gin765

One of the most eye-opening moments for me was when no one I told that I was having WLS said I was not big enough for the surgery. I knew I was overweight at 5'7" 260 pounds, but I guess see the old skinnier me when I look in the mirror. It was a revelation that not a single person tried to talk me out of it (not that they would have been successful).

SAME HERE!! That was a real eye opener for me too. I think I also don't see my weight when I look !in the mirror. Believe me I KNOW I am overweight but I don't think I have allowed myself to see the true reflection staring back at me. I know in a year from now when I see a picture of how I am now I will be like "holy Sh*T I didn't realize I was THAT big

I have my first appointment with the surgeon's office tomorrow morning... yippee!!! Glad to have read all these great suggestions before then, so I have something intelligent to say next time someone is rude to (or thinks they're complimenting) me. I just know a larger patient in the waiting room is going to ask me how life is post-op. Fingers crossed that the ignorant nurse who suggested I leave the information session has already retired! I was assured she was about to when I called to complain about my experience (two days later - after I'd composed myself and stopped crying). I will be kind to friends, acquaintances and other patients, but the next uninformed healthcare professional is going to get a piece of my mind!

Until today, only my husband and doctors knew I'm perusing a band. Just told my mom on the phone. Figured it was a good time, since she was already distraught by my brother's announcement he's engaged with a March wedding date. Hehehe! She was actually very supportive and now understands why I will not be accompanying her to a popular, local weight loss center on Monday (for the third time). Phew... I feel better now!

Not sure how many other folks I'll tell. It's not necessarily a "secret," I just don't want to endure uninformed and unsolicited negative commentary. Then again, nobody has tried to derail my train yet. Maybe I will tell everyone, including the UPS man, like @2muchfun. That cracks me up!!!

Hmmmm.....perhaps they would rather you wait for surgery until you become "that big" (say, 350-450+) and then you could lose several hundred pounds instead of 100 or so. Then, you could have REALLY sagging skin, and have to get THAT removed like so many do. Also, you could suffer longer with health issues and aches and pains. Sounds good, huh?

Put the money you spend on cola, into an interest-bearing savings account and watch how fast it adds uP!
Visualise yourself buying ALL those cute new clothes with the cola-savings when you've lost your weight.

Until today, only my husband and doctors knew I'm perusing a band. Just told my mom on the phone. Figured it was a good time, since she was already distraught by my brother's announcement he's engaged with a March wedding date. Hehehe! She was actually very supportive and now understands why I will not be accompanying her to a popular, local weight loss center on Monday (for the third time). Phew... I feel better now!

Not sure how many other folks I'll tell. It's not necessarily a "secret," I just don't want to endure uninformed and unsolicited negative commentary. Then again, nobody has tried to derail my train yet. Maybe I will tell everyone, including the UPS man, like @2muchfun. That cracks me up!!!

Everybody including the UPS driver.

Well I have words. Woo hoo ! Beautiful! Amazing! Inspirational!

Came across these two shots and had to post them. Like I said in my title, there are just no words...except that this is the result of being banded, not bypass or sleeved. Not that there's anything wrong with those surgeries. Whatever works for you is my motto. But for those morbidly obese and not sure they can go with a band, this just shows that it can be done.

I had my band placed six months ago. Since then, I have lost somewhat over 90 pounds. I've changed the way I eat, and the way I look at life. I am so happy that the surgery was available to me. I don't know what I would've done if I had continued to live in the food. My life was miserable, and I was merely surviving.
Today, I look forward to getting outside to walk every day. I look forward to healthy food. I enjoy foods that I never would have looked twice at before. Hummus? Yes! Delicious! I never thought I would be able to turn away from fried food. But I find myself choosing healthy food over unhealthy food more and more each day.
I started the weight loss surgery process one year ago in September. One of the things that was heavy on my mind was what I had to give up. I remember being very sad on Thanksgiving thinking that I was not going to ever be able to indulge in greasy turkey skin again. Yes, I really was depressed about that. What I knew intellectually, but didn't feel in my heart yet, was that by the following Thanksgiving that would not matter. Yes, I knew it in my head. But I was still sad. I was starting a process that was going to leave behind all of my addictive behaviors.
I am not the perfect WLS patient. I still want to do things "my way". The difference is, many times now, I will simply follow directions. I still want to do it my way, but many times I am able to say, let's just try it their way.
I found myself in a food rut over the past month. I was consistently eating enough junky food that my weight-loss had stalled. My past patterns would have been to give up on myself. Slide back into disordered eating. Hide from everyone. Reach for the food over and over again.
Instead, I came here to these boards. I asked some questions. I got some advice. I tried something new. I ditched my scale for a week. I cleaned up my eating. I listened to my body. And maybe most importantly, I found help outside of these boards as well. I go to a few different support groups, not all for weight loss. I find that the phrase, "it's not what you're eating, it's what's eating you" applies to me. I am able to look inside, and uncover some of the reasons why I reach for food.
Knowing why doesn't solve my problems. But knowing why, acknowledging that, and allowing it to be the truth, helps me to deal with it. If I can identify it, I can change it. Eating my problems away never ate my problems away. It only very temporarily masked my problems from my awareness. When I would come back out of my food coma, my problems were still there, sometimes worse, and I had self blame and shame to add on top of that.
Today, my recovery from disordered eating is twofold. I am addressing the underlying reasons for why I reach for food. I am also addressing the physical reality of my disordered eating by allowing the lap band to help me remain in control of my portions.
I don't think I could do one without the other and still have success. I am grateful that I don't have to.
For any newcomers here, know that there is hope. I am living proof. I have my life back after decades of simply hanging on.

You will be so glad you did this!

I feel your pain! I gave up my diet coke when I first started the bariatric surgery process and quit cold turkey. It sucked for about 10 days. I did great and didn't have diet coke for over 1 month, no problems. Once I found out it would be another 5-6 months before I would have surgery, I decided to enjoy my diet coke while I could. I start my pre-op diet on 10/28 and will stop my diet coke 10/23. I am not looking forward to my diet coke withdrawal and my carb withdrawal back to back. This will be an interesting 3 weeks leading up to surgery. We can both do this! Just keep your eyes on the prize and tell yourself it is for a healthy you! Hang in there and keep in touch!

As part of my band journey, I decided it was time to tackle my Diet Coke addiction (again). I gave it up about 6 years ago, but here it is back again. We're talking a minimum of 5 cans a day, plus 3 - 6 glasses a day while eating out at lunch and/or dinner. It's a serious matter in my life. I actually believe the aspartame poisoning aspect is worse than the caffeine portion. I know this, but I still guzzle it. Why!?! Not looking forward to my 1 - 2 weeks of detox headaches and other symptoms. Has anyone else successfully tackled this evil? If so, any and all tips are appreciated!
According to Merriam-Webster:
ad·dic·tion noun \ə-ˈdik-shən, a-\
: a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble)
: an unusually great interest in something or a need to do or have something
Full Definition of ADDICTION
1
: the quality or state of being addicted <addiction to reading>
2
: compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful

Finally got the phone call (Yes it did help to RELAX!! ) my surgery is approved, approved, approved!! BUT of course there is always a BUT I need to be sch for an EGD first. My consult is for next Thursday. But I can't complain, the ball is rolling....

I OWN THIS DECISION!
I don't say my doc this my insurance that.
I made this decision. It was the right one for me. I don't look that big? You're right I look awesome when not stepping on the scale. Thanks to Lane Bryant and Calvin Klein and jones Ny for making great clothes that help me look not that big
But guess what? I am and I am suffering for it
I own this decision
It's the right one for me
I made this decision
I appreciate your continued support
Negative opinions are not required. Keep them to yourself or get out of my life. One person has left and she lost 80 pounds still at 310. Misery loves company
I posted this on my Facebook the night of my sleeve when I woke up
 

Ummm, nope we're not on the lap-band payroll! However, if you can find me a job where I can be on the payroll just for being a successful lap-band patient, sign me up cuz I'm there!lol...Make sure that you are comfortable with your choice in surgeons because they WILL be a part of your life from now on. Good luck to you!

Amen! Preach on people!
I was a dork and put a status update on FB about considering WLS and someone messaged me privately wanting to know why I would want to do something so risky and why would I even consider putting my family and myself through something so hard when I wasn't even that big.
This is someone who knows I have an unhealthy relationship with food, knows I have poor self-esteem and have battled with being good enough for a while. This is a friend who has seen me go through a spiritual based 12 step program through the last 3 years, who knows I have heavily invested in therapy, nutritionists, personal trainers. And this is someone who knows more than anything that I have prayed, read my bible, sought God, etc. She thought my obesity was negligible and didn't impact my life somehow.
No one has ever questioned the tons of fad diets I've been on, or the "miracle" supplements and weight loss drugs I've invested in over the years. Not yet has anyone indicated that I was selfish or acting risky for having a gym membership, attending therapy, or asking for prayers while I tried to lose weight.
And so I wanted to know, why, when I choose a bigger tool, does it concern you? This isn't an overnight, fantastical get-slim-quick-scheme. It's a hard as nails, tougher than leather path towards a tool that may help me control not only my weight but weight related health problems for the rest of my life.
That one communication has made me gun-shy of sharing my journey with others and the main reason I found this website.

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!!!

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!!!

I have my first appointment with the surgeon's office tomorrow morning... yippee!!! Glad to have read all these great suggestions before then, so I have something intelligent to say next time someone is rude to (or thinks they're complimenting) me. I just know a larger patient in the waiting room is going to ask me how life is post-op. Fingers crossed that the ignorant nurse who suggested I leave the information session has already retired! I was assured she was about to when I called to complain about my experience (two days later - after I'd composed myself and stopped crying). I will be kind to friends, acquaintances and other patients, but the next uninformed healthcare professional is going to get a piece of my mind!

I have my first appointment with the surgeon's office tomorrow morning... yippee!!! Glad to have read all these great suggestions before then, so I have something intelligent to say next time someone is rude to (or thinks they're complimenting) me. I just know a larger patient in the waiting room is going to ask me how life is post-op. Fingers crossed that the ignorant nurse who suggested I leave the information session has already retired! I was assured she was about to when I called to complain about my experience (two days later - after I'd composed myself and stopped crying). I will be kind to friends, acquaintances and other patients, but the next uninformed healthcare professional is going to get a piece of my mind!

I used to say, "I'm good at dressing strategically", but I was always so tempted to say, "you've never seen me naked!" ;-D

@ Maybe it's all in my head but I so get what you're saying. When I walk into the clinic or a group meeting I feel like people look at me like, what are you doing here? I'm still pre-op and I'm at the bottom of the qualifying BMI with two co-morbidities. But this level of qualification exists for a reason! They even make me feel guilty sometimes. So without the high blood pressure and arthritis in my knees and ankles I wouldn't qualify for surgery. But if I could have done this on my own I would have done it already! But do I want to explain this to every person I meet? Heck no. So like many others here, other than my husband and maybe one friend who will help in my first days home, I'm telling no-one.



I love some of the suggested responses to the awful, "you don't look that big" statement. Stupid stuff really does just fall out of some people's mouths.

I tell them that my dad and grandfather passed with the same health issues I have when they were 62... I am 41 and desire to have more than 20 years left. I want to see my grandchildren and great grandson.... Oh wait first I need to have my on and this weight is the problem....