Carnie Wilson, the woman who made Gastric Bypass famous by streaming video of her operation online, has been through a few ups and downs (and a few book deals, and People magazine covers...) in the past 10 years. But I hadn't seen much of her the past few years, until now.
A few days ago, I was cruising my favorite gossip site, DListed, and I came across a little blurb about Carnie. She hasn't been in the news much, so I'd assumed she was just getting on with her life. But I guess she's probably been trying to stay out of the public eye, since she's gained back a good bit of the weight she lost twice: first right after the surgery, and again a few years later after putting it back on.
So. Finally, someone in the public sphere admits that GB isn't the SKINNY SOLUTION everybody thinks it is. I feel validated, and relieved, even as I feel kind of sorry for Carnie; she went through all the ups and downs with the media watching, and even though she kind of did it to herself, I still think it probably made her feel even worse when she 'failed.' I think she's got mad body issues, even just based on her calling herself "fat as fuck", and I think that, as hard as it is for anyone who goes through massive weight issues in her life, doing it in a fishbowl probably amplifies those issues for her.
The thing is, I see these magazine covers with people who've dropped all this weight, and it's always made me feel like I failed from the outset, because I never got below a size 12. But maybe that's the path to success, when it comes to GB. I can't help thinking that the weight creeps back on because too much came off in the first place. Not in terms of people getting 'too skinny,' but more in terms of dropping below the weight at which certain people's bodies level out. As Carnie herself says: "we are who we are"– I definitely believe that. And even though I'm often disappointed that I didn't lose more weight with GB, some part of me is relieved that I also haven't gained back a lot (besides the 20lb fluctuations that I can't seem to stop!).
The reason people yo-yo is that bodies are different; the minute you try to force your body into a size it wasn't meant to be, you're beginning the process of yo-yo-ing, because almost nobody can sustain the level of discipline required to keep a body at a different weight than it 'wants' to be. So you're almost doomed to fail as soon as you start, unless your goal is just to be healthy and fit and damn the size of your pants.
I'm not sure how articulate I'm being right now– I've had this post open on my computer for days, waiting for my cold to chill out (hehe) so I could think straight, but it ain't happening. The point is, GB isn't the fairytale 'easy way out' that people seem to think it is. It's a kickstart, and a great way of conditioning yourself to eat better foods and care more about your body, but it sure as hell is not a cure-all for fat. Especially when 'fat' is defined by whether or not you fit into a size 6 miniskirt.
A few days ago, I was cruising my favorite gossip site, DListed, and I came across a little blurb about Carnie. She hasn't been in the news much, so I'd assumed she was just getting on with her life. But I guess she's probably been trying to stay out of the public eye, since she's gained back a good bit of the weight she lost twice: first right after the surgery, and again a few years later after putting it back on.
So. Finally, someone in the public sphere admits that GB isn't the SKINNY SOLUTION everybody thinks it is. I feel validated, and relieved, even as I feel kind of sorry for Carnie; she went through all the ups and downs with the media watching, and even though she kind of did it to herself, I still think it probably made her feel even worse when she 'failed.' I think she's got mad body issues, even just based on her calling herself "fat as fuck", and I think that, as hard as it is for anyone who goes through massive weight issues in her life, doing it in a fishbowl probably amplifies those issues for her.
The thing is, I see these magazine covers with people who've dropped all this weight, and it's always made me feel like I failed from the outset, because I never got below a size 12. But maybe that's the path to success, when it comes to GB. I can't help thinking that the weight creeps back on because too much came off in the first place. Not in terms of people getting 'too skinny,' but more in terms of dropping below the weight at which certain people's bodies level out. As Carnie herself says: "we are who we are"– I definitely believe that. And even though I'm often disappointed that I didn't lose more weight with GB, some part of me is relieved that I also haven't gained back a lot (besides the 20lb fluctuations that I can't seem to stop!).
The reason people yo-yo is that bodies are different; the minute you try to force your body into a size it wasn't meant to be, you're beginning the process of yo-yo-ing, because almost nobody can sustain the level of discipline required to keep a body at a different weight than it 'wants' to be. So you're almost doomed to fail as soon as you start, unless your goal is just to be healthy and fit and damn the size of your pants.
I'm not sure how articulate I'm being right now– I've had this post open on my computer for days, waiting for my cold to chill out (hehe) so I could think straight, but it ain't happening. The point is, GB isn't the fairytale 'easy way out' that people seem to think it is. It's a kickstart, and a great way of conditioning yourself to eat better foods and care more about your body, but it sure as hell is not a cure-all for fat. Especially when 'fat' is defined by whether or not you fit into a size 6 miniskirt.
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