Boundaries--sharing our WLS stories with the world

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone:

I can't remember who asked this question (I'm paraphrasing here), " Do

you share your WLS story with everyone? Do you sometimes feel like

shouting it to the world? Other times not? "

At 2.5 years post-op, it has become very important for me to decide

who needs to know and who doesn't. Not everyone deserves to know

something so intimate and personal about me. Some people I know now

have no idea I was once 320 lbs.

Boundaries.

Some people ask questions that I'm really tired of hearing (I'm

talking about people outside of the bariatric community), and

sometimes I really don't want to waste the time trying to convince

some uninformed person that what I did was right for me; I simply

don't want to hear again that what I did was the " easy " way out. As

we all know, there is NOTHING easy about this process.

Some people in my office have been very unsupportive (all morbidly

obese) so I had to part ways with those friendships.

Others--people who are open-hearted and who matter to me--yes, they

all know.

A wise and wonderful woman once told us post-ops in a support group

meeting that it is important to move past being defined as Mr. / Ms.

X, gastric bypass surgery patient.

And that is what I strive to do. For a while, I was Francisco, fat

gay guy who felt that no one loved him or really knew who he was

(except his Mom).

Then I was Francisco, morbidly obese guy.

Then Francisco, WLS patient.

Francisco, post-op success story.

Francisco, at goal weight.

Francisco, half marathon finisher.

Now, I prefer to be just Francisco. WLS is a process that is a part

of who I am--it will always be a huge part of who I am and who I have

become because the suffering that I experienced as a morbidly obese

person has forever transformed me. But the love and beauty, the

healing and miracles that I have experienced as a result of gastric

bypass surgery have also transformed me.

There are many things about my life that have influenced who I am.

None of them define me, but all of are part of who I am. However, I

am defined by one thing, and one thing only--me.

I hope that answers that question from my point of view. I'm sorry I

can't remember who posted that question, but it's been on my mind and

I wanted to respond.

Francisco

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone:

I can't remember who asked this question (I'm paraphrasing here), " Do

you share your WLS story with everyone? Do you sometimes feel like

shouting it to the world? Other times not? "

At 2.5 years post-op, it has become very important for me to decide

who needs to know and who doesn't. Not everyone deserves to know

something so intimate and personal about me. Some people I know now

have no idea I was once 320 lbs.

Boundaries.

Some people ask questions that I'm really tired of hearing (I'm

talking about people outside of the bariatric community), and

sometimes I really don't want to waste the time trying to convince

some uninformed person that what I did was right for me; I simply

don't want to hear again that what I did was the " easy " way out. As

we all know, there is NOTHING easy about this process.

Some people in my office have been very unsupportive (all morbidly

obese) so I had to part ways with those friendships.

Others--people who are open-hearted and who matter to me--yes, they

all know.

A wise and wonderful woman once told us post-ops in a support group

meeting that it is important to move past being defined as Mr. / Ms.

X, gastric bypass surgery patient.

And that is what I strive to do. For a while, I was Francisco, fat

gay guy who felt that no one loved him or really knew who he was

(except his Mom).

Then I was Francisco, morbidly obese guy.

Then Francisco, WLS patient.

Francisco, post-op success story.

Francisco, at goal weight.

Francisco, half marathon finisher.

Now, I prefer to be just Francisco. WLS is a process that is a part

of who I am--it will always be a huge part of who I am and who I have

become because the suffering that I experienced as a morbidly obese

person has forever transformed me. But the love and beauty, the

healing and miracles that I have experienced as a result of gastric

bypass surgery have also transformed me.

There are many things about my life that have influenced who I am.

None of them define me, but all of are part of who I am. However, I

am defined by one thing, and one thing only--me.

I hope that answers that question from my point of view. I'm sorry I

can't remember who posted that question, but it's been on my mind and

I wanted to respond.

Francisco