Okay I have a question for all of the bandsters out there. I have often seen people write on here "It was a lot of hard work." or "This process was not easy." when referring to the LapBand. I know all of them say I would not have trade it for anything or I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I have done the research and I know what some of the hurdles that I will have to face. But I think that research will only get you so far.

So my question is this......What was hard about your journey? what was the most difficult part? I want to make sure that I am prepare as much as I can be.

For me the hardest part of this journey has been getting my mind in tune with my stomach. Even though I can't eat very much, my mind tells me I still want more!!! I am down to 163lbs from 295lbs and let me tell you it is still a daily struggle!!!!!!! The slider foods are the easiest to get down, so you have to stay away from those and exercise is very important. I have struggled with both exercising and eating well!! Good Luck on your journey!!! I have 13lbs to goal!!! I never thought I would get this close to goal, and yes I too would do it again in a heartbeat. I love my band!!!

Your life will be forever changed. Not that this is a bad thing.

The hard work is that you have to make the proper choices of food. Take your Vitamins. You can never eat brainlessly again, you have to chew, chew, chew, and be aware of every bite that you put in your mouth. You must exercise.

There are some foods to which you will say goodbye forever. For me, white meat chicken, bagels, high fat content ground beef...not a big deal. Other foods will continue to go down very easily. Highly processed junk goes down GREAT. Dorritos, chips, Cookies, etc. go down very nicely. Whole foods take more effort, but these are the foods we need to choose.

You have to do the work, the band does not make the choices for you. It helps tremendously, don't get me wrong. I'd have never lost this amount of weight and kept it off this long without it. But I make the choice of what goes in my mouth. I cut it up small enough, and chew it well enough that it won't get stuck.

Weight loss and new eating habits affect not only you but those around you. Your relationships will change and grow, some may deteriorate and even end. Some people will support your decision, others you thought would support you will turn very negative.

Eating with people you don't know well can be stressful. I was on a jury. I went out with my fellow jurors. Ordered my food and got stuck a few bites in. I had to excuse myself and could not finish my meal. Of course there were questions of "are you OK?"

I am very open, so I told them, but for someone who prefers to not tell the world their business, this can be a tough situation.

I had another episode during that trial where I was stuck and sliming in the jury box. It was a high profile case here, lots of people in the courtroom, including TV cameras, no they didn't show the jurors, but still. I felt like the eyes of San Diego were on me.

I've had other issues like this in public settings. It's not always moonbeams and roses. I guess I sort of drifted off the "hard work" part of it, but these are things that I did not consider, because I didn't know of them.

Would I do it again in a heartbeat? You betcha. I am off high blood pressure meds, cholesterol meds, and my pre-diabetes hasn't progressed.

If I have problems with my band and need to have it removed what would I do? I'd want another band or a revision to a different procedure. I'd never want to go back to my previous state. And I have no doubt that I would return to my previous state without surgical intervention.

Ok, enough rambling, I hope this answers your question! :biggrin:

The reason I say those things is that I don't want anyone going into this thinking "I will have surgery and then I will eat less and lose and never have to diet again" It does not work like that for most people. I am on a "diet", I am still in my losing stage and I journal what I eat, limit my choices, and exercise even when I don't want to. When people post that they are unhappy with the band, they usually say things like "I wouldn't have got the band if I knew I had to diet". I think the band is not really for losing the weight it is for keeping it off, you have to do the work to lose the weight.

Plus day after day of selecting the right foods, stopping at just a cup when something tastes really good, working out when you just want to read a book gets old. Mentally you just want to go back to your old ways, because it is easier. But the rewards of fighting through these mental roadblocks are wonderful. Its hard but everything that I ever did in my life that I was proud of later was hard.

Its kind of like having a child, being pregnant sucks, labor really sucks but you get a wonderful reward at the end. Good luck with your journey.