Chris Christie has lap band surgery, will that hurt or help him in 2016?

[Mizzougrad96]

Last year, I remember Christie saying, "You'll know I'm running for president if I start losing a bunch of weight..."

I just saw that he had lap-band surgery.

I'm not trying to create a political thread. I'm just curious if people think this will help him, hurt him or make no difference.

I'm a fan of the guy, but I think this will hurt him. While I applaud him for taking the steps to lose weight, I think people will see it as someone who had to take the easy way out to lose weight as opposed to diet and exercise like Mike Huckabee did.

Thoughts?

 

[Armchair_QB]

Last year, I remember Christie saying, "You'll know I'm running for president if I start losing a bunch of weight..."

I just saw that he had lap-band surgery.

I'm not trying to create a political thread. I'm just curious if people think this will help him, hurt him or make no difference.

I'm a fan of the guy, but I think this will hurt him. While I applaud him for taking the steps to lose weight, I think people will see it as someone who had to take the easy way out to lose weight as opposed to diet and exercise like Mike Huckabee did.

Thoughts?

When you're that big there is no easy way out. He still needs to lose weight.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Point taken, but it is a lot easier than doing it the conventional way.

 

[outofplace]

Point taken, but it is a lot easier than doing it the conventional way.

Do you actually know anybody who has had the procedure? It helps, but it also presents its own challenges.

 

[Zeke12]

Can't see how it hurts him.

 

[Webster]

I was 4 rows behind him at a Springsteen concert when he was running for governer. He was huge -- I was surprised how big he was. Not a tall guy either -- he's probably 5'9" or so and had to be 325 lb.

Hopefully, it will allow him to control his weight going forward.

 

[Bob Cook]

Christie, given his size and his schedule, can be excused for starting with the lap-band. Of course, when you get that surgery, you're supposed to have months of counseling before and afterward, in part because it's very easy to put the weight back on. I don't know if this means he's running for president, but he at least needed to do something for health's sake.

Mentioning Huckabee, last I saw him, it looked like he was putting a lot of weight back on. That's not a criticism. It's difficult to keep a weight-loss regimen going.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

My aunt has had it. It will save her life after years of abusing the **** out of it. She's lost 80 pounds in six months.

Maybe the word easy isn't the right one, but it's definitely easier than the conventional way.

I hope it helps him.

 

[HC]

Speaking from experience, if you're a compulsive eater the band will only do so much. If you don't change yourself and your relationship to food, it won't work long term.

NB: For the sake of full disclosure, I did not go the band route. I did WeightWatchers but the principle is the same.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Christie, given his size and his schedule, can be excused for starting with the lap-band. Of course, when you get that surgery, you're supposed to have months of counseling before and afterward, in part because it's very easy to put the weight back on. I don't know if this means he's running for president, but he at least needed to do something for health's sake.

Mentioning Huckabee, last I saw him, it looked like he was putting a lot of weight back on. That's not a criticism. It's difficult to keep a weight-loss regimen going.

Very good points...

I will be very happy if doing this is seen as a positive rather than a sign of weakness.

 

[Bob Cook]

Speaking from experience, if you're a compulsive eater the band will only do so much. If you don't change yourself and your relationship to food, it won't work long term.

NB: For the sake of full disclosure, I did not go the band route. I did WeightWatchers but the principle is the same.

I spent a day hanging out with a doctor who does bariatric care (preps 'em for surgery but doesn't do the cutting), and he said the reasons for counseling are 1) what you mentioned, about changing diet and the relationship to food and 2) to cope with the rapid weight loss afterward. Yes, it's a good thing to lose weight, but he said it's difficult to conceive the depths of which relationships with yourself and others can change when you go from very large person to not-very-large person in a matter of months.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Christie, given his size and his schedule, can be excused for starting with the lap-band. Of course, when you get that surgery, you're supposed to have months of counseling before and afterward, in part because it's very easy to put the weight back on. I don't know if this means he's running for president, but he at least needed to do something for health's sake.

Mentioning Huckabee, last I saw him, it looked like he was putting a lot of weight back on. That's not a criticism. It's difficult to keep a weight-loss regimen going.

Very good points...

I will be very happy if doing this is seen as a positive rather than a sign of weakness.

But it is a sign of weakness. I'm sure there are some rare cases where genetics and bad luck predetermine that someone is going to be 100 pounds overweight, but for the most part the factors are eating too much and not exercising, both of which boil down to a lack of willpower.

Lap band surgery is fairly ineffective long term because the people don't change their behaviors. It's a quick fox for a problem that doesn't have quick fixes.

 

[Bob Cook]

Christie, given his size and his schedule, can be excused for starting with the lap-band. Of course, when you get that surgery, you're supposed to have months of counseling before and afterward, in part because it's very easy to put the weight back on. I don't know if this means he's running for president, but he at least needed to do something for health's sake.

Mentioning Huckabee, last I saw him, it looked like he was putting a lot of weight back on. That's not a criticism. It's difficult to keep a weight-loss regimen going.

Very good points...

I will be very happy if doing this is seen as a positive rather than a sign of weakness.

But it is a sign of weakness. I'm sure there are some rare cases where genetics and bad luck predetermine that someone is going to be 100 pounds overweight, but for the most part the factors are eating too much and not exercising, both of which boil down to a lack of willpower.

Lap band surgery is fairly ineffective long term because the people don't change their behaviors. It's a quick fox for a problem that doesn't have quick fixes.

You get bariatric surgery in the short term mainly because you have health issues, already there or forthcoming, that necessitate a kickstart. The surgery can be less expensive and more effective than treating the comorbidities.

The counseling makes clear this isn't a quick fix. And the counseling can be much more extensive than telling people to put down the fork and get up off the couch. For some people, it's that simple. For others, there are all sorts of psychological reasons that they eat. If you don't address those, the weight will come right back.

 

[heyabbott]

He lost 40 lbs, is that even noticeable on him?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Speaking from experience, if you're a compulsive eater the band will only do so much. If you don't change yourself and your relationship to food, it won't work long term.

NB: For the sake of full disclosure, I did not go the band route. I did WeightWatchers but the principle is the same.

My aunt was 5-6, 282 when she had the surgery. She's now 201. She's in her late 50s and drank like a fish and smoked and ate any and everything that was put in front of her for her entire adult life and now she's kind of getting a do-over in her late 50s. I'm happy for her...

Her son, who is in his mid-20s, is trying to have the procedure as well. He's probably 5-8 and has to be over 300. The last time I saw him he said, "I wasn't lucky enough to be tall like you..." That kind of pissed me off...

 

[PCLoadLetter]

My aunt has had it. It will save her life after years of abusing the **** out of it. She's lost 80 pounds in six months.

Maybe the word easy isn't the right one, but it's definitely easier than the conventional way.

I hope it helps him.

I know a few people who had it.

My cousin did, and she's gorgeous now. They couldn't have a better success story.

Another friend who had it was a professional chef. He was fed intravenously for the next year plus and nearly died. It was a disaster for him. He had complications that are disturbingly common.

A third friend had it, lost a few pounds, didn't change her habits and is fatter than ever.

I'm guessing 8 friends or acquaintances have had it in some form, and 4 or 5 are successes. Two spent months in the hospital fighting complications.

If everything goes perfectly and you're willing to change your habits, it's a little easier than the conventional method. It's not magic, though. If you don't make the changes it won't work, and it's a major operation with severe complications.

(And to answer the initial question, it helps him. He's fat enough to have legit health questions. He's distractingly big.)

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Christie, given his size and his schedule, can be excused for starting with the lap-band. Of course, when you get that surgery, you're supposed to have months of counseling before and afterward, in part because it's very easy to put the weight back on. I don't know if this means he's running for president, but he at least needed to do something for health's sake.

Mentioning Huckabee, last I saw him, it looked like he was putting a lot of weight back on. That's not a criticism. It's difficult to keep a weight-loss regimen going.

Very good points...

I will be very happy if doing this is seen as a positive rather than a sign of weakness.

But it is a sign of weakness. I'm sure there are some rare cases where genetics and bad luck predetermine that someone is going to be 100 pounds overweight, but for the most part the factors are eating too much and not exercising, both of which boil down to a lack of willpower.

Lap band surgery is fairly ineffective long term because the people don't change their behaviors. It's a quick fox for a problem that doesn't have quick fixes.

You get bariatric surgery in the short term mainly because you have health issues, already there or forthcoming, that necessitate a kickstart. The surgery can be less expensive and more effective than treating the comorbidities.

The counseling makes clear this isn't a quick fix. And the counseling can be much more extensive than telling people to put down the fork and get up off the couch. For some people, it's that simple. For others, there are all sorts of psychological reasons that they eat. If you don't address those, the weight will come right back.

Lap band and bariatric surgery are not the same... Is that correct. I get the sense that lap band is a lot less invasive than bariatric surgery.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

He lost 40 lbs, is that even noticeable on him?

They had pictures on one of the sites and it was noticeable. It's not like he now looks good, but unless you're 500 pounds, 40 pounds weight loss is going to be noticeable on almost anyone...

 

[Bob Cook]

Christie, given his size and his schedule, can be excused for starting with the lap-band. Of course, when you get that surgery, you're supposed to have months of counseling before and afterward, in part because it's very easy to put the weight back on. I don't know if this means he's running for president, but he at least needed to do something for health's sake.

Mentioning Huckabee, last I saw him, it looked like he was putting a lot of weight back on. That's not a criticism. It's difficult to keep a weight-loss regimen going.

Very good points...

I will be very happy if doing this is seen as a positive rather than a sign of weakness.

But it is a sign of weakness. I'm sure there are some rare cases where genetics and bad luck predetermine that someone is going to be 100 pounds overweight, but for the most part the factors are eating too much and not exercising, both of which boil down to a lack of willpower.

Lap band surgery is fairly ineffective long term because the people don't change their behaviors. It's a quick fox for a problem that doesn't have quick fixes.

You get bariatric surgery in the short term mainly because you have health issues, already there or forthcoming, that necessitate a kickstart. The surgery can be less expensive and more effective than treating the comorbidities.

The counseling makes clear this isn't a quick fix. And the counseling can be much more extensive than telling people to put down the fork and get up off the couch. For some people, it's that simple. For others, there are all sorts of psychological reasons that they eat. If you don't address those, the weight will come right back.

Lap band and bariatric surgery are not the same... Is that correct. I get the sense that lap band is a lot less invasive than bariatric surgery.

Lap band is a form of bariatric surgery. It's quickly replaced what's known as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, which is basically getting your stomach stapled. The surgery is less invasive, and if there are any health issues afterward (whether or not they have to do with the surgery), the band can be loosened fairly easily.

 

[dooley_womack1]

I know someone who lost 200 pounds since having lap band surgery about 14 years ago. As long as you eat about 4 small meals a day, the person said, it can work. But to the point: I won't vote for Christie at 200 or 500