Question:
Have lost 131 pounds in 11 months....

I went down from a size 22 down to a 2, and now people are saying that I've gone from one extreme to another and I overheard a coworker today say that she worried I might be anorexic, when she sees me eat food everyday. Fat or thin people are still snikering about me and it hurts my feelings. Encouragement please. I have worked really, really hard.    — Tania_B. (posted on January 7, 2008)


January 7, 2008
Ahh they did that to me too. the change is so fast and dramatic they fear i would keep losing and blow away in the wind......... just ignore it things become less important the longer you are out
   — bob-haller

January 7, 2008
Have only one thing to say can you spell JEALOUS! I hope i spelled it right lol some ppl get jealous because of all the attention we are getting thru out are weightloss journey so of course they have to find something negative to say who cares what ppl think as long as you feel good and your healthy that is all that matters and a big congrats to you! Lyne
   — lyne R.

January 7, 2008
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! You are doing awesome! I don't know why people can be that way but just ignore them. You took steps to make a healthier happier life for yourself. Ignore all the jealous people and keep up the great work!
   — CYIFLY98

January 7, 2008
Honey, I hear ya. Started at size 26 and now in a size 8 in 10 months. People who knew me in the day say I am "too thin". I just ignore them. As long as I am happy and doing well and HEALTHY - it doesn't matter to me. The day my lab work comes back and tells me something different - then I will try to do something, but for now - I am enjoying the ride. You should too. Like you said - you worked so hard!! You deserve your beautiful new you - you deserve to be thin and happy and healthy. If they have to put you down to feel better about themselves then they are the ones with the issues. Congratulations to you my friend!!
   — jammerz

January 7, 2008
Hey Tania, tell them "DON'T HATE APPRECIATE". Second, you're not hear to satisfy them are anyone else, you're here to satisfy yourself. One thing to remember -- people where talking long before we were born and they'll be talking long after we're dead and gone. One lady got me in the bathroom the other day and she wasn't sure I was the same woman. We'd never spoken before; she thought I was the same woman but she wasn't sure. I told her I'd had gastric bypass surgery and she said she'd wanted to find out more because her son was very obese but unfortunately he's only 14 years old and there isn't a surgeon in Maryland that will perform the procedure on anyone under 18. She is hoping he will get active and lose some of the weight. So there are times when I see it as an opportunity to encourage others and tell them my story and eliminate any fears and myths people have heard. I'm just beginning to see the person people are seeing so this year will be a body adjustment review time for me and becoming comfortable with the new version of me from fat to skinny -- especially my face. Some of those you work with probably have genuine concern and don't know how to approach you; others well -- they need to stop hating and appreciate! You've done great and I have no idea as to what size I'll be. I've lost a 100 and am to a 14/16
   — the7thdean

January 7, 2008
I'm doing my 2 week pre-op right now (liquids only) and I know how hard I have worked just to get to this point. You've already made it (Yipee for you!!) so be very proud of yourself. If you feel good about yourself, the heck with what everyone else thinks. Remember, they are probably upset that they don't look as good as you do now. Congratulations on your great success!!
   — DeeDiamond

January 7, 2008
This journey was for YOU, not those who gossip.....BUT they are jealous of what you have found, your happiness. You have done terrific and I can only hope at the end of my first year I will be half as successful as you have been. CONGRATS!!!
   — smf0926

January 7, 2008
Tania, congratulations on your success. I know how you feel and I haven't lost but a tiny bit of my total. I haven't always been heavy. When I was thin, people talked.. even the anorexia comments.. and for me, well it was an issue. But I've seen both sides of the coin and I know that it doesn't matter where you are in your program, someone is going to have something to say. IGNORE them! And, yes, I know it does hurt your feelings but you can be above it, just smile at them and walk on. You have done THIS, you can certainly do that. Good Luck, Leslie
   — LuvNSummer

January 7, 2008
Congratulations on such a successful weight loss. People are people some may be jealous, concerned or just uneducated in the WL journey. As long as you feel you are within a healthy BMI for your height and weight then you have nothing to worry about. Its ok to feel sad but you can also be very proud of yourself. Take care...
   — mariamahoa

January 7, 2008
OH my thats fantastic what procedure did you have the RNY or the Sleeve or Band anyway either way that is a fantastic effort and you should be so proud you have worked so hard and you deserve to be happy, all this is new to me too I am waiting to have my gastric sleeve done and at the moment am around the 230lb mark but a couple years ago I went on a healthy diet and excersise regeme and I lost about 120lb and i looked great nice and toned and healthy and happy i put alot of hard work into it and after a while I started hearing back from around the place that people where saying that I had to have only lost that much weight by taking illegal drugs even wheh they saw mw eating and out everyday excersising i had a young family and a great husband but still they thought I was into drugs to have made this possible I was devistated and it chipped away at my self essteme when my kids came home from school and would tell my someone elses mum had told them i must be on drugs to get the weight off I felt like i couldnt win, well that was 5 years ago. This time will be differant I have decided that if anyone wants to be ignorant and judgmental and non supportive then I dont need them there for me. No one would go through all this to their body unless it was a last resort, you have done the right thing. I would love to seee some before and after pics some time i bet you look amazing x jodi
   — jmo_spitty

January 7, 2008
My dear, YOU know that you are not anorexic. What small minds think of your newly found small physique should be of no concern to you. Do your coworkers know that you have had weight loss surgery? If YES, then only the jealous would start rumors about your being anorexic. If the answer is NO, then that's OK too. Your private health matters need not be made public just to stifle some ignorant person. Maybe you need to bring this person's rumor mongering to the attention of your supervisor. I think it could and should be considered a harassment issue if it continues unabated.
   — [Deactivated Member]

January 7, 2008
congrats.wish i could get down to a size 2.had rny in 2002.started at 287 size 26.got down to 154 size 8 and now 275 and size 12.so enjoy the new you and ignore.there just jealous.
   — deb44m

January 7, 2008
congrats on you weight loss. :) and as for the people who talk around you... well they really do not know what you have been through so what ever they say try to ignore that (I know easier said than done) try to vent on here, because we all know exactly what you have been through. :) I think that when someone talks like that they really are jelous and do not know how to handle their own feelings of shame (for lack of a better word) and their own feelings of how they feel about their own body image. Keep up the great work and remember, we are eating to live now, not living to eat :) God bless you Paula
   — japaad

January 7, 2008
WOW Congratulations!!!! That is AWESOME from a 22 to a 2!!!! I so agree with everyone else, it sounds to me like they may be jealous. And with it coming off so fast, I am sure some may even have a hard time getting used to the new you. But they will in time. I remember when I was skinny (121 lbs till I had my daughter, now 260) people would say "which ones the bat?" "WOW if she turned sideways and stuck out her tongue she would look like a zipper!" People are rude no matter where you are at in your weight. But we can rise above it and be happy with ourselves. YOU DESERVE TO BE PROUD!!!!! You have done a Great Job, so try to ignore them and they will adjust in time. If it keeps up I agree with the one who said to talk to your suppervisor about it. Again Congratulations!!!!! I hope and pray I will be as successful as you have been! Hugs, Kim
   — Kim M.

January 7, 2008
I know how you feel I too went from a 22/24 to 2/4 in 12 months it has been 3 yrs since my wls and people are still talking about my weight and that I'm to thin, you can see my bones, blah blah blah.....there just jealous because i use to be very large like everyone else and now I'm the smallest person in the office, when they talk about me being to skinny I just smile but it really hurts because I've worked so hard to get where I'm at and i have to constanly watch what I eat because it's so easy to revert back to your old ways
   — Lil' Booty

January 7, 2008
J-E-A-L-O-U-S !!! They talk for the same reason people say we took the "easy" way out! Get real! I tell them, "I risked death for this" and that shuts them up. LOL!
   — MAG

January 7, 2008
Tania, I have learned a long time ago the work place is like a journey through high school and most of the people we work are superficial. You will only come across a few that are genuine and sincere. Those are the people to value and with that said those that are saying that to you are most likely the ones that snickered and made the jokes behind your back when you were heavy and now they are very insecure because you are now much more than they are. Don't let their insecurities become a problem to you. Enjoy your new you. If the people making the comments had no room in your life before the new you then they are shallow people who should have no room in your life now. If they are people who are just generally concerned just politely tell them that it is really none of their business you are under doctors care and you know what you are doing. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR WEIGHT LOSS I am so very happy for you, can't image how much fun it is to buy all the new clothes and just to have the great health back and to be able to do the things that you once couldn't do before. God Bless. :)
   — iwilllose

January 7, 2008
Congrats on the weight loss and totally ignore those that think you are too small because you have done fantastic. I had RNY three and a half years ago and went from a size 26 to a size 2. I've been a size 2 for over 2 years now and love it. It took a while for people to get use to the dramatic loss, but gradually they stopped the remarks and have accepted the new me.
   — Belle

January 7, 2008
Hi Tania, I know just how you feel. Size 2 is very small when you were a 22 to begin with, and people just don't know how to shut up about stuff, so they have to say something. The thing is though Tania, is that you don't have to let it affect you. You consent to let it hurt you. You have to take control here in your own life and understand that THEY are ignorant, and let them be ignorant. What they think and feel is not something you control. What you do control is what YOU think and feel. You know the truth about yourself, you know that you are eating right, probably for the first time in your life, and it feels good. There is a risk of being anorexic after wls. If you obscess about your weight or size, you will walk right into that problem. After my first year, I refuse to weigh myself because I don't want to go there. If my size 4/6 clothes fit, I am good. If I get bigger than my clothes, I will check my weight. That is what I do to protect myself from obscessing about weight. You co workers may or may not mean well. You just eat your food, drink your water and count your blessings. I know it hurts, but what others think, ignorantly, always hurts. Forgive them, know the truth, and enjoy your life. We will always have the ignorant with us, and occasionally, we are the ignorant ones, so for me, it is easy to forgive. Take care. Patricia P.
   — Patricia P

January 7, 2008
If you could see me now giving you a standing ovation on a job well done you deserve all the credit in the world. Don't you even think about what they are saying. Have you ever heard of the word JEALOUS. What do you care what they think you did this for you and know one else.
   — campnwego

January 7, 2008
First of all congrats and great job. Second I know how you are feeling I was the same went from a size 22 to 2. My family tells me I'm to skinny. Yes they are just jealous because you take control of your life and did what was best for you.
   — Kjackson2

January 8, 2008
I would just offer to tell them your secret so they too can get their weight under control. Most of the people saying that are overweight and just jealous. Everyone has something they need to address, and I would just let them know that I have been under doctors care and never felt better in my life. just asked them what they are doing about their weight, marriage, love life or other personal thing they have issues with and they will back off you real quick. You have to hit some people over the head with their own medicine.
   — William (Bill) wmil

January 8, 2008
One question I wanted to ask you, why didn't you say, something to that co worker. Even a polite, "Excuse me, I appreciate your concern, but I really am not anorexic." Isn't just sad how women can be to one another. They make us feel self consious when we are fat and then when we lose weight they are jealous and find fault that way. I think we will battle with this subject as long as we are not confident in ourselves. And that will take a while I believe. You surround yourself with positive people that see the hard work you have done. You stand tall, and remember this is a new life for you and that others may not understand. But did they understand you when you were overweight? Probably not. I believe that a person that has never been fat in their life just can not understand what it is like. What the thoughts are that we fight with ourselves everyday. How we judge ourselves harder than any one else. Love you. That is all you need. They will not ever understand so just let it go. You are a success, and should be proud of that. Stand tall. Tracy
   — Tracy07

January 8, 2008
JEALOUS! JEALOUS! JEALOUS! Congrats to you!! I hit my one-year mark on Dec 27th and have gone from size 28 to size 8-10 and now some people are telling me I'm getting too thin. WHATEVER!! Congrats to you and congrats to ALL of us (pre, present, and post ops) we are DOING something and we all deserve kudos for that!
   — airbear762000

January 8, 2008
Congratulations on the weight loss. Are you satisfied with where you are? Are you at a healthy BMI (not underweight)? If so, then I would try not to worry about what other people say/do. Easier said than done tho. If it helps, you might want to think about what your coworker's motivation is.... it sounds like she is concerned/worried about you. If you feel comfortable, it might be helpful to approach her and say tell her you appreciate her concern but that you are definitely not anorexic, just working hard to lose weight. Does she know you've had WLS? If not, her worry may be about how fast you lost the weight---most people who just diet are not able to achieve what you have. I'm sorry to hear that people are snickering at you. It definitely stinks. Unfortunately, there is not much we can do about other people's behavior. Ignore them the best you can. If you are underweight, this may be something that you want to take up with your doctor. Best wishes.
   — mrsidknee

January 8, 2008
That has a very simple name: ENVY. I had gastric by-pass on sept 24, 2007 and my initial weight and goal are similar to yours. I would also like everyone around me envious of my success.
   — MargaritaRM

January 8, 2008
Good Golly, Girl! Congrats on the super job! You've done amazing...I'm hoping that I can follow in yours and many other people's footsteps. You know, if it's not one thing it's another...You have to just let their comments go with the wind and keep up the fabulous job! You've obviously worked hard and you deserve to sit back and look beautiful!
   — xxMourningxStarrxx

January 9, 2008
HI, YOU KNOW THERE ARE ALWAYS PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT ALWAYS HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, MOSTLY BAD THINGS THAT'S THE SAD PART, YOU JUST KEEP YOUR HEAD UP, PERHAPS THE TALKERS ARE HATERS, HATERS ARE GOING TO HATE ON YOU ANYWAY, JUST KEEP SMILING. LOVE & HAPPINESS GENA
   — mommamai

January 9, 2008
THE HELL WITH THEM DO YOUR THING ENJOY YOUR LIFE YOU ONLY GET ONE, LIVE FOR U NOT THEM KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!
   — aprilbrown

January 10, 2008
Tania: The people on this listserv know that you have worked hard. I bet a lot of folks have already answered your post. I would think that there are a number of people around you who are jealous of your weight loss. Some may not see your efforts as all that hard. You can either educate them or ignore, especially if you know that they will not change, no matter what they say. Other than this list, are you a member of any support group? I am definitely no authority on this (just having had surgery this last Monday), but I would think that those are the people who can give you honest feedback and positive encouragement. Once a person explained to me in a conversation that he wouldn't let what someone else was doing and saying about him bother him. He said, "Heck, no, I won't let that person rent space in my head!" Well, I laughed, but that phrase really stuck with me. When I am feeling that others are not being fair, I remember that I get to decide whether I am going to dwell on their lack of fairness and/or justice or not. It is not easy, but sometimes it helps a lot and keeps things in perspective for me. Best wishes, dana
   — jujuprof




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