Are You A "Clop" (Closet Post-Op)? - What Do You Tell People?

  O.K.   In follow up to my earlier post re:  "The Great Pumpkin Story" and seeing from the replies to same that many post-ops are apparently not exactly eager to share with others about their surgery ..   what DO you tell people when they discover you have recently lost a large amount of weight?    #1- I've been rather ill.      #2- Man (girl), do I know how to diet or what???    #3- Weight loss?  what weight loss?    #4- None of your business. (or something worse)    #5- You must have me confused with someone else.    #6-  That's my twin brother (or sister).   #7 -  (silent shrug)   #8- __________________ (other)  

I have no problem telling people that I had the surgery.  If I feel like being a dick, I will tell them I lost it with lots of hard work, exercise and diet modification which is all 100% true.

I tell them it was Gastric By-Pass surgery.  If they have questions then I anwer them. Gary

For quite a while after surgery I didn't tell any one. Even when I had lost alot of weight I would tell everyone that it was just clean living. Some would just laugh and others would press me for more information, when pressed I would just tell them I watched every thing I eat, which was true.  I have since started to tell most people that I have had surgery, but there are times that I just don't feel like going in depth about it or maybe it is just someone I don't feel like dealing with or  feel like it is any of there business so I go back to the "clean living" answer.  pan head

I tell the people who know me that I have had "the surgery", if the topic comes up. I'm open about it. At first I was self-conscious and had myself convinced that I had taken the easy way out. I no longer feel that way. I'm almost a year out and its all about determination, diet and exercise now.  Doug

I'm only 2 1/2 weeks out from my surgery, so I haven't had the opportunity to run into many people yet.  I was going to keep it really hush hush, but for the wrong reason, vanity.  The day before thanksgiving, some woman asked Martha Stewart on her show if it would be ok if she went to the bakery and bought pies, took them to the family celebration, and told everyone she made them herself -- well, I wanted to do that -- I was going to bask in the glow and tell them all how hard I was dieting (which isn't really a lie). But, I ran into a friend at the supermarket the other day, and I fessed up.   Of course, the friend I ran into HAD to be the one I knew would tell everyone I know.  So, within about 24 hours, everyone knew.  It's ok though, not a big deal, they've all seen my dramatic ups and downs in weight before. I certainly don't see any reason why anyone should be ashamed of having weight loss surgery.  It's not new anymore, it's not experimental, it shouldn't be controversial anymore, it doesn't have horrible side effects for most people.  Most importantly, though, I don't think "normal" or "thin" people have ANY concept of just how hard morbid obesity is to live with, in terms of medical, psychological, or social terms.  None of us asked to be born this way, God knows, had I been offered my choice, I would have asked to have looked like Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt, not Dom DeLuise or Orson Welles.  "Thin" people just don't get how strong that drive to eat constantly is.  Some of them say it's all in our heads, but I'm convinced its all in our genes.  Our society is so schizo about it, too -- they all say they hate fat people, but they're all getting fat.  They all want us to diet and lose weight, then they push the supersized meals and the high-fat foods on us.  So, what is it, thin or fat?  No wonder people have such a hard time with obesity. 

Hear him, hear him!  Well said I couldn't agree more.

I Still have my old picture on my drivers license and weight! When someone asks to see it they always look at it than look at me....It's kind of funny. Some ask some dont, I just say hard work. This surgery is sure not the easy way out alot think it is. Now it all just seems normal to me but I still think about and try to work at it everyday. Have a great day, Derrick

 lol Derrick .. same here (I renewed my d.l. the week beforel eaving for my surgery)    The gal at Wal-Mart the other day asked to see my d.l. for I.D. ..  she kept looking at it and then back at me ..  I think at first she thought it was a forgery ..   then finally "accepted" it w/o commenting ..   !

I just love watching there face and waiting for the reaction.......lol I always start off by saying"yes it is me" Derrick