time is always no. Now I | | | | Because then the responsibility of losing weight is no |
| understand. You chose not to lose weight. Of course | | | | longer on their shoulders. If the pill doesn't work, oh well, |
| everyone can lose weight unless they have a valid | | | | guess they were just destined to be fat. No need to |
| medical condition which prevents weight loss. So, why | | | | stop shoveling food in their mouths every hour or start |
| do I hear the above expression daily? | | | | an exercise program. All the patients I have personally |
| Nowadays, people are quick to blame others for | | | | seen who have had gastric bypass surgery are now |
| every bad incident or failure in their lives. It's how we | | | | just as obese before their surgery. They lost the |
| have been conditioned in our society. I myself have | | | | weight, but could not burden the responsibility of |
| personally seen obesity run rampant over the last few | | | | maintaining it. Is the surgeon to blame? Was the |
| years. I am regularly being outweighed by grade school | | | | procedure not a success? Obviously, the above |
| kids. | | | | statements are not true. The patients chose to be |
| Ten years ago, this would not have been an issue. I | | | | overweight. |
| even had a six year old who was so obese he could | | | | Obesity is rarely a disease. It's a choice one makes |
| not even ride a bicycle! I repeatedly tried talking to the | | | | just like whether to decide what clothes they are going |
| parents, but to no avail, they were not concerned. | | | | to wear to work in the morning. If the outfit does not |
| Was it because they were also obese so they did not | | | | look good, then they promptly change it to one which |
| find anything wrong with their son being so | | | | does. Weight loss is the same. If you do not like the |
| dangerously overweight? Another instance, I had a | | | | way you look then change it. No one else is going to |
| 450 pound woman waddle into my office. She actually | | | | lose the weight for you. If you went to work with |
| bragged about her weight and stated once she | | | | mismatched clothes, would you tell your boss, it's not |
| reached 500 pounds she could collect partial disability! | | | | your fault because your husband dressed you? Would |
| Is this what our society has become? Always looking | | | | he accept that excuse? No he would not because |
| for a way to shirk responsibility or even manual labor? | | | | how you were dressed was ultimately your decision. |
| And opt for a free ride in life. How this particular | | | | Remember, weight loss is your choice. You either |
| woman could look at herself in the mirror every | | | | chose to be overweight or you chose not to be, but |
| morning is beyond my comprehension. | | | | it's only your decision alone and no one else's. |