Daily Post--4/8/08

I would love to be able to encourage anyone, but they would have to approach me, I would never go up to them. Jules

I don't think that is something that I could ever do. I think I would've been totally insulted and hurt if someone had done that to me. On the other hand, I have had a good friend of my husband and mine come up to me and ask me to talk to his wife and explain everything to her to see if I could get her to do this. I told him, you talk to her and if she wants to hear what I've got to say, I'd be more than happy to discuss it with her. Michele

No, I could never approach someone to let them know about WLS. I will tell them about my surgery if they ask, though. I work in a dental office and had a patient last week who had never met me before so he didn't know that I had been overweight and had surgery. We were discussing health concerns and it was brought out that he had had heart surgery before. Since I had that also, I told him so and also told him all that I had done since then to improve my heart. This happened to include WLS so when I finished, he asked me about WLS and said he was thinking about it. I told him a few things and said if he seriously wanted to know more, he should go to Obesity Help.com and research more and contact me anytime. But that is the only time I will bring it up to strangers...if they ask me or if we are discussing health concerns that I have had and what they have had. Jolene

I have spoke to a complete stranger about my surgery but it was only after they started the conversation. Like yesterday at the bank.........the teller commented how different I looked on my driver's license picture compared to now. That started the conversation and she said she had a consult set up to explore having it done herself. I would never be comfortable just approaching a total stranger and saying hey.......you're big..........you should consider the surgery. If someone would have done that to me pre-surgery I would have been mortified.

Never. I have talk about it to some poeple but only after they ask me about it first.

While I never would actually approach a stranger about his or her weight, I often wish there was some way I could. I am so happy with the results of my surgery (even though I am far from goal), it has given me a new life in many ways, and I would love to help other people experience the same thing.

Good God no! And thank goodness nobody ever did that to me! They would have gotten their head handed to them. It's bad enough to be obese but then to have some skinny person, a stranger come up to you and tell you "there's hope for you", like you're some sort of lost cause or something. It's also pretty presumptuous to assume that's what is needed for every obese person. I HAVE however, approached one or two people I KNOW and mentioned my experience to them. I think people make their own journey and there's enough information out there on WLS. WLS doesn't need me as a poster girl. Sorry if I'm coming across a little rough, but this kind of hit a nerve.

I find myself always wanting to do this but never do. I am so afraid it would way to embarrassing for them, even though that would never be my intention. I just want the whole world to know that there is help out there when one seems helpless. Sally

Nope, nope, nope. For all the reasons already stated. I'm happy to talk about it with anyone who brings up the subject first though.

I do not approach people about it, but if anyone asks me how I lost my weight then I gladly tell them. I have no reason to hide what I did. It was a very personal choice, but the right choice for me. Gayle