Want2surf

That's a great question! I only told family and a few coworkers when i I got banded. They were all very supportive and happy for me. I got "outed" to friends and acquaintences by my ex boyfriend at a party. It's been 8 years but I still get this when I run into neighbors and old friends: "hey you look really good...still got that thing on your stomach keeping you skinny?"

I have a lap band and had lost past my goal weight. I started having problems with the band. I found out it was too tight and always had been. I couldn't get most foods down despite following all the rules and having had the band completely unfilled. Despite a band that never functioned properly, I had lost all my weight and kept it off for 6 years. I had exercised much of that time. Eventually, I had gotten too thin and I felt tired all the time. I started eating popcorn, cheetos and other Snacks because that is what I could reliably get down. My weight stopped dropping and started to climb a bit. I retired from a very physically active job and stopped exercising due to some depression because I missed work. That is when I really started to gain some weight back. I gained back to my original goal weight and then another 40 pounds. I had past success at weight loss but I felt I needed a jump start. I needed to get out of the house and into a new routine. I researched weight loss resorts and found the Biggest Loser Resort in Malibu. There was a sale going on so I pulled out some retirement funds and scheduled a month at the resort at $1900 per week. I lost 14 pounds during the month I was there. I think they had us on a 1600 calorie per day diet. I couldn't eat even half the food because of my band. We literally exercised all day. There was a morning hike of 5-7 miles. You dashed from one workout class to the next. They had really good classes on nutrition too. The program was great. I loved it and really benefited from it. I came home and lost an additional 30 pounds on my own. You have to keep in mind though that I went in at 172 pounds, which isn't that big, so I was able to really work hard and burn a lot of calories there. I noticed that people that were much larger had a hard time keeping up during the workouts and they had a greater tendency to skip out on classes and hide in their rooms. I think the resort was great (the Malibu location closed down in January but there is a non-BLR affiliated resort in the same spot that just opened), if you could afford it, BUT it involves extremely rigorous exercise that isn't sustainable after leaving there. I'm single and retired and I didn't manage to keep it up. I've gained back 20 pounds. I did love it though and would go back there in a heartbeat (to the new place that opened). None of the staff where I went ever criticized or even mentioned WLS. I don't remember whether I had to tell them in the medical history. I didn't tell my fellow guests. In my opinion, somebody with a lot of weight to lose that has a job and a family to take care of just might need a more permanent solution or a combination of solutions. I can definitely see having WLS and once you find you have good mobility and can do hikes (they have varying levels of difficult including a level hike for those with injured knees) and exercise...go to a fitness resort for motivation, exercise training and fellowship. I made some good friends during my stay. It's a good option if you need a jump start, like I did. Also to add...I'm an introvert and have avoided support groups. The fact that I paid a small fortune to go to the resort made me come out of my shell and talk to the other guests and the trainers.