Seeing WLS patients everywhere?

[Berry78 4,261]

When I was pregnant, I became hyper aware of all the pregnant people around. One day, no preggos.. the next, boom!
Now that I'm about to go under the knife, I start thinking about all the people I have seen that have lost a ton of weight, and I wonder whether they had some help
And, recently, an aquaintance mentioned she had a small stomach. Before, I would have thought it was some kind of birth defect. Now I know better! Lol.

[Sleeve1stFitNext 924]

Lol I feel the same way. I look at peoples before and after pictures and especially in the time they said it took them to lose the weight and I am," I know what you did." lol

[jessgnc 167]

There's a term for that! The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon.

It's like when you hear a new word and suddenly, that word shows up everywhere. Or (as my link uses as an example), when you buy a car and suddenly you see them on the road everywhere.

[Torriluv87 300]

I've been wondering this about someone i used to work with. She's lost a ton of weight and looks amazing. I wanted to ask her if she had surgery. She told me in the past she was going through the process but her family talked her out of it at the last minute. I feel like she might have done it but don't want to assume or ask. It sucks because i really would like to talk to someone i know personally who has had it but dont know many people who have and would like to be support buddies.

[BestDayEver 418]

I struggle with this. I started a new job after I lost all the weight so I don't tell people I had surgery because it's just so awkward but I know there are people where I work that had WLS but have gained a lot back. I so want to talk about it but just hate to open the can of worms. I'm not trying to hide anything but don't want to explain the situation either. Awwwwkward.

[Berry78 4,261]

It's so funny how different bariatric surgery is from other types.

A broken leg's cast invites inquiries and others' tales of skiing accidents.

An appendix removal doesn't have lasting repercussions.

But bariatric surgery seems to be very different. There is no external wound, but the lifestyle change is permanent... creating the potential need for continuing conversations.

It's no wonder this journey can be so confusing.

[jessgnc 167]

@berry78 - Too true unfortunately. I think a lot of it is due to the invisibility of it. With a broken leg, something appears overnight . A person can point to a crutch or cast and go "what's up with that?" It showed up suddenly and clearly doesn't belong.

If someone goes from fat to slim, it's gradual and invisible. Are they on a diet? Did they have surgery? Are they horribly sick from stomach parasites? It's a huge faux pas to call out their weight directly, it's just not something polite society does. So instead, we wonder and keep to ourselves.