Things I'm getting REALLY sick of hearing people say!

Things I'm getting really sick of hearing people say! --You're not so fat, why don't you just go to Weigh****chers, you don't need THAT SURGERY!  --I know 3 people who had that surgery and they gained a lot of weight back! Look at this famous person, and that famous person, etc! --My Aunt Tilly and my friend's brother-in-law's uncle had that surgery and she has this problem and that problem and 72 other problems too and you will have a lot of problems if you get that surgery! --Why can't you just do it yourself? Go to the gym, have you gone to the gym lately--do you drink enough water, do you blah blah blah???? --Why don't you just PRETEND you had the surgery and don't eat so much! --That surgery is very dangerous! I hope you know what you're doing! You can DIE from that surgery!! --I know a great new diet--you get 2 shots a week and it goes by your blood type and you take 6 pills a day and eat a lemon while you stand on your head and you lose like 5 pounds a week--why don't you try that before you get that surgery?? OMG!!! It makes me want to scream! I just have to remember that I have researched Weight Loss Surgery and completely understand all the risks and the benefits. As far as I can see, the most important things to make your Weight Loss Surgery successful, are: -Make sure you pick the BEST SURGEON -Make sure there is a great AFTERCARE PROGRAM -Follow the DIETARY GUIDELINES AND TAKE YOUR SUPPLEMENTS -Have a great SUPPORT SYSTEM in place -WALK, HIKE, BIKE, RUN, SKATE, CANOE, DANCE, ANYTHING--JUST KEEP MOVING! -Miss any of those things, and you may wind up like Silly Aunt Tilly. I feel better now!

You're so right, Jill, we all hear those comments and more!  I was told that I'd probably be the one to die, that I'd look hideously ugly from all the hanging skin, that I'd be depressed for the rest of my life because I couldn't eat anymore, etc.   Gee, so far I haven't died, I don't look hideously ugly yet, nor am I at all depressed!  To the contrary, I have come off of my depression medication (Cymbalta) because I feel so good!   It does seem that the least educated about WLS have the strongest opinions about it, though, doesn't it? Steph 

Or find new family, friends and co-workers.  lol lol  I never heard one negative word.  And I told absolutely everyone.  But then again when I said I didnt want to die like my mother taking 5 shots a day for her diabetes at age 61 there wasn't much they could say. Good Luck Hugs Heidi

Been there, heard the same things.  Here were/are my responses --You're not so fat, why don't you just go to Weigh****chers, you don't need THAT SURGERY! My surgeon approved me and my insurance is paying so apparently, I AM that fat and I've done Weigh****cher's and ever other diet more times than I can count. --I know 3 people who had that surgery and they gained a lot of weight back! Look at this famous person, and that famous person, etc! The chances of losing and keeping the weight off are better with the surgery than with dieting and that's a documented FACT.
--My Aunt Tilly and my friend's brother-in-law's uncle had that surgery and she has this problem and that problem and 72 other problems too and you will have a lot of problems if you get that surgery! Most people who have this surgery do NOT have complications.  In fact, I'm at more of a risk for health concerns if I remain at my current weight. --Why can't you just do it yourself? Go to the gym, have you gone to the gym lately--do you drink enough water, do you blah blah blah???? I've been trying to do it "by myself" for years and it hasn't worked.  Besides, 95-97% of people who try to lose and keep it off through diet and exercise FAIL. --Why don't you just PRETEND you had the surgery and don't eat so much! My response to this is - why don't YOU try eating 500 calories a day and then get back to me. --That surgery is very dangerous! I hope you know what you're doing! You can DIE from that surgery!! The risks of this surgery are not nearly as high as remaining obese.  They don't call it MOBIDLY obese for nothing.
--I know a great new diet--you get 2 shots a week and it goes by your blood type and you take 6 pills a day and eat a lemon while you stand on your head and you lose like 5 pounds a week--why don't you try that before you get that surgery?? Because THAT surgery is proven and safe. Be well and good luck dealing with the morons! 

This is something I should photocopy and keep in my purse to hand out to anyone who needs a reality check. Thanks!

Jill, All those terrible things people say are the reason I'm so hesitant to tell anyone outside of the absolute closest people in my life.  My husband thinks I'm being ridiculous and doesn't believe people actually say things like that. How wrong is HE???  Of course, he's also the one who thinks no one notices what anyone else eats. I told him that just once I would like to eat an ice cream cone in public without people thinking, "WHY is she eating that??!! Doesn't she know how fat she is?" He just looked at me like I was from Mars. Thanks for posting this! It's always such a relief to know I'm not alone in this! xoxo, robin

I remember the time I was standing on line for a bus (3 months pregnant) having an ice cream on a stick and the guy behind me said--"you really don't need to be eating that!"  I SO LET HIM HAVE IT--DON'T WORRY, HE WAS SORRY HE WOKE UP THAT MORNING WHEN I WAS THROUGH, LOL

The biggest one I hear from people I worked with was "If you just quit eating twinkies and exercise you will lose all the weight you want."  I always told them that I didn't eat many sweet things and I have tried exercise and it won't work.  I work with one other woman and the rest men and it was the men that would always say that.  I have always figured that a man sees an overweight woman and they assume that she eats cookies, twinkies, and bon bons all day  as she sits in front of the TV and never does anything else.  That would always make me so mad!

When people start in on my like that I start telling them everything I have reasearched and I took 5 years to study up on all of this. So they get a huge lecture and told to go to the library and start looking stuff up before they try to tell me what to do with my life. Most of them are just not informed. Several I know now understand about WLS and back it.  The facts are if you do nothing you can died of many things that being overweight will bring on. Heart attacks, cancer, diabities to name a few. And there are tons more. Surgery is to give you a quality to your life. Being overweight and having join pain, not being able to do things with your family and so many other things does nothing for the quality of your life. Does it extend your life? Perhaps but who knows since no one is given a set time limit they know ahead of time. I could live another 40 years or just 5 more mins. That can happen to anyone. All surgery had danger to them. Women die even today with c-sections. People die getting their wisdom teeth taken out. And yes you hear more about the problems because people talk more about the bad things than the good. Beacause if it is going good well you have things to do and move on with your life you don't worry over good things. It is like when there is a plane crash you hear all about safety in the air and how it is lacking. They don't tell you that there a millions of planes that fly every day and only maybe there are 20 to 30 planes that have problems and of those only 1% ever crash. You are more likely to be hit by a car or struck by lightening than die in a plane crash. You could do something else to loose the weight! Brother don't you think after 46 years I have tried! I'm part northwest indian, russian, danish and english. Most of those have people when they are over 30 gain weight. And that combo is a killer. I look at photos of my family and either one side is skinny or the other is fat. I ended up on the fat side. I have never been a thin person period. And I tried it. I have done many diets, joined groups even starved myself for weeks. It didn't work. I had to face the fact that my family are people who have a weight problem. Well I did something about it and it took me 5 years of reasearch and another 5 years finding a doctor that would back me. It was not something overnight it was hard work. And in the end it is my life and my money. I don't drink, smoke or do drugs. I think the money has been very well spent.

Steph--you reminded me of the number one annoying comment--"what about all that SKIN" ??? Didn't anyone ever learn that if they have nothing nice to say... HELLO??? anybody?? Seems like everyone missed that class. Robin, I tell everyone I know about it, because I'm just like that. It's better than having to keep up w/1,000 lies about how I lost the weight afterwards. People definitely will watch to see if you gain some weight back, (it seems is normal for everyone to gain a little back). But if we lost the weight through Weigh****chers, they'd all be waiting for us to gain it back then too! People want to say stuff about something, and they have nothing else to do. I do have to add that my DH is so supportive, as well as my family, and also my friends who take the time to become educated about it. I love to explain it to people, but unless the person really cares about you, they're not gonna' want to hear it--they think you're eating twinkies (fried twinkies probably) no matter what you say.