What does it mean? It is a simple enough sentence when you see it there in print before you. But say it to yourself out loud once. How did it sound? Do you find yourself wanting to emphasize on word over the others? Do you add an inflection? Did you mentally add a comma in there at all?

The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) uses this phrase as the title of their membership magazine. It is also the title of a major health campaign that mirrors what the OAC is all about.

Surprisingly enough, up until I started writing this post, I had never really thought about why the OAC uses this phrase. You would think after these years I would have by now. I mean, some of it obvious… plus it’s in their logo. Now it is also the the title for their national convention…more on that in a bit. If you do take the time to think about it, maybe it’s not quite so simple..

I’m not sure what the story is behind the Obesity Action Coalition using this phrase for their member magazine and now their annual convention, which I will get to more about in a bit. I could probably find out if I were to do some checking,  I probably will soon, but first I’m going to try and share what it means for me.

I say “try” because it has a few of them, and as with many things in life, just what it means to me tends to shift. It could shift based on who is asking the question, or in what context I’m trying to share, or maybe just based on how I’m feeling at the moment.

Your weight matters.

Where to start… See, in many ways, my weight has defined me for much of my life, at least in my own mind. From how I saw myself, to how I believed others saw me, it was my weight that I felt was behind it, and even now that I have been living at a much healthier weight for a number of years, my weight continues to define me. Through things like this blog, my health coaching, the radio show, my weight continues to play a major role both in how i see myself and how i believe others see me.

So in the sense that it is my weight, at it’s highest and at its lowest, it has played a major role in making me who I am today. And that matters.

Your weight matters.

I would like to tell you that my weight is just a number to me. But for the most part it is not even that. I don’t know what I weigh now. I couldn’t have told you what my weight was when I was at my heaviest… but for an entirely different reason than I say that now.

No, see, even though I wasn’t as conscious about it as I am now, my weight has most often been more about my health, regardless of the number on the scale. From being on drugs for hyper tension starting in my early 20s, to getting off those meds, getting rid of my sleep apnea, and being able to finish the Warrior Dash as my first 5k race in under 42 minutes.

I’m going to be 46 in a month, and as cliche as it sounds, I feel better now than I did at 36, and on some days maybe even better than I did at 26. My health matter, big time. And so by extension, my weight matters.

Your weight matters.

When I started this blog, it was to share with others what I was going through in the weeks and months leading up to and following my surgery. I had that surgery over 4 years ago now, and I hit my lowest weight over 3 years ago. My weight has been pretty stable for at least the last 2 years now. In a lot of ways, the fact that I had weight loss surgery is almost something I have to remind my self of. I don’t dump, I eat a fairly consistent diet, I take my vitamins on a (mostly) regular basis.

It’s not that I could ever ‘forget’ that I am a post-op, but my life is less about the surgery and more about being healthy. But part of that, be it through this site, my radio shows, my health coaching, or others things I do, all include raising awareness and educating people about the matters that surround obesity. And that is part of why I’ve been embracing the OAC.

They are THE organization that is out there, fighting bias, raising awareness, pushing for changes on the thing that matter when it comes to obesity.

Which brings us back to the whole convention thing I mentioned at the start of this posting. This August (15-18), I am heading to Phoenix for the Second Annual Your Weight Matters National Convention. I know, Phoenix in August… That sounds about as nutty as going to Minnesota in January, right? But that’s when and where it is, and I want to go.

It is going to be a weekend of education, advocacy, strategies, exercise, and yes… A good dose of fun. I missed last year, was really bummed about it and am really looking forward to this year.

The bulk of things are happening on Friday and Saturday with various speakers in the mornings and break-out sessions in the afternoons followed by dinner events both nights. I am arriving early Thursday so I can take part in the advocacy training taking place that afternoon, then mingle with folks I know… and hopefully meet a lot of new folks at the mingle event that evening. BTW, I can still be very shy in situations like this…so if you are there and you see me, please feel free to come say hi. You may be saving me from my own shyness!

Anyways, Sunday morning I will be participating in the Walk From Obesity part of the event. I think It is being done at waaay to early in the morning, but again, we’re talking Phoenix. In August.

After that, I am just going to kick back and relax around the various pools and such, taking some time to relax. The event is at the Arizona Grand Resort, and they have a water park all their own, so yea. I am staying till Monday in order to take advantage of it. If you are also around Sunday evening, let me know, will be looking for folks to hang out with, maybe have dinner, etc.

If you would like to come to the YWM2013 event, check out their website for details… I am embedding the event intro video at the bottom of this post, check it out. If you want to let them know that I sent you over, great. They are doing a contest to get a free trip to the event. I really don’t think I will win it, but on the off chance I do, I plan on using to help someone else get to the event… Will figure out the specifics if it actually happens…but my airfare is already paid for, so maybe they would let me gift it to someone else that could benefit from attending that can’t afford the airfare or something along those lines. I’ll be getting more in to the convention in the coming weeks and definitely sharing my experience there after (maybe even as…) it happens.

Oh yea! Speaking of the walk…two things; first, there is a Walk From Obesity in the works for Minnesota. Not sure when it will be yet, September sometime I think…but I will pass along the info as soon as I know more. Second, I am doing some fund raising for the Phoenix walk I will be participating in. If you are able , it would be so great if you could toss In a few bucks towards my efforts. I have set a personal goal to try and raise $500 for this event and it would be sweet if I could hit that. Just head over to the donation page and you can do a secure transaction, and all contributions are tax deductible because the OAC is a registered 501C3 non-profit organization.

Amazing how three simple words, Your Weight Matters, could turn in to such a long blog post eh? And while I could look back at so many moments in my past with feeling of pain, shame and maybe some regret… And look at others with joy, pride and satisfaction… the bottom line is, my weight, at it’s highest and it’s lowest, has played a major role in shaping me into the person I am today. And so yea, it does matter, and I am ok with that.

And as far as why the OAC chose “Your Weight Matters”, maybe that doesn’t matter. Maybe what matters is what it means to you.

Learn more about:

• Obesity Action Coalition
• Your Weight Matters campaign
• Your Weight Matters National Convention
• My Walk From Obesity fund raising page

But this time I read a whole book (well, the Kindle version anyways). I just finished reading Stranger Here: How Weight Loss Surgery Transformed My Body and Messed with My Head by Jen Larsen, and I read it because of a bad review it received on Amazon.

Yea, normally you wouldn’t go reading something because it got a bad review, right? But I guess I should clarify a bit – see this book is about the experience of the author, Jen Larsen, and what was going on in her life as she came to the decision to have weight loss surgery and how things went for her in the first couple years afterwards.

You can probably guess from the title, her experience was not one of unicorns and rainbows. And I don’t think I’m giving a spoiler here to say that Jen did a lot of things that every WLS patient is told not to do… and she still lost weight. And this is kind of what led to the bad review I mentioned. The review was written by someone I know via the overall WLS community, and in her review she kind of fretted over the kind of message a book like this was putting out there. The jist of it was that a book like this could either scare off potential patients, or give folks the wrong impression about WLS in general.

And while I agree that those things could happen, I disagreed with the premise that this message shouldn’t be out there. The author takes a candid look at the reality of her experience, and whether you like it or not, I don’t think there’s enough of that sort of thing being put out there. So, I figured I would read the book myself and see what the “fuss” was about.

I’m not going to get in to the content of the book itself just now. It will likely take a few blog posts to even scratch the surface of things that came to mind for me as I was reading this book. And I had reached out to Jen before even starting to read it and she was receptive to maybe even having me “interview” her about the book, so I need to contact her again as well.

But for now, I do want to recommend the book. I’m not going to say it’s a “light read”, but it flows rather easily. The chapters are short, covering brief periods of time during her progress, relating different experiences, experiences that I’m sure many of us will easily be able to see a bit of ourselves in… whether you’ve had surgery yet or not.

Stranger Here: How Weight Loss Surgery Transformed My Body and Messed with My Head by Jen Larsen

And yes, the links to the book are Amazon Associate links, so should you choose to click on them and end up making a purchase I might make a few cents off that – if that’s a problem, just hit Google and I’m sure you can find it without using my links.

My surgery was supposed to be about 1pm, but my surgeon, the wonderful Dr. Johnson over at Unity, had been asked to help with an emergency surgery (not bariatric related), so my surgery was delayed.

I had been there in the pre-op room for hours, had my final weigh-in (323 I believe it was), I was in that paper gown thing with the heater blowing in it. The funky leg pump things going… my parents there waiting with me.

It was just before 5 that they finally came and got me for surgery. I only vaguely remember the “air hockey table” like setup that was used to transfer me from the gurney to the table, and briefly talking with Dr. J before the anesthesia kicked it.

Don’t really remember anything about recovery, have a vague recollection of waking briefly in my room late that night.

It seems like yesterday.

It seems like a lifetime ago.

I was called names growing up. Names that hurt. It was hard to take.

I’m called many things now… a success, an inspiration, etc. While these things are considered good things, they are (sometimes), still hard to take. While I can accept the success that I have have, while I can accept that I can help inspire others, hearing those things can still be hard to take, hard to accept.

Things have changed in so many ways, I’ve changed in so many ways. I’m not the person I was those four years ago, yet I am still… just me.

And for all the times I have been congratulated, all the folks that told me that I am an inspiration, that I am a success… well, thank you. It has gotten a bit easier to graciously accept the praise, but I would like to take a moment… on this… the anniversary of a day that changed my life… to let you know I did not do this alone.

My family, my friends that have been with me through this all, that have supported me, believed in me. I could not have done this without you. I know… I know I still am not the best at reaching out when I need it, but I also know you are there when I do. And to those who I have met through the course of events these last four years, new friends I have made… even the ones I have yet to see face-to-face… to those I “chat” with on Twitter to those who read my writings here and other places… you all have been a part of this too.

I thank you all, I could not have done this without you.

Happy Anniversary.

If you are interested in sharing your story of a situation where you feel you were bullied, shamed, mis-treated, discriminated against or otherwise treated in a negative manner because of your weight and are willing to share your story, contact me and tell me a bit about it and let me know how I can further get in touch with you.

I’m not sure the final form the contributions will take, I may read testimonials on-air, have folks call in, or pre-record conversations to share. You can remain anonymous if you want. Depending on the response I get, I may also compile things into additional blog posts and pod-casts.

Last year, they held their first ever conference that was full of entertainment, education on nutrition and fitness, advocacy and support with various speakers, vendors and from what I heard a dang good time. Well, it went over so well that they’re doing it again. The second annual Your Weight Matters Convention is slated for August 15-18 in Phoenix, AZ.

Head on over to the YWM Convention website and register now, there’s early-bird pricing that ends on May 6, and when you register for the conference there are other things you can also sign up for, like the Walk From Obesity event that will be happening that Sunday morning.

I’m going, registered this morning, reserved my hotel and am shopping for plane tickets. Hope to see you there!

From the OAC Website: The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) is the ONLY non-profit organization whose sole focus is representing individuals affected by obesity. Founded in 2005, the OAC remains at the forefront of the fight against obesity. From advocating on capitol hill for access to obesity treatments to publishing hundreds of educational resources for individuals affected, the OAC truly represents the voice of all those affected by obesity.

I want to mention that because I know there’s been comments made that Dr. Freedhoff has a stake in arguments such as this beyond just speaking out about a show such as The Biggest Loser. Dr. Freedhoff is not a surgeon, his center is not a weight loss surgery center. He is “just” a committed advocate and educator when it comes to obesity and related issues.

So… Dr. Freedhoff was able to spend the first half of the show with me discussing some key things about the show, and one of the areas we highlighted was how a program such as The Biggest Loser can perpetuate the negative image of the obese with viewers.

So go check out the podcast of the show and have a listen for yourself!

Besides my usual co-hosts, I’ll be joined by someone else via phone… Dr. Yoni Freedhoff of the Ottawa’s Bariatric Medical Institute. Dr. Freedhoff as already been pretty vocal in his feelings on The Biggest Loser, especially in their now having teens on the show, so we’ll try to touch on that as well as the impact shows such as this have on not just the contestants but also viewers.

The Wake Up Call can be heard live on AM950 in the Minneapolis/Saint Paull area from 9-10AM or you can catch it via the online streaming or via mobile apps. Visit The Wake Up Call website for more details. If you miss it, there will be a podcast available after the show is done.

My experiences with violence in schools still echo throughout my life but standing to face the problem has helped me in immeasurable ways. - Shane Koyczan

I was sometimes called “Porky”.

Find out more about Shane Koyczan on his website or follow him on Twitter.

Mark Simone is a conservative talk-radio host who broadcasts out of New York on WOR 710. I’ve heard him in the past when he has subbed for Sean Hannity. Now I typically don’t get all political, and I don’t plan on doing so here. I’m not a Republican, but I do consider myself somewhere between a conservative and a libertarian. Typically, when I’ve heard Mark on the air, I have found myself on the same wave-length as him. Last week though, he had movie critic Rex Reed on to talk about the stuff he said about Melissa McCarthy in his review of Identity Thief. The attitude Mark has taken in this case has me wondering if he’s always been like this… he’s basically acting like what the “liberal left” are always trying to demonize about the “right”.

When teasing for the segment with Reed, he had the following to say…

“…probably the greatest living movie critic of all…”

He also said he was a “great guy” and a “wonderful guy”, and while he admitted he gave the movie a ”terrible review” he essentially e\Echoes Reed’s thoughts about how it’s probably just the people behind the movie/the studio that are upset over this… and I quote….0

“silly ginned up controversy”

On his own Facebook Page, he posted the following headline “My Exclusive interview with Rex Reed Makes News” with a link to a story in the Hollywood Reporter.

The post on his page (which has just under, 3100 likes) has received 10 likes and the following comment… “It was a great interview!!! He is a great guest, although sometimes controversial!” Interestingly enough, it actually seems to have the fewest likes of any of his recent postings, most seem to average 30-50 likes.

I added a comment of my own Monday morning, essentially asking how Reed’s calling McCarthy a hippo and tractor-sized were at all relevant to reviewing the movie. I should have taken a screenshot, because when I checked for a response later that night… my comment had been removed.

I made a comment about the fact that my comment had been removed. Guess what was not there this morning. I also appear to be blocked from making further comments. I had viewed the page at work, and saw my comment gone. When I got home last night, my browser was still on the Mark Simone page, with input boxes still there, so I tried to post something and got this…

I’m not whining that my stuff was removed, it’s his page. He can remove what he wants… but I wasn’t rude, I asked a pretty straight forward question in a very polite manner. It’s just obvious he would rather not face any sort of criticism, and would rather stand by someone he calls a friend, even when this friend is bullying others over their weight.

If you would like to listen for yourself, WOR has the audio of the second hour of his Feb 11 show online. You can hear various comments as he teases the segment with Reed, which starts at about the 15:00 mark.

When he introduced Reed,  you hear him say the following…

“Telling Rex Reed how to write a review, that’s like telling Babe Ruth how to hold a bat.”

My question to Mark continues to be, how does calling anyone a “hippo” or “tractor-sized” have anything to do with actually reviewing the movie?

Since I’ve been blocked from Mark’s FB page, I’ll take a different step and will be sending an email to Sean Hannity via his website requesting that he think-twice before having Mark host on his show again. I’ll be directing him to what I’ve written here for further information, and to the Obesity Action Coalition website for information concerning dealing with obesity bias.

I have no idea if it will have any sort of impact, but this isn’t just about holding folks like Reed accountable for their actions, it’s about holding those who see nothing wrong with the bullying things people like Reed do responsible as well. And again, as Reed himself pointed out, he has a constitutional right to write his reviews as he sees fit, but along with those rights comes responsibility… and that includes being held accountable for your actions/words.

Below is a copy of the email I sent to Sean Hannity last night.

Sean,
I’m writing today to ask you to reconsider next time you would like Mark Simone to sub for you.

You may or may not be familiar with some of the hub-bub around Rex Reed’s review of the movie Identity Thief. Rex gave the movie a bad review, which would be fine if he stuck to reviewing the movie, but in the review he referred to co-star Melissa McCarthy as “tractor-sized”, and a “hippo”. Disparaging remarks about the weight of someone have no place in reviewing the content of a movie.

Mark had Rex on his show on 2/11, and during that review he supported Rex’s claim that this was nothing more than a ginned up controversy that was orchestrated by the studio to get publicity for a bad movie.

He opened the segment by saying “Telling Rex Reed how to write a review, that’s like telling Babe Ruth how to hold a bat.”

When I posted a simple question on Mark’s Facebook page, asking how name-calling had anything to do with reviewing the movie my comment was removed and I was subsequently blocked from posting further. Fine, it’s his page, he can do that if he wants.

There’s two issues here. First, had this been a male actor such as Chris Farley, John Candy, John Goodman, John Belushi… would Reed have ever made such comments? Would Mark have supported these comments?

Second, and more importantly is just the bias against someone who is overweight is … well… disgusting. As someone who once weighed over 380 pounds, I know the effects of obesity on my health. I know the effects of such seemingly benign name-calling has on self-esteem. What he did here was just another form of bullying, and
it should not be tolerated in any way, shape, or form.

I’ve written about the Rex Reed situation on my website, http://formerfatdudes.com/of-hippos-and-asses/ – and will be adding another about my attempts to contact Mark Simone over this later today.

And yes, I understand the irony of my title, but I am referring to how Reed is acting like an ass, he may or may not actually be one, I don’t know. I’ve never met him personally.

I also invite you to visit the website for the Obesity Action Coalition at http://obesityaction.org – they are a national organization dedicated to fighting obesity bias in all shapes and forms.

Again, I ask you to consider your position before having him sub for you again as I feel supporting someone with such views is a reflection upon you and your show. This isn’t about political disagreement, because when I listen to you no matter how much you may disagree with someone you always treat them with dignity and respect, and it’s one of the reasons I enjoy listening to you. Oh, I listen on AM1130 in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area, by the way.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Rob Portinga

We could look to our neighbor to the North, Canada, for a preview of the type of care we might be heading for. A system that while it does tend to cover bariatric surgery in general, it is not viewed as a necessary procedure which means those that do qualify for it often wait years to get the procedure done.

Whether is is covered via privately purchased insurance policies or from federally mandated government policy, Dr. Yoni Freedhoff makes some good arguments on whey bariatric procedures should be covered. He gave a television interview a couple years ago where he made a number of points that continue to be equally valid today.

First off, it makes financial sense. Various studies have shown that bariatric procedures pay for themselves in reduced long-term medical care, often in as little as 2-5 years. Dr. Freedhoff says a study done in Canada that folks on waiting lists for bariatric surgery in Canada rack up $900 a month in medical costs to the tax-payers, per person, as a dollar cost average while waiting for surgery. By his figures, the surgery pays for itself in about 3.5 years.

When asked about the incidence of weight regain after surgery (cause everyone out there knows about all these folks who have had WLS and regained all their weight, right?), Dr. Freedhoff stated figures that about 30% of bariatric patients have significant regain after surgery… whereas about 95% of the general population have regain after losing weight “on their own”. He essentially points out that folks that suffer from morbid obesity that are denied bariatric surgery based on the idea that they’ll just gain the weight back are being penalized for something that just about everybody is unable to do anyways. The difference is, for many of these folks not giving them that opportunity can be a death sentence.

When speaking of bariatric surgery, Dr. Freedhoff stated

“This is a procedure that been prove to extend quantity of life, cure co-morbidities and markedly improve quality of life”

Now if you go to Dr. Freedhoff’s website at weightymatters.ca you will see right there that he is a “Family doc, Assistant Prof. at the University of Ottawa, and founder of Ottawa’s Bariatric Medical Institute” so you may think he has something to gain by advocating for bariatric surgery. Thing is, and even I admit this threw me off at first… see in the US, Bariatric Center is pretty synonymous with bariatric surgery, but the true definition of bariatric is “the branch of medicine that deals with the causes, prevention, and treatment of obesity”, and the Ottawa Bariatric Center is just that, “a multi-disciplinary, ethical, evidence-based nutrition and weight management centre.”

And when asked about it, his response was…

“I just advocate for what’s right for people with obesity”

And in certain cases, he definitely feels that bariatric surgery can be what’s right, because it is, in his words, a…

“proven procedure, works in the vast majority of cases, improves quality and quantity of life and saves tax-payer dollars.”

Here in the US, we have an organization that continues to advocate on obesity issues, through… well, this snippet from their website says it rather well…

The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) is the ONLY non-profit organization whose sole focus is representing individuals affected by obesity. Founded in 2005, the OAC remains at the forefront of the fight against obesity. From advocating on capitol hill for access to obesity treatments to publishing hundreds of educational resources for individuals affected, the OAC truly represents the voice of all those affected by obesity.

You can support the OAC by becoming a member for just $20 per year. Visit their website for more information on the benefits of membership and to find out more about ways you can support the OAC.

By the way, Dr. Freedhoff will be joining me on the radio show I do here in the Twin Cities on March 2nd to discuss the impact of shows like The Biggest Loser have on both participants and viewers. Visit the website of The Wake Up Call for more information.