Jim1967

Old saying goes you can lead a Horse to water but you can't make them drink it. It has to be on the individuals terms. For me personally I was so lucky because yes I was very very large and I had no health issues aside from Sleep Apnea which I had a machine for and a touch of arthritis in my knee. For me it was enough knowing the the path I was going down it was enough to scare me and make me act.

Thank you

I engaged in a pissing match this week and not exactly proud of it. I have moved on and will refrain from feeding the trolls from here on out. I used the block option on here for the first time. Just not worth it to go back in forth.

Thank you I am already working on putting together a team for next August to do a Relay for Life walk. That's a big one.

Wow, I guess I should have re sized the pictures. I thought for some reason the forum software would automatically do that. DOH!!

It's definitely a tough one to overcome. I caught myself last week going after spoonfuls of peanut butter a bit too often. Seems I had a bit of a sweet tooth. I guess there are worse things I could have eaten. O the flip side my interest in food has been in decline for months. I don't even enjoy going out to dinner anymore...

So far so good. I have made it out 3 times this week and have walked 6 miles.

September 16 we expand our partnership from husband/wife/friend to band partners. I promise I will support you to the best of my ability but also allow you to find your own way and what works for you. You're going to do great!

Agreed on all counts. You're all right I am putting too much pressure on myself. Flip side I did manage to get out and do a 2 mile walk during lunch yesterday.

Hi Sojourner,

Thank you for giving me another perspective. Perhaps you're right and I am just putting too much pressure on myself. Really it is not so much the 10 hours a week I am looking for but rather some consistency. Seeking out that consistency I guess I am just adding more pressure. As for the walks I do enjoy them however not on the level of perhaps other activities. I thought maybe if I looked at it as something that has to be done daily such as a shower, work, cooking dinner then perhaps it would actually get done.

When it's all said and done I just have to do it and I have to make the time to do it.

thank you :-)

Watch out for the low hanging fruit. Nothing worse than sitting on your own fruit!!

In case no one has figured it out...I am the husband LOL. I am happy Kelli has finally joined up on the site and she can hear things first hand from a woman's perspective/experiences. :-)

thank you so much. I appreciate everyone's support and love. :-)

Thank you!! Missy you're so sweet :-)

I watched this yesterday and it really opened my eyes.

Thank you. As for lighting fires...while my Wife was supportive she felt she didn't need it or want it herself. That was then and today she has her last appointment and is hoping to get a surgery date. It is great we can do this for ourselves but it is also rewarding to know that we can be an inspirational motivator and help others. At the end of the day though if they're are not committed then success will be very difficult. You can show them the door but only they can walk through it.

I've been in your shoes with this. I started the process in October of 2011 and had to jump through those insurance hoops but I can tell you it is so worth it. When I was doing those 6 months it seemed like the longest 6 months ever but now I look back at what a fantastic ride it was. I learned so much and attended so many meetings and met good people that I wouldn't change a thing. In fact when my 6 months ended and I had no other appointments left until Surgery day it felt like something was missing.

Researching, learning and having time to digest information is never a bad thing. Use this time to develop habits to help make you a successful bandster.

Stick with it. You can get through this. I hit 200lb loss mark this morning and I wouldn't change a thing with my journey. All the benefits of losing this weight would have been worth a year wait as oppose to 6 months. Stick with it and don't give up on the dream.

I agree MsMaui. I am certainly opened to the Sleeve if that is what my Wife chooses. My gripe is not about which surgery is better. My issue was how she introduced the three options to brand new people attending an informational seminar. I may be exaggerating a bit when I say she should've just told them all not to get the band period. "You will fail and not lose weight." because that's the way my Wife and I heard it. Basically it comes down to this, they will keep offering the band because there will always be people who want it and why turn someone away someone who is willing to spend money.

You're right B and I guess I was just a bit shocked by the difference in attitude toward the band but the more I think about it they were always more in favor of the gastric then the band long before the Sleeve came into the picture. I guess it's because is the same weight center I was started my journey off with I was put off a bit with what they were saying at the seminar. Again, I sometimes feel the band is the black sheep of the family and at times I've been annoyed by my Surgeons lack of involvement when I go for follow ups. Usually when I go in I only see his PA. Talking with my Wife last night she was quick to remind me that I am not high maintenance and if anything I'm a model band patient. My Surgeon's hands off approach with me is not personal. I have had zero complications and the weight is coming off so I assume his time is spent with more needy and new patients.

Absolutely Sharpie. Band keeps me honest and holds me accountable. I have 0 regrets with my band. I just found the differences in attitude with the seminar 17 months later a little disturbing. I felt as though they were purposely skewing facts to sway people from choosing the band without directly coming out saying 'no, you shouldn't do that.'

Yes, My Doctor was the same way. We discussed everything and he told me it had to be my decision on which option to go. Even at 488lbs he said he thought I would do well with the band. I do wonder if that seminar would've been different if he was leading it or if his opinion has changed as well.

I agree it is a very personal decision but I feel they definitely presented it in a negative light that can easily scare the uninformed away from it. My Wife is trying to decide between the Sleeve and Band and she has asked my opinion many times on it. I agree the Sleeve definitely sounds like it is less maintenance as far not having to struggle with bandster hell and the possible frequent adjustments but in the end your still being cut which is what swayed me away from those surgeries to begin with.

Thank you very much!!

I figure even in the worst case scenario I am not gaining at all and I am not restricting myself either. I am just living life now without the focus on food and when my next meal is.