stared at

[cari73 64]

I'm 5'3. I'm right at 200. I can lose 15 pounds easy but it comes right back. I carry it pretty well I'm big busted and I can hide the fat under my scrubs.. I'm so glad I saw this post.. I have not told anyone about my upcoming surgery except my husband and a patient of mine that had it done and she actually inspired me to want to have the surgery.. I'm 40 years old my grandfather died in his 40's with a heart attack and I lost my brother December 2012 age 43 to heart problems.. I want to do this for my health

I love this site is so supportive... I wish you all the best

[Nurse96 28]

Cari73, I can totally relate. Seems like we have a lot in common. I will be 40 in September, and my height is about the same as yours. I weigh about 215 now after doing about a week and a half of the preop diet (my surgery is this coming Thursday). I think we just have to go with our gut, and do this for health, like you said. I wish you the best of luck, and I'm so thankful for this site too. Such a wealth of great information and support!!

[Seela 1,187]

Our society is obsessed with super thin but has gotten so used to obese as a "normal" that even 100 lbs overweight may not look so bad to them. As long as your BMI and comorbidities indicate surgery is right for you, then blow it off.

Societies perception. .. i have been an open book about my wls as I'm incapable of keeping a secret. ..lol. so I get asked all the time; How much weight have you lost? What size are you now? Etc... it really doesn't bother me (too much), but when i tel people my goal is to lose about 35 more lbs and get to a size 7 the freak out. SIZE 7! That's way to skinny! You're getting to skinny already! Are you kidding me? Since when is a size 12 to skinny for someone that's 5'5" tall? I think "society" has become so used to seeing everyone so overweight that "normal" sizes seem unrealistic to most people. Sad.

[HeatherSchwartz 43]

I stopped hiding the fact that I was going to have WLS. Might as well announce it to the world so I put it on Facebook.. Lots of ' work out, push away from the table, and NO you don't need that done' Well they don't live in MY body and don't know my addiction/fixation with food. I just try to reassure some and roll my eyes at others. Come on May 26th. IM READY!!

[CurvyCakes 269]

I stopped hiding the fact that I was going to have WLS. Might as well announce it to the world so I put it on Facebook.. Lots of ' work out, push away from the table, and NO you don't need that done' Well they don't live in MY body and don't know my addiction/fixation with food. I just try to reassure some and roll my eyes at others. Come on May 26th. IM READY!!

Love how u reassured some and rolled ur eyes at others...love it!

[lsuchick4 54]

So rude! My night nurse after surgery made a comment that I wasn't that big. I just told her that it was a decision that I made with my doctor based on my health.

What gets me, though, is that no one would tell an alcoholic or cocaine addict to not go to rehab. Or that they don't use enough drugs to get outside help.

[CurvyCakes 269]

So rude! My night nurse after surgery made a comment that I wasn't that big. I just told her that it was a decision that I made with my doctor based on my health. <br><br> What gets me, though, is that no one would tell an alcoholic or cocaine addict to not go to rehab. Or that they don't use enough drugs to get outside help.

That really pisses me off when people say crap like "ur not that big" sorry to be rude but shut up nobody asked u if we were or r that big! Most times it's a person not struggling with their weight that says it. My sister said that to me as well as "if u would just not eat out u can lose this weight" I said I don't count how many glasses of wine u consume daily I'd appreciate it if I'd do the same when it comes to what I do I got this! I know she means well but at the same time unless I solicit ur comments if u have nothing supportive to say ZIP IT!

[JustMeJFD 32]

I too have heard this many times. But you aren't that big, they protest. I am big enough to get all of the negative backlash of being fat in this world but not 'big enough' to have surgery? They will forget all about it in a year. And from those who are larger than me and have an opinion well I'm not going to respond to them and stoop to their rudeness, but I want to tell them I'm not going to wait until I am in as bad of shape as you are. Multiple meds, more to lose, mobility issues. I just smile and nod. I'm lucky to have the foresight to do this now when its going to likely go smoother. Im done with my denial and fear about weight loss! Only a few short weeks left for me!

[Fiddleman 4,376]

Agree. There is definitely a double standard when is comes to societal injustice. The obese man or woman is invisible or publicly ridiculed when in plain sight, but the smoker or alcoholic is accepted when lighting up or drinking a few long islands in public. Infuriating, even now when on the attractive side of the coin (sorry about self promoting, but I have worked really hard to get to the point where I can state this). Yet there are so many public announcements on tv, on the radio, in the magazines and on the billboards, mandated by government, which emphasize drinking leads to alcoholism and smoking leads to cancer. And alcoholism and cancer leads to death. It is there in plain sight. Yet, we don't see the same public announcements about obesity and that prevents the average citizen from not looking at obesity like a disease and, perhaps, more like an inconvenience that the obese person can easily fix. Does that make alcoholism or cancer a "better" or "more accepted" illness then obesity? Rhetorical question, I know, but the question is designed to provide a focused lens into the societal injustice around us. It is blatantly clear. Somehow people emphasize with alcoholics and drug pushers and offer acceptance, not ridicule. Why would the same people who feel the need to ridicule obesity not feel the need to ridicule publicly the drug abuser, the alcoholic and the smoker? Clearly they all shorten life in the same manner. If the food industry is anything like big tobacco or big alcohol (I know this phrase does not exist) then it would be in their best interest to educate the average citizen who ridicules obesity that obesity is "acceptable" in order to sell more food. That being said, I think food industry is being a bit indirect about the link of obesity to death by offering healthier alternatives. Yet they are not going out there and linking obesity to death in their advertisements so people will stop treating obesity like something that will just go away if one tries harder. Try telling that to the alcoholic or druggie. What do others think about this?

Edited March 29, 2014 by Fiddleman

[Sleeveless in seattle 208]

Fiddle man,

Double standard with health care, too. I have a "premium" health insurance according to the federal standards. They are require to cover care for drug abuse and alcohol abuse, even tobacco cessation programs however exclude all weight loss related treatment. They are treated as a disease yet me being very overweight since the age of 6....well, that's a choice I guess.

[CurvyCakes 269]

Fiddle man,<br> Double standard with health care, too. I have a "premium" health insurance according to the federal standards. They are require to cover care for drug abuse and alcohol abuse, even tobacco cessation programs however exclude all weight loss related treatment. They are treated as a disease yet me being very overweight since the age of 6....well, that's a choice I guess.

Amen to that! We had to switch to my hubby plan because my company choose to exclude ANY weight loss surgery irregardless of comorbidities or BMI. Thank goodness the option was there under my husband plan. If it wasn't we were considering self pay at least for our daughter.

[Fiddleman 4,376]

Fiddle man, Double standard with health care, too. I have a "premium" health insurance according to the federal standards. They are require to cover care for drug abuse and alcohol abuse, even tobacco cessation programs however exclude all weight loss related treatment. They are treated as a disease yet me being very overweight since the age of 6....well, that's a choice I guess.

Yeah, so why isn't drug and alcohol use a choice too? It seems to be even more of an individual choice, in my eyes, then obesity. Of course I may be looking at drug and alcohol use in the same way others look at obesity so it's a wash and everyone is wound up in a circular debate where personal preference dictates choice. However, insurance companies should not be designing their policies this way. At least they are not supposed to. The only way out of it is to eliminate the preferential treatment towards one or more demographics of people.

Edited March 29, 2014 by Fiddleman