I need to vent!

I have hit another stall (I'm 11 weeks out) and it is FRUSTRATING. But if one more person that that knows nothing about having WLS offers up their unsolicited opinion I will lose it! I honestly think some people (those that believe this is the easy way to lose weight) enjoy watching me struggle! I don't know if they're jealous, thoughtless, or just plain old mean! I actually had someone ask me this morning how much I'd lost (55 pounds to date) and then say to me, "Seems like a lot of money to have spent on losing a couple of sizes". I mean, geeze, I'm not DONE YET!! I wanted to scream. No, I really wanted to punch them. Okay, I feel better now but any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated. I had some eating habit disruptions last week and wasn't able to exercise as much as normal so I'm hoping and praying my stall will not continue into this week!!

Saw my brother for the first time this weekend since having surgery (3 months out - 65 pounds) and what do I get from him? "You're finally starting to look good." Sometimes... I need to learn to not speak because the first thing that came out of my mouth was "Too bad the same can't be said for you."

LOL Good for you!!

People that dont know the struggle have no right to say anything....that is what these forums are for!!!! We know the struggle and that this is a tool to help us get to a healthy weight...Your brother is a giant douche bag and could have just said something encouraging but...We know that soo many ppl dont think before they speak, and your comeback deserves a standing ovation!!!! You are an inspiration... You know you can come here to get the support you need...We are all in this together!!

And this is exactly WHY I never told anyone how much weight I'd lost. First of all, it's a completely rude and intrusive question. There's never a reason to answer this question except to ask, "Why do you need to know?" Second, answering actually invites these judgmental/asshole comments. You don't need this in your life.

The next time someone asks you how much weight you've lost, smile at them and say, "A lot!" and then immediately turn or walk away. If they persist ask them "Why do you need to know?"

Excellent come backs! Thank you so much!

And I would come right back at them and say, "And how much have YOU lost so far?" If they say they haven't or aren't trying to lose weight, just gently shake your head and say, "Ah, no wonder,", then walk away.

People like this aren't even worth your breathe. When I had lap band, I heard, "That's the easy way out", SO many times, I wanted to hurt someone. But finally I just came back with, "It's not, but even if you think it is, does it make the weight loss imaginary?"

They are just uninformed idiots. This time around, I ONLY chose to tell my family. NOBODY else knows. Everyone else thinks I went in for hernia surgery. Not really a lie. My dr. was going to see if he could fix the hernia if he needed to at the same time. He didn't fix it, but then, I didn't correct what I said either. As far as addressing the apparent weight loss I will have, I have just said, my dr. said if I didn't loss a lot of weight, the hernia surgery would be a waste of time and money as it would most likely come back. Also true....

Sadly I made the fatal mistake of telling people because I was excited about it! LOL Live and learn. Thank you!!

Well... I'd stop telling people how much you've lost. Say things like "a bunch" or "I'm on track."

And reply with "and clearly you're not spending enough on your therapist because you're still a jerk."

The "my doctor and I are thrilled with my progress, and he says I'm right on track," approach is the one I took with a family member. People will always offer unsolicited advice out of ignorance, jealousy, spite - you name it. That's also why I've limited the number of people I talk to openly about this journey.