How do you deal with....

A coworker, who saw my weightloss via WLS.... who has poor health and comorbidities but isn't even a BMI of 35 and tells you that she's going to gain weight to get the surgery.

Yesterday, my coworker (who has heart issues, physical issues, diabetic, cholesterol/bp issues) who is overweight but not obese, informed me that she went to the WLS info session here at Abbott and she's hell bent on having the lap band... she does not have a BMI of 35, so she plans on packing on weight to get herself up to a weight/BMI to qualify for surgery.



I wanted to go screaming to our WLS office and tell them look, she's doing it for all the wrong reasons. she's only been truely overweight for a short time... she told my coworker that she doesn't even care if her comorbidities go away, she is just tired of being fat. She also told that coworker she's purposely been eating bad and gaining weight just to qualify with insurance/WLS office for the surgery.

I wanted to .

How do you react to that when you've battled weight your whole life, took two years to investigate and make this life changing decision... Only to see someone doing this. Its the first time I've ran into it personally...

Ya thats so not right....... There are however alot of people who  do that and that is down right selfish.  One of my daycare moms her sister did the same thing and she is telling me this and it's like WHATEVER..................  People like that have no right having the surgery.................She wasn't overweight at all has no problems of anykind, Ya not cool...........

It's driving me crazy thinking about it.. I need to stop!

She already told me this morning about all the food she brought to work to stuff herself with today! 

I'm wondering what happens when she stuffs herself silly and then gets DENIED?  It can happen.  She could flunk the psych test, or have other insurance issues...or lose her insurance!

I personally wouldn't listen to her go on about it.  I'd tell her that you think it's wrong and you don't want to talk about it, hear about it or be a part of it.  Case closed.

AMEN.  Proof yet again that you can't fix stupid.  Not that wanting to do whatever it takes to lose weight is stupid, but this person is putting effort in the wrong direction.

Best advice I could give you, Stacy, is to let it go.  You can not fix other people.  You can give them all the best advice in the world, only to watch them do their own thing anyway, and you get angry because they didn't listen to you.  Just do what you need to do for YOURSELF, and let this person figure out their own path.

I'm totally with Lori on this.  Ignorance IS bliss - you don't need to know about it.   And - don't let it bother you - just live your life well.

 I remember thinking at first that all of the hoops the WLS clinic made you jump through were just dumb.  But I am so happy that they screened me so carefully because I really felt like I knew what I was getting myself into.  This RNY is the real deal and a decision I will live with for the rest of my life.  I'm glad I was educated and I'm glad I did it.

I totally "get it" about your co-workers.  It would be hard not to think about it, it's really their problem.  They may be denied, and it would serve them right!  Hopefully they will be screened well and weeded out.

I get so tired of people who don't know squat about this surgery who has such strong opinions.............     that's what drive me nuts.  The ones that think this is the easy way out.

Keeping in mind she wants lap band and not RNY....

Half of me is exactly what all of you said....

The other half fears for her.. she's going to have lap band done and if it fails, she will seek out RNY I'm sure.. I hate to see her fail but OMG.. seeing this first hand happening is driving me insane... I have only heard about this from other peeps...

I need to just get past it.. I don't know how to tactfully tell her that I can't hear her talk about it the way she does though, as we are friendly co workers.. the kind that go and sit and gab in eachothers offices and all of that... I don't want to hurt her feelings but I don't want to mislead her and not tell her how it really is either...

Darla I hope you don't mind, but I think I will use your "Not that wanting to do whatever it takes to lose weight is stupid, but this person is putting effort in the wrong direction" quote to say to her my point... I just may omit the word stupid so I don't **** her off...  ha ha

I love it!

You may use anything I say if it helps.  Just replace "stupid" with the word "wrong".  There's absolutely nothing WRONG with wanting to lose weight for the RIGHT reasons - but there are a PLETHORA of wrong ways to go about it!