Arthemise

I got mine Thursday. The doctor complimented me twice on my nice liver.

My husband wants me to be around to raise our son, so he's supportive of this helping me lose weight. He doesn't care if I'm heavy; he'll love this body no matter what it looks like. But with diabetes in the family, he knows I need to do it for my health. He's also overweight but not as bad as I am. He's dieting along with me and has been there whenever I need him. He's even waiting on me hand and foot while I recover.

I have a two-year-old, and there are some things I can't do with him because of my weight and related back pain. He prefers my mother or my husband who can do those things with him. That really hurts. I knew I really needed to lose the weight. I'd had doctors recommend surgery, but I never even considered it because I'm extremely squeamish. My "that's it" moment: I decided to give the diet another try. Then I wondered what would make this time any different from all the other times I'd tried. I remembered that lovely saying: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting to get a different result. And even if I did lose the weight, I'd be fighting my hunger forever, and I knew I couldn't live that way. I'd tried everything else, and surgery was all that was left. If I was really serious about losing weight, I'd have to get over this fear of surgery. And the more I heard about the surgery, the more I wanted it. It's like someone told me I could be 20 again. I can't wait to have my life back and be able to do things without pain! Two days post-op and I'm optimistic.

I weigh every day. I have weight fluctuations (+/-3 pounds usually), and I think that if I weighed once a week and I happened to be on a high day, that would be discouraging. Right now, pre-op, my victory is staying on the diet, and losing weight is an added benefit.

I went to my first meeting last May, and I'm having my surgery in March. I had to do six months of weight loss with my PCP (not that I lost any weight), and then my insurance company really dragged their feet because of paperwork.

The six-month wait did nothing for me but make me gain weight. I was impatient and angry and ready to make the change. I tried to lose weight and failed. How is that any different from the many years I've been trying? My insurance company has since changed the requirement from six months to three months. The education classes and discussions have been more beneficial to me. I could see requiring more support group meetings in place of the doctor-supervised weight loss. For me, at least, they made me see the changes that were necessary in my life. My PCP knew less than I did about WLS and didn't really help.

Kim, that is too funny, and sad at the same time. I've told just about everyone about my WLS. If they can't be supportive, I don't need them around. I've already unfriended one person on Facebook, but I didn't really care for him anyway!

Me too. It's so easy to keep track of what you've eaten and see your progress. I especially like seeing the calories burned versus eaten.

I had sinus surgery in December and went many hours without eating before the surgery. I thought I'd be starving, but I wasn't. I guess my body had better things to worry about! From what my doctor tells me, you won't be hungry for a while after this surgery. My pre-op diet includes real food, just small quantities of it. I'm so thankful for that! My doctor requires me to stay on a liquid diet for two weeks after the surgery. Then it's two weeks of mushy liquids. I didn't like the chicken-flavored unjury either. Bleh! The unflavored stuff is decent with some Crystal Light.

I think she may be jealous. She may see the band as letting you have an easier time of it than she is having. She figures that if she's having a hard time, then you should have a hard time too. I have come across the attitude that everyone should be able to lose weight through diet and exercise and if you can't, you just don't have enough willpower. What people don't get is that every body is different. They may not have the constant hunger and cravings that I'm having, so until they are in my shoes, they can't judge. Before I made the decision to have the surgery, I considered the perfect scenario of me losing all the weight through diet and exercise. I would still have the overwhelming hunger and have to fight it every day. That's no way to live. I had someone make a comment that if he could lose weight, anyone could. This was after a few other jabs on Facebook. Unfriend! I just don't need negativity right now, just a few days away from surgery. I would tell this woman that you need her to be supportive and that you don't need negative comments now that you've made up your mind.

I'm scared too, but I just don't think about it. I've weighed the pros and cons and have been careful in making my decision. I'm sure it's the right one. So I just do my best to not think about the surgery itself. That worked for me for the sinus surgery I had in December. I only started getting nervous in the operating room, and as soon as I mentioned it, they gave me something to calm me down. My LapBand surgery's next Thursday, and I'm sure it will be harder to not think about it the closer it gets, but that's my plan!

Congrats! My surgery is in nine days, and I am so looking forward to getting my life back. I have a two-year-old, and it's very discouraging to have him prefer Daddy or Granny because Mommy just can't do certain things. And I want to be around to see him grow up!

I had a sinus infection last week, my mom has strep, my husband has herpangina, and my son had a stomach virus that took him to the ER. I'm really hoping that the antibiotics I'm on help my immune system fight off the bad stuff! Just perfect timing since I have surgery in nine days. If I miss that window, I have to wait until May because my husband is in college. I'll be disappointed too if I can't have it as planned.

I did that too. I hit Red Lobster and ate til I was too full. That sure reminded me why I'm having the surgery!