I'm not looking forward to it at all. I'm going on my merry little way right now and I'm doing just fine. So far, no one has noticed my weight loss and to tell you the truth neither have I! That works just fine for me. But I am absolutely dreading the day when someone asks me if I've lost weight. Then they always want to know how you did it, and then they tell someone else, and pretty soon it's all over the office. In the past, this is where I've always gotten into trouble and regained the weight. I don't like being discussed. I hate being the center of attention. I got a shrink to help me through this period in my life, but honestly, I'm afraid I'll freak out just like I have in the past and start sucking down milkshakes like they're going out of style!

When they notice, just tell them you are on a doctor supervised diet similar to Atkins. This usually shuts people up for awhile.

How about saying thank you for noticing? You've been working really hard to eat smaller portions of better food. All true. Just not all of the truth.

Sleepy - In the past i've had similar feelings. When people start to notice me, start to get unwanted attention from ugly men, it litterally makes me angry and slowly but surely start to gain the weight back. This is something so amazing that we have done for ourselves, and we have to just push through these bad feelings and realize that we are worth it, and that our health is more important than peoples reactions to us bothering us. Good luck to you - you will make it through this!!

Sleepyjean, this really resonates with me. I have a terrible time talking about my weight issues (in real life) and will do anything to avoid it. Thankfully, with the band you lose weight slowly enough so that people won't automatically leap to the conclusion that you've done something other than diet.

After a while, though, they will indeed ask. But by the time they do, you will very likely be far enough along to have embraced your new lifestyle deeply; it won't be the "off" switch you have used it as in the past. And this is where the band really shines, anyway: you can suck down a milkshake or two, sure, but you won't be able to accompany it with Big Macs and french fries, or whatever your pre-banding poison was. Falling off the wagon, post-band, is NOTHING like doing it pre-band.

I just say that I am working very hard with the hospital's weight loss program and I am eating healthier foods and exercising much more.

I HATE my weight and what I eat to be anyone else's business. I have had to battle with this my entire life and it is mine to handle. However, since banding I have come to the realization that where I have failed more times than I can count, this time my head is in the game. This time I am working to make changes for life. I have been committed to this since September. When have I ever lasted 10 months!!!! When people notice I say "thank you so much for noticing." If they ask what secret I have discovered I tell them there is no secret, "eat less, exercise more."

I was just the opposite, I couldn't wait for someone to notice I lost weight! When they ask, I told them I was exercising more and eating less, and more or less following the South Beach Diet, which I didn't lie by telling them any of this.

????? why do you have to tell them anything???? I have dieted many times and lost lots and when people ask I just tell them that I've been behaving myself.....when they ask how I'm doing it I just simply tell them that I'm watching what I'm eating and cutting out the "bad" stuff...that is all they need to know....everything else is clearly none of their business if that's the way you want it to be.

Graciously accept their compliments and rellish in them.....only tell them what YOU want them to know.

Carol

I know how you feel. Some people are like that in all aspects of their lives and it's not just because they have been overweight. BUT....you already know it is going to happen so practice saying "Thank you" in the mirror. And if they ask how you did it, just say "Eat less, exercise more" which is the truth. Then change the subject.

....If pressed, I tell the 'clean living and righteous thoughts'

That is totally awesome. :high5:I'm going to use it! Accompanied by an appropriately pious expression, of course. It's perfect because everyone knows that if I don't want to answer questions about my personal life, I usually make up something outrageous. Example - had to take a couple of days off work last year. When a few people pressed me to find out where I had been, I told them I was with a dive crew, searching for the lost city of Atlantis.:laugh

At one point I lost a lot of weight (200+ pounds). Most people noticed at the 100 pound lost mark and simply told me I looked good. As more weight came off, those who wanted to know how I did it seemed genuine. I lost it then through diet and exercise. I kept 100 pounds off so people have not yet noticed that I'm back in the losing game. When they do start asking, my answer will be the same... sensible diet and mild exercise and that will be truthful. This time around I merely have a tool assisting me and that is private.

I get alot of "Your wasting away" or " theres a lot less of you " I am used to it now,I just smile and say thank you . At my job I have to wear a name badge with my picture on it its a pre-band pic and I am trying to get it changed so everyone notices. .Just smile and tell them diet and exercise.

I felt the same way sleepyjean, My mom told me to tell everybody I've been eating less and excercising, which is the truth. I would tell only close friends, because once you tell, you can't untell.

Ok... just to start this post I want everyone to know I'm not trying to be mean here or judge anyone for the choice to "Not Tell the Truth" about your weight loss but...

I just want to tell you my feelings when I was on the other side. I used to always be so happy to see someone suceeding at weight loss... and I guess I was nosy and asked what they were doing. Surely I thought they knew some secret I didn't know. Well when the person would answer with surgery or a diet pill I'd be happy becuase at least I knew they had some help and that was still and option to me. When people just answer "I ate less and exercised more"... well I might be super sensitive but I felt like "crap" cuz I'd tried "eating less and exercising more" many times and always failed. I'd sometimes felt like they were kind of rubbing it in my face... hahaha that's all it took I just ate less.

I guess I was looking for the magic bullet. And I think I've found it. I know it's still hard work, still needs dedication and willpower, it still requires some dieting and lots of exercise but it helps so much!

I might not want to tell every "skinny" person I meet that I had surgery but anyone else I know that is having the same struggle then I want them to know the truth.

Just my 2 cents!

Yes, I am dreading it. I've lived it when I've lost on other diets. I got tired of people being nosey because, like someone else said, it's not like these folks had a weight problem--they were just nosey.

So, just to entertain myself, when someone asked me "How did you lose so much weight?" I would look them dead in the face, with no smile and say, "Starvation." Then, after looking at their bewildered face (they didn't know whether or not I was telling the truth), I would flee the scene. Most would never bring it up again.