gin765

I never considered another form of WLS either -- I think I'm lucky that way, no struggling with a decision. I am kind of a health food girl, never had been an overnight patient in a hospital before, not the type to ever consider plastic surgery or anything like that -- so for me the band just made perfect sense. Reversible if ever needed, nothing removed from my body. I like it that there was good follow-up in that first year, that I was not off on my own without input, and I like the way the weight came off steadily but not too dramatically as I have been quite private about my surgery. Just know that whatever you choose you are choosing yourself and your healthy future -- that's the important thing! Good luck with all.
PS I don't have will power, really, just a dimmed appetite and now the ability to make good decisions, to eat slowly and to stop. I used to just keep going -- always looking for more. That's not possible now and no longer a desire. Hallelujah.

All great questions... I share all your same concerns! Thank you for posting and to all the experienced folks who have and will answer.
The unknown worries me a lot too, but I've decided it worries me more to know exactly where I'm headed without a lap band. My mother and our relatives are living proof. As a "low BMI" candidate of +/-35 BMI, I've always been the lightest female in my family by an easy 100 - 150 lbs. I have struggled to stay under 300 lbs for the past 10 - 15 years. I came way too close for comfort with the birth of my two children, now 4 and 5 1/2. My mother was well over 430 lbs when she had a gastric bypass 14 years ago. They didn't really know how heavy she was, because that's as high as the scale would register. I firmly believe the procedure saved her life. When I'm dieting, I maintain my weight, and when I'm not, it steadily increases. If know if I don't act on a lap band now, I will become my mother. For me, I feel like a more "radical" bariatric surgery as inevitable, plus knee replacements, hip replacements, etc. As if a lap band isn't radical enough!
Based on my research, if I was not a low BMI candidate, I would probably go with a sleeve. However, I am currently comfortable with the slower, steady weight loss of a lap band I also have a job / family that requires shorter recovery.
I am pushing towards an August / September surgery date. Fingers crossed. I'm ready to BE BOLD and take charge of my future! Best of success to you too.

Great questions @@Sun Godess. These were the questions I had when I started the process and got closer and closer to surgery. Rather than answer your questions one by one, all I can say is that I've been where you are...and am living a great life again now that all the excess weight is gone. I am so very happy with my decision and I'm sure you will be as well.

1. Are you satisfied with your lap band? Are you happy with the band?
Yes because it gave me mobility back. I was so large i had trouble walking and wiping my butt. hub had to put socks on me when i wore them and its on and on...
so yes, i am very happy..

2. Do you feel normal...like just living and being your normal self and don't know it's there?
Totally normal. Don't know it's there except when i go over my food size and then she lets me know quickly, hey, i am here remember.

3. Do you get used to eating little portions? Do you feel deprived?
yes i am fine with smaller portions as the band helps me eat less as i was a volume eater. deprived is what dieters feel, i do not diet.

4. I work on a team, and we eat lunch together and chat daily at work. I don't want to tell anyone at work. I'm afraid I won't be able to do this
without them and or me having eating issues in front of them? Do you think I will be able to? What are your experiences?
i eat like everyone else, one bite at a time. dont over think it.

5. I've heard many people say "oh, the band is only 25% of the help...It's really me." I'm hoping the band is A LOT of help, not a magic wand,
a GREAT help...more than 25% else wise, what's the point! What is your opinion/experience? How much help is the band for you?
ALL the band does for me and this is my opinion only, to help me eat less. i have to choose what to eat and to exercise or not. You can always eat round it by eating soft foods or by grazing aka snacking (which is my fave thing)

6. I need appetite suppression... Does the band actually do that? What exactly does the band do you for you? n How would you describe it?
your doctor is the best one to answer those as i can only speak for me. as i stated, it helps me eat less.

7. Looking back, do you think you could have lost your weight without the band?
sure. i did it for my entire adult life. dieted (starved) and when i started eating again guess what happened?? became a yo yo

8. I hear a lot about eating slow and small bites...I am very afraid of this! I don't want to be a spectacle in front of others or feel weirded out and
miserable having to eat with baby spoons and pea size bites. I want to eat normal. How is this for you?
baby food and baby spoons are for babies. we are adults. we need to act like one...eat small bites (cut/prepare the food) and use a fork/spoon. stop over thinking it. i eat perfectly normal.

9. Any personal testimonies, advice or warnings?

any WLS can work and any WLS can not work. any WLS can have issues or none at all..everyone is different and will have different results. larger BMI can lose faster at the beginning (was in my case) BUT we still have to chose what we eat. 3500 calories is a pound ate or drank no matter what WLS one has..and if you take in more calories than you burn off, you will gain...no matter what WLS anyone has

advice is take these questions to your doctor
they are the one you need to get in the habit of asking for help/advice and DEF listen to what they say and then do it...no two people with whatever surgeries are the same.


all the best

1. Are you satisfied with your lap band? Are you happy you chose the band over vsg?
100% satisfied, but vsg was not an option in 2006 so it wasn't a choice as such.
2. I'm afraid of the unkown. Do you feel normal...like just living and being your normal self and don't know it's there?
Totally normal. Don't know it's there.
3. Do you get used to eating little portions? Do you feel deprived?
Yes. No.
4. I work on a team, and we eat lunch together and chat daily at work. I don't want to tell anyone at work. I'm afraid I won't be able to do this
without them and or me having eating issues in front of them? Do you think I will be able to? What are your experiences?
I told very few. But you have to find a reason for being on liquids for the post-op stages. I said it as a medically supervised diet. True!
5. I've heard many people say "oh, the band is only 25% of the help...It's really me." I'm hoping the band is A LOT of help, not a magic wand,
a GREAT help...more than 25% else wise, what's the point! What is your opinion/experience? How much help is the band for you?
ALL the band does is dim hunger. You can always eat round it by eating soft foods or by grazing.
6. I need appetite suppression... Does the band actually do that? What exactly does the band do you for you? n How would you describe it?
As we eat, the narrowing caused by the band makes the oesophageal walls move more - this tells the brain we have eaten maybe three times as much as we have. Our brain thinks we are full. If I am busy, it doesn't occur to me to eat, if I am bored, it does. I haven't felt stomach rumbling hunger for nine years.
7. Looking back, do you think you could have lost your weight without the band?
Possibly, but not as much and never have kept it off,
8. I hear a lot about eating slow and small bites...I am very afraid of this! I don't want to be a spectacle in front of others or feel weirded out and
miserable having to eat with baby spoons and pea size bites. I want to eat normal. How is this for you?
You will learn. No-one I eat with would guess I am banded
9. Any personal testimonies, advice or warnings?
There is quite a high complication rate further down the line. Studies vary and figures cover a wide range. But some studies show re-operation rates (slips, leaks, removals) as high as 30% or more. Some doctors no longer implant bands because of this. I am not in the US but am told that the mayo Clinic is a major centre and no longer does bands.
Please share and

@@Sun Godess let me first say welcome, and thank you for posting and sharing your questions. There are many out there who are right where you are and I am sure have many of the same questions.
You will find lots of support here and even more stories and advice. If you keep in mind that for every person there is an opinion and not all of them are going to align with each other then you are that far ahead. Every journey is subjective to the person experiencing it. For example my husband and I are both banded and were banded 3 days apart, so we have our bands from the same time, and went through the pre- and post op together. That said we are very different in our approach to food, our issues with food, and our weight loss. None of it bad...just different.
So here are my answers to your questions
1. Are you satisfied with your lap band? Are you happy you chose the band over vsg?
I am very happy I chose the band over VSG. I may have had more success with VSG in the early stages and with the lapband my weight loss is much slower and steadier, however I chose the lapband to accommodate my life style. I am not able to "adjust" any other WLS tool as I am with the lapband. I do not do so on a whim but for things like surgery, and sickness etc. with the lapband I am afforded that option and I like that.
The lapband requires much more follow up and maintenance than the other WLS tools and I also like the fact that it keeps me accountable as well as my Dr. accountable to my health and well being.

2. I'm afraid of the unkown. Do you feel normal...like just living and being your normal self and don't know it's there?
I am not afraid of the unknown. I am very in tune with my body and with my lapband Dr. to understand how it works and how it will work best for me. I live my life normally and I rarely think about my "band" I do not feel it inside though the port is accessible and can be felt under the skin it doesn't bother me at all. I eat and live my life fully as a banded patient.
3. Do you get used to eating little portions? Do you feel deprived?
I never feel deprived. I eat the portions I am hungry for. I allow my hunger to dictate how much I am going to eat. There are days I am very hungry and require a little more than on other days when I am hardly hungry at all. So portions can fluctuate for me though they are much smaller than any thing I ate before surgery. If I am still hungry for something after I have had a good portion I will wait it out and ask myself if it's truly hunger or something else. It's usually something else.
4. I work on a team, and we eat lunch together and chat daily at work. I don't want to tell anyone at work. I'm afraid I won't be able to do this without them and or me having eating issues in front of them? Do you think I will be able to? What are your experiences?
This is a tricky one. Your eating habits pre op and post op are going to change. You are going to be on liquid diets for a bit and you are also going to be eating foods that maybe different from what they are sitting down to eat. Sandwiches are probably going to be off your menu for a while (I don't eat bread at all in any form) Salads are something you will return to but not right away or all the time (not a bad thing since there isn't much Protein there and you can find lots of extra calories there also)
I still eat with my co-workers and I go out to dinner with friends and events and parties. I chose to let everyone know about my surgery and they never question me about my choice of food. My eating habits are the same as they were before, though I will eat much slower now, I will chew much better, I take much smaller bites, and I rarely finish an entire meal on my own.
If I am out with friends or my husband we will often share a meal or I have a nice lunch of left overs the next day to bring to work:)

5. I've heard many people say "oh, the band is only 25% of the help...It's really me." I'm hoping the band is A LOT of help, not a magic wand.
No WLS is a magic wand. With the band your weight loss is going to be slow and steady. You are not going to lose 100 pounds over night. The more you work at it the more you will lose and the more success you will have with it.
Other WLS will have a large amount of weight loss up front and then begin to taper off either way you have to work the tool to be successful.

a GREAT help...more than 25% else wise, what's the point! What is your opinion/experience? How much help is the band for you?
The band is a great help and an excellent tool when it is being used just like any other tool. If you don't take it out of the tool box then you are not working it just having it doesn't allow it to do it's job, you have to work it. You can make the band work for you 100% it shows up ever single day, it just needs you to show up for it as well. All WLS is the same. None of them affect our minds..WE have to put them to use.
I love my band, when I want to have an emotional day of pigging out and just eating my face off because I am having a rough time (this is my personal issue...stress eating and emotional eating.) the band is there to remind me that I shouldn't be doing this to myself and when I push anyway it's there to smack me in the head and often stops me right in my tracks.

6. I need appetite suppression... Does the band actually do that? What exactly does the band do you for you? n How would you describe it?
The band is all about appetite suppression. Many think that the band provides "restriction" this is not what the band is designed for. A properly adjusted band should allow you to eat and drink in proper proportion so you are satisfied at least 4 hours between meals. This is again provided you are following the proper direction and eating the proper foods. Foods that are soft and high calorie are going to slip right past the band without triggering the nerves that send satisfied signals to the brain. This in turn will cause you to eat more and usually those soft foods are high in calories and sugar. Things like ice cream and fried foods are things to watch out for.
When I have a "meal" it consists of a solid dense Protein. Chewing and eating allow me to feel full and the need to have additional food is not there. I am not hungry. Even when faced with the option of having more food, or sweets etc. I simply do not want it. As you go through the journey of learning to work with and live with your band you learn to eat mindfully and choose the right foods to hold you over. Though I will admit if you are like me, this is a big challenge. I often find myself wanting something...just because. However if I do try to have something just because...I am only able to eat a bite or two and I no longer want it and am turned off by it. This is what the band does for me.

7. Looking back, do you think you could have lost your weight without the band?

I have lost weight many many times without surgery. I have lost it and found it again and again and usually when I would find it, it would bring along a few friends with it.
I would lose 40 pounds only to gain 50. I would start exercise programs only to find myself ravenous and eating more and more and not losing an ounce.
I have not for one second since I have been banded regretted my decision. Even when I had a few complications, such as a dilation, and had to have the Fluid removed from the band, or after surgery having one of the incisions become infected. The band has helped me to lose the weight in a healthy way, I have been able to keep off the all the weight I have lost and continue to keep losing.

8. I hear a lot about eating slow and small bites...I am very afraid of this! I don't want to be a spectacle in front of others or feel weirded out and miserable having to eat with baby spoons and pea size bites. I want to eat normal. How is this for you?
I eat totally normally. Actually eating slowly and taking normal bites is how we should be eating all the time. Shoveling food into our mouths swallowing before we even had a chance to taste the food is not the normal way to eat.
I don't obsess about cutting my pieces and no one at a party or out at dinner or events even notices. In fact they notice more the faster and more you eat I think.
Even when my husband and I share a meal, no one even raises an eye brow. We were at an event just yesterday where we shared Eggplant rollatini. There were 4 huge rolls on the plate along with the Pasta side dish (neither of us ate that.) We shared some Calamari prior and shared the dinner. Even the waiter brought out extra plates for us and no one raised an eyebrow.

9. Any personal testimonies, advice or warnings? Please share and
I am not specifically a lapband advocate but I am a WLS advocate who is banded!! I will tell anyone who asks me that if you are not healthy and you are experiencing co-morbidity due to your weight that looking into WLS is a positive thing to do for yourself. Having surgery has changed my life in many positive ways, and I feel healthy and more alive now than I had in years simply because I am not dragging all the extra weight around with me. I am not at goal, I am working my way there gradually. Eating what I like, making healthy choices, taking the time incorporate the changes and make them a part of my every day life. This is what I wanted and the way I wanted for it to be.
Yes of course we all want a magic wand, and turn back the clock to when I was 16 and do it all over again...but that is not reality so the best thing I could aim for is working to be healthier and happier me. I didn't get to be morbidly obese overnight and I didn't want to find myself on the other side of that over night either. I wanted a healthy gradual weight loss emphasis on the healthy part of it since my health was not so great and I couldn't walk without feeling that heart attack was imminent.

My best advice to you is to continue to research. Go out and meet Dr.'s not just one but a few. Ask them their opinions. If they tell you the sleeve or the bypass are better...ask them why they feel that way pick their brains and then of course share the results with all of us!!
Research the other surgeries, there may be a reason why your Dr. recommends one over the others, and don't take anything off the table and don't do anything unless you are 100% sure and you have a Dr. who fully supports you.
After care and follow up are very important no matter your WLS in my opinion this KEY. Having a good working relationship with your Dr. before, during and most importantly after surgery.

I wish you all the best, and keep us updated on your progress and decision!!

Hello All,
I have been cruising on here for a few years periodically, but today I finally got up the nerve to post. I love this community and have found so much valuable information, positivity, and insight into having a lap band. I have secretly been thinking about having the lap band for about 3 years, but the thought was very scary and seemed extreme to me. Well this January, after no weight loss success, I decided to get a consultation and begin the process. If they use a previous weigh in, I may get surgery in late June.
Considering all of this, I am getting very scared of the unknown and actually doing it. I know I am NOT good at loosing weight! I have never lost a significant amount of weight on my own, except for 2 times, which I did the low carb, drastically starving for a few weeks and lost about 15 lbs. but didn't keep it off. That was years ago. Now I am married with 2 kids, work, and just cannot concentrate and stick to something. I have tried weight watchers many times, but loose focus after a couple weeks, and find that I do well all day some days, but then am hungry at the end, and blow it! I have no health issues, but want to be a healthier me, live long, get back to myself, and FINALLY be successful at losing weight.
I have had so many questions and fears and as the reality gets closer, I am feeling confused if I should go through with it, although I know I absolutely need help other than appetite suppressants that make you feel crazy. I really need something to help me stick to a diet without giving up and starving. I cook, we eat Protein and veggies and a starch every evening. I do eat lots of healthy foods, love Protein and love vegetables, but am honestly a junk food eater and love chocolate!
If anyone could give de honest real feedback on these questions I would be SOOOO very appreciative!
My doctor tried hard to talk me into the sleeve and said he thought I would lose about 50 lbs( I'm 258 lbs).
1. Are you satisfied with your lap band? Are you happy you chose the band over vsg?
2. I'm afraid of the unkown. Do you feel normal...like just living and being your normal self and don't know it's there?
3. Do you get used to eating little portions? Do you feel deprived?
4. I work on a team, and we eat lunch together and chat daily at work. I don't want to tell anyone at work. I'm afraid I won't be able to do this
without them and or me having eating issues in front of them? Do you think I will be able to? What are your experiences?
5. I've heard many people say "oh, the band is only 25% of the help...It's really me." I'm hoping the band is A LOT of help, not a magic wand,
a GREAT help...more than 25% else wise, what's the point! What is your opinion/experience? How much help is the band for you?
6. I need appetite suppression... Does the band actually do that? What exactly does the band do you for you? n How would you describe it?
7. Looking back, do you think you could have lost your weight without the band?
8. I hear a lot about eating slow and small bites...I am very afraid of this! I don't want to be a spectacle in front of others or feel weirded out and
miserable having to eat with baby spoons and pea size bites. I want to eat normal. How is this for you?
9. Any personal testimonies, advice or warnings? Please share and

I made it through and I can honestly say that I worried for nothing.
Arrived at Surgical Center on May 1st at 5am (surgery was for 7am and didn't need to arrive until 6am;-)) SSM St Louis Surgical staff was awesome and made me so comfortable. Completed remaining paperwork and was called in to get ready within 10 minutes. Met each personnel that was going to be in the surgery room and they explained what role they were playing in my surgery. I had an excellent nurse - can't remember her name but she knows who she is - Top Nurse of the Year Award to her. My husband came into prep room once I was hooked up - so good to have support and a loving spouse. Dr.Darin Minkin and Dr. David (assisting physician) came in and explained what they were going to do again and gave me reassurance. I've also asked that the band not be placed too tight and to PLEASE get as much gas out as possible.......oh, and I did apologize ahead of time in case I snored or snorted on them...Lol Two anesthesiologist came in and started explaining what they were going to do. I smiled at my husband and that's all that I remember until I woke up 1 hour later. During surgery, Dr. noticed that my stomach had started moving up closer to my esophagus so he slid it down and thinned it out. Found out this is why I had acid reflex.....go figure. Came out of surgery with no issues. Felt really good from the meds, walked a little and then went home within 45 minutes later. Home Arrival
Was a little nauseous from the ride home - dry heaved but that was it. Made it to my bed, took a pill for nauseous, pain med, GasX strip and ate a few ice chips (throat a little sore). Went to sleep Husband got me up every 2 hours and I walked around the house for a few moments and took deep breaths - this really got rid of the gas build up in my stomach and chest/shoulder pain quickly. Lots of Fluid in my bladder so had to go to the bathroom quite a few times but it relieved the pressure on my stomach immensely. Very little soreness around the surgery area (5 cuts) - they used dissolvable stitches and a type of glue to seal them. I do not need to remove stitches or tape - oh happy day! I've been resting, resting, resting. Didn't realize how much it takes out of you. Was watching tv and next thing you know the show is over and I'm chilling with the remote in my hand. Drank a little Protein, ice chips and had a little Jello - (2 tablespoons altogether) no problems Cannot stress it enough about getting up and walking around for a few moments (might be a little painful to roll out of bed) every few hours.
Now on to Day 2.......

I love Dr Lucktong. He is kind of quiet but is very straight forward and to the point. I like that in a Dr. Are you talking about Lauren Baker, the NP? If so she is going out on maternity leave.

So happy to have that appetite monster off of my back. Now I can enjoy my food by really noticing what's going on rather than just shoveling it in and thinking about what's next. Or that dull kind of mindless eating -- I had that, too. I'm a cook and enjoy preparation and presentation just as much as eating, really. I'm glad I still love food but can have a healthy relationship with it -- small portions at appropriate intervals. Yippee!

Once again - I typed a long reply and it vanished with a message saying the site had had to close! Is it just me? It only happens on this site! Following is in notes with typos! Can't face doing properly!!!!
Pre-op. food central. Every day, every holiday, every meeting - what will I eat when!
Now, love food, small quantity, high quality. But if miss a meal, no big deal. Where to eat comes way down planning list.
But beware, food demons still lurk. Sharing feelings wth large group long term wls friends (all major types wis), every one of us agreed demons still there. At six years out I genuinely believed I had conquered them. At 9 years out, I know they are still there.

Well, yes and no . I used to just randomly put food in my mouth because it was there. And I didn't always make the best choices. And I tried Weight Watchers. And I was hungry, ALOT. Now ? Food is less of an issue, I eat less and make much better choices. I learned to cook in the last year or so and have always loved grocery shopping , cooking shows and collecting cookbooks, so while I still think of food 24 /7 its more of a "what can I cook next ?" instead of "what can I shove in my mouth next ?" So, in answer to your question, yes and no.

For me it is not as important as it was. It was my go to to fix everything....food when I was happy, sad, celebrating and so on. Filling in with other activities as there is not as much satisfaction with food as there once was. Food is less of an issue at this point.....but all things can change.

I'm 36 yrs old and had lap-band surgery on 6/11/03 at 242 and now weigh 230 -- I am taste those 220's. I'm married with 2 girls and have been wanting to lose weight for the last 15 years - well I have lost and gained and lost and gained...you know the routine. I love the NEW ME and can't wait to get my first fill on 8/13 as I have not much restriction now.
GOOD LUCK to everyone that has been banded or thinking to be banded or about to be banded. I don't regret this for one moment
Barbara S
6/11/03
Dr Carter

It's less important to my day now but I'm aware of it more. I know that sounds weird but what I mean is, I'm way more conscious of my choices. However, if I can't eat what I planned, or have to choose something boring because my favorite isn't available, it's okay. food choices used to consume my day. It was my reward for everything, and it had to be perfect. Now it really is fuel, more often than not. But I enjoy it more! Go figure.

Before surgery I used to live to eat after surgery I eat to live.

I am doing great. I haven't had any problems at all. I will be 2 months out on Saturday and I'm down 31 since surgery and 45 from my highest.

Saw a few gals commenting, but no category for this area...
Just started doing research on banding with Dr. Lucktong. Glad to see there have been positive experiences with him at Carilion.

The website is best. Just a tip though, the unflavored isn't unflavored at all. Try GENEPRO unflavored. I've told so many people about it, there will probably be a shortage! lol

This is a very insightful presentation by Dr. Mitchell Roslin on the physiology of weight gain.
http://vimeo.com/user1985459/roslin

I can honestly say up until I started my preops diet, I still had doubt about getting banned. The diet taught me that I am ready. I now realize I can make I off less food than I thought. Why was I so afraid of being hunger, after all hunger is in the head. I am on day 9 of preops and 15 pounds down. I learned that after the surgery, after the healing process when I can eat again. I can do this! I am ready mentally and that's the biggest part of being successful.

For me it was 18 pound bags of cat litter... I was walking across Target parking lot lugging one to the car shortly after surgery and thinking how heavy it was and then I realized I had lost about that much weight since surgery. How did I even walk around all day carrying that?
Today, by my calculator, I'm down 3.5 bags of 18 pound cat litter... I don't think I could even carry that many bags at once but just 4 months ago, I was walking around with that much weight all the time.
This surgery has been WONDERFUL!

Months ago some one posted "What Things Weigh" and on the list was the weight of a cinder block: 33 pounds. For some reason I latched on to that as a goal. I know how heavy a cinder block is because I have to move them around from time to time. We have a small farmstead and I despise those cinder blocks that are out behind our garden shed. Well now, as of today, I am down two of those babies (plus one pound). Sixty-seven pounds down!! Honestly I cannot even imagine carrying around two cinder blocks all day every day and yet that's what I have done for years. That and more. No wonder I feel so good -- I'm free of those anchors.
Along with shedding weight, I am also still letting go of my old dieting mentality. I was an epic dieter -- on or off a diet for twenty years plus -- and so I still sometimes think in terms of being "good" or "bad." Yesterday might have been what I would have called a bad day. We ate out and I had a lot of guacamole, a few chips, a little chili, but kind of a lot of guacamole. And a cocktail! That was lunchtime. Then we went to a friend's house for a little dinner party and there were cheese and crackers. Yummy blue cheese. I had a loaded cracker and then another bite of cheese at some point, and wine was flowing. A Soup and salad for dinner; I didn't have bread. Then dessert! I even had a little bit of ice cream. This is very unlike me. BAD GIRL, right? Well, there is no good girl/bad girl anymore. There's just me and my band. I have been stuck at 187 for ages and this morning I jumped on the scale hoping, hoping, hoping yesterday hadn't taken me back over the top and into the nineties again (yikes). Nope, down two pounds to 185. This is the way it has gone for me the whole time. I think I'm not getting anywhere and then when I least expect it, there goes the scale down, down, down.
Yes, I want to put down one more cinder block -- I'd like to lose another thirty-three pounds. I'm not sure what my body's ideal weight will be and whether that is even the right goal, but I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing and let it take the time it takes. What do I do? I eat when I'm hungry and I don't eat when I'm not hungry. I'm keeping it as simple as possible, having overcomplicated everything to do with food and eating for such a long time. Best wishes to all, wherever you are on your journey. The day-by-day can seem like a bit of a slog sometimes (especially when the scale isn't moving like a speedometer), but over the course of a year? WOW!

I am glad (and not glad at the same time) to hear I’m not the only person dealing with this issue. I too was publically embarrassed by a nurse at my mandatory information session for being a “lightweight.” She didn’t tell anyone they were too big, too old or too sick to leave so they wouldn’t “waste their time,” just me.
Why are naturally thin people allowed to be happy and healthy, super obese people allowed to choose bariatric surgery and be happy and healthy, but the rest of us in the middle, with ONLY 80 - 100 pounds (or less) to lose are just supposed to suck it up? The more research I do and low-BMI success stories I read, the more confident and excited I am about my decision. My PCP, orthopedic surgeon and husband all support me and that’s enough. This is the first time I’ve felt hopeful in a long time. Be strong everyone… we deserve to be happy and healthy too!!!

Same here.