[onalongmission]

Originally Posted by post16months

I got on here looking for help regarding how to deal with jealous co-workers. I probably shouldn't care but I feel so isolated at work, and why??? Because I had gastric bypass and lost half of my body weight. And then they want to make it seem as if I've changed. Well, yes I have changed! I'm half the person that I used to be but I don't walk around with a big head, I'm very grateful to GOD for such an opportunity. I'm living my dream!!!

I guess it hurts me because I was expecting people to be more supportive or uncaring. I'd almost rather see them unconcerned then for them to act so jealous and hate on me for having the courage to go after my dreams.

As far as this being an easy way out; well, I thought so too but I can tell you this was one of the most difficult challenges that I've ever had to face. Yes, I look better now at 40 y.o. than I did at 30 y.o.; and I have the energy of a 25 y.o. But psychologically, I'm still that fat girl on the inside who really wants to just retreat and binge eat when I'm under a lot of stress. And then I have to deal with jealous women, who have not once taken to time to ask me how everything is going for me but assume that everything is hunky-dory because I look good!

So for those of you who are jealous, don't be! Instead of putting energy into being jealous, redirect that energy into going after your dreams. I guarantee you that there will not be enough time in the day to be jealous of someone else. Life is way too short!!! Let us have our moment to shine! We've earned it, even if it wasn't done in a traditional way!

I gotta say, I am scared to death of the gastric bypass. The rerouting of the intestines and the malabsorption of vitamins scares me. I think you are SUPER BRAVE for going through it. I think it's a great option for people who CHOOSE to adopt the post op lifestyle change and diet. The decrease in hunger and appetite are great. i was just too chicken!

I chose the gastric vertical sleeve because it just made my stomach a lot smaller, but did not reroute my intestines. It's a less extreme surgery in the fact that it only touched my stomach and nothing else, and I don't malabsorb calories and vitamins. BUTTTTT it is STILL somwhat extreme because they DID remove 85% OF MY stomach. I figured my stomach was too damn big anyway and I didn't need it. I don't miss it! As a matter of fact, my Aunt had a partial gastrectomy where they removed 70% of her stomach after she had stomach cancer. It is the SAME THING, they just remove more stomach for the sleeve. I have lost ALL of my excess weight but I've also had to eat right, exercise, and get used to eating tiny portions.

I am very sorry you are dealing with jealousy. It sucks. Just keep your head held high and try not to let it bother you. Jealousy is part of life. I know I've been jealous of people who lost a ton of weight regardless of if they did it with surgery or not. I remember getting thin one time a long time ago and people being jealous of me but they didn't know I starved myself thin on about 500 calories a day! They wouldn't have been jealous if they knew that. I hope you are feeling better. Just be GRATEFUL for the weight loss and never ever forget how heavy you were before and how you never want to go back there. Eat healthy and move more and take care of your new body so you NEVER gain your weight back!! Good luck hun!! And yes, I do occasionally eat sugars or carbs, but only a LITTLE bit and only after I eat PROTEIN FIRST :-)

[Snoofie]

Seriously? There is absolutely no reason to feel envious or jealous of someone who has undergone gastric bypass. Number one, that is a MAJOR surgery. Number two, it's usually a last-ditch effort. And number three, as you yourself mentioned in your original post, gastric bypass means that the person has to undergo a serious, major change in their lives. It's not, as so many people seem to think, a "quick fix." Having the procedure does not mean that the minute the surgery's done, BOOM, you'll be skinny forever and ever. If you have the surgery but still eat the same way you did before the surgery, it's not going to change anything...you'll only end up making yourself sick. If you don't exercise after it's done, well, it's not good for you to not exercise regardless of what you weigh.

And people who think that gastric bypass is some magic bullet -- holy ****, that's the last thing it is. Most people, by the time they're even eligible for the surgery, are at a weight where their lives are literally at risk. And a lot of the time, people have to lose weight even *before* they'll be considered a candidate for the surgery. It's not an easy road, and I just wish that people who think of it as some quick weight loss solution could see the kind of work it really entails in order for it to be actually successful (because I, personally, don't think that a low body weight alone is a good measure of success when it comes to gastric bypass.)

I have a cousin who had gastric bypass last year. She "tried" to lose weight by eating right and exercising, but she didn't "have the time" for cooking healthy meals and more often that not relied almost solely on takeout. She didn't "have the time" to exercise and could "only" do ten minutes on the treadmill starting out, so she figured she'd take the quick fix route.

Guess what? Didn't work. Sure, she lost weight, but she's miserable and sick all the damn time because she's still eating pretty much nothing but junk and still doesn't exercise because she still "doesn't have the time."

Weight loss and overall health require healthy eating and moderate exercise. If you don't have the motivation to do those things, gastric bypass isn't going to do a damn thing. Sure, losing weight the traditional way takes a **** of a lot longer, but at least at the end of it you can look at yourself in the mirror and honestly say, "I did this. Me. On my own." And honestly? I don't know about anyone else here, but I consider myself pretty damn lucky not to be at the point where I'd be considered a good candidate for gastric bypass.

[tcstart]

Nearly every person I know who has done the surgery route has gained back much of their weight. Given what it takes to keep it off, why not just do that instead of the surgery. Remeber that the surgery is a one time fix, not a promise forever fix.