Did you tell your co-workers and friends you had surgery?

Hello all,

I am just curious, did you tell your co-workers and friends that you are having/had weight loss surgery. I am very close to some co-workers but others not so much. I am wondering if I should tell everybody since they know I will be gone for several weeks and obviously notice considerable weight loss. Just curious on your opinions and what you did.

Also, how long were you off work?

Thank you all!

I told everyone. There's no such thing as a secret. It won't take a genius to figure out you had weight loss surgery. You might as well get out in front of it and tell them.

Great, thank you very much for your input!

Nate:

I'll have my surgery in 4 to 6 weeks. The exact date has not yet been set. I asked the same question to this forum about a month ago and got about 15 responses. The majority of people cautioned me not to tell everybody. I was already leaning that way, but the feedback I got reinforced my decision. Of course I've told my family and a few close friends, but I've not told most people of my decision.

One person wrote back with what I thought was a very convincing reason. Not everyone will be supportive. Some may think and even say that instead of surgery you should try to lose weight the traditional way. They will think less of you because they will think that somehow this is cheating. Others may tell you anecdotal stories of people they heard about who have had lot's of problems after surgery or *****gretted their decision to have the surgery. They haven't researched the pros and cons of weight loss surgery like you have, but will act as if they are experts. You don't need that negativity around you at this time in your life.

Share your plans with your family and with a few friends who you know will be supportive. The rest don't need to know. You can make up some reason to explain your absence. I'm going to tell people I had hernia surgery. You can explain your weight loss simply by saying you're seriously dieting, which may not be the full story, but is in essence the truth.  Good luck.

John

You really have no firsthand knowledge of how rapid and dramatic the weight loss is. You can tell people you had hernia surgery and are dieting, and for a little while that will work. But people aren't stupid. They'll figure out that you didn't lose all that weight for whatever reasons you gave. Ar far as they are concerned, you'll be a liar.

My integrity was far more important than having to listen to a couple of naysayers. I wasn't going to lie, or be branded a liar. I made it clear this was my decision, and that it wasn't open for debate or discussion. And no one gave me any guff about it. And my integrity is intact.

I also believe if you tell people after you've lost a ton of weight that it was "diet and exercise" you contribute to the misunderstanding of weight loss surgery. It seems very unethical to me.

^^^ What Grim said.

I'd rather be ahead of the conversation rather than trying to lie my way out of it.  I do not care what anyone thinks about my decision to have WLS.  I did it for me, my physical and mental health.  

People are going to talk about you behind your back.  It's human nature.  Better to tell the truth now than to be found out later as a liar.  Then your integrity and credibility are gone, and they'll think even less of you for trying to hide the facts.  YMMV.

Thank you for replying and for sharing your opinion about integrity which is a great point that I need to keep in mind as integrity is not only very important in my life but also in my position.

I opted not to share my decision with co-workers. I told family and close friends and 2 of my close friends at work who have kept my secret.  I took one week off work and worked from home on week 2. Left an hour early each day during week 3.  I made it through the day, but was tired when I got home and took an hour plus nap. I do not regret my decision to keep it a secret. I am normally very forthright, but decided I didn't want to have them tell me horror stories, try to convince me to just eat less and exercise (which ultimately is what happens, but the surgery is the key), or monitor my habits after the surgery.  I have lost over 100 pounds now (ticker is wrong below) in 7 months.  They are really noticing now, but when asked I just let them know that I have been working on it since the beginning of the year (sort of a stretch, but they can't really recall exactly).  It took about 50 pounds before they even noticed and I explain that they are noticing more now because I am wearing new clothes and I have been going to the gym for several months. I have explained that I decided to change my habits due to health issues (in my case, the glucose levels were rising and my brother is on an insulin pump).

I thought that I might eventually tell them, but over time, I decided not to and am very happy with my decision to have the surgery and maintain my privacy.  I imagine some may have speculated, but if they haven't been around someone who has had the surgery, then they won't even give it a second thought.  Good luck on your journey.

I told everyone.  My boss was the only one who even suggested that I try to do it without surgery,  but she's also the type to be a breast feeding bully,  so I smile and nod and then do what I want to do.