So I'm going to tell my parents about my WLS. I'm almost 50 (in August) and my parents are in their early 70s and yet I’ve had a hard time deciding whether to tell them. See both are morbidly obese, both have weight related problems, and neither is having the retirement they dreamed of. They are, in some ways why I decided to pursue surgery. Worse than that, they have both become glass half empty kind of folks…not at all like the parents I remember from my childhood. I know they will worry. And then they will worry some more.

But here’s the main thing driving my decision to tell them. My husband and I are going to see them this October. My trips to my home town are normally gastronomical tours….fresh baked pepperoni roles from D’Anunzio’s, white cake from Bonnie Bell’s Bakery, calamari and lasagna from Muriel’s….my stomach is growling just typing. Already mom is talking about the new buffet at a state park resort and how we need to go there.

I’m using my 3 month doctor supervised diet period to establish good habits and drop what weight I can…and this trip occurs right after that period and about 6 weeks before the date I hope to have surgery. Unfortunately my folks are used to my “health kicks” and if I just tell them I’m on a diet, they might not take it seriously. Actually it was my husband who said “I don’t know if I will be able to not get mad if your mom tries to push food on you”….hmmmm hadn’t thought about it from his point of view.

I’ve decided to keep the peace, and to explain my commitment to my new eating habits, I need to have THE TALK. I can’t expect them to be supportive if they don’t know there is something to support. So I’m going to make the call. Tonight. Probably.