Dealing With Online Bullying Post WLS
Experiencing Online Bullying post WLS
Some people decide to keep weight loss surgery a secret from friends, coworkers, parents; and I even met a lady once who kept the secret from her husband out of fear he would shame her for wanting to lose the weight. Her own husband! So, believe me, you’re not alone if you’re apprehensive about sharing your journey.
For me, remaining quiet about this life-saving surgery is the equivalent to keeping the cure for cancer to myself. So I share with anyone who has ears! And no, you absolutely don’t have to have a public social media profile, or write a blog about it, but sharing your journey is so helpful to others who are struggling with the same demons you do.
Allow me to illustrate this for you: I once worked with a doctor who was obese. I noticed she was losing weight and complimented her on this. I was so tired of being caught in the vicious cycle of obesity that I asked her for tips on how she’d done it. She told me she was working with a nutritionist and going to the gym a lot. She lied- as I later found out she’d had the Sleeve Gastrectomy.
Yes, that’s right, a medical professional lied to an obese coworker out of fear of being shamed. This event occurred about 2 years before I had my own weight-loss surgery. She doesn’t know it, but she could have changed my life sooner had she been open about the surgery.
So what if some people shame you? Don’t we all get shamed at some point for all sorts of different reasons? Oh you’re a woman and too tall? Shame! Oh you’re a guy who’s balding? Shame! Oh you like country music? Shame! Well forget all that nonsense!
Here’s the deal with shame: It’s part of life. Do you know how you take your power back? By being open about it. Once it’s out in the cold light of day (however ugly and vulnerable it might be) no one can hold it against you.
Society is full of haters and cyber bullies. Through the years, I’ve had to fend off/block my share of negative comments on my social media posts. One of the most common is “you cheated because you got weight loss surgery”. Let me be completely clear about this: The only thing I cheated by having bariatric surgery was death. So if you feel like living a healthier life after losing a bunch of weight thanks to weight-loss surgery is a source of shame, I recommend you pursue the path of self-love and acceptance next; because there’s no shame in wanting to improve your quality of life and health.
And tell your friends and family about it! You never know how much of a difference you can make in their lives.
I’ve been working on loving and improving myself for years now. It’s empowering. One of the influencers in my life is Brene Brown. She has done TED Talks, written books backed by years of research, and even a Netflix special. I encourage you to check out her work- Links below.
https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability?language=en
This is optional:
If you’re interested in connecting further, I am on Instagram as @ana_vsg_miami.
XOXO
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