Resolutions Work Best When There’s No Decent Alternative

There’s nothing like major surgery to get you serious about your health

Photo by Nicolas Ruiz on Unsplash

This month, I’m drinking at least 73 ounces of water and walking two miles a day. As a result, I’ve already lost four pounds. I wish I could say it was willpower, but it’s not. Instead, it’s something closer to sheer terror. Let me explain.

I’ve been suffering from severe acid reflux disease for many years now. Medication has made a difference, but proton pump inhibitors are not an ideal long-term solution. So over the past five or six years, I’ve undergone several endoscopies to keep track of the situation.

Recently, I consulted a surgeon about having a lipoma (a slow-growing fatty lump) removed from my thigh. As he studied my chart, he remarked that he noticed I was suffering from a hiatal hernia, and that the surgery to repair those is his specialty. (In fact, his bio says it’s “his passion.” Oh, my!) He explained the procedure for repairing the hernia, which is minimally invasive and done laparoscopically.

I jokingly asked if he could remove the lipoma and repair the hernia simultaneously.

He said he could and would. (Who doesn’t love a BOGO?) However, I still wasn’t entirely convinced. “Would I lose any weight?”