Jayniel

My daughterm husband and myself were all obese.  I was not petite growing up, but was never obese.  Once I finished high school and stopped getting regular exercise through sports, I started to gain weight.  I gained a lot of weight during my first pregnancy; I was 25 when my son was born.  I never lost all the weight I had gained.  Then I became pregnant again and had my daughter when I was 28.  A friend of mine was pregnant at the time, expecting 3 months after me.  She was going to pre-natal exercise classes, so I joined her.  I was able to work much harder than the pregnant women, and lost a LOT of weight.  I used to work outdoors, so I was able to keep my weight somewhat under control.  In 1997 I was promoted to supervisor,  now sitting in a chair in front of the computer. Over the years I have gained lots of weight due to overeating and a sedentary lifestyle.  I lost a bit of weight in the mid-1990's by going on the Atkins diet.  But did not embrace it as a lifestyle change, and my weight crept back up, ballooning to 250 lbs. by 2005.  My daughter had started college, and due to some medications she was on, as well as no longer being involved in sports after high school, her weight was going up rapidly.  One of her professor's wives is a bariatric surgeon, and suggested she look into surgery.  We went to a seminar on Lap Band Surgery here in LV.  I was very impressed and we all felt this is exactly what we needed to help us with our weight problems.  Our insurance did not cover the surgery; I believe at the time it was $16,000.  My husband had a friend who had gone to Dr. Pedro Kuri in Tijuana. He had researched and found that at the time, Dr. Kuri had done more of these surgeries than any Dr. in the US, and that he was training US doctors.  The cost was $8,000 and free fills for life.  All three of us decided to have the surgery.  I lots some weight rapidly at first, got a fill at 6 weeks.  But I have not maintained my diet or exercise, so it has not been successful.  My total weight loss was about 40 lbs.  This past year and half, lots of things have happened to our family with the economic downturn, causing me major stress, and I have gained back up to 235.  I have never joined a forum or chat group to help me with my banding diet and exercise.  It is difficult to have  your surgeon in another country, where you cannot have support and check ups.  I know I need help, and I am hoping that I can find advice and encouragement through people who have gone and are going through the same experiences I have.  I have not given up that my band will work, I just need the support to help me work with my band to lose the weight and keep it off.