Does anybody lie about having had surgery?

Very good point.  I do tell people that (paraphrasing myself) I also have been eating and exercising according to my plan to make the sleeve work.

I'm another one who doesn't post my life/pictures of myself/pictures of my family on FB for several very good reasons.  I am grateful that some people formerly in my life chose to do so, because it was helpful in court. 

I only lied to my mom she is in her eighties and I knew the idea that I had half my stomach removed would have upset her.  I really never felt right about lying to others though. I have spent too many years jumping from one diet to the next being discouraged after trying what someone else had done to lose the weight only to fail to me to lie would just be wrong. I do know that there are people who think I lost it through exercise but if they asked I'd tell them. It bothers me to think of anyone who might feel a need to hide the fact they had surgery out of some sense of shame. WLS is something to be proud of a badge of courage.

Honestly, it really isn't possible to lie.  I mean, you CAN but nobody will believe you.  You go away for a few weeks, come home drinking your food, losing weight like crazy... you can deny it but everyone will know.  It just makes them talk more... behind your back.

Who cares what anyone else thinks?  This is a medical procedure, that's all.  Obesity is a disease, not a character flaw.  Nobody WANTS to be fat.  If diet and exercise are so easy why isn't 2/3 of the overweight/obese population doing it?  If they don't like surgery they don't need to have one.  If they ask, tell the truth.  Move on.  If they judge you for treating a medical condition you don't need them in your life.  Right?  And yep, it really is that simple.

I don't share with everyone but I have shared with a lot of people including those at work. That being said some individuals I'm not going to trust with that information or it's just not their business. So I say, "diet, exercise, life change, and a lot of hard work."

I'm really open... probably bordering on annoying on Facebook, to be honest (LOL)... BUT... here's the way I figured it... I was 375 pounds. I only told friends and family until I hit 100 lost. At that point, it was pretty obvious. I mean, I lost it in 5 months or so. People knew. Even if they didn't "know", they knew.

I'm 38 years old. I'm adult. I get to make my own decision. Frankly **** them if they don't like it.

Honestly? I've not gotten a single fully negative remark. My BFF had trouble with it, saying "skinny *****" one too many times, but we talked it out. I'm sure people might be saying stuff behind my back, but again... I don't care.

People will know, in my opinion. It just depends on if you want to admit it or not.

The other issue, for me, is that I always felt defeated when someone I knew lost weight "by diet and exercise". I didn't want to be dishonest about it. Yes, I did all the work and I'm equally adamant about making sure people know that too, but I had help. I needed help.

It's, at the end of the day, all about what YOU are comfortable with.

Here are the folks I've told:
My Mom
My Dad
My Wife
My 2 young kids, not a lot of detail
My Boss, I was out for a few days and they sweat I'm out interviewing every time I take a day off.
My secretary
A close cousin

Essentially only the people tha truly care about me. I've also instructed them to keep it to themselves. I want to be the one to tell folks of they way to know.

Here's why: I'd much rather be known as "That azzhole exec" than "The guy that got weight loss surgery". I want to be known for me. I'm tired of my descriptive adjective being something about my size. Look at Chris Christie, what do they call him? Exactly. That fat governor from NJ.

Now if I'm talking to someone who's obese and struggling, if I know them well enough, I'll share my experience with them.

I didn't tell people at work, but did tell my extended family.  At first it took a lot of pounds lost for people to realize I was losing weight (over 70).  But, once they started to notice they realized I had lost a lot.  I was constantly questioned... how are you doing it, how much have you lost being asked by all.  I would answer, "It is a combination of diet,exercise, surgeries, and medicinal side affects... the biggest factor changes depending on what is going on at that time so it is not clear which had the most impact" or some version of that.  Not a lie at all.  I absolutely do not need to reveal my medical history at work.  I have a real bosshole that I have to deal with and he has a strong history of discrimination, and I have no desire to fuel that fire.  

On a side note though, it was easy for people to accept this.  I am a cancer patient, and work knows some about the cancer situation due to having to take a few medical leaves.  I assume that the coworkers attribute all of the loss to the cancer surgeries and medicinal side affects that they are aware of.  It bothers me that this is the assumption, but my privacy is important to me and frankly it is none of their business.  I just reassure when opportunities present that I am doing well and there is currently no trace of cancer.  It is hard for them to believe though because I have constantly had excisions, biopsies, etc that they can see the scars/stitches/bandages... being on crutches from it, etc.  

Oh... forgot to mention.  

i have an older sister with a severe heart condition and bmi of around 42.  She knows I have surgery.  I have tried to encourage her to look into it and she is thinking about it but afraid.  Then her friend explains in detail how she lost about 150 pounds through diet and exercise.  My sister stops looking into surgery because her friend is an inspiration.  Turns out this woman is in my support group and had Rny- and tells nobody.  I get why she doesn't tell people, but **** it is totally ******g my sister over.  I won't reveal the friends surgery to my sister because I have a deep respect for folks who go to group and I will not share out what is revealed there and respect privacy.  But damn!

That's admirable of you - I'd have a hard time keeping my mouth shut about it to my sister, or I'd probably at least have a chat with the sister's friend.

I think I'd have a hard time lying about having surgery to someone who desperately needs to lose weight. If it's someone who is just nosey or judgmental, that's different. But someone who needs help and is your friend and you tell her you lost 150 through diet and exercise alone, maybe knowing that she was looking into WLS...hmmm.

I don't know if my sister expressed to her that she was contemplating surgery... the friend may have no idea.