Hi there! I'm wanting to hear from the DS'ers who have made their DS public. Do you wish you hadn't? Fb or Instagram? What has been your experience? I'm trying to decide how I want to handle this. Surgery is set for this Monday 10/29. Part of me wants to make it public bc I'd like encouragement but another part of me don't bc I don't want ppl scrutinizing everything I eat.

Your page is very private BTW, idk why tho. Maybe mine is too. Haha idk lol

I only use my phone to go on this forum and for some reason I can't figure out why my phone doesn't work for inputting this. [emoji20]

I haven't made any big announcements, but when someone comes up to me to congratulate me on all the weight i've lost and asks, "how did you do it?" hoping that have some kind of amazing dieting tip in my back pocket, I usually tell them straight out. It just feels wrong to lie. I also make sure to point out that it's not all free and easy. It takes work, huge lifestyle changes, and there are nasty side effects.

I've had a couple of big guys want to grab coffee afterward to get more details. You can tell it's something that they considered, so they're excited to talk to someone who's done it and had success.

My mom hasn’t told many people. My sister actually doesn’t even know. She knew my sister is shallow and would be hateful if she knew. Not saying any of your family will be that way, but it’s not easy to figure out who will be hateful without knowing them on a personal level..

With that being said, it depends on your preferences. I plan to go ahead and make mine public when it’s official. I want to encourage people who are hesitant to pursue this avenue.

My mom hasn’t told many people. My sister actually doesn’t even know. She knew my sister is shallow and would be hateful if she knew. Not saying any of your family will be that way, but it’s not easy to figure out who will be hateful without knowing them on a personal level..

With that being said, it depends on your preferences. I plan to go ahead and make mine public when it’s official. I want to encourage people who are hesitant to pursue this avenue.

Thanks for your input!

I haven't made any big announcements, but when someone comes up to me to congratulate me on all the weight i've lost and asks, "how did you do it?" hoping that have some kind of amazing dieting tip in my back pocket, I usually tell them straight out. It just feels wrong to lie. I also make sure to point out that it's not all free and easy. It takes work, huge lifestyle changes, and there are nasty side effects.
I've had a couple of big guys want to grab coffee afterward to get more details. You can tell it's something that they considered, so they're excited to talk to someone who's done it and had success.

Thank you for your opinion!

I'm late responding to your post, and according to your original post, it seems you may have already had your surgery. I hope that you are recovering well.

My situation is kind of odd, because this is my second time at the rodeo. The first time I had the lap-band in 2006. I told one close friend and my immediate family. Fast forward 12 years and I've had the revision from the band to SIPS, and I only told my husband and son. My daughter, brother, and mother don't even know, and the friend got chopped out of hearing the news as well. Compared to 2006 to now, more information is available to people which causes them to form their own, and sometimes, uneducated negative opinion.

While I'm generally a "don't give a sh** what someone thinks kind of person", the crappy opinions out there and the idea of defending why I did what I did just doesn't get me excited. While it seems almost hypocritical, I share foods that I make, my gym check-ins and walks all on Facebook. As such, I'm getting a ton of support from folks supporting my new food regime, exercise routines and weight loss. It's very encouraging, and I'm glad I took this route instead of bearing all on the table. It keeps me motivated daily reading such encouraging posts on FB, posts that I don't believe I would have received had I shared the surgery. I know my crowd. ?

@deltagirl93 I like how you said you know your crowd. That's exactly the reason why I didn't tell anyone either. People at my work are dog eat dog, meaning they will throw you under the bus given the chance. There's no way I'd give them personal information so they can gossip. I also revised from the band to the DS. I lost maybe 8 pounds on the band and then started gaining. So glad I never told anyone about that surgery either. I don't feel obligated to share my personal medical history with people. Everyone knows weight loss surgery is an option, so it's not like I have the corner on the market. If they really want to be proactive, they can go after it like I did. I like keeping my world private.

Edited November 22, 20187 yr by Strivingforbetter

I told six people, that’s it and I asked them to keep it private. I have family members that don’t know and I’m almost two months since surgery. One of the six has already been trying to tell me how unhealthy eating 500 calories is blah blah blah.

When people ask how I’ve been losing the weight, I tell them I’m following a doctor supervised plan which includes calorie restriction. That’s not a lie, and it’s the truth.

What did you decide and how are you doing now?

I’ll be having the DS next month and so far I’ve told 3 friends and that’s it. When I told my work I’d be out for surgery for 4 weeks, my boss asked me what kind of surgery I was having. I stalled for a minute by saying, December 17th like I’d misheard then she repeated the question and I just gestured to my entire torso so that people who want to speculate can just think what they want.

What did you decide and how are you doing now?
I’ll be having the DS next month and so far I’ve told 3 friends and that’s it. When I told my work I’d be out for surgery for 4 weeks, my boss asked me what kind of surgery I was having. I stalled for a minute by saying, December 17th like I’d misheard then she repeated the question and I just gestured to my entire torso so that people who want to speculate can just think what they want.

Wow, I'm shocked your boss asked you that considering HIPA laws. I work for a fortune 100 company, had VSG on 10/17/18, and was out 4 works also. Global HR specifically told me NOT to share with company why I was going to be out. The determination of paid medical leave (short term disability) and unpaid leave (FMLA) is handled completely separate by MetLife who then informs my employer when I will be out and come back. Of course, I was to coordinate workload coverage with my manager. Co-workers provided sentiment and encouragement but no specific questions. I've told a few close friends, journeying, and making videos so I can keep track of my personal journey and may upload sometime in the future but for now I've chosen to put my energy into my recovery/journey with the option to share later if/when I desire. It's the best balance for me.

Wow, I'm shocked your boss asked you that considering HIPA laws. I work for a fortune 100 company, had VSG on 10/17/18, and was out 4 works also. Global HR specifically told me NOT to share with company why I was going to be out. The determination of paid medical leave (short term disability) and unpaid leave (FMLA) is handled completely separate by MetLife who then informs my employer when I will be out and come back. Of course, I was to coordinate workload coverage with my manager. Co-workers provided sentiment and encouragement but no specific questions. I've told a few close friends, journeying, and making videos so I can keep track of my personal journey and may upload sometime in the future but for now I've chosen to put my energy into my recovery/journey with the option to share later if/when I desire. It's the best balance for me.

HIPAA

Before my surgery, my immediate family, a few friends and a few people at work (including HR) knew. It's been almost 9 months and I haven't told a lot of people but I am an extremely private person. You need to do what's best for you. Don't stress about it.