This honestly baffles me.. You run into one of the moms of your daughters friends that you have known for 15 years and you start chatting and they look you dead in the face  with a confused look and say "who are you?" I get that I have lost weight but I'm sorry my face although skinner is the same!! I have run into people that have had weight loss surgery that I didn't know about and IMMEDATELY knew who they were because they didn't have a head transplant!  I don't get it, kind of irritates me.. is all people saw before was fat? Did they never actually look at me? argh

I also had my first "some people think WLS is the easy way out" (this woman is 300 lbs herself and could use WLS) I simiply said "Easy or not, all that matters is that I got OUT" because ain't that the truth? I don't care how I did it.. all that matters is I did it!

I can understand how someone not recognizing you would  make you feel that way. You would think that they would recognize your facial features, at least. And, I think your comeback of "easy or not...." is a great one! I will try to remember that one if someone says that to me.

 I get "the easy way out" crap all the time. you wouldnt believe how many times iv said 

"so working out, eating right, being on vitamins and getting a major surgery is the easy way out. then wow i guess im glad im taking the easy way out"  

it makes me so mad. and there reaction almost always is  "i didnt know that sorry" :/ yeah well next time they shouldnt make judgements on things they know nothing about GRRRR :( 

 You're in Burlington, VT.. My daughter will be going to Champlain College in the fall.. love it up there!

I'm not sure what I would say to the easy way out comment. However most people I've told about my plan to have surgery understand its not easy.

Yeah they say its the easy way out but pay attention to the people who are saying it. They all want the wight loss surgery theirselves but their way to scared to go and do it. So they know its not the easy way out its just a comment to get u upset because their upset they don't got the guts to go through with it.

OH has a Men's forum as well.  Come see us!

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/men/

 My uncle and aunt walked right past me and did not know who I was...ya I musta had the transplanted head as well...I think some people do just see the fat in us.  sad really

You know what I think? I think people only see fat sometimes. Like they can look through us because we are bigger, and that is the ONLY thing we are. It's ridiculous.

 LOL ... that has happened to me so many times ... I was just sharing yesterday how the first year out my DD treated me to a mani and pedi at the mall ... she left and went shopping and came back to get me .. .I was sitting there getting the final touches of my mani and she walks right by our table .. I thought she was going to get her own mani and pedi done... then she walked past me again and then she asked one of the workers "did my mom leave?" and the worker pointed at me telling her .."she is over there" LOL ... My own DD had come into the store looking for her 'mom' as in her 'before mom' the one she was so used to seeing LOL ...I think because my back was turned and she did not see my face... we made it a habit of having our mani and pedi done together for years ... 

I have had friends and even family members I had not seen since surgery and even some who have seen me since surgery talk to me and not recognize me until I spoke and they recognized my voice by my accent ... I laugh all the time ... my face has not changed one bit to me.. I don't let it bother me....