Hi Guys

A friend of mine from my WLS support group and myself got to talking about his sleeve. He made an interesting comment to me. Now this guy looks great, he lost 112 lbs and you could never tell by looking that he was ever a big guy. But he told me that he still feels like the fattest guy in the room. He said he doesnt talk to women and when they talk to him he feels like they are just making fun of him. He still wears his old huge shirts and says that he has all his "fat" clothes still in his closet. Is this a typical problem for WLS patients or does he need some counseling? I would be jumping for joy and running around in Milli Vanilli shorts if I were thin. (just dated myself) Please chime in

Sorry, trying to get over the Milli Vanilli shorts image...

I think people have different degrees of this type of thinking. You get into a habit of picking up, buying and wearing bigger clothes - your mind can't always keep up with the smaller sizes. I still look at my jeans before I put them on and I prepare myself to be disappointed that they don't fit, but they do.

On the other hand, this guy sounds like he needs some body image counseling. It can get dangerous because he doesn't want to develop an eating disorder because he still thinks he is fat. This is a tough journey and everyone handles it differently. He should allow himself to feel some joy after being such a success. Unfortunately, the surgery operates on our stomachs, not our minds.

. Unfortunately, the surgery operates on our stomachs, not our minds.

Excellent point! That's what I was thinking and that frame of mind seems extremely dangerous. I know what its like to be the fat guy. Staying quiet in the back of the room so as to not bring attention and potential riducule on yourself, but at this point, im thinking he has to start enjoying life some.

I think that those people with low self esteem or low self worth will have a lot more trouble changing their mental habits. The point is that if you think of yourself in one way only you can change that if you want to. If you are a ****** bag at 300lbs you will be a bigger ****** bag at 150. If you want to change your mind with your body it really has to be something that you want to work on. Don't be the "fat person" in the room when your not fat any longer. Make that decision!!!

Better than Richard Simmon's shorts....lol

Sorry, trying to get over the Milli Vanilli shorts image...

I think people have different degrees of this type of thinking. You get into a habit of picking up, buying and wearing bigger clothes - your mind can't always keep up with the smaller sizes. I still look at my jeans before I put them on and I prepare myself to be disappointed that they don't fit, but they do.

On the other hand, this guy sounds like he needs some body image counseling. It can get dangerous because he doesn't want to develop an eating disorder because he still thinks he is fat. This is a tough journey and everyone handles it differently. He should allow himself to feel some joy after being such a success. Unfortunately, the surgery operates on our stomachs, not our minds.

It definitely isn't a healthy thought process, and as a friend of his I think you should suggest the option to this person. An unhealthy mind has the ability to lead back to an unhealthy body.

Best of luck to you!