Has anyone kept their surgery a secret?

[J Johnston 13]

Only my husband, children and best friend know. I'm very private. Because my husband is dieting and we are eating very low carb, when folks ask, I attribute it to a change in diet.

[Strivingforbetter 247]

This has been widely discussed on this site, and you'll find that people have strong opinions for either keeping it a secret or telling all. I personally have kept my surgery private. Only my husband and children know. I don't feel obligated to tell anyone my personal medical history. I wouldn't expect someone to tell me they had a vasectomy. It's none of my business. I've changed my eating habits, so I tell them what my diet consists of but leave it at that. Too many people want to criticize another person for his/her life decisions, and I don't have time for that. I'm focusing on being positive and healthy and don't need the drama, especially at work.

[J Johnston 13]

Thank you.

[FancyChristine15 810]

Yeah, this is going to be very different for every person. I've told anyone who asks. I'm not private or shy or anything. I'm not embarrassed that I had the surgery. Usually when someone asks how I've lost weight, I explain that I had the sleeve surgery and I've changed the way that I eat. I've dropped 190 pounds in like 15 months, so a lot of people have noticed lol

[notmyname 593]

I told my brother and SIL (not the rest of my family), 2 friends, and 2 people at work who kind of need to know. Other than that, I haven't told anyone. I've lost almost 60 lbs (including weight lost before surgery) and nobody has asked. Of course, my staff also knows how I feel about discussing other people's bodies at work because of an incident last year, so I doubt they'd say anything to me.

[J Johnston 13]

Thank you.

[Laner 39]

Family, two ladies in a covenant group at church, and the women I share an office with know. I wanted to be sure the people I have around me all the time knew so they would hold me accountable and also not try to get me to eat all the office sweets

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using BariatricPal mobile app

[Swanton_Bomb 522]

Only my husband and mom know and I don't plan on telling anyone else. People are ignorant about the surgery and are judgemental about it, and I don't need negativity, nor do I need anyone asking a million questions. I don't like discussing my personal health issues with anyone.

[Embee123 9]

I am new to this forum, but am keeping my surgery a secret. I had my procedure done on 12/19. I made it through a Christmas Eve dinner without telling my in-laws (who I dislike), just attributing not eating to a stomach bug.

It can be done! I think you will know if keeping it a secret is right for you!

[GreenTealael 25,571]

I'm a firm believer in honesty. But I'm also a firm believer that everything is not everyone's business. Tell only who you want.

[batty_vsg 100]

If people wish to ask me about it, I am pretty honest about the surgery. I have a lot of responsibility at work and I'm close to the people in my department, so when they found out I was going out for surgery - there were a lot of questions and concerns. Thankfully, they've been very supportive (even if they had a lot of questions about the surgery itself.)

I am a very private person and I know that what I do is no one's business but my own. . . but I feel that honesty in this situation is the best course of action for me. My office is full of gossip and I'd rather be straight forward versus leaving people to wonder. If they are negative about the surgery, well that's definitely on them.

[Mary Sarah Smith 7]

I'm super proud of this decision. It is a very difficult step to take. I essentially thought I was saying goodbye to the thing I loved most in the world. It took courage to do this. I don't believe the majority of the people in my life would see it this same way. Therefore, I've chosen to keep it a secret for this reason and a few other reasons, but I go to support groups so a whole bunch of strangers know. I'm sure at some point the rest of the world will know too. I'd prefer them not to, but I don't want to risk my success by not attending the support groups.

[CristinHope 69]

I’ve been completely transparent with my decision to have surgery, for several reasons. It took me almost 3 years to make the decision to have surgery because I bought into the lie that weight loss surgery is the easy way out and that it’s something shameful. I was afraid to ask anyone all the questions I had because of fear of judgment or ridicule. When I finally realized that the only thing I was scared of was admitting to myself that I NEEDED the surgery, my mindset completely changed. I would have been given anything to have someone that I could have talked to during those 3 years, who could have helped me on my journey. So I’m sharing everything with anyone who wants to know. I post about it on my social media, my family, friends, and coworkers all know. I am NOT ashamed and, more importantly, I want to help other people. I’ve had 3 different friends start down this road since I started sharing my journey. This was the best decision I ever made and I won’t fuel the negative thoughts or judgements of others by keeping quiet about it. I am PROUD of this decision.

[NYJenn 1,464]

Husband and my mom are the only ones who know

[Tess0554 36]

I have told coworkers and family but I’m hiding from everyone that I’m getting surgery in Mexico. When I initially told them everyone was against it, then I said I’m getting it in San Diego now everyone ok. I don’t like lying I just want them to support my choice and trust that I did all the research