How do you feel when people ask you how much you've lost?

I always say "I have no idea" And sometimes that's even true.

I give them the exact number as it stands that day. Even random people I hardly know. Something like, "Oh 138 as of today but I have been at 145 lost but it depends on when I weigh and what I eat that day and if I am pooping good that day or bound up, that can really make a big difference as you can imagine." I usually go on to the point of ensuring they are bored, maybe grossed out, have any and all opportunity to ask anything they really might want to know to grow their understanding of gastric bypass. Unless someone is creepy creepy creepy vibe I assume they are asking because they really are interested and want to know more. Maybe they are a partner of a WLS person or are considering it themselves or have a relative who had or is considering having it. I tend to assume the best intention and just err on the side of educational opportunity. Also...bright side...they will likely never ask another person those same WLS questions.

I also am terrible at poker.

~Elizabeth the Over-sharer

Me too! Why lie or try to hide the truth? I was fat as hell and it was plain to see. Sometimes putting the hard number out there will help the person asking. To me, there is no value in being coy about this sort of thing.

Kind of a funny story--I was at a birthday party for one of my cousins's sons last year and I was chatting with a friend of hers that I'd met a few times before. She noted my weight loss and asked me how much I'd lost and I told her 167 lbs. She got kind of wide-eyed and said, "How overweight were you?" I thought it was pretty funny and just said, "Very!"

Jen

I told a guy once "140 pounds." His eyes got SOOOO big. He said, "Wow, I never met anyone in real life that lost that much! I mean you read about them and see them on TV...but not in real life!" He looked as though he just met a space alien...it was epic! Awkward and hilarious all at once.

How much did you lose? Really?? You should say, well, how much do you weigh?? If they say.. umm, I don't want to say.. then say.. yea, me either.

When a person is heavy, why does the public think that they can ask how much they lose? Does it then become a public issue or concern?

Great topic! Thanks for posting it!

I'm a lightweight, and a newb, so all I have to offer here is that my WLS and my current status is something I am more comfortable sharing with those who have a genuine interest, such as people in the medical field and other MO people. If they're asking about it from a general public rubber necking kind of way, I'm less forthcoming.

Depend on the person who asks for me. if I'm friendly enough with them I just say- 160 pounds I lost. otherwise i just say a lot- it is really tacky to ask someone how much do you weigh/how much have you lost? UNLESS you know them really well

Some people get the exact number, to the 10th of a pound since that's what my scale reads...other's just get "A lot"...

I'm a pretty open book too, though, and I've shared my weight loss surgery with a lot of people, both at work, and in public... hell even strangers '

I'm often very uncomfortable with someone complimenting me on my weight loss and me not chiming in with the fact that I had WLS... I really need to change that, TBH. I think I feel a bit of guilt, particularly when the person is MO or SMO... and I don't know why I feel that sudden guilty feeling. Because it's not like I cheated!

At 2.5 years out I still get "You look Great" and you have done such a great job keeping the weight off. Some would ask me how much I have lost and I always changed the subject to the fact that I am healthier and am off Insulin and 5 other medications. That answer usually blows people away, being off medications keeps me motivated.

I usually say "I lost diabetes, high bp, gerd, sleep apnea and high cholesterol" and I get so many ooooh's and ahhhhh's.

It works for me.