I recently received my letter from the insurance company that I was approved for the VSG. I have gotten mixed judgments from family and friends about my decision, and I am definitely scared, but will not allow myself to chicken out! So, the next question becomes, how do I break the news to my boss and ask for the time off?  I work at a very small privately owned accounting firm, where I am a huge part of the admin team. I have already taken 2 weeks off in August in anticipation of the surgery, but I am looking to request 3 in total. My annual review is tomorrow, so I guess there really is no better time to bring it up. How did you all handle this situation? Any advice or hints on how to keep it professional?  

Hi Amy!  I work for my dad's company and he is not supportive of my surgery.  What it all came down to with me is that I am going to be a healthier person and I am covered under FMLA.  I told him it is going to be better to take the time off to get healthy then to continue to miss time for being un-healthy.  Stay strong and know that you have rights. 

How small a company is it?  Are you covered by FMLA?  Do you live in a state where you get any kind of protection, or are you (like me) in an "employment at will" state?  All of that matters.  Without the protecion of FMLA or state law, all you can do is hope for the best and negotiate for as much time off as you can get. 

We have 26 employees and do not qualify for FMLA. Employment is all "at will" an everyone is pretty close in the office, but on a professional level. I am more worried about keeping it professional in the midst of any judgments he may have about my decision …

Oh, I see.  Well, it's really up to him to be professional and keep his judgment to himself.  All you can do is say, "I'm scheduled for surgery, and I'll need X amount of time off.  How can I help ease the burden on the rest of the team?" 

Also:  "I respect you, and I appreciate your concern, but my doctor and I have decided that this is the best decision for my health."  Repeat as needed.

If he has any judgments, he is not being professional.

Good luck!

I have decided not to tell my job the exact nature of my surgery.

I was worried about the same thing. I work in Human Resources, and there are four of us for 215 employees- my boss and one other coworker, plus an assistant. I was nervous about leaving the other three in a bind  as well as what my boss would think about the whole thing. I gave her as much notice as possible and chose to be completely honest about what I was doing. And you know what? Aside from my brother, she is absolutely my biggest supporter. She is actually encouraging me to take more time off to take care of myself!

So the moral of the story is, you it might be worth just taking a chance.

Like aknapp, I was up front with my boss from the beginning and gave her as much notice as possible.
I am in a slightly different situation though, I was covered under FMLA as well as received short term disability.
My boss called me a couple times while I was on leave, just to see how I was feeling. I kept saying things like, "I'll be coming back to work as soon as I can sit in a chair," etc, but she really was just calling to see how I was, lol.

I didn't tell my boss at all.  I told her I needed to have surgery and would be out from x to y dates.  It's really none of their business what surgery you're having.  If you choose to tell, that's great, but you are not required to disclose your medical information to your employer.  

Good luck!  Stay strong!

You could theoretically go back to work in 2 weeks.  I was back at work in 10 days. 

But, if you want 3 weeks, just be honest.  Tell them you are having surgery (you are not obligated to tell them what kind, although I think it is good to be upfront), and that you are anticipating needing 3 weeks off for healing time.  You can offer to be available by phone, and if you have the capability to do some work from home and you want to offer that, you certainly could.

Just be honest and up front.  Hopefully they will be supportive.  If they aren't at first, they will be when they see the weight coming off and you becoming a healthier you.

Welcome to the losers bench.  You will be on your way to goal soon.

First of all congrats on the approval.

When I told my boss that I was going to be having surgery ( as I am the ONLY one doing contracts for retail development) he was initially concerned about how many days off I would be taking. But actually his very first comment was..."I didn't think you were big enough to qualify for that?" I took that as a compliment.

My office (those I have told) have been very supportive. I have also told them I can always do some of my work at home if I needed to take any extra time off.

I actually went back to work in a week. I felt fine except for a little fatigue around noon. I took a little nap in my car while sipping my Unjury Chicken Soup. Honestly, I felt fine and it was not a struggle. No one knew I had surgery while I was on vacation. It is a very small office and they cannot stop talking about others personal business. So far, no one has mentioned my 30 lb. loss, but when you weigh 260, it takes longer to notice a change. Plus, it is all men but one woman. If you feel well enough, just take the two weeks.

It went better than I ever could have expected! Both my boss (admin team) and the company president (master approver of all that goes down) were completely supportive. They are excited for me and prepared to respect my privacy. On a side note, I also got a raise today at my annual review. BONUS! It was a good day