Ren<3

hmmmmm ithink I'm a slow loser... my surgery date was
October 17 2011 my weight was 242
my current weight is 196.5 so I'm happy but in 2009 my heaviest was 296.5 so pretty much I've lost a hundred pounds my weight loss is slow but that's fine with me as long as the scale goes down! goodluck all<3

I read through all the comments and I see both sides. I was "out"as a fat person. I didn't have to shout it from the roof tops, anyone who knew/saw me knew I was fat. Unfortunately, me being "openly fat" didn't change the stigma of fat people being "lazy" or "disgusting" or "our of control" so I think (its just me and it could have to do with my insecurities) how can I change WLS stigma? I was a good fat person and still felt judged and looked down upon. I hope to be a good WLS success story and DON'T want to be judged or looked down upon. Just as I admire those that stood up for the obese ones, I admire those that stand up for WLS. I hope to be one of you one day. Thanks everyone for sharing and making me truly look at all sides of this issue.

If you fuel your journey on the opinions of others, you are going to run out of gas. Do what works for YOU. Agree to disagree.
Let's get back to supporting one another now.

What's childish and immature is you attacking and name calling because myself and others said something that you don't like. So many people say "this" or "that" is not a lie. I disagree and say it is. Your opinion.....my opinion. Why is that a problem?
Am I not allowed to call BS when I hear it? Am I not allowed to challenge people to do something outside their comfort zone? I'm going to guess that everyone who has had WLS had to step way out of their comfort zone the morning they got on that operating table.

What's killing me about this whole thread is that people are getting so upset. Everyone is accusing everyone else of 'attacking.' You know what it makes me feel like? It makes me feel like I can't be honest, or express a differing opinion, without people accusing me of being a bully (or worse). I have NEVER set out to bully anyone EVER. I have NEVER told anyone that they are a bad person just because they have a different opinion than I do. We are all adults and should be able to have an open discussion without people getting upset because someone else is trying to come at the situation from a different point of view. You don't agree with me? Cool. Let's talk about it. Maybe we can each learn something. I'm not going to call you a bully because you think I'm wrong.
VST is usually such a wonderful place full of information and the experiences of many different people. I miss that...

I love this! This is EXACTLY how I feel! I want all of us to be open because "we" are in the minority. The majority if the obese population isn't having surgery. And no, not every obese person should get surgery. But I hate the idea of people suffering in silence due to misinformation or embarrassment. If more of us were open about our choice and refused to allow others make us feel badly for making the hard choice and taking control of our lives and our health...perhaps we could make a difference.

Go you. I'm loving mine too. Lost my first 50 lbs.
But what you said hit the nail on the head for me. I considered having WLS for many years, but never acted on it because of all the misinformation out there. People still believe (as I did) that the mortality rate for WLS is somewhere between 1% and 5%. Then one day a coworker told me that he had lost 150 pounds after having bypass surgery a few years ago. I had no idea. His openness inspired me even as much as his success. If it weren't for that one simple conversation I would still be suffering with no hope of change. I hope someday I might help someone else in the same fashion.

I am probably feeling a little I LOVE THE SLEEVE TODAY! I fit into a size 8 dress!

I also really love the fact that I am a former fat girl turned super model! My issues of low self-esteem contributed to my need to compare myself to skinnier women. Why can't I be that size? Why can't my legs look like that? Why do I have a muffin top? I mean it is a big problem for me. I know alot of fat people do this. So I would feel so super awesome to have someone look at me and think...I wish I was skinny like her and then I would get to say...YOU CAN BE SKINNY! YOU CAN BE THIN! YOU CAN BE HEALTHY! I WAS YOU! I AM YOU! AND YOU ARE ME! I want to tell everyone. I am so glad that I don't give McDonald's & Taco Bell my money anymore...I am so glad that no one is now profiting from my obesity. I was a regular customer to the McDouble Crack House. I want to tell Coke and Pepsi to shove their sugary drinks up their wazoo. We are proponents of change and really some of the strongest people to make this decision. Most people are not making this decision. I feel like not telling your story is doing a disservice to the one person that maybe needs to hear it.

Comparing weight loss surgery to cancer? Cancer isn't something you choose to get. If a fat person came up to me and I said I lost the weight through diet and working out...really? Obviously the only people we should be lying to is the Military because they won't let you in. Other than that...people lie about cancer or don't disclose the illness because they are in fear of getting fired or just in fear of cancer itself. They are in fear of discrimination. I mean is weight loss surgery really that serious? I believe most fat people live in a constant state of feeling discriminated against, which pretty much is true...so maybe most people are still afraid of discrimination and of what others might think because they have been the victim of weightism for so long. I tell everyone. You don't have to, but I wouldn't lie to another obese person. The Bottom Line is only 5% of people that lose the weight keep it off. Surgery, for now, is really the only chance at staying at healthy weight for a long period of time or for forever. I just couldn't lie to someone...unless I was playing survivor for one million dollars. For that one I would have to say...the grapefruit diet. I am not trying to argue or push my point across to anyone. We all do our own thing and that is cool. I just don't care what people think about my choice and I can't seem to grasp why anyone cares anyway.

uh...so if I don't agree with the topic I should just keep it to myself....sorry but no. I have a right to post my opinion just like you do. You don't have to agree with it, I'm okay with that.

Honestly, I will tell anyone who asks. I think it needs to be more accepted. Yes, there are people who judge me. Yes, there are negative people. But I don't care (I have to work at this). I'm proud of my decision to make my life better.
Anyone who is less than happy for me...their feelings say more about them then it does about me.

I feel it is lying. I mean most of us couldn't keep the weight off if in fact we ever lost it. So someone who is fat...who asks me how I lost it...even the sort of skinny pudgy people who only have 40 to lose, but it eats away at them...I have to tell them the truth. Most people will not be able to sustain weight loss until they find a drug to help with keeping the weight off or they have weight loss surgery or they have more will power than most people to continually battle obesity. We all gave up in the battle and decided to get help. For me personally I have worked out at all. I lost the weight through calorie restriction and thanks to the sleeve I wasn't hardly hungry and could avoid over eating. The question was can you keep it a secret. Yes, you can. I have not had all the crazy drama because I only have small circle of friends and work in a small office. I think I would laugh hysterically if I had to deal with some of the morons most people on this site have to deal with because I am the smart one here. Stay fat if you want to! I REFUSE! Be upset that I am skinny, whatever! Who cares. I just feel like we should be honest to those who really need to know the truth aka other fat people. Skinny people wouldn't even really understand.

This is a very hot and controversial topic, but it all comes down to you. I agree you should keep it private, tell a few important people or blast it out to the world like me. Again, I blasted it out, because my wife told her family and they will gossip about a dead squirrel and I barely like any of them. So why shouldn't people I like know? It was a wonderful decision I made, because everyone wants to know about my surgery. I have a ton of big friends and they want to know everything. Most likely, they are considering the surgery.
My biggest thing is if I kept it private and I died on that surgery table or a few weeks after, like some people have. I wanted to tell everyone I loved them. My major reason for telling people is that the same reason I have a blog and I am writing on this forum, if it were not for people stepping forward, admitting they had surgery and giving me helpful tips, I would have never gotten the surgery. Maybe I would be died a few years from now or had a stroke. The amount of support I get from this forum, a support group, family, friends and co-workers, who have had bypass, lap band or sleeve, is amazing. That is my life, not yours. I have worked with pain in the ... co-workers. So I feel your pain. Do what makes you happy. Remember, every overweight and obese person is probably sitting at their desk googling about this surgery and reading the horror stories. They need support, too. If it means a few people laugh behind my back, go ahead, I rather support other big people and I am doing it 50 pounds lighter and exercising every day! Like I tell people or a former student, who made fun of me because I was fat: "There are solutions for me losing weight. There is no solution for being a jerk!"

I tell everyone. So many people suffer, and I think if they can see my success than they might make the decision to change their life. The decision is the hardest part of the whole thing (at least for me). Now after watching all the episodes of Weight of a Nation on HBO, I feel compelled to tell even more people about it. The part about the way our bodies act when we are on a diet is a very compelling reason to have the surgery. We should be proud that we took a drastic measure because doing in on your own is a constant battle of the mind and body.

I would strongly discourage you from doing this. First, there's the karmic implications. I'm sorry you had cancer before and am very glad you made it through, but why put that out there? And what kind of effect will this have on your coworkers? It's very upsetting for someone you see every day to be sick. And if they find out you didn't have a tumor/chemo? That could get ugly. For those you don't want to share your decision with, perhaps you could just say you're having surgery and it's personal. The implication could be that it's female related and most people shy away from that!
Good luck on your journey.

Come out of the closet people. The problem with WLS is the stigma associated with it. The reason so many uneducated people are against the surgery is that the only time they ever hear about it is when things go bad and patients die....the horror stories. The only success stories they hear are when some person looses 400 or 500 pounds. So most folks think the surgery is either a death warrant, or for people with several hundred pounds to lose.
You people here are the real success stories. Let your stories be heard and lift the stigma. Let folks see that this surgery will save lives and improve the quality of life for alot of people who can't get there otherwise. It's safe and alot of people could really benefit from it.

I am one of those people who dont give a **** about what anyone says. I have told just about anyone that will listen that i am having surgery. People will talk if you tell them and they will talk if you don't tell them. I have heard mostly positive remarks but have heard a couple of negative comments about having surgery. You know what i told them? " Im sorry you feel that way, but you know that saying Opinions are like a$$holes everyone has one, that is your opinion" I am happy with my decision and no one is going to rain on my parade!

I've told almost everyone I know. I feel like I'm admitting I need help and I know I new it. I can care less what others think of me. Love me or not I'm doing this for myself. If u want to judge then that's their problem. But I am proud of who I am and my accomplishments. I love myself and love life. I just want to gain my life back by not being insecure and feeling confident. Amen!

I am troubled by the amount of threads like this there are on the forums. So many people feel like they can't tell anyone for fear of what they might think or say. It's easy for me to say "heck with those people" but I know it isn't as easy for everyone. I hope you all can at least find one person you trust who you can count on for support.
My real hope is that after you've had your surgery and lost weight your self confidence will rise to the point that you won't care what others might think, and you'll tell the world. Why? Because then possibly you'll inspire someone else who is struggling with the decision to have surgery. Plus the more people who are open and honest about WLS, the less stigma there will be.
Also, please think about this. When the day comes that you do feel like telling the people you care about, will it be even more damaging that you kept it a secret? I know the answer to that is different for every situation. I just don't want any of you to regret your decision later on.

oh also ididnt lie to ppl told them iwas having a weightloss surgery called vsg && they all supported me many didn't get the surgery but it motivated them to lose weight which is great! knowing that I've touched ppl inspired them

I told my boss and a few others. I have been at my job for 10 years and they are more like family than anything else. I did however get caught in a situation during my clear liquid diet (that lasted for 3 weeks post-op) in which I went to a training seminar and when everyone went to eat a beautiful lunch together and I was left behind. Everyone kept asking me over and over if I was ok, why wasnt I eating, and if they could get me anything. I finally caved and just said what I had done. The outcome? An amazing amount of support that I still have right now! I agree there are some people you shouldnt tell for your own sanity, but its been really great having people both at home and at work that have my back and care about my journey!