:confused:Hi 2 days until my band and I'm wondering if and what you tell people about your new lifestyle. I have told a few people about my decison to get this and it has been negative. Has this happened to anyone else ? Once I start losing weight I'm going to have to explain it. What do you guys say when people notice the weight loss.

I just tell people the truth. So far they have been very supportive. They want to know how they can do it! If they act "funny" I just don't discuss it with them anymore.

I just tell people the truth. So far they have been very supportive. They want to know how they can do it! If they act "funny" I just don't discuss it with them anymore.

I agree with you there's nothing to feel ashamed of but you can try to keep yourself healthy and fit...there's nothing wrong in it...And I would suggest to try natural way to keep yourself fit there are many online help that you can take like this site Easy Natural Weight Loss...

Thank-you everyone who responded, some great advice. I'm one day pre-op and can't wait for the pounds to come off.

Congrats and good luck tomorrow......

SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE!!!!!!:tongue_smilie:

since being banded on monday i am much more confident in telling people. last night i had some people over for book club and when i mentioned it everyone one was so excited and supportive. big grins. thumbs up. hugs.

the support and love is becoming overwhelming at times. i enjoy socializing but consider myself somewhat of a loner. as long as i have my daughter with me -- i am happy. it just never occurred to me until this week how much people really care about me. and i never really "needed" it --- but it is sure nice to have it now.

one thing i have realized is that i am probably the most obese person in my social circles. so i think my friends and acquaintances are supportive because they only see it about me and not about themselves.

and more to that point...they only person who is not supportive is my sister who i keep my distance from anyways due to her overall negativity. and yep, she is someone who struggles with her obesity.

still not sure what i will say at work since i work but i will deal with that as it comes. and that has more to do with the cut throat environment i work in with all guys.

I have been open and honest with people who have asked "what have you been doing? you look great?!" I say... Thanks... I had a LAP-BAND® put on to help me get to where I want to be. Done. Why lie about it? Lying only gets you caught up in a web. I have struggled for so long... i'm proud to have my little helper and I'm proud of everything I'm accomplishing! :tongue_smilie:

I agree with you there's nothing to feel ashamed of but you can try to keep yourself healthy and fit...there's nothing wrong in it...And I would suggest to try natural way to keep yourself fit there are many online help that you can take like this site Easy Natural Weight Loss...

This person's profile looks to me like they are only here to advertize another weightloss GIMMICK. NO THANKS!! TAKE IT SOMEWHERE ELSE!

I'm not banded yet, but this whole "who to tell, who not to tell" is driving me crazy. After a lot of thought, I've told my mom, my hubby and a few (3) very close friends, and my boss, because I'm going to need some time off work. They have all been very supportive. Anyone else I'm not planning to tell. If they flat out ask if I've had weight loss surgery, I'm not going to lie; but otherwise, I plan on just telling them I'm restricting my calories and exercising, which will all be true. Plus, I'm afraid that if everyone knew, I'd get a whole lot more questions about why I'm not losing faster, or how long is it supposed to take to start losing, or am I allowed to eat that, etc. Now I may feel differently once I'm banded, but for right now, that's the right choice for me.

I guess I did not know what I would say if it didn't work for me, so I kept it quiet. I am also in the process of losing my house, so it didn't seem appropriate to borrow money to do WLS, and not borrow to keep the house. People know the house is going bye bye but not about the surgery. It is a long story, but I feel like I did the right thing. For about a third of the price of an SUV, I can change my life forever. Amazing......

I have these same worries. Obviously I told my mom and dad, and my brother and sister both know. And I told my three closest friends at school. But beyond that...I told my grandparents and they just seemed confused. I don't want to spend my whole life explaining what LAP-Band is or why I decided to get it. Plus, I feel like the LAP-Band leaves a lot of the responsibility up to you. After all, its up to us to eat right, exercise, and take care of ourselves. If someone asked me how I am losing weight, I might tell them I had the band. Or I might tell them I have lost weight with portion control and exercise. Both are true, right?

I started off by telling my husband, parents, and inlaws. Really, these are the only people who I feel like I really NEED their support on this. And, they have all been fantastic about it. Of course, they all have seen first hand how much I struggle w/my weight as well. I'm a yoyo dieter so they see how much willpower I have, but how it always all comes back, plus some.

After that, I started telling a lot of close friends and some not as close friends. This is where it got a little tricky for me. I'm the type of person who likes to be an open book and talk candidly about anything. But, I started getting a lot of stories and negative advice that I didn't want. I am not normally a sensitive person, but this negativity really started messing w/my mind because if this doesn't work, I'm really headed for some serious health issues. I don't doubt that it will work for me, though. My mom got lapband surgery and it has helped her overcome all of her obesity related health issues (the ones that I'm now starting to get). Anyway, I just can't deal w/all the negativity so I've stopped announcing it to the world. Enough people know already that it is not a 'secret', but I'm not gonna tell more people until its done and they start noticing weightloss.

I would have trouble NOT telling the truth if someone wanted to know how I was losing weight so well. I don't want to perpetuate the myth that it was just diet, exercise, willpower that you need. Once you are morbidly obese, the reality is that you have only a 2% chance of taking off the weight without surgery and keeping it off. I think people need to start understanding that it is just not a matter of diet, exercise, and willpower.