My mother is currently in a nursing home. The staff knows that I had weight-loss surgery.

One of them came up to me and asked me why I just didn't lose the weight instead of having surgery.

I had previously lost 87 pounds and kept it off for over two years until I allowed a french fry (lol) back into my life, and then the weight started coming back on. I gained all but 20 pounds of it back.

The reason I had the surgery is because I want long-term success. I'm tired of the game. I know how to lose weight, but as my bariatric surgeon told me, you have been dieting with a BROKEN shovel. This band will help you do what you already know how to do by giving you a WORKING shovel. Suddenly it all made sense.

I think unless you have faced the struggle day in and day out, for week after week, every year after year, that you just don't understand how real the struggle really is.

Has anybody else had an encounter like this? If so, what was your response to this person?

I get this all the time. I'm 22 years old and my highest weight was 330. I have always been very active playing sports ect but have always had problems skipping meals and over eating to compensate. Plus I had very bad insomnia and would stay up to 6am and snack in bed. I know horrible. I would go on these crazy diets lose 20 pounds then smell a snickers bar and gain back 30 and get so discouraged it would just fall apart. When I first decided to have the surgery and I brought the idea to my friends they just could not comprehend why I would want to do such a thing to my body. Why not just diet and exercise, I have been overweight since I was about 8 years old and have been dieting for the majority of my life. I got my first gym membership when I was about 11 when I started high school ( I'm from the Caribbean). Dieting just isn't enough for everyone, for people like me we need a little bit more help.

I honestly don't care what most people think of my decision and don't choose to justify it to anyone. This is something I'm doing for me to help improve my life and not just lose some weight but to keep it off. The only person that needs to be ok with what I did was me and I'm 3 weeks post op and I am absolutely thrilled with my results so far. For the haters they can suck it honestly.

Are you my twin? Lol. Your story sounds much like mine (except I don't have an athletic bone in my body....oh, and I'm not from the Caribbean - I was born in Hawaii. Close enough? ☺) I enjoyed reading your comment so much that I had to share it with my mother. She said, why don't you "friend" her and you both be a support system for one another. So, I'm following your posts. Lol. I'd be glad to be your sounding board too if you need one.

Sister, I appreciate your comments and honesty. I have come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter what people think too. My second job is as a church music director. I shared with a "select few" the surgery I would be having, and they were all very supportive. I also shared that I didn't want to announce to the entire church I was having surgery (not that they might not figure it out if I lost a bunch of weight). My reason was, I didn't want to be "fly-specked" for success or failure every time I walked in the door.

I had my surgery on a Thursday and took off that Sunday to recover. The next Wednesday when I walked in the door, some of my friends were like, "GIRL! It's no secret! It's spread like wildfire and the whole church knows!" At first, I couldn't believe it and felt like I was forced out of hiding or something. It kind of took me by surprise. But by the end of the night, I didn't care who knew. I decided that I had nothing to be embarrassed about, and asked for prayers and support from those who knew. My pastor said....you KNOW women can't keep a secret! Lol. He's right I guess.

Anyway, I did this surgery for me; not anybody else. I want to see my son graduate this year, begin a career, get married, and have me some grand babies! This journey is mine and I love me and who I am becoming. Period.