SoCalLeslie

Folks I haven't seen in a while always ask how I did it. If they seem genuinely interested, I tell them...you never know who might be considering surgery as an option and I will share my story in a heartbeat if I think it may help someone.

However, if the person asking is the judgmental type, I simply tell them I've been eating less and moving more...it's the truth!



Good luck!

Hi everyone - this might be premature, as I haven't had my surgery yet and will be off work 3-4 weeks, but I'm looking for advice on what to tell people (especially at work) who might ask if I've had weight loss surgery. I know the weight comes off fast after surgery and I am sure people will be suspicious, even though I've lost about 30 pounds on my own and a few people noticed. I just don't feel it's anyone's business to know I've had surgery, especially among people who like to gossip.
Any suggestions on how to respond? Or am I worrying for nothing? Would like to hear from some of you who had similar concerns. Thanks!

@@Lisa1171 You can ask your doctor about signs of dehydration. Both @@Inner Surfer Girl and @@laguerr13 give good advice. I haven't had my surgery yet (Friday!), but for the last couple of weeks I've been trying to get in the habit of drinking small sips every 15 minutes. I set a timer on my phone with a soft beep alarm - when it goes off, I just restart it. I imagine after a while it just becomes habit, but I do know how important it will be to get plenty of fluids in.
Hope this helps, and good luck to you!

For the first time in so many years that I can't remember, I wore a swimming suit. Took my kids to Wisconsin Dells and I actually participated. It was kind of cool because first off, I never would have considered going prior to my surgery...secondly...there are weight restrictions on some of the Water slides and I was well within the restriction limit...and yes...they have a scale at the end of the line and if you think you can sneak past, you cannot...there were quite a few making the walk of shame back down the line...not me.......felt........amazing!!!! (and my suit is sooo cute)

I went to an informational seminar in January and had my first meeting with the surgeon mid February. I am scheduled for surgery this Friday, July 17. I also saw the nutritionist and had the psych eval at the same appointment. What took the longest for me was waiting for the insurance company to verify everything. Originally I was told there was a six month waiting period, even though they didn't require any supervised medical weight loss or educational classes. I still took the classes though, offered through my medical group, and I'm glad I did.
Even though it may not seem like it to you now, there are advantages to not having surgery right away (my opinion). My surgeon wanted me to try to lose at least 20 pounds before surgery to get rid of some of the fat around my liver, making it easier to get to my stomach. I've lost 32 and my BMI went down about 5 "points". Hoping that makes a difference come surgery day!
Good luck everyone!

1) I have heard 60 pounds seems to be a magic number for people to start noticing. As someone else said, everyone's tipping point is different, so tomorrow could be your day.
2) Some people are afraid to say anything as they don't know if it will offend you. Until someone knows you are ok hearing that, they may shy away. (To me telling someone they looked smaller was almost the same as saying they were HUGE in the first place. )
Don't get discouraged. Post before and after pics. We will tell you we notice.

I just had surgery. I know a ton of folks who have had it for various length of time.
I would actually hear people in our social circles talk about not acknowledging peoples' weight loss because they took the "easy way out."
There are some catty people in this world. Hell, there are even a few here on this site.
You are enough. Their validation isn't necessary. You did it for you. As my grandma used to say, "F them."

What kind of supervisor makes a comment like that under any circumstances?! Rude beyond belief! Depending on where you start weight-wise will depend on how soon others notice. 50 pounds from a person over 250 is harder to discern than off a person around 200. Most people are more interested in what is going on in their own personal lives than what is going on in ours. Try to understand that they are just preoccupied with their own stuff!

Love your honesty, Nyelah! Thanks for sharing as I have had the same thoughts lately. Finally, after 30 years of failed dieting.....I get it! I am not yet to the preop diet but went on a no carb no sugar diet yesterday getting ready. I have had all the testing done and am scheduled for my Nut and Psych eval on 8/4/15. The surgeon said after those we will be ready to schedule the procedure. I am excited, nervous and scared, but ready for this new chapter in my life. Looking forward to the new thinner and healthier me!!

So I am in all liquid and 1 meal( low fat meal) diet for preop. The first week I did really well and followed the guidelines then the weekend hit....:-(
I cheated... Yup...I cheated. (Let the good ol' BP gallery of finger pointing begin)
But I realized a few huge things through this weekend.
1. I fucked up--- I am human. I need to build the muscle to not allow head hunger to take over. I am stronger than that! I can and will be able to do what I have to do for my health. Let's work on being the best me for what's left of this.
2. This last week of preop (surgery Friday July 17) will be perfect!! I will not only try my hardest but I WILL follow through and be consistent. Consistency has been one of my issues with weight loss management all my life. This time is different and I can not go back to old habits. I can not allow myself to go back there.
3. This is real. Up until this weekend I don't believe it truly hit me (in my heart of hearts). I was going through the motions and saying/doing all the right things to go through this process, but I don't think it HIT me like it's truly happening. This weekend of cheating truly made me realize that I was just cheating myself and that it needs to stop.
So for anyone that is in preop diet stage and has or is cheating. Don't be hard on yourself. Use this experience as a way to learn about what needs to not happen. After you cheat, I KNOW you have this pain in your belly and it doesn't feel good. So why keep doing it?
You are stronger than food!!
Let's kick ass!!!

I've learned that with the pre-op diet you have to be self disciplined to avoid all possible obstacles, but alas we are only human. It's challenging when you are caring for others. They need to eat, you have to cook and grocery shop. You have to take care of them and any other obligations that you had prior to planning for surgery. I will be honest and say that the first 5 days I did fantastic! Then the weekend and a Girl Scout camping trip hit. I failed a little, but made sure that I made good choices with Protein and low carbs. Monday came and I'm back on target. What's better is that I remind myself that I've lost 16 pounds since the beginning of June. The work pants that I'm wearing today feel a little looser in the thighs, not much but slightly. It's a victory to me that I'll take.
Don't beat yourself up. Set goals and work to achieve them. If you need to view each day as a victory then do it. It takes time to change habits, but you're working on it.