People are often critical of what they don't understand. They believe all overweight people are created equal and what works for them should work for all of us, which isn't true. Their lack of knowledge and understanding makes them critical. Just ignore those people. You'll find great people on this site that will offer support and encouragement without trying to sway you away from what works for you mentally and physically. Congrats on the 7 lb loss.

I agree with what has been said above. The words lazy, junk food eater, over indulgent, stupid, lacking self control, are things I have heard over the years from people who are rude or seemingly just want to help, by teaching me the correct foods to eat, portion control and exercise.
I think the only advantage of being overweight and obese is having that rare glimpse into a person's true nature.
If a person can judge based on size alone, then they have truly missed the bigger picture.

911Chrisy wrote: »

I agree with what has been said above. The words lazy, junk food eater, over indulgent, stupid, lacking self control, are things I have heard over the years from people who are rude or seemingly just want to help, by teaching me the correct foods to eat, portion control and exercise.
I think the only advantage of being overweight and obese is having that rare glimpse into a person's true nature.
If a person can judge based on size alone, then they have truly missed the bigger picture.

I agree, the same people who look down on those who are overweight may in the future find themselves trying to lose a substantial amount of weight as well and not have the answers.

It's just like anything else out there in cyberland - many people think that if it isn't right for them, then it can't possibly be right for anyone else, either. And they're gonna make sure that everyone knows that they're judgmental about it. (Personally, I couldn't give two whiffs about the opinions of people who think it's fun to post whether or not they'd kiss the person who posts above or below them, which is 90 percent of what I see posted on the front page on the sidebar whenever I log in.)

The nastiest (thankfully) I've experienced to my face so far is I've had a few people tell me, "Surgery is just not for me." And I respect that. But the reality is that I've dropped 70+ lbs and am the healthiest I have probably ever been while I sit back and watch them bang their heads repeatedly against the wall trying to lose weight because they've become insulin-resistant. I don't say anything because they have to choose what's right for them. But I know this much - HEALTHY is what's right for me and I've found it through WLS, so I KNOW I've made the right choice.

I think quite a bit of it is there are so many sources of BAD information out there (majority of my 600lb life episodes anyone?) and so many incorrect sources on the internet. Had I not had 2 other family members go through it and be very successful, I don't know if I'd be here, post-op, today. Thy helped pave the way for my journey, and showed me that it does work, if you're willing to make the changes and put the work into it.

The negativity is why I only lurk on the main boards, and save my posting for WLS groups. I also have kept my journey private- only my family and a couple of very close friends know what I've done, and they are all supportive. Pre surgery, I only told those who I knew would be supportive, and have slowly added people to that list as I've lost weight and gained confidence. It isn't a secret that I've done WLS, but it is private. And not everyone needs to be privy to your private information until/if you're ready to share with them.

We are all stronger mentally and physically having been brave enough to make the wls decision. The community of people we are now part of understand and support the ups and the downs. I think most of us not only look and feel better but are just stronger yet more sensitive people overall. No one likes a triple threat! Hahahha. Ignorance is everywhere but so is open minded people like the folks here. I focus on those people .

Holly_penguin wrote: »

I decided this because I'd spent my entire life being judged for being fat, I wasn't going to spend the rest of it being judged for being thin.

YES to this. Bravo.

cmchandler74 wrote: »

Holly_penguin wrote: »

I decided this because I'd spent my entire life being judged for being fat, I wasn't going to spend the rest of it being judged for being thin.

YES to this. Bravo.

Thank you.

Can I add an "Amen" to everything that has been said! WLS is a tool that most of us have chosen as the last resort after exercise and diet haven't been successful. Even after WLS, it takes a lot of work, discipline and determination to get the weight off. The surgery alone will only take us so far - we have to change our head.

I was watching a documentary, I think it was British, about people who simply do not get fat. The purpose of the documentary was to see if they could make them get fat, the idea that some people are genetically programmed to be naturally fat or thin. I'm probably explaining this badly. Plenty of testing and measuring early on, then the group was released to eat enormous calorie goals and day and were told 'do not exercise.'

So you watch the documentary and these people are pigging out to the point they are nauseated. After a month they are remeasured and they've gained some weight, but nothing like I'd have gained on a similar diet. I think this went on for a few months. But the MOMENT these people were released from all the eating, they started losing again. In a month or two they were back to their normal lean weight without any real effort on their parts.

So we are not all created equal in this regard. Some of us are natural storers. Then maybe life circumstances make it worse and as we age, our metabolisms just head off a cliff. There is no getting around it. For some of us, hunger does not keep us alive, it is killing us. Now why other people even care whether or not I chose this route, so I wouldn't die and I could enjoy the rest of my life...who knows? Would they go ballistic if I were a Type I diabetic and needed insulin to live? How about if I had a tumor that needed to be removed? I don't waste my time for even one minute thinking about those people.

Yeah, I could lock myself in a room with a set number of calories a day and be hungry all the time and eventually, I'll lose weight.Like months and months and maybe years down the road. Meanwhile, I'll be suffering and unhappy and stressed. Guess what, my metabolism is so slow that even with the sleeve my weight loss is MINISCULE, but at least I'm not walking around hungry all the time. My food choices are better because I'm not craving horrible food anymore. The hunger monster is tamed. I've still got plenty to lose. PLENTY. I'm down 75 pounds and I have another 100 or more to go. But I'm way happier, can move around and am no longer ashamed to just be taking up space.

So ignore those people. They have NO IDEA.

I am still months out from surgery and I know my family is already supportive and I expect my friends to be too. It makes me so mad and sad to hear stories of people who get hate for making this decision. I think most people who get to the point where they decide to have surgery likely have some kind of unhealthy emotional attachment to food or perhaps a food addiction, I know I do. Committing to giving up overeating and bingeing for the rest of my life is definitely not the easy way out. I'm giving up my emotional crutch and the substance that I have relied on my whole life to be by my side in good times and hard times. Its too bad that people who don't understand it or are too afraid to make this kind of commitment for themselves are so quick to judge.