So, my plan was to only tell very very few people about getting the band but it has been sooo hard! I'm so excited part of my wants to scream it from the roof tops of coarse the rest of me knows what happens when everyone knows. I find I'm slowly adding more people to my list of very few. Its like when I found out I was pregnant and DH and I said we would not tell many people. Boy, I wish I was capable of keeping a secret!

I told everyone that I new that I was having this procedure done. They have all seen me with my before and after as far as my life long problem with weight loss. They saw that I had a problem and left it alone. They never said I was taking the easy way out or anything and even if they did, they knew they would have received a mouth full from me. I am very outspoken and don't care what other people think except strangers, believe it or not. Now, though, I don't even care what they think because I am finally happy, truly happy.

You do whatever you think that will help you. If they have negativity towards you then you can just tell them you don't need that and go bother someone else with their personal problems because that is all that that is. They are the one with the personal problems.

Josephine

Be proud and yell out loud, if that is what makes you feel good.

I tell everyone I can. I was going to just tell my family and close friends, but then I decided it wasn't anything I needed to hide. I made this choice to be healthier and live longer. I hope that if I share my experience with this, maybe I can help somebody else.

One of my friends is scheduled to get the band next month. She is a very private person and probably won't tell very many people, but I am glad she knows that I have it because she can talk to me about the struggles that go along with it. Another friend of the family is having by-pass next month, I keep hoping she will ask me about the band, but she hasn't yet. I know she knows I have it, and I don't want to push it on her, but I wish she would consider the band instead.

Anyway, I think if you want to shout it from the top of a mountain you should! You are making a huge choice to be healthier and you are right to be excited about it! Good Luck!

I told practically everyone I know too...BUT...I wish I had waited until after getting proper restriction. I HATE being asked everytime someone sees me "How much weight have you lost?" I hate that people are veiwing me as a guinea pig. I have several overweight aquaintences that all of a sudden are really chummy with me only because they are curious about lapband for themselves. I hate that none of them will get on the dang internet or go to a stinkin seminar to get educate themselvs and that all of a sudden I am the guru of WLS. I hate that I have been reduced to a "Band" and being watched like a hawk. I'm less than four weeks out and haven't lost much since the surgery. You should see the disappointment in people's faces when I tell them how much I've lost. They know NOTHING about the band, so they assume the weight should fall off like RNY. I hate having to explain how it all works, because it comes across as me "making excuses". I hate that that people that barely know me feel it's appropriate to ask me lots of personal questions.

I'm sorry to be so negative. I am NOT ashamed of getting the band, so please don't misunderstand me. If I were ashamed, I wouldn't have told so many people. I just wish I would have waited for proper restriction and for people to notice the loss, before I told them about it. Right now it's just painful to walk into a group setting and wonder "who's going to ask me about my weighloss this time!"

If you can take the constant badgering after the surgery and don't mind being an open book, even when loss may be slow at the start, then go for it. But if you think you may feel the way I am feeling...think about who you REALLY want to know and only tell them.

thanks for the responses. I'm thinking now that maybe I will tell more, I will just wait until afterwards when I have lost some. That way when people ask how, I can just be honest with them. That way I won't have to listen to anyone tell me I'm crazy or that try to talk me out of it!

I tell everyone that I want the band done. I tell them what process I have to go through, and that I have to wait a year with supervised diet and exercise. Some think I'm nuts, others, mostly the heavy set also, think it is wonderful that I'm doing this. I don't care what they think. It just doesn't matter, what does matter is me. I'm doing this for me. Not for anyone else. Just me.

I too told everyone who asked or seemed interested. I also explained that my initial weight loss after surgery was due to the healing process and restriction to liquids and mushies during healing, more than the typical weight loss that you will see when you get in the full swing of things. When folks ask how it is going I tell them now that having knocked off 22 pounds I am well on my way to a head start and now the regular effect of the band will take over and I will not expect any more weight loss than about a pound a week, and anything more than that is just gravy! I also explain that this is the only SAFE and HEALTHY way to lose the weight....FAST weight loss causes a myriad of problems and the band is designed for slow healthy weight loss over a period of time, unlike the immediate results of gastric bypass. I tell them I will be happy to reach my goal within two years. That certainly seems to satisfy them.

I also think that secretly a LOT of people are extremely interested in the procedure. I have people who initially get the news and go...Oh, gee, is that what you really want?...(I say HELL YEAH) and then I find them sidling up to me later and going, "Eh....so tell me more about this thing...what does it do? How does it feel?" I am all for education. When I was at my GP's the other day I had to explain the lap band to the medical assistant. She had never heard of it (that's scary) and I had to explain it was NOT gastirc bypass.

I talk to anyone who is interested in knowing . I'm proud of the decision that I've made. I've talked to strangers at theme parks who noticed how little I was eating, while waiting on my kids. They were truly interested. My kids bus driver had the same thing done last month due to my help. I guess being a teacher I like to educate people, plus I'm just really excited about how well this is going and want to share my news. My co-workers at school said they'd be excited to see the difference in me when school starts again at the end of August after having the whole summer off. I guess that's pressure, but it also keeps me working at this to make sure I don't fail. Good luck , and share what you're comfortable with !

I understand how you feel. I tell just about everyone. Thankfully I haven't gotten any negative feedback. Good luck with your surgery.