needamulligan

As you can see I am much more polite and nice over there.

I suspect when you reach 199, you'll be happy but inclined to go further. I have relatives who hit nearly 400lbs and had no intention of getting any bigger, PARTICULARLY when I am nearly 37yrs old and have been on beta blockers for blood pressure since I was 25 and at risk for type II diabetes. We are all trying to be healthier, so it serves to anger "skinny bandsters" when their efforts are poo-poo'ed by those who started at much higher weights. It's also quite common that folks, like me, who were banded at ~200 started out higher and paid for the surgery out of pocket as a reward for getting down that low from a higher weight. For the record, I'm 5'5", try to be encouraging to everyone, and assume negativity I could have toward anyone on this journey could be better directed at someone else, like criminals or general jackarses.
Saying skinny bandsters are infuriating is the same as saying bigger bandsters waited too long... it doesn't really help anyone either way. LB for folks less than 35BMI was just approved by the FDA in early 2011, so that is why there seem to be more and more skinny bandsters. I suspect some with >35BMI would've had the surgery sooner if it had been available to them in the US. I had no idea at a BMI of ~33-34 that I was eligible until I was reading something else from the FDA. I was tentative, but really happy to have the opportunity to improve my health with this tool! We could all get mad at the real skinnies who lost so much they need to re-gain some, but their struggles are just as real as everyone else's and their mental and physical health just as important, so they need to share and get encouragement as well! Happy health everyone!

The way I see it is this...
Insurance companies won't cover the surgery unless your BMI is somewhere between 30-40, obese-severely obese.
For the record, someone would have to be 5'8" to be 199 with a BMI under 30. Anyone under 5'8" would considered obese at 199 pounds.
If someone weighs 199 with a BMI of 28 then they'll be a self-pay because insurance won't cover it. If they want to put themselves through this and spend their money, that's their business.
I do understand what your're saying, but you have to remember we all have different paths and reasons. Just be glad you have the option to be banded and let others worry about themselves. Concentrate on you

I am 5' exactly. If I had weighed 199lbs when I got banded I would have had a BMI of 38.9! Sorry that makes you mad. What makes me mad is people that don't think some people are/were fat enough to get surgery.
Personally I am glad that I had the motivation to do something when my BMI was only 32. Being obese was bad enough , I don't see why I should have had to wait until I was morbidly or super obese to do something about it.It is always better to do something sooner rather than later.

coffee ground emesis = blood
Go to your doctor!

You were banded less than a month ago, which means you are still within the healing phase to get you back to "NORMAL"
NORMAL as in though they way you were before you had the surgery. With all the same appetites, etc.
People get hung up about "Loosing weight" within this first segment. It is not. It is about getting the surgery, and healing 100%, and getting you back to that place of being healthy, and "Normal" in order to be ready for what lies ahead.
Everyone I know who has ever had any type of major surgery with a pre-op and post-op eating program of liquids, etc, has lost weight. Has nothing to do with the lap band!
If you are eating, and feeling all these emotions, then your post-op time is about over and you are ready to start getting on with the weight loss program.
But believe me, you have not started it yet! You have only gotten prepared for it!
You say things were great in the beginning? You're not even at the beginning yet!
But judging by your frustration, I can tell you are ready to get it on.
You'll be fine.

Lots of good questions.
First, people call the band a "Tool". I personally do not understand this concept because a tool is something that makes work easier. Being banded has not been work for me. Well, maybe yes in the early stages.
To me, the band was "surgical intervention" that, were diets have failed me in the past, this is a foreign object wrapped around my stomach and adjusted (tightened) that prevents me from doing something that I tend to do.
And that is overeating. Period. Simple.
The 2nd thing the band does for me, is it stimulates certain nerves signaling the brain that I am not hungry. Notice I did not say "Full". There is a difference between the 2.
Example: Yesterday was thanksgiving. I sat at the table and ate till I felt full. Which was very early, eating very little because of the band and the pouch.
Today, as I am typing this, I have not had a single thing to eat yet today (other than coffee and some water) and I am not hungry. I even went to the gym this am, so I should be hungry enough to eat a very large Breakfast. But I don't feel like eating. That's the band talking to my brain! Also keep in mind it took me 4 months past surgery to start to get these results. It was not instant.
So yes, as you say, diets have failed before. They failed because WE have to do the work with discipline. That is why I needed to have my stomach banded! Because I could not do it.
Also, keep in mind as you read all the posts on this board.
As with any "Bell Curve" you will have people on both ends. Those who have had the surgery and never need a adjustment (fill) and loose weight just fine, and at the other end there are those where everything went wrong for whatever reason. But then there is the large bulge (bell) in the middle where the majority are.

I had the band and hernia repair 10/27...I had no pain from the surgery, just the stupid gas pains and like lovepups said, I was tired for a good 2 weeks. The upside...I LIVED on antacids...NO MORE!

I was Dec1st but they bumped me up to tomorrow at 11am...feeling very at peace about it all, ready to start anew

myfitnesspal.com its the best!

Nahhh, I'm not nervous I'm plunging in head first, I can't wait!! I was scheduled for Dec1st but they called and bumped it up, I'm headed in on Tuesday Nov 22nd! I am so ready, informed and excited for this life changing opportunity! BRING ON THE BAND!!!

Agreed, too many people go into the gastric band thinking it's a cheaper, safer, reversable bypass. It's not. It's a tool, not a magic wand. I didn't selfpay, but I know that the band in my gut is just the traffic light, I have to chose what cars to let in. I think people need more proper education about the surgery.

Goodbye yummy Cookies and cakes. Goodbye fried foods and starchy potatoes and breads. Goodbye large portions. Goodbye eating late at night or just because someone offers it to you.
For as far back as I can remember, food and I have had a love/hate relationship. Food has given me both comfort, misery and a waist that has constantly increased, decreased and increased again. I have battled over what to eat, how much to eat and when to eat. Food has made people judge me, laugh at me and stare at me for being the biggest person in the room. Food has made me feel bad after I would binge, and feel good when I knew I was doing the right things and making the right choices. So today this all ends! I am breaking up with my dysfunctional relationship with food!
So to you bad food…listen up! I will no longer let you control my life. I will no longer make bad food choices that sabotage my long term weight loss success. I will no longer eat the bad food choices to make me feel good. I will no longer turn to food when I am stressed. I will no longer stock my kitchen cupboards with you. I want you out of my life for good!
Moving on…hello good foods! Let me introduce myself to you. My name is Jen and you and I are going to be best friends. You are going to help me in more ways than you will ever know. You are going to be a form of nutrients that make me feel good about myself. You are going to help me loose weight and keep it off for good this time. You are going to keep me feeling strong and not sluggish. You are going to fill my cupboards and fridge with healthy choices. You are going to help me reach goals and finally do all the fun things I have sat on the sidelines watching for years.
I will no longer let food control my life and have it be a permeate fixture over everything. I will no longer make bad food choices. I will no longer eat till it hurts. I will no longer let food dictate the choices I make. Social gatherings will not be centered around food…instead, they will be for spending time with those you care about, not what to eat or where to eat.
As I get ready for surgery tomorrow, I have a mountain of emotions flooding over me. I am so beyond ready to make this change and create a better, healthier me! Sometimes you have to leave something behind…and for me, I have decided to leave bad food choices behind.

so very true