All the voices

Here is exactly what I did last weekend to keep this whole thing fun for me.There were several people who I just never got around to telling, so when I saw some relatives on my wife's side and one of them made the comment "Oh wow, PLEASE tell me you didn't have it sucked out!" I was almost insulted, but I recovered with. "Adrian, (let's call her Adrian)I started that new 'Jamaican scent diet' an I've lost 120 pounds in 5 months"!

I then just smelled everyone's food at dinner. I took my wife's plate of pasta primavera and held it right under my face and inhaled deeply. I would sneak bites off of a protein bar. But everyone there who knew about my WLS was pretty quick to catch onto my evilness, and played along. After dinner, 'Adrian' cornered me by the fireplace, looked DEEP into my eye's and asked if this were true. Finally realizing she was maybe getting a better understanding of the struggle some go through to lose weight. I looked right back at her and said, " yep, it's all from the 'Jamaican scent diet".

Thats hilarious!  What a creative way to handle an awkward situation.  Thanks for the chuckle!

I have been in constant pain and overweight since my teenage years. Have tried the crap band(lap band) had it removed due to GI bleed. Then converted to the VSG which really did not help me in my weight loss journey and 4 years later converted to RNY. I am at my lowest weight ever right now and could care less about the comments from the peanut gallery. 

I feel that it really is none of their business about my surgery. I just say that I changed my diet and have started to eat smarter. I am a fairly private person and do not have a large amount of family members etc.

I wish you luck on your journey.

In the beginning I didn't tell anyone. I figured it was my problem & I'll deal with it. Only after surgery did I tell a few people that I considered friends & they were supportive & kept my "secret" till I was more comfortable talking about it.

As time went on & I became more comfortable, whenever anyone asked I told them about the surgery, then I'd quickly tell them of my change in eating habits, how I'm doing a lot of bike riding etc, etc. I wanted it to be clear that even though I had surgery, I'm still putting in the work to make it successful.

No one really got into my business like that in the beginning, I would think it a little rude, but then I thought maybe they were genuinely curious, either for themselves or a friend. I've had my neighbors whom I've barely spoken to ask about how I lost the weight & I tell them all of it.

Yes complications can happen, that's a risk you take, but I'd rather deal with the issues I already had as a result of being SMO, rather than worry about what could happen as a result of surgery. I'll deal with complications as it occurs, & so far knock on wood, no complications, & most of my medical issues from being SMO is a thing of the past.

Good Luck to you on your weight loss journey. 

I can understand why your mom is worried. My kids are 22 and 20 and I still look at them as my kids. One thing I would do was change the subject about them and it seemed to work.

I am so glad I took the chance and had the surgery. I look back at myself and I was so unhappy. Not being able to do things that I can now. I would show her this website and show her the before and after pictures. It helped me convince my husband that surgery was a good thing. I was going to have it regardless but it did make him feel at ease. 

When I would start to worry I would think about things I would be able to do. Like being able to walk for more than ten minutes. Not lying saying I am sick when we would go to the mall. I would be so tired. Now my daughter is like can we go home already. 

The positives outweigh the negatives. At least that is how I feel. 

at our christmas eve party, my cousin asked if i lost weight the normal way or had surgery. normal way .... ugh lol anyways i told them i had the surgery and they started talking about how most ppl gain all the weight back, and my sister interrupted them and said how I am working my butt off, going to the gym multiple times a week and eating healthy. So i didnt have to say anything. They also waited til right before i was leaving, probably incase it offended me lol

I would have come back with "most people who do it the normal way never lose it all,  and gain it back and more." 

You know, I'm so tiered of hearing "people that have the surgery gain all the weight back" and "why bother" from people, I say to them, well those people "chose to gain their weight back, I on the other hand will choose not to gain my weight back as I know this is a lifestyle change"

i know right? its almost like they forgot that you can gain weight back with any method of weightloss......

I've actually only had a few people be negative to me and poof they are no longer in my life!  I need positive vibes not negativity.  But for those who chose to say negative things to me I said "You have no idea of what a struggle is" and I've also said "wow how ignorant of you to say that" needless to say I left them speechless.