How do I answer when someone tells me " you took the easy way out"

Frankly, WLS is not the easy way out. It does help us to lose weight faster, but to maintain, takes  hard work and constant vigilance. To be successful, one needs to make significant lifestyle changes, including exercise and attention to eating habits. I have been maintaining within a 2 lb window for almost a year, and it is not easy. I exercise 4-6 times/week, log my food daily, weigh myself daily, attend support groups, and many other things. Diets don't work, but lifestyle changes do, and that is what WLS success is all about. WLS helps to level the playing field, so that we have an opportunity to make the necessary lifestyle changes.

I would ask your heavy boyfriend, how is dieting working out for him?

In addition, 95 % of morbidly obese people who lose weight will regain all or most of the weight back within a couple of years. This is compared to about a 70% success rate with WLS folks, that will keep off at least 50 % of excess weight. I'll go with the higher success rate versul 95 % failure rate.

Many people also have metabolic issues that prevent them from losing weight. WLS helps to reset our metabolisms, so that we can lose the weight. It is up to us to maintain the weight loss with the tool that we have been given. It is only a tool, but a powerful one, when use in conjunction with making the necessary lifestyle changes.

Gail

 I would say "With a comment like that, are you sure that you are my friend? My best friend? I'm supportive when you do things, I just assumed the same in return. I guess that I was wrong and if so just like my weight...Im disappearing, never to return....CYA wouldn't wanna be ya!!!!"

People are just not educated on this subject UNLESS they are thinking about surgery themselves..then, just like myself......you get educated.


One simply cannot have their comments taken seriously when they have absolutely no facts or knowledge to support them.

Seems like she is taking the easy way out....by doing nothing, surgically or otherwise....and continuing to remain fat. And, we were all there.....but we are making our choice to DO SOMETHING now. How would she like to hear you tell her that she is taking the easy way out by just wanting to stay fat so she could keep eating whatever she wanted....

 I'm glad I'm not the only one going through this. You all are such a big help to me. I can see this forum being my support group! 

Smile and nod. She wouldn't believe you if you told her how difficult it is anyway.

 Haters gonna hate. Tell her you sure did, and now you get to live longer. Jealous ******s, grrr.

As my husband told one woman that said just that... it is definitely not easier... he said for a dieter who has their stomach you can go off and have a big meal and do whatever you want... for her she doesn't have that option anymore and if she eats to much of bad foods she gets sick... if she drinks and eats together she gets pain, if she she eats to fast she is in pain.. I was so happy w'ith that answer that's what I use.  Tell them how easy it is eating the way we have to from now on... No end in site... we can't go off our diets  :) and if she is still thinking it's easy then she is probably just jealous because you were brave enough to do what needed to be done to save your life.

After years of feeling like i had to appologize for my weight or that I couldn't lose it, i think comments like this deserve a blunt but honest answer.

so you can say " if you understood this process and what it requires you would never make such a comment;   you are ill-informed".   then explain how much work is involved in this whole process and that you made the hard decision to change your life and are doing it rather than settling for a life of poor health and limitations. 

People who make these remarks often do so out of ignorance and need to be educated.  Diane

I had a coworker say "I want to get surgery too so I could be lazy." I called her ignorant and told her she wouldn't be successful with it anyway so don't bother.

My general response is:

Post-op life isn't easy, per se.  You basically still have to watch what you eat and exercise for life.  It just improves the odds of being successful.   95% of morbidly obese people will gain everything they lose back plus some.  I wouldn't place a bet based on those odds in Las Vegas, why in the world would I bet my life on it? That woudl be the height of stupidity.