Does Anyone Else Have Problems With Their Coworkers?

[Ryokokitty 26]

I am a teacher - and they can be the best support group in the world - and the most critical! I told my team I was having the surgery this summer - and they are 100% supportive. There are also others who were not so supportive - calling it a crutch, easy way out, etc.... We had an aid that lost 100 pounds over 2 years, they all got together and gave her a $100 gift certificate for new clothes....I have a feeling that won't be the case for me

I just remind myself that I did it for me and my family - not anyone else

The crutch comment caught my eye.. that's a new one for me. I guess if you told them, "Let me break your leg and then I can mock you for using a crutch; a necessary item to get back to normal because that's how you're treating my weight loss surgery. Its a necessary tool to get back to being healthy."

Not my favorite phrase but, "Haters gonna hate." Some people take joy in the fact that there are others in misery around them. Be happy and be healthy.

[Tammy310 43]

You know what they say: Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones that don't.

I can't say that I understand others need to be "catty" but I see it all the time myself. It amazes me that people cannot just be happy for each other.

I say CONGRATULATIONS to all of us because we found our "way out." Let us leave the nay-sayers to themselves and enjoy our new found freedom!!!

[Sue Vsg Bariatric 5]

Since losing from a size 20/22 to an 8/10, overweight 'friends' treat me differently more than anyone else. I didn't tell coworkers about WLS, and some have asked me directly. I always say I eat a low carb diet with small portions and exercise. I did tell church members. One church 'friend' said "I want to lose weight, but I don't want have to do it like you did." Honestly, people should just chill...

[Tameka 42]

I am a teacher. I returned to work 42 lbs down 5 weeks out. Most people were happy for me and my loss but 2 are real nosey and asking major questions. One bad the audacity to send me an email asking me what did I do and was I on crack... Mind you I only went from a 26 to a 24... Not a huge difference and no new clothes.... People are too funny! Ugg!

Meka

[Caradina 65]

I've been very open about it. My loss has been very fast and noticeable and I get asked almost on a daily basis what I'm doing. I guess my co-workers are of a much kinder sort though, because they seem either happy for me, or curious because they too would like to lose weight. I'm open on Facebook, with my social circles. I see no reason to be ashamed of my method. I look great, and I've done well. Since my surgery, 2 friends have gone on to get it too, and several people have contacted me privately to get the "skinny" on going to Mexico for the Sleeve. I'm so sorry you're having a negative experience, that really makes me angry for you, because it takes away the joy of your transformation in a sense.

[Ready4success 380]

I'm 2 days post-op and haven't gotten back to work yet, but people noticed I was losing weight on the pre-op diet. I'm a nurse, and I'll be honest in saying there's a large majority of overweight and obese nurses on my unit, but there are a few skinny minnies too. After I revealed my plans for the sleeve, 3 others revealed that they were in the insurance requirements stage. In addition to those, 3 others are now asking questions. When I told my managers, their response was, "Good for you for taking care of yourself....and when can we expect you back?" I probably could've been admitting to doing coke lines and going to rehab, and all they would want to know is when am I coming back. A lot of times, people just want to know that you're losing weight to get healthy. Everytime we see a dramatic weight loss, we think cancer, but that's just how people are in healthcare. Good Luck on your weight loss.

[buplee 556]

I have made the decision not to tell my coworkers due to the issues I have read. My company allows me to work from home three days a week, so maybe they will think I am on another diet. I have gone up and down a few times since I have been there.

[MeMeMEEE 206]

If you are up front and honest there is nothing left for them to talk about. And you might help someone else who has been considering it.

[geno5150 168]

I saw this thread and was all excited until I read it and found out it was about WLS and not simply bashing my idiot co-workers.

Don't tease like that.

[isajck 229]

I saw this thread and was all excited until I read it and found out it was about WLS and not simply bashing my idiot co-workers.

Don't tease like that.

LOL!

[ma46 33]

People who are not happy for you are miserable and resent others happpiness in any form.

[mztialady 38]

"Haters are gonna hate".

Hey, when you are doing the right thing in life, you will always have haters. There will always be people who need to cut you down to feel better about their bad choices. Remember, people talked about Jesus. I am not even close to his level, so I expect it will happen. I just hope I can deal with it with dignity and class.

[Mason 122]

I think most people--especially and paradoxically those who have struggled with yo-yo dieting their entire adult lives--are very critical of those of us who undergo bariatric surgery. The psychological knee-jerk reaction is to view it as a desperate and drastic act of self-mutilation in which praise for the dieter's improved appearance is subjugated to this (usually) unspoken concern that the weight was lost under very unhealthy or unpleasant circumstances. Viewed in this way, you would no more congratulate a patient of VSG for losing weight than you would someone who had lost a significant amount of weight from, for example, complicated bereavement or cancer.

For this reason, I have no intentions of telling anyone at work. I'm already sorry that I mentioned it to my first cousin who just replied that she and her husband strongly concur that I should see a psychologist before agreeing to have a good part of my stomach removed. In other words, "You've got to be out of your mind." It is not a coincidence that--like me--my cousin has also struggled with yo-yo dieting her entire life.

Mum's the word.

[CowgirlJane 14,261]

I have gotten nothing but support - and I have told alot of people about my surgery. Part of it is I told peple that support was appreciated, but concerns and "reservations" about it weren't helpful so please keep it to yourself since the surgery is "done". If people talk about me behind my back - who cares. If they are petty enough to consider my weight an important topic, they are the ones who need to "get a life". Sometimes you just have to not care so much about the squacking of the hens.

So, what is interesting about this approach is that there were a few noticably silent people. One of my brothers and his wife were in that camp. I saw him at a family funeral recently - our SIL that essentially died from obesity - and he made a point of saying how happy he is for me and how I just look so "normal" now. I think it kinda hit him how big of a deal it is to be 100+++ pounds overweight....