Many people believe that all the obese have to do
is go through bariatric surgery
and they will magically became "Naturally Thin".

No calorie counting.
No food monitoring at all.
Just eat what they want
because their body can only tolerate a limited amount of food.

More than 18 years ago, BEFORE my weight-loss surgery,
I knew that I could NEVER become "naturally thin".

Even then, I knew that such a wish was merely a "pipe dream",
a totally unrealistic fantasy...
on a level with a wish for the ability to sprout wings and fly;

I was aware I would still WANT
to eat far more food than my body could tolerate.
However, the reason I went through what was, at the time,
a very serious Experimental open surgery, 

which was quite a costly procedure;
which caused Immense pain for several months and long-term discomfort;
which required a 2 week stay in a distant city, for both myself and my husband,
........since we were aware of only one surgeon in California performing them at the time;
which required 6 weeks off work without pay,....and during that time
........I still had to pay my office overhead expenses including my staff's salaries;

....was due to the belief
that I would never again need to closely monitor my food intake, 

and I would always be able to eat only small amounts of what I wanted
because my body could only tolerate amounts that made and kept me slender.

I believed that this One Choice
would make all my future eating choices easier,
and that it would become a form of automatic,
involuntary portion control,
requiring little effort or thought from me.

Time proved this to be UNTRUE,

It is amazing how frequently and consistently
one can inadvertently make oneself sick, via one's eating choices,
and no matter how painful the experience, repeat it over and over again.
That personal gluttonous characteristic is not changed by surgery.

However, for me the experience was an extremely valuable one,
and, as does almost everyone else who has ALSO had a similar surgery,
I can honestly say that I would make the same choice again. 

Today is Mother's Day.
46 years ago, on Mother's Day, I gave birth to my first child.
This changed my life forever.
Motherhood does that for us all.

Each of us goes through Life Events that change us,
and that process continues all throughout each of our lives.

So whatever your life is at this moment...
...there will be changes.

Our Attitude about those changes is what will determine
how positive or negative any change is.

We can't stop Change,
but we CAN learn to develop a positive attitude about it.

I am not a Jillian Michaels fan,  but I feel the podcast below is worth hearing
because it is an interesting demonstation of the shift that is taking place 
in the thinking and beliefs of some of the the "mainline" diet gurus.

I plan to make reviewing various diets a normal part of DietHobby.
However, my typing abiliities are limited at present due to my broken wrist.

My personal position is that EVERY diet works for someone, and just because it might not fit into my lifestyle, or be right for me personally, doesn't mean it won't work for others.

I recently watched these video reviews and found them interesting and entertaining.Although they express a viewpoint FAR MORE NEGATIVE than my own,  I decided to include them here at DietHobby.

Click this link for an interesting video review of The Biggest Loser.

Click this link for an interesting video review about issues with Jillian Michaels' Diet Plan. 

Being in Denial means:
“refusing to admit the truth or reality of something unpleasant”.

To succeed at weight-loss and maintenance of weight-loss
one must face and accept some essential unpleasant Truths.

One of these unpleasant Truths is: 

without some form of portion control,
an obese person cannot become normal size.

  Another of these unpleasant Truths is: 

 facing failures is necessary to achieve success.

Which is actually better, a Rule or a Suggestion?

A Rule is –

a prescribed guide for conduct or action;
an order or direction;
a regulating principle;
a usually valid generalization;
a standard of judgment.

To Suggest is -

Suggest stresses putting into the mind by association of ideas,
awakening of a desire, or initiating a train of thought

to seek to influence;
to mention or imply as a possibility;
to propose as desirable or fitting;
to offer for consideration;
to serve as a motive or inspiration for.

A Suggestion is –

The process by which a physical or mental state
is influenced by a thought or idea.

The process by which one thought leads to another
especially through association of ideas.