By the time you get weight loss surgery, you’ve probably been struggling with your weight for years. For most WLS patients, weight had gotten out of control, and WLS was the tool that let weight get back in check.

The long-awaited control over your weight and your new lease on life can make you feel awfully grateful for the chance to get WLS. It’s only natural to want to show your gratitude and pay it forward. There are tons of ways to do this!

Some WLS patients get involved in WLS organizations or with their surgeons’ support groups or other WLS support groups. Others may resolve to be more vocal about their experiences so they can try to help other patients. You might not even pay it forward directly, but instead just try to be a “better” person – maybe more cheerful, more helpful, or more active in the community because now you can.

So, how do you show your gratitude for WLS?

So far, I have had the chance to educate some folks about my experience with WLS and to encourage a few folks to explore the possibility.

I have also been able to share some of what I have learned with a couple of friends who aren't pursuing WLS but are trying to lose weight.

Is the question my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to feel like Audrey Hepburn of "Roman Holiday?" I'd be a fool to pass it up. Near the end of the movie, a reporter asked which of the European cities she'd visited had been her favorite. She began a politic reply, but quickly switched gears to be true to her heart, "Rome. By all means, Rome."

By all means, the clothing exchange, six years running. It started from pure, unadulterated selfishness. A few months after surgery, I needed a new wardrobe, but knew it would be the story every two or three months. As a participant in one of the local med center's support groups, I volunteered to arrange an exchange in conjunction with a meeting. We did it twice and it was a wild success. The location was problematic, though, so I set out to identify a compatible organization to host us. Partnering with a non-profit that outfits underprivileged women who are entering the workforce has been ideal all around. What isn't adopted within our group is donated for the host's clients. The neutral site gave me the luxury of including WLS people from other med centers in the area. I've just extended the invitation to the bariatric practices' non-surgical patients -- common goals, common needs.

In the early I became aware of how much I enjoy seeing others re-outfit themselves as they go along. We have fun in the process. Even people who are uncomfortable about wearing pass-alongs stop in to bring things they no longer wear.

I'm especially grateful that it makes me happy to see people finding "new" things despite my having gone in reverse with my own program. It reassures me that I'm not done yet.

Edited March 7, 201610 yr by WLSResources/ClothingExch

Fie on technology.

Edited March 7, 201610 yr by WLSResources/ClothingExch

I belong to OA and in my Overeaters Anonymous meetings (and other 12-step groups) I am open and vocal about my LapBand and how it has helped me change my life. These are "my people" and I can only hope that my story helps somebody who has been in the same boat, and destigmatizes WLS.

I attend two support groups a month. One with my surgeon/hospital and one at another hospital near my work. It has a two fold purpose. One I get the support and suggestions I need and also accountability. It also gives me an opportunity to answer questions for newbies and support veterans as we continue to work our tool.

pam

Once my weight loss becomes more noticeable I plan to be vocal about my WLS. There's currently a stigma associated with WLS and that needs to go away. There's also the misconception that obesity is the result of someone being lazy, greedy, sloppy, etc. and that it's easily remedied by calorie reduction and exercise. If you're not disciplined enough to "put down the fork" then there's something morally wrong with you as a person.

I want folks to understand that it's okay to need help losing weight, that you're not a bad person for getting fat, and that there IS a way out. I want people to feel like they can ask me questions. I have a couple friends who have had WLS or have considered it but they won't talk about it.

It's time to start talking and kill the taboo!

I share my WLS experience with anyone who asks. And for my friends who are extremely overweight, I offer to take them to lunch or dinner to give them the good, the bad, and the ugly about the process. That way they get to see that I'm not starving myself, and that I can still eat in a restaurant just by making good choices and substitutions. It's not a hard sell, I just explain everything and answer any questions they may have. Then I leave the ball in their court and never mention it again unless they ask. I've had the full conversation with three people so far, and two of them have gone on to have the surgery. I've made the offer to several others but they haven't taken me up on it. That's okay. I only offer once. If/when they're ready, they'll ask...

Thanks for each of you who shared, and especially thank you for what you do for the WLS community. I think it’s a gift not to be taken for granted, and it’s good to show gratitude for it in whatever big or little ways make sense for each of us.