losingjeff

Sorry for making it seem like I wouldn't be willing to lose 50 - I am. I guess my complaint is more that they said even if I lost 50 I shouldn't get the band. I guess I need to decide if the sleeve is for me or not.

I know, I just really like that the band is so minimally invasive and sleeve gastrectomy is the polar opposite of that. I'm scared of surgery to begin with. I don't know I guess I should reevaluate it but I think I could do great on the band. I guess I'll look more. Thanks.

Hello everyone. I first looked into the lapband 2 years ago. I went to see Dr. Goldstein's presentation in Voorhees, NJ at Virtua and he did a great job convincing everyone the band was the way to go, and I still believe that. But when I met with him, he told me they don't band on anyone over 340. I wrote him a letter asking if it had changed and what if anything I could do and I got a call back that it hadn't changed (its been a year now) but I might try other places, or I could get a sleeve gastrectomy. So I called University of Penn Hospital and spoke with them and they said if I got under 500 I could probably get a band but that they would strongly urge me to get sleeve gastrectomy as well because I'm not going to lose the kind of weight I need to with a band. I'm 27, I'm still actually fairly active and I go to a personal trainer 3 days a week to make sure I stay that way as long as possible but how many years of people telling me no do I have left? I just want this surgery so bad and I won't consider GB or Sleeve Gastrectomy because they're too invasive. I know I can manage living with a band, I want it so badly but it seems like everyone is trying to steer me away, and everytime another door is shut I just feel worse. Sorry for the rant just looking for anyone who can tell me what I should do. Do I just give up and live this way? -Jeff

Thanks for the posts! I'll be poking around here participating where/when I can!

Hello everyone. My name is Jeff and I am from South Jersey. I am scheduled to have my first appointment with Dr. Adam Goldstein on Friday, September 5th. Having been to the orientation session twice, I'm reasonably confident in my decision but inevitably I still have doubt. More on that later. I am 25 years old and work in the public sector as a Network Administrator. I am 25 years old and I currently weigh 550 pounds. I was my happiest when I weigh 225, and even then I thought I was big. Fast forward 8 years and I sometimes have trouble believing the number on what is essentially a freight scale I had to buy (because I never could convince myself to ask my dog's vet to weigh me... wow would that have been an esteem-buster). I am in remarkably good health for a man of my weight, I am still very mobile and I am still able to ride an exercise bike everyday. I'd like to ride a real bike again though. How did I get this way? College, then a hectic job, then friends moving away and moving on with their lives left me first surrounded bv friends who couldn't afford anything but cheap, bad food and then alone with a lot of money and not many people to talk to. Follow that up with anxiety issues (probably due to the weight) that stop me from going to a gym and stress from work that made me eat more and, presto. 560lbs (my highest recorded weight, I suspect I was closer to 600 at some point but I had yet to buy my scale). In February of this year, I decided I had had enough of spending tons of money on fast food garbage. I was spending anywhere from $15-$30 a day on fast food. Do you know how much food you get at Taco Bell for $15? Of course some of you do. That is why we are all here. And I'd eat it before I got back to my house, leave the bag in my car and go pass out. Leaving me sad and self loathing with a messy car. February 22nd I had had enough. I gave my father my credit and debit cards, got my car detailed so there was no evidence of what I had done in it before, and I swore off fast food. The closest thing I've allowed myself since then has been deli sandwiches, and these days I lean more towards the chicken salad sandwich than the meatball. I started counting calories, but eventually gave that up (to my disappointment). I lost weight, getting down to 530, but it was so difficult and I was watching months tick off my life while I waited. I want to get on with my life, and at that rate I'd be where I wanted to be right around the time I hit 35. Not exactly the turn around I'm looking for. So like I said, I went to the New Beginnings Orientation. I contacted my insurance company (Horizon) and after a little back and forth they say it is covered by my policy. So now I wait. I still have those doubts I talked about. I worry about what it will be like to not eat a whole bowl of Pasta, ir to only eat a 2" sandwich (or can I even eat sandwiches?). I wonder if I'll still be funny when I'm not as fat. I hate being fat but it defines so much of me I feel like a part of me is going to go away, and while I don't like most of it I'll miss being able to crack a fat joke about myself. I'll miss being able to watch a parents horrified reaction because their 5 year old son just yelled "MOMMY LOOK A GIANT!" while I smile and laugh to myself. I am a giant afterall, the parent was just mortified at their kids honesty. One Last Sandwich - Adventures in Fatblogging is my blog. The last entry is about me trying Alli. It didn't do anything for me in the end, but I also didn't crap myself while on it. So I guess that is a silver lining. I hurt my tailbone sitting down too hard and so I haven't ridden my bike in a while, but I hope as that heals and as I get my weight loss going, I'll return to it. So I guess that was hello. Thanks for listening and I look forward to being part of the community. -Jeff