NSV - It's just food
This weekend was my annual post Christmas get together with my high school friends in Southern California. ( I live in Northern Cal) We graduated in 1980, so we have known each other for a really long time. A couple of them I've known since grammar school. I was always the heavy one until about 9 years ago when I lost 120 lbs. I did it eating very strictly so they've seen me not eat all the good pot luck food before. (Unfortunately, I gained most of it back, thus the VSG) The food this year was no different. It smelled amazing and in the past I would have indulged, heavily, except those years when I was eating strictly. I was staying at the host's house and she was the only one who knew I had the VSG. As the others came in I told them about my surgery and why I'm drinking a protein shake instead of eating all this good food. It was just very natural and none of them, and there were 8 of them, had any judgments. I told them about the type of surgery and there were no comments or uneasiness at all.
So they all ate to their hearts content and I drank my shake and it was the most natural thing in the world. We caught up and laughed, as we always do. No one felt uncomfortable that I wasn't eating. (You know how some people get when you can't eat with them. They weren't like that.)
It occurred to me that a lot of times, get togethers are about the food and people just talk about food. But our little parties are about 9 friends who went to an all girl Catholic School who are still supported and entertained by each other after all these years.