ginga126

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.

Thank you all for your kind words! It truly is wonderful to have support in this (my family isn't very supportive, and they don't think I should be doing this at all). My mother and sister are both really overweight, and can't come to grips with the fact that they should be making a positive change in their lives as well. I'm hoping this journey will light a fire under them. I actually have a meeting with the weight loss surgeon on 7/2, so I am excited to see what lies ahead. Congrats Jim on your AMAZING weight loss!!!!!!

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.

Good luck. I am from Boston and had to have at least 3 visits with the dietitian before the insurance would allow the band. They were 1 month apart. Because of the hospital being taken over by a bigger one it took me 10 months for the surgery to happen and that was with getting pushed through the system. Every hospital is different with their requirements.