After we have decided to have weight loss surgery, we want to share our decision with our closest friends and family. We are excited and want them to share in our new adventure! But sometimes, our news is met with reactions that we were not anticipating; negative statements, constant and digging questions about our decision, and attempts to talk us out of our weight loss procedure. Often, we are told just to eat less or follow a different diet, to start a specific workout regimen or program, to stop going through the drive-throughs and sneaking food. These suggestions are infuriating and undercut the work we have already done to live our lives at a healthy weight. These statements and actions let us know that we are going against the grain of the group, and if we want to remain a member of the group, we must conform to the group's unwritten rules.

What we see on the surface is not what is going on- by us taking such drastic and lasting steps to improve our health, we are letting others know that they could be doing the same thing in their own lives. We are forcing people to confront the stories they have been telling themselves about their weight issues and struggles- others take our news as a slap in the face. Our news forces people to take stock of their efforts and compare their decisions with the decisions we have made. We know it is easier to stay the same and people will consciously or unconsciously try to keep people in their group "status quo" to avoid change.

In this episode, we welcome Becca @refreshing.becca to deep dive into "The Outsider Syndrome"- a term we have coined to describe the reactions we have received after telling our group members that we will be having weight loss surgery. It is NOT a clinical term. It is something we coined on our own to label something we have experienced along our journeys. We can all experience this Syndrome in different ways, and we might not experience it at all! By understanding what we or others are going through, we can help ease the discomfort of people we love and care about and let them know that they are never an outsider when they are with is. 

Episode Notes:

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