"Why don't you try diet and exercise?"

I believe so many of us have encountered well-meaning and not so well meaning people who just have to give their opinion.  Yes, it is frusturating.  How about this one......you are taking the easy way out. HA...like having 80% of your stomach removed is no big deal.  #1reson I limited the people I have told to only the ones closest to me.  You know the saying....opinions are like trashcans (or insert other word)....everyone has one and usually they stink!

The athletic director at the school where I work told me that I wouldn't need surgery if I would just try the Insanity workouts... my response was that I don't feel comfortable doing those at my weight when I've seen cheerleaders who are in perfect shape get hurt doing those.

That shut him up... for a minute

I was about to hire a woman to watch my cats while I'm away and, possibly, help me after the surgery, if I need help. She asked why I would need help, what sort of surgery, etc., and I, being honest, answered.

She launched into a sermon about how she has the answer: just buy her supplements and let her 'train' me in the gym - the weight will just come right off, then! And it'll be 'natural!' and 'blessed by God'!  During this sermon, she mentioned that she's 'always been about 20 pounds overweight' so she could 'completely understand' my frustration.

...twenty pounds overweight? compared to my eighty/ninety pounds? and compared to my highest excess weight of 170? That boiled my blood. Since then, I've been much more discriminating about who I tell.

Needless to say, I didn't hire her to watch my cats; indeed, I hung up on her as soon as I could without being horribly rude and then blocked her calls (yes, she called me back to continue her sales pitch about why I shouldn't have WLS).

- Reva

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! Grrrr for all of you, all of US but especially GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR the above.  Ugh!

Oh that's so terrible! 

I try really hard to not diminish other people's weight issues...even if it is the 20 pounds they struggle with...I get that it's very real and personal and even painful for them. But a 20 lbs struggle and a 150 lbs war are two different battles. It's so frustrating to hear friends say they really understand weight problems b/c *gasp* they got over 200 during their pregnancy. That's sooo not the same thing as a dealing with MO.

And the salse-y people are the worst. I have an acquaintance - that at one time was a friend - who is a trainer and piyo teacher...she's great. But she's also very "sermon-y" about everything. I mentioned a year ago that I was thinking about this...I haven't/won't tell her I'm doing it.

This type of comment from people allows me the rare opportunity to use my weight to my advantage as I look them straight in the face and say, "kiss my big ripply ass."

I  HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE WITH THE CLERK AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE WHO WAS FRUSTRATED BECAUSE i KEPT CALLING  ABOUT AN APPROVAL. THAT TOOL TOLD BE WELL YOU CAN ALWAYS DO DIET AND EXERCISE. B****!.  I HAVE HAD ONE SURGERY AND NOW TWO IF I THOUGHT EXERCISE AND DIET WAS GOING TO WORK ALONE FOR ME DO YOU THINK I WOULD LET THE ANESTHESIOLOGIST POISON ME UNTIL i LOSE CONCIOUSNESS THEN LET SOMEONE POKE HOLES IN ME WITH SHARP INSTRUMENTS. B****! PLEASE

...which is why I never offer information and have kept this to myself. Because frankly, all my brothers are thin, most of my friends and neighbors and even when they don't SAY it a LOT of people are THINKING it. Just don't need the judgments or naysayers. It's hard enough to make such a drastic decision and go through with it, don't need the added BS!

Definitely call the manager. His unnecessary comments are similar to ones I get from the grocery store clerks who feel they have a right to comment on what I'm purchasing or question my items. WTH??? ring it up and shut your mouth!

as i was living in egypt all my life people are very warm :) there that even people in the street tell go for a diet and exercise and they add that i look like a dinasour looool, once i had an arranged date wz a guy and his comment to my friend who arranged it she is a perfect girl and beautiful and educated but she has a big asss what should i say or do in such cases i had no comment at that time but being fat really hurts

I ha d the same experience. I went into the vitamin shop to find liquid vitamins and as soon as the man behind the counter heard me say i was preparing for wls his whole dimeanor changed and he became so unbelievably judgemental. He started talking to me about how i hafnt exhausted all my other efforts and that i was just taking the easy way out. He then decided to grab on to my arm and jiggle it to better emphasize his point about where my body stores fat and extra calories. He then also decided to point out that my mom stored her fat stores on her hips. Needless to say i was pretty angry with the man and was completely speechless until i got into the car then everything i could have said came rushing into my head. But no matter what i will drive as far as i need to not have to go there and deal with such a closeminded idiot who obviously have no idea what its like to go through all the things that we do.