I turned on the Discovery Health channel the other night and got hooked on the show “Big John, One Year Later”. It is the story of a 400lb teenager who decides to have weight loss surgery.
The boy is just 17 and it really broke my heart to watch. The whole time I was thinking “oh please don’t let this happen to my boys”.
The cameras follow John at home and school, where he struggles both physically and emotionally. He has very few friends and endures a lot of teasing. John decides to have the surgery because he just wants to be “normal”. His parents agree it is the best decision for him and his mom knows what John is getting into—she had the surgery herself a few years back.
John’s journey post-surgery is not an easy one, but the transformation is amazing. His confidence soars, he takes part in activities he hasn’t done in many years, and he has “a whole new outlook on life”. His attitude toward his schoolwork completely changes and he is eager to finish his high school education as soon as possible.
When the show ends, he has lost more than HALF his body weight. Congratulations Big John!
This makes me wonder though, is weight loss surgery going to become the standard? and how young is too young?
Thoughts?
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December 16th, 2008 at 8:07 am 1
ready for this? I wont touch this one. IMO under 18.
thats all I will say. about that. about boob jobs nose jobs all the surgeries around us for the young ones.
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December 16th, 2008 at 11:46 am 2
It’s tricky. And I think it IS starting to unfortunately become something like the norm… we rely on surgery to fix all our problems. When we should be working on not having the problems at all in the first place.
December 16th, 2008 at 12:24 pm 3
No – weight loss surgery should not become the standard for kids. No way. It has its purpose, but it should only be a last resort. Prevention should be the standard.
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December 16th, 2008 at 2:09 pm 4
Hmmm…must ponder this one my friend.
December 16th, 2008 at 8:56 pm 5
It says a lot that his mother also had the surgery.
If he doesn’t have the surgery, can he lose the weight on his own?
Tricky situation. It is a decision based on a case-by-case basis.
December 16th, 2008 at 9:02 pm 6
I’ve never weighed 400 lbs and don’t know what that would be like or how exercising at that point would effect the joints. My grandpa’s is over 400lbs and has completely given up. He also has type II diabetes. I still don’t know about surgery. I’m not in that situation, it’s not for me to say.
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December 16th, 2008 at 11:06 pm 7
Well, fortunately because he is so young he can relearn how to eat and he’ll be more likely to do what he’s told. After that surgery, patients are put on restrictive diets. It’s possible for them to undue the surgery…I’ve seen it happen with an old boss, she ignored the doctor’s orders afterward and within 4 years almost had it all back on. Really sad. Since his mother also had the surgery, it tells me the household is rather lethargic. At least he has her for support now. I’m sure the dad will be next.
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December 16th, 2008 at 11:13 pm 8
Definitely never under 18. I think the surgery definitely has its benefits for some people, but it shouldn’t be a quick fix for kids that don’t fully understand all the complexities of it.
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December 16th, 2008 at 11:14 pm 9
Fitness Surfer: very good point. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to try and exercise @400lbs.
December 16th, 2008 at 11:15 pm 10
leah-yes,the whole family was overweight. The sister was against the surgery b/c she felt John had not made the effort. They never interviewed her after the results though, I wonder if she changed her mind?
December 16th, 2008 at 11:16 pm 11
Definitely never under 18. This should not be seen as a quick fix for kids when I don’t think they fully understand the complexities of it.
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