A Little Local Activism

Debbie says:

Recently, the BART stations I go through every day have been papered with billboards for lap band weight loss surgery. They’re completely standard weight loss posters–they have the canonical out-of-focus picture of a badly dressed fat woman inset next to the lovely picture of a beautifully dressed thin woman with a huge smile, and they tell you how Sarah lost 80 pounds (!) with lap band, and so can you.

Most of them are on the other side of the tracks from where people stand, and I can’t reach them. But three or four are right by where I walk, or can easily walk. So I’m printing these stickers, 8-1/2 x 11, on colored stickers if I can get them, and I’m plastering them on every one of the billboards that I can reach.

THINK TWICE!

SCIENTISTS SAY:

Journal of Obesity Surgery, 2008: “CONCLUSIONS: Complications requiring reoperations are common during the third year after the operation, and almost 25% of the patients will need at least one reoperation. Mean EWL in all patients does not exceed 50% in 7 years or 40% in 9 years and failure rates increase with time, up to 40% at 9 years.”

REAL PEOPLE SAY:

“I never found the sweet spot between feeling satiated on smaller amounts of food but not throwing up constantly. … The day to day reality … is that I eat in a completely disordered way, I eat much less healthy, fresh food than I would like (or ever did pre-op), I’m tired all the time, I’m cold all the time, I vomit several times a day most days…. In the last few months there has been blood present a few times when I was vomiting, which finally vaulted the need to have this thing out from elective to emergency as far as the insurance company is concerned.”

“I’m also failing this band. Or is the band failing me? … I never give up, but lately, I’m tired of making my three medical loan payments knowing this surgery did not work.”.”

LOVE YOUR BODY!

Anyone want some? I’ll send you a .pdf, or mail you actual stickers anywhere for free.