An Update On Governor Christie's Weight Loss

A while ago, I wrote about New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's decision to have lap band surgery to aid him in losing weight. I thought it was time to update the story.

I'm happy to hear that Governor Christie is half way toward his goal. That being said, I still find it hard to accept any kind of surgery to lose weight. I know it's difficult to lose weight as I've been there. Being over a hundred pounds overweight can discourage anybody, but I'm living proof that you can lose weight without surgery.

I hope that the people who admire the governor's weight loss will realize there are better methods to lose the weight. To me, surgery is such a dramatic, harmful method to lose the weight. Those who undergo the surgery have to deal with all the side effects and pain. Plus, they still need to learn how to eat properly and to exercise regularly. Wouldn't it be better to learn this before taking on surgery?

The other problem I have with these surgeries is that it's not a permanent fix. So many times, the people gain the weight back.

Looking back, can you imagine if I had surgery instead of going through all the hard work I did to lose the weight? I never would have learned the right foods to eat, how much exercise I need, etc. In a way, having pre-hypertension helped me learn about nutrition. I had to learn what foods to eat that would bring my blood pressure to a normal level.

I never lost much weight until I eliminated most processed food, candy bars and ice cream. Governor Christie has stated that he has tried many diets to lose the weight. But is he eating the right foods, eating breakfast and getting enough exercise? He might be now, but did he eat right before going through surgery?

I'm not trying to put anyone down that had the surgery and I hope it works for anybody that goes through it. There are a few positive points, like Christie no longer suffers from sleep apnea. I'm also sure his lab tests would improve, despite his claim that he was perfectly healthy when he was obese. I hope he reaches his goal weight and manages to keep the weight off.