ElizabethInDallas

Thought I had made the decision to get a lap band. I'd talked with my insurance company, and since I've had multiple issues related to my immune system they encouraged me to look long and hard because even laparoscopic surgeries can be traumatic ( I know... I've had 15). I'm glad I waited! This is going to sound like a cheesy ad, but I'm just offering an alternative before proceeding with banding/bypass... to make sure you really have to do it. Having tried Atkins, Weight Watchers, Perricone, Palm Beach, yada yada yada... I was NOT interested in having to weigh and measure everything and micro-manage my eating. After all, it was food --- not my life. A means to and end --not the end. Know what I mean? And on those programs I drove everyone in my family batty because I had to eat very specific things prepared a specific way. I was grumpy, hungry, and on every one of them I gave up without much success. So when my friend at work asked me if I wanted to join Slimming World (what a hoky name!), I wasn't very optimistic. But after being the largest girl in the office for 4 years running, I was willing to go and listen. Before my illness (lupus), I was a size 10 -- so I knew what I was missing, being able to wear anything and do anything. Really, I went in there with a bad attitude, but I heard their 'schpiel' and thought about it. I decided to try it, because at 5'5", I weighed 289 pounds. It wasn't going to make a difference if it bombed. Id be out the $10 for the meeting. So I took it home and digested what they had to say... literally. Their program allows UNLIMITED (as in frequency and portions) fruit, vegetables, LEAN meat and fish, rice, Beans, and more. Sure, you have to be careful how you prepare it... but you'd be AMAZED with how many different sauces you can make out of fat free plain yogurt. I've made convincing-tasting bearnaise, alfredo and hollandaise sauce -- not to mention whipped "cream" in maple, almond, vanilla and other flavors. You make sure 1/3 of your plate is "superfree" food that speeds weight loss (fruits & veggies), and the rest is up to you. In three weeks, I've dropped 19 pounds. Lap band would be hard pressed to beat that. The thing is, I EAT ALL DAY LONG, noshing on fruit, rotisserie chicken w/o the skin, sushi... I've even cheated quite a few times -- and I'm still losing that fast!. I know it won't work for everyone, because some people can't force themselves to give up the comfort food and aren't willing to learn how to prepare it in a more healthy way; but you're going to be forced to make those changes anyway with a band. Cheat too much and you get physically sick. All I'm saying is that for some people (like me), there IS another much-more-satisfying solution. Food is not the enemy. it's the junk we put in it and on it!! Whatever you decide, I wish you health. There is nothing more demoralizing than the labels people attach to us because we're large. We're told we're 'slow", stupid, lazy, clumsy... I could go on. They're all a load of horse puckey, and we know it. Blessings, ElizabethInDallas (down from 289 to 268) P.S. Slimming World is only available online to everywhere in the US except the Dallas TX metroplex (thier US pilot area) where they have support groups. Based on the success here so far (one lady in my group will be the first American woman on the program to lose 100 pounds next week), they'll be expanding soon. If you're curious, check out www.slimmingworld.com.

P.S. If it quits working, I'll admit that too. Like all the PO'd people that's are sick of being duped and taken for fools, I want a REAL life where I'm not criticized for my size; but I would also like to be able to eat normal portions if possible. How can anyone flame me for sharing my enthusiasm that its working so far??? Sounfs like a combination of jealousy and resentment...both of which are YOUR problem, not mine. I was only trying to help others that might be waffling, as I was. One could just as easily criticized you all for being Laptop Band reps. Sheesh.

Sorry to burst your self-righteous and jaded bubbles. I'm not a spammer, nor am I lying. They wouldn't hire someone who's only been on their program a few weeks. You are the most negative people I've ever seen. You might want to get some prozac and really once you have your surgery.. Flaming someone for sharing their new hope and (albeit very early) success.

Excuse me?? If you don't want to try it, don't. Want to side my pictures?! I'm a size 24 and was just as skeptical as you are. But to flame me, use profanity and dump your anger on me tells me you have bigger problems than the one we share. I'm just giving this a shot before I get cut on again. And to the dufuses who think only weird or liquid diets can help, youre I'm for a big surprise. My good friend at church got banded and shes stuck eating and drinking tiny little bits at a time. Otherwise she barfs. I'm pretty angry that what everyone told me about good was a total LIE. If YOU tried somethimg pretty easy ando it kept you from having to be organically altered, wouldn't YOU want to tell your compatriots? Fine.. The band works... I was just sharing my hope. Its pretty sick to flame me just because you don't agree.