Surgery to lose fat? Whaddaya think? Is it a magic button? I have worked with more people who went through all the risks, lost ample amounts of fat, and then just gained most of it back or had infections, and other problems that made them wish they never even thought about it-in the first place.

No matter how great the after-care is, does surgery really take a lifetime of behaviorial and psychological STUFF and just "make a person atomatically change"? Shouldn't we get the before care, the educational information and counseling for months before even making a decision like that? I am all for different strokes for different folks. I feel I need to identify, become aware of and learn to manage the tendencies that lead to unhealthy choices, continue to work on my brain and behaviors. Surgery is not the magic pill.

What about self-acceptance? REAL true self-acceptance that breeds the effort to TRY to make better choices, to make the exercise class, or take up swimming laps or bike riding. Self-acceptance and self-love inspire us to make the effort to try and take better care of ourselves.

Did you see the movie A Beautiful Mind?--the Nobel prize winner who was delusional but learned to manage the unreal people later in his life-- they didn't go away--he just quit engaging them--well I believe that is how people like myself with "the all or none syndrome" (that compulsive nature), grow--do we ever extingish our bad habits completely? Maybe we just learn not to engage them---when I am stressed and I hear the refrigerator calling me, I can choose not to entertain the thoughts by leaving the house, calling someone, cleaning(yeah right), reading, bike riding --and my mind goes away from that refrigertor thought--or I can let my mind wallow on the the thought until I bust--(of course, busting means I open the refrig even tho' I am really not hungry).

When is it okay to be drastic and when is it just a cop out? I do believe balance may be achieved by the mere presence of self-acceptance and self-love --after all, no matter what we choose we have the gifts and powers of forgiving ourselves and/or praising ourselves no matter what---the greater questions is---DO WE?