Hello Tammy,
I just wanted to check and see if you are still planing on GATLINBURG? Check out the link and see all of the dates.

Link: ( http://www.gatlinburg09.webs.com )

I know that you will have a lot of fun, this is a wonderful get together, meeting others that are along this same journey.

Hug's
Jeannie

Rebecca,
The only way to handle this issue is for your friend to answer the question, "Why am I having WLS surgery?" How your friend answers this question dictates how she will handle others around her.

If the surgery is for health reasons, then this decision is between your friend and her physician. Nobody else! And family members who are ignorant about your friend's medical issues have no business nor right to judge her for her decision. Now that doesn't mean that they won't give their opinion, but it does mean that she is going to have to get a little bit more confident in her decision and convince herself that she is doing this for HER! Nobody else. And that means that nobody else's opinion matters.

There are a lot of factors that motivate people to act harshly in response to a person's WLS. The naysayers could be jealous of your friend's decision to take a pro-active stance on her life. She is finally taking control of a situation that has run her life for so long. And people don't like change. So her friends and familiy might rebel because ****ither they are miserable in their life and don't want to see her happy, or (2) they are afraid that she will become a more confident person and may no longer want them in her life as she continues to give her life a complete makeover.

Or her family is just plain mean! They are never happy unless they are criticizing somebody. If this is the case, then she will be in for a long and bumpy ride. They will continually be scrutinizing her food choices, her mannerisms at meal time, offering "advice" on everything food related to her, etc. So she will have to lay down sound ground rules with them about this. Or choose to politely (or abruptly) tell them "Thank you for your concern. But please mind your own business. This is between my doctor and me."

The best answer is for her to attend a support group. She will quickly realize that she is not alone in this journey. There are many other people out there who have her exact same story and she can get immediate feedback on how others have handled the same situation.

I am so excited for your friend's decision to take control of her life! She will come across those who will want to sabotage her efforts, but the majority of the people will be excited for her and want her to succeed! Tell her hang in there. She is embarking on the most exciting chapter of her life. And she's not alone. She has a very large network of fellow WLS friends out there who only want to encourage her.

I hope this helps.

~ Tammy

I have been post op 2 years 1 month and would LOVE to hop aboard ... I really could benefit from the fellowship of those who have been through and going through what I have.  When is the trip planned?

Show Notes Episode 12

HIGHLIGHTS

• Forum member GunnysHunny asks about getting past a stall.
• Explanation of a stall.
• Stalls are normal.
• What can add to a stall.
• A new method from BTV Labs.
• Don’t Exercise!
• Off the shelf vitamins for bariatric patients. 

Come check it out!  www.bariatrictv.com

Hello,
This will be my thrid year, and I have really had a lot of fun. I think that it is really great to get to know others that are taking the same JOURNEY.

If you are really planning this I will need a deposit of $45.00 by 01/31/09. This is so that I can put the deposits on the cabins.

check out the link for Deposit information: (www.gatlinburg09.webs.com)

If you have any trouble please contact me back.

Hug's
Jeannie