UGH....never telling a stranger again!

[marymoon 18]

What an unfortunate attitude from someone supposedly dedicated to improving the health of others. Let me guess, she's of normal weight and has absolutely no first hand experience of what it's like to be carrying around 100 extra pounds and feeling the hopelessness of being trapped by the weight. I just love people like that.

I'm very fortunate that the trainers at my Y are supportive of my surgery and dedicated to working with me to get the weight off and build muscle in a safe and proper manner while I heal. I just started back today and everyone from the Zumba instructor to my personal trainer to the trainers I'm chummy with were watching out for me, making sure I was using proper form and protecting my healing ab muscles during class and on the weight machines. I hope you can find a more supportive establishment that is also close to your work.

I agree that this woman is an asshat and probably deserves to own a Curves.

[swizzly 901]

I agree that this woman is an asshat and probably deserves to own a Curves.

*snerk*

[Heatherr 149]

I never try to convince people it's not easy -- for several reasons, not least of which is because I have personally found it to be ludicrously easy.

My questions back to these non-thinking 'easy way out'-ers always involve inquiring how much smarter might it be to do that which is both more effective and easier? Is there some particular virtue about doing something the "hard way"?? Good lord, doing things that are clever in terms of outcome and effort is why humans don't live in effing caves anymore. Do people say OMG YOU TOOK THE EASY WAY OUT when you, e.g., choose to send an email instead of climbing a mountain and building a fire with flint and steel and then sending smoke signals??

There is also an underlying inseparable value judgment in the whole 'easy way out' thing -- to wit, "you're a big fat old fatty who has no willpower or self-control or discipline and you therefore deserve to be punished via ineffective starvation diets and weight regain overandoverandoveragain."

To that judgment I say: Piss right off. Go pound sand. At the end of the day, I have clearly chosen the smarter alternative. They can all suck it.

Right. I'm in a bit of a mood today. I am ranting (is this the rant section?), so I hope no one takes it personally. I could also rant about Curves in general, but I will spare everyone my precious opinions.

If I were gay, I'd jump your bones. I love you!

[swizzly 901]

If I were gay, I'd jump your bones. I love you!

LOL! I'm just glad when someone doesn't get completely offended by my soapboxes, but I'll definitely take platonic lust too. :D

[Kassie B. 1]

I'm with everyone else... ALSO, I think you SHOULD continue to go... I mean, yes, you're putting money in the pocket of a virtual hypocrite, but... BUT... you'll be shoving it IN HER FACE that not only was it a great decision for you, but you'll look AMAZING... strut your stuff, girl. Be snobby and rude to HER every time you see her... it'll feel amazing, I bet.

[Tipsynoodle 2]

So after thinking about it for months, and putting it off, I decided to join Curves (again) and got the support from my surgeon and even a WLS coupon for the sign up fee. This time I chose a location close to my work. The plan is to go on my lunch hour. This will a) keep me from feeling rushed after work and/or coming up with reasons I can't go c) keep me from eating out during lunch and d) keep me from, ahem, shopping too much during lunch. Seemed like a win win win win situation.

I make my sign up appointment, walk in excited, and proceed to fill out the paperwork. One of my questions was if I would need a doctor's note to pause my membership during my first month post op. Well, I should have never said ANYTHING!

The owner(?) proceeded to tell me that she did not support WLS and was going to talk me out of it. Kept saying things like "they are going to cut on you" and "that's just not natural" and "can't you just eat less" and, wait for it, "that's easy way out"!!!! It was all I could do to not get up and walk out of there. She even proceeded to tell me that her overweight son was signed up to have the surgery and she talked him out of it! Seriously?

I got some digs in. Told her the statistics of perminant weight loss with surgery vs. without. Told her that being overweight just "is not natural" either. Told her that anyone that thinks this is the easy way out isn't educatated about the process. And I also told her that she should be ashamed of not supporting her son, that it isn't an overnight decision and it took a lot of courage for him to a) come to that decision and c) confide in her for support.

She said he could lose weight other ways. I said has he? She said no. I said well those other ways aren't exactly working then are they.

I thought about not going back there. But I need this. I need to incorporate regular exercise into my routine.

I think it was good in a way. This surely won't be the last person I come into contact with that disagrees with my decision. And I feel like I held my own and knew the facts and answered back in an educatated and confident way.

I'm just really hoping come July that I prove her wrong!

Anyways the whole point of my rant is.....Isn't Curves for Women supposed to be one of the places that WLS doctors recommend? Maybe the employees need to take some information and/or sensitivity classes!

Since you are going back to the class, next time u go - be prepared........print out a leaflet or take a booklet about VSG and hand it to her to read....tell her to educate herself before she spouts off at the mouth lol

[KellyL 173]

I would tell her lets do a little survey: lets compare my weight loss success with your other overweight customers who don't have surgery and see who meets their goal.

She's probably worried that people will be successful and stop coming to Curves because they lose the weight with the surgery and don't need it cuz they are busy and active in their life and having fun!!

Don't worry, ignorance is all around us! That was seriously unprofessional of her. She works at Curves and suddenly she's an expert at weight loss. Haha. Funny! How dare she advise you against a medical procedure that even medical drs know we need to be healthier and cure or prevent diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, etc. She's full of herself!

[SKCUNNINGHAM 298]

I have a question, "What IS natural?", I mean the woman at the Curves place brought it up. Let's see we all eat a ton of PROCESSED FOODS, that's not natural. We stuff ourselves with high caloric foods that don't even exist in nature - which is of course not natural. We sit around in climate controlled buildings which is not natural. We don't walk much but instead get around in another climate controlled box called a car, which is not natural either. We join "clubs" and pay for the privilege of exercising to lose weight - which again is not natural. Let's face it we as a species have done very little that is "natural" for a long, long time.

Just forget her, she is an asshat. You did well by not hauling off and whopping her upside the head - which, by the way, WOULD be natural in my book.

And we women certainly NEVER do ANYTHING else un-natural, do we? No special underwear that gives us the look of having more or less of certain areas of our bodies? No plucking eyebrows into elegantly shaped arches? No wearing of makeup? No visits to the tanning salon? No dying our hair? And of course we never do any surgeries except for the direst of life threatening situations, right? Of course we would NEVER RESORT to surgery for merely vanity? I guess all the nip, tucks, Botoxes etc. are for life saving measures.

That women had rocks in her head. I think God gives us a blank piece of paper and a big box of crayons - we get to make the picture that is us anything we d**n well please, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else.

[Wheetsin 714]

Why do total strangers think other people want their unsolicited opinion on personal or private matters? I will never understand that. No matter how much I personally disagree with someone, it is not my place to try and change their minds - or in any way impact their emotional state about their decision. If she disagrees, a simple "Oh, good for you" is a harmless enough way to keep your gob shut.

About it being easy -- you know, I don't have VSG, I have an AGB. I would LOVE for someone to walk into the bathroom while I'm in the middle of chucking up a thick saliva rainbow, after 45 minutes of feeling like someone was running their nails down my spine, and tell me I took the easy way out. It wasn't easy to elect to have my first surgery. There's nothing easy about it.

I've never understood the "easy way" mentality, really. Is it "hard" to diet? Is it any "harder" than having to limit your portions, your foods, and exercise? (And aren't we all doing that?) Are you somehow special because you did it on your own, and are going to have to do it again when the weight comes back? I can't even pretend to understand that sentiment. People who follow that logic should walk my 80 mile roudtrip commute to work, because imma take the easy way out and drive.

You know what else is unnatural? Curves. Truly. Mediocre workout, ridiculous "rituals"... I went there for a few months and they actually wanted people to play spin the bottle, and you give your spinnee a compliment about their body. Umm what? And no thanks, I don't want to ring a bell when I lose every 10 lbs. And I really, really don't want you to trace my foot and stick it on the window every time I lose 12". Can I have my dignity back please?

[Beautyjunkie824 2]

Thanks so much for your support! I white knuckled it all the way home and ran to my computer to tell my sleeve family.

One thing I forgot is that she kept saying "you're too young". Well thank GOD I'm only 32! Does she want me to spend another 20 years in misery and then do this?

I hate hate hate that! That's what everyone tells me. I'm about to be 31 in 2 weeks. I wonder the ame thing.

@swizzly I LOVE your angle on this!

[SeattleSue 25]

Swizzly, do they make a doll version of you? Genie in a bottle? Woman, I need some of that!!! hahahahaha

[swizzly 901]

Swizzly, do they make a doll version of you? Genie in a bottle? Woman, I need some of that!!! hahahahaha

LOL. I'm starting to think there actually might be! Only it's a voodoo doll and it's currently already in use by several of my 'colleagues.'