well said!

Love it! I completely agree! I tell everyone - it helps keep me accountable. Have a great week!

I am mystified about what you said regarding other people's attitudes. I have not come into contact with anyone, ever, who has been critical of my LB and in fact most are amazed by it. Better luck 2 u in finding less judgmental people.

Visit me at my outside blog: michaelwasfat.blogspot.com

or write to me at michaelwasfat1@gmail.com

Oh, no- I am personally not being critized but some of the blogs I read are constantly addressing these issue. From day one, I have told everyone of my choice to be banded and that I am currently banded. I have received so much support and I think it's because I am so open about it. I just wanted to encourage some others on this site who is confronted by the choice to tell or not to tell. <BR><BR>I had a very close LB friend who deleted her site due to this issue recently. It was really disturbing to me that she felt the need to hide her choice to be banded. It is her choice but she should not feel the need to hide it from anyone.

You go girl ! BANDED AND PROUD ! Oct 15,2009

People use the patch to quit smoking and funny, you never hear anyone say anything about but "good for you".

Thank you... I needed to hear that. We said.

i tell basically anyone that i have the band - keeps me accountable just like michael said. maybe i will change my tune if i hit a plateau and people may be wondering why i'm not losing - but so be it. for now i'm losing and people are starting to slowly notice and i'm not going to lie when they ask how i'm doing it 80% diet and 20% surgery! BEST OF LUCK TO YOU AND US ALL IN OUR JOURNEYS!!!!

I have told around 10 people. The reactions that I have received have been mostly positive. I did get a few that said all I needed was to join a group like weight watchers and do it on my own that I did not need the surgery. I decided not to hide it if they can do weight loss and be successful with weight watchers or something else more power to them. But I already went that route and put the weight back on and them some.

i told some i was like you in being but so what at least we all made a choice to be healthy and god bless live longer and beside people do hate on you cause you look so darn gooooood

Babylapband.............I have one friend that is treating me different because I am loosing the weight and she is the first person I told that I was having the surgery. Why are people like that? I don't talk about it all the time, I don't brag about it getting smaller clothes, I just don't understand some people. I will tell a stranger before I tell a friend and I told one stranger and come to find out she had the same surgery over a year and half ago and when I saw her eating candy I yelled at her and she stopped eating it. This was a great blog because I think we all have this problem of how people react to us having the surgery. I am so happy I had it and thanks for this blog.

Judy

Well said Shonette!!! You are one of the most inspirational people on this support site. I love your blogs!!!

WELL SAID I LOVE IT, AND YOU ARE RIGHT ITS JUST A TOOL WE ARE STILL DOING THE WORK I LOV MY TOOL ALSO

Well said Shonette! and where have you been!! One of the first persons I was planning on telling about my surgery started the conversation out with..."You aren't like those crazy people that have those cheating surgeries, are you?". At that point I didn't bother telling anyone. Besides my surgeon, my husband and my parents..no one else knows. Two days after my procedure I had 40 people at my house for Thanksgiving dinner and not one person noticed that I didn't eat and I wasn't moving around all that fast. I also have a little one who would have been 3 then so I just fussed over him..no one knew the difference and no one has noticed since. This to me is a life style change..I eat everything they do only in smaller portions. Overall there is so much negativity towards gastric surgery I personally only wanted positive people to support me and no one was going to interfere with my success. I knew there would be a lot of head games that had to played..within myself I didn't need anyone else to contribute their two cents! This is a personal decision. I have seen it go both ways and seen it back fire both ways. For me this is the right choice..for others maybe not.

I am so happy to have all the love and support from people who really understand the struggles of having this band. So many people have this weird perception that weight lost surgry is the easy way out. Having the band is the total opposite, because there is so many life style changes that must be met in order to see the results you really want to see. There are times each of us may fall off the wagon, but get back up and try it again. It does not make you a failure if and when wrong food choices are made or someone eats a little more than they should.

I view all of my wrong choices as a learned opportunity to do it better the next time around. Each of us much learn to be a little more loving and kinder to ourself. This is a personal choice that each of us has made for so many different reasons, therefore never allow anyone to minimize your hard work and weight lost accomplishments.