I was glad to read of this. People can speculate all they want about his motivation, but I'm pleased to see he's finally taking action to bring his weight down.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/nationa...m1fY6awWgFY6nN

I hate to admit this...but I kind of like him...I find him amusing - fat and all.

I'm happy for him and I hope he's successful. So many people judge him (us) based on size and not the knowledge or gifts we have to offer in life.

And punkrocksong, me too! He seems like someone who genuinely cares about people and I think he has a very friendly smile. (We can leave the politics out of this!!)

I don't think I'll ever understand what gets a person to the point that weight loss is so completely out of their control that they have to resort to surgery. I can only think it is a dire situation when it comes to that. But the sad truth is that any person in power will be questioned if he is not fit in slim. It's the truth for many of us and I know that I myself have felt the authority in my job questioned because of my weight.

One of my doctors never offered me the option to lose weight, her first suggestion was weightloss surgery. I'm against surgery (for myself) so I asked if I could try to lose weight with the help of a nutritionist and see how far I could get. Needless to say, I don't think I'd qualify for the surgery now. And my doctor is impressed!

It sounds downright silly but I just needed someone to tell me what to eat, how much to eat and when to eat. I know that doesn't work for some but it saved my life. And I have lost just as much in 9 months that someone would have with surgery except I have no scars, no complications risk from surgery, and no foods that I can't have.

If I only knew this option was available to me and how much it would have changed my life, I would have done this years ago.

I don't agree with his politics, although I think he did an excellent job after Sandy, and was much more involved and visible than my Democatic leaders in New York. But I think it's good that he had the surgery if that's what he needed, and good that he was honest about it. I hope it works for him.

Just curious, do you think a woman as overweight as he is would ever be elected governor?

So sad but I don't think it would happen. Look how far Palin got on looks alone.

I don't know that I would be more or less likely to vote for someone who lost weight using WLS but if he felt that this was the only way to get the weight off...he absolutely should do what's best for him.

I would think that most people who resort to surgery are dealing with food addiction and it's either that or a early death from obesity-related disease.

How many obese 70+ year old men do you see out and about? Not many. Good for him if this helps him achieve his goal.

All politics aside, I always felt sorry for him and thought he seemed like a very genuine person. His weight was such an acceptable topic of discussion, and sometimes it was very direct. I mean, it wasn't always just some abstract thinking as to whether a man his size could ever move up in the political world. It was a lot more focused. I remember one doctor on some media show talking in a snarky manner about what she would say to him if she were his doctor. I don't remember if they had her on the show for just that (caught the sound bite), but if they did, why would that even be news? Ridiculous.

He seems like a tough guy, so I don't know if he would be the type to get his feelings hurt, but I just felt it was so unfair. Kinda how it's still acceptable to talk about Hillary's (or any other woman in power, for that matter) wider hips and face wrinkles as if it's relevant.

I say, good for him. I hope he has no complications and recovers well.

Yeah, it really bothered me how just about every news story about him over the last year or so had a comment about his weight.

Really....why is that so freaking important? Can he do the job or not? THAT's what I want to read about.

Hear hear, Song of Surly. Politics completely aside here too -- the extent of the commentary on his weight has struck me as more vicious than other commentary on other male politicians' personal appearances. (Probably approaching the general level of critiquing public female bodies, though.)

On the other hand, it's an undeniable health issue - fitness for office questions (whether for health or age) are tough but not wholly without merit. But no matter how thick one's skin is, to have one's weight dissected so casually and brutally has to be really tough. Weight issues are a lifelong struggle for many - I can't imagine how difficult it would be to wrestle with that in such a public venue.

This kills me. I'm not a Republican (I'm not allowed to vote). But I liked the guy. And a big part of me liked that guy especially because he was big. Argh. Tough to say. But that guy rocked it as a person regardless of his size.

So, I now have very mixed feelings on this and I know I should not.

Big people need role models and he was one of those. Just because I chose to lose weight does not make my old life as a big person any less valuable.

I loved me then. I love me now.

Fat Chris helped me love me then. I don't need a thin Chris to help me now.

Many members on 3FC have posted about people commenting on their weight loss. I can't imagine the spot light, and microscope, he's going to have on him. Not to mention all the "exposes" that will be on tv related to weight loss surgery.

My thoughts exactly PreciousMissy...I'm uncomfortable when people I work with comment on my weight loss. I can only imagine the intense scrutiny that Chris Christie has been under and will continue to be under. I don't envy him that.

I've heard some commentators make some down right nasty comments about the Governor's size. And there were times when he joked about it and times when he admitted that he was very hurt by it. I cringed when I saw him on one of the late night shows shoving a donut in his mouth.

I also agree with Ian...he's a great role model for getting the job done well regardless of his size but he'll also be a great role model for slimming down because his health is probably at risk.

I'm happy for him and I hope he gets the results he wants. I remember reading that he did try a bunch of diets, Nutrisystem maybe? Something like that.

I also think this means he is going to run for President...