Today in the forums I had posted about a great website I found.  This was one of my replies that I made for someone that had a hard time growing up.  I felt like it belonged here on my blog too:

Thank you for sharing! 

WLS won't fix the emotional scars.  A therapist might be able to help.  I have one now and she is amazing.

I'm a pre-op and I can only speak from what I've learned from post-ops and what I've learned from my therapist.  WLS is not a magic button.  It will not give you the answers to your problems.  It is however a terrific tool to help you lose your weight.  It will not give you confidence.  That comes from within.  But it will help you get to the point where weight isn't your biggest concern anymore so you can tackle the other peoblems in your life.  It will not make you pretty.  In fact from what I've learned the bags of skin and eventual scars from plastic surgery will give you a whole new set of insecurities.  But it will help make you feel lighter and better able to put on a spanx and go out into that world and hit it head on.  You feel amazing when you look back at all the weight you managed to lose and keep off and realize that YOU took control of the situation and managed to get yourself there.  YOU took all the vitamins and supplements to make yourself healthy.  YOU followed your doctors orders and were able to handle any complications.  WLS won't do that for you, only you can. 

I used to think it was a magic button and it took me about a year to realize it's not.  Yet I still can't wait to be under that knife.  I can't wait to have bags of skin and save up for a tummy tuck.  I can't wait to own at least 5 pairs of spanx.  But most of all I can't wait to have a tool that will assist me in finally having control of my life.  I can't wait to worry more about what I'm going to wear to look my best than if my bigg ass is going to break a chair.  I'm 379lbs and I can't wait to see 200 or less.  I can do it without WLS but without WLS I couldn't keep it off, I wouldn't be able to maintain.
When I think back on what I've been through in my life I try my hardest to use it as motivation.  Every hateful word, every pencil that was thrown to me in the hallways of school, every punch from a boyfriend and he called me a fat bitch, every "butterball" or Marshmallow Puff comment, and every friend I lost because they wouldn't take the time to know the girl behind the chubby face.  Those are the things I use to drive me to the WLS.  They make me stronger.