Nothing is Easy

It's human nature to want to look for easy ways out of tough problems, it's just a shame that they almost never exist. Here at Dr. Feiz & Associates, we're constantly advising the public that, while weight loss surgery can make significant, long-term weight loss a great deal more doable, it's far from an easy way out. The hard work of changing our entire relationship with food still requires effort and commitment, even if a weight loss surgery such as a gastric sleeve quiets the urges to overeat that sabotage the vast majority of weight loss efforts.

We were thinking about this when we encountered the story of a "detox" tea that was being touted on social media as something of a weight loss aid. Such questionable products are, obviously, nothing particularly new or out of the ordinary, though it's always good to remind ourselves to be skeptical about what we read online.

A different type of "easy" way out, one with a great deal more scientific backing, is offered by a spate of recent news stories suggesting that research is indicating that a very small weight loss might have relatively large health benefits. Clearly, any amount of sustained weight loss is a very good thing, but for an individual who might be as much as 110 pounds or more overweight, losing just ten pounds might be a great start, but it still leaves them with 100 pounds to lose and the probability of a great many very serious health problems associated with that remaining weight.

Clearly, no one gets a bariatric surgery to lose just five, ten, or 20 pounds. Even so, as we all know, losing even a few pounds can be difficult for anyone.So, yes, there simply is no such thing as an easy way out.