I know, I know. You’re probably thinking: “Hey, you aren’t obese anymore, you’ve lost 100 pounds and all your health problems have cleared up. What have you got to be suicidal about?!”
The University of Pittsburgh recently completed a study that showed that among people aged from 25 to 34 who had weight loss surgery, the suicide rate was considerably higher than that of the general population.
Having had a gastric bypass in 2001, I’d like to address this from my own personal point of view.
When you’ve been overweight all of your life, it becomes part of your identity. It affects your personality, your self-image, your self-confidence and how you act in public as well as in private. As much as those who are obese may try to deny it, no matter how you come by it, it is a handicap that you learn to deal with.
After my surgery, I lost 90 pounds. It did take a bit of time, and a lot of hard work but I got back to a healthy weight. At 5’10″, I went from a size 28 to a size 10. That weight loss changed my body fairly quickly, but my mind didn’t keep up with the pace.
When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t initially see the thin Lisa. I still saw the fat Lisa. I was still shopping for clothes that were way too big for me and would have to go back to dressing rooms several times in one shopping trip just to get to the correct size. This was just part of the adjustment.
Eventually, I found that with the weight loss, healthy eating and exercise, I had considerably more energy than I had ever had before. I liked the new me. I was actually interested in going out more often. I became more outgoing and confident. This caused considerable internal conflict for me because it wasn’t the me that I had known for so long.
My husband and I had been married for three years at that time. We’d had a very homebound sort of relationship that we’d become settled into. My energy, confidence and desire to go out more really threw my husband for a loop. Our marriage suffered a lot of strain because of the change in my personality and lifestyle. Luckily, we were able to talk things out and we both managed to adjust to the new Lisa in our lives.
So why all the personal information?
Such massive weight loss leads to huge changes in a person. Those changes affect you as well as everyone else in your life. Some of us make it through the change and manage to adjust along with our significant others but others don’t.
Sometimes, the massive weight loss is too much for people. They can’t manage the psychological changes necessary and/or their significant others can’t. This can lead to depression, divorce and sadly, even suicide.
If you are considering weight loss surgery, please consider more than the change in your clothing size. Consider the lifestyle changes necessary in eating habits and exercise. Consider how it may affect you and your significant others psychologically.
It is much more than just losing a few pounds.
Related Blogs:
Dispelling the Weight Loss Surgery Myths
Morbid Obesity and Weight Loss Surgery
Before You Have Bariatric (Weight Loss) Surgery