Very few people in my life know I had this surgery, this is why! I was out with a friend who did know about my surgery and she actually said to me I wish I was lucky enough to have that surgery so I could just sit on the couch, eat whatever I want and still just have weight fall off me! Apparently she think I sit at home all day a weight just magically falls off my body! Yes, I will say during the first few months it kinda felt like that, expect for the eating part because i still cant tolerate many food and most likely never will. I have lost over 100 pounds. However after I lost my first 40 pounds I stalled majorly, which thankfully is when I started coming on here and getting advice and encouragement. However to kick up my weight loss I joined a gym, which I go to 5 days a week and work my butt off, I count every calorie (except during my vacation:-/) I have worked very hard at switching my whole family to a REAL FOOD diet, almost no processed foods in our house. To be honest I have been working at this lifestyle to make it work best for me, that's not even taking into account all the mental aspects of dealing with my old food habits and food addiction and getting to the root of those issues so I don't repeat my history. I couldn't believe she said that, it made me wonder how many people really believe this lie and it made me so mad. Fortunately it was just the two of us and I was able to take some time to let her know that it's not that easy. Has this ever happened to any of you? How did you handle it? It made me so mad, but it also made me wonder if I made the right decision not telling people, part of me is glad because I'm less likely to end up in that same situation, however the part of me thinks if I did let people know it would open me up to being able to have these honest real conversation with people. Any ways guess I just wanted to get that off my chest.

I got a cheap flyer in the mail one day selling miracle bath fat puller. Apparently, you put this stuff in the bath Water and it pulls the fat out of your body, 20-30 pounds in 20 minutes. It had a drawn picture of a fat body-before, and a skinny body-after. I guess you'd have to call a plumber afterward to unclog your fat clogged drain. I was amazed to think that some people would actually believe this malarky.

People fill in the gaps in their knowledge with imagination. Politicians count on it. They insinuate and let you do rest in your mind. Facts are secondary to effect.

If you feel so inclined you may destroy their ignorance with fact. Be aware that some folks prefer imagination regardless of it's proximity to reality.

I have only told a few people about my surgery. I am on summer break and had my surgery the day after school let out (I work in a high school). I go back to work in 4 weeks and am struggling with letting people know. At this point I want to keep it private because I don't want to deal with the inconsiderate situations that could occur. I realize most of them would probably be great about it but I just don't want my life decisions to be a topic of discussion in the lunchroom. I'm glad you had the opportunity to set her thoughts straight! Perhaps when I am further into this I will begin to tell my story but I am not ready for that yet. Thanks for sharing with us!

I have also only told a few people, my immediate family and a few people at work, and I already have problems with some of them saying things like "you shouldn't be eating that" or "you can have just a bite" which is why I didn't want to tell anyone. If you are just on a regular diet, people understand when you have an off day. But after having surgery, I feel that people are always judging me. I am probably just being over-sensitive and reading more into it than is really there, but it makes me crazy. Then you have the people who ask you every time they see you how much you've lost, sometimes several times a week, which also makes me crazy. I hit a stall in weeks 3-6 where I only lost 3 pounds, so having to tell people, several times, that I hadn't lost anything was hard, and then dealing with their "helpful" comments. If I were to do this over again, I would not have told my co-workers, just my immediate family who I could not hide my post-op recovery from. I am not sure if I will ever make the big announcement to the world that I have had WLS because to me, it is only a part of the reason why I am loosing weight. In addition to the surgery, I have changed my lifestyle with exercise and eating differently and healthier, which will last far longer than the initial six months after my surgery when I will lose the most weight. In four more months, my weight loss will be much more based on my lifestyle than surgery, and in a year from now, it will be almost all me, and not the surgery, that maintains my weight loss.

Very few people in my life know I had this surgery' date=' this is why! I was out with a friend who did know about my surgery and she actually said to me I wish I was lucky enough to have that surgery so I could just sit on the couch, eat whatever I want and still just have weight fall off me! Apparently she think I sit at home all day a weight just magically falls off my body! Yes, I will say during the first few months it kinda felt like that, expect for the eating part because i still cant tolerate many food and most likely never will. I have lost over 100 pounds. However after I lost my first 40 pounds I stalled majorly, which thankfully is when I started coming on here and getting advice and encouragement. However to kick up my weight loss I joined a gym, which I go to 5 days a week and work my butt off, I count every calorie (except during my vacation:-/) I have worked very hard at switching my whole family to a REAL FOOD diet, almost no processed foods in our house. To be honest I have been working at this lifestyle to make it work best for me, that's not even taking into account all the mental aspects of dealing with my old food habits and food addiction and getting to the root of those issues so I don't repeat my history. I couldn't believe she said that, it made me wonder how many people really believe this lie and it made me so mad. Fortunately it was just the two of us and I was able to take some time to let her know that it's not that easy. Has this ever happened to any of you? How did you handle it? It made me so mad, but it also made me wonder if I made the right decision not telling people, part of me is glad because I'm less likely to end up in that same situation, however the part of me thinks if I did let people know it would open me up to being able to have these honest real conversation with people. Any ways guess I just wanted to get that off my chest.[/quote']

I have not been sleeved yet, but have already started hearing it. My boss just told me yesterday that $6,000.00 is a lot to spend on a diet... really? Her husband had the gastric bi pass and she has always seemed to understand. Another friend said they wish they could cheat like I am going to.. well I say whatever to both... I will be feeling really good after my surgery mentally and health wise so I am okay with my decision and so is my husband and kids, so I am thinking that is all that matters :-)

Love Gman's post.

When you find that diet that lets us lose while sitting on our cans, do be a dear and post a link for all of us here. We'd love to sign up!

~Cheri

And kudos on the lifestyle changes! That's the biggest part of long term success.

I got a cheap flyer in the mail one day selling miracle bath fat puller. Apparently, you put this stuff in the bath Water and it pulls the fat out of your body, 20-30 pounds in 20 minutes. It had a drawn picture of a fat body-before, and a skinny body-after. I guess you'd have to call a plumber afterward to unclog your fat clogged drain. I was amazed to think that some people would actually believe this malarky.

People fill in the gaps in their knowledge with imagination. Politicians count on it. They insinuate and let you do rest in your mind. Facts are secondary to effect.

If you feel so inclined you may destroy their ignorance with fact. Be aware that some folks prefer imagination regardless of it's proximity to reality.

Lol I'm not a bath person but I will become one! I love your lst sentence and feel like it is so true.

I have not been sleeved yet' date=' but have already started hearing it. My boss just told me yesterday that 6,000.00 is a lot to spend on a diet... really? Her husband had the gastric bi pass and she has always seemed to understand. Another friend said they wish they could cheat like I am going to.. well I say whatever to both... I will be feeling really good after my surgery mentally and health wise so I am okay with my decision and so is my husband and kids, so I am thinking that is all that matters :-)[/quote']

I went on a medically supervised diet in 2007. Each day I ate 700 calories, 100 grams Protein, and less than 20 grams of carbs. I was on phentermine to suppress my appetite. In 6 months I lost 100 pounds. I spent WAY over 6,000 dollars on that diet. Probably closer to 10,000 buying their food, meds and lab tests. Lost 100 pounds, reached my goal, and then I was done! Success, right? Not so much. As soon as I went off the diet, I gained it back. 10,000 dollars down the drain and nothing to show for it.

The sleeve gives me restriction for life AND I get to eat regular food, just less. THIS is a lifetime plan.

Of course, when you reach your goal, you will have to be ever vigilant with your lifestyle. But so do MOST naturally thin people. We are just joining their club!

If you guys feel uncomfortable speaking about your choices, why do you feel you owe anyone an explanation?? Dont you think they will see the healthy choices, reduced amounts of food you are eating?

I am 5'3" tall and weigh 234 lbs (down 5 lbs. from last month and pre- pre- op, still the testing phase). I have told the people I work with and talking about it convinced another co worker to disclose that although she didn't get sleeved, she had a procedure to eliminate ulcers that removed 35% of her stomach resulting in 75 lb. weight loss.

The news was received vey well by my co workers, but quite honestly, if it wasn't, I wouldn't care. I am doing this to save my life. What I have done so far hasn't worked and I have already had 2 heart attacks. I doubt GREATLY I would survive a third.