I got my first (at least to my face) person tell me that my success from my WLS is "cheating". It didn't hurt my feelings so much as irritated me because of the pure ignorance. This is one of the hardest things I have ever done and it most certainly is not "cheating". Part of me thinks it's jealousy.

I think I might have said, yep cheated on my 200 diets all of my life, didn't help me a bit. =)

You're never going to be able to convince those people to think differently. But I say who cares if it's "cheating" as long as you get healthy? That's the most important part after all.

just smile and move on... people that don't know the facts behind this surgery and obesity will say things like that...

good luck to you!

That is why I've stopped telling strangers about my surgery (unless I feel it will help them personally). I told everyone at first and I am proud of my surgery and my accomplishment. But it's really none of their business how I lost my weight and I don't feel like justifying it to them. We do as much work to lose weight as anyone else does - if not more because we have to recover from major surgery.

Don't let the jerks get you down - you rock:)

Edited June 17, 201412 yr by Jen35

I was confronted many times by old friends telling me that I cheated. I simply told them explain how this is cheating? They couldn't answer the question without getting upset at me for giving them a hard question to answer. I had one person tell me I am going to fail because once I am a fat person I will always be a fat person. I swear some people don't use their brains at all, and let ignorance take over. I brush it off of me and walk away. I have defended myself for years, and the best defense I have will always going to be walking away with a smile on my face. One makes them madder than hell, and two I don't have to hurt their precious feelings with what I have to say. We all rock for making this huge step in life and becoming healthier. I wouldn't let idiots bring you down.

WLS one of the hardest things I have ever done - not "cheating".

@@a.conners

many, many people have been told by "friends" and family that having surgery is "the easy way out!!"

thats the expression that is frequently discussed on the board with anger

personally i have never heard the word "cheating" in regards to WLS

but its the same crazy thoughts as the easy way out

some/many/me chose not to talk about their surgery just because they are "afraid"/don't want to hear of such ridiculous comments

easier said than done but "try and ignore" these people

they don't know what they are talking about!!!

you are on your way to a healthier, happier, longer life

(what about them? )

keep up the good work that i'm sure you are doing

kathy

Edited June 17, 201412 yr by proudgrammy

Cheating by definition - act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, especially in a game or examination.

For "cheating" to have happened there must be a winner and a loser. How exactly does your success in getting healthy diminish the the other person here? Pure ignorance! I guess I've been lucky, no one's ever said that to me! No actually, THEY are lucky no one's ever said that to me! LOL!

Edited June 17, 201412 yr by bikrchk

So after reading this post, I decided to write a blog post about this subject. If your interested in reading it here is the link http://healthykayleesite.wordpress.com/.

Makes me think of that old jokey retort "If you're not cheating, you aren't trying hard enough!",

so that's it, we are just trying harder!

If only they knew......

I will admit it-- for a long time, when my wife would try to convince me to consider WLS, I too brushed it away and called it "taking the easy way out". This of course, while I was finding great success with diet and exercise for a while only to fall off that wagon and regain everything I'd lost. Over. And. Over. For years.

Once the weight did nasty damage to my knees and sent my bloodwork numbers through the roof, I did a complete 180 and begrudgingly agreed to start the process of WLS. This was July of last year. With every informational meeting, dietician appointment and assorted other hoops, my mindset changed, and I became a believer in the process.

Now, at 4 months out, I know it is the best thing I have ever done, not one second have I regretted this. And the best is yet to come, this I know.

Why am I saying all of this? Well, mostly because I was once a WLS "hater" and I understand the reason why people look at it that way. Not saying it's right or justified at all. Being on this side of the fence now has really changed my outlook, I just wish I'd done it sooner before my knees were destroyed.

My own brother, whom I love to pieces, casually in conversation called WLS cheating. He's never been fat a day in his life. Never dieted. Never had to count a carb or test his blood sugar to make sure its not too high or too low. He's never had some ass yell out a car window "Put down the fork, fattie" as they drive by. He has no idea. I'm six weeks out. I've still not told him because of that comment.

If anyone has the gaul to say that to me I think I'll respond by letting them know I'm not involved in any weight loss competition with rules against WLS. I'm just making the best decisions for my own health, so cheating just doesn't factor in.

I may have to get a t-shirt that says

"I cheated my way to weight loss because I have enough brains to choose damn hard work and WLS over obesity."

(and if I were really tacky, --for those who say such nasty things as you've all mentioned above, I'd add "Too bad you can't cheat YOUR way into wisdom and compassion!")

cheating was how i got fat thankyouverymuch.