Hi everyone, I guess I'm just looking for some encouragement -- I have an appt with my surgeon on Thurs. and I have to make up my mind once and for all that having the surgery is the right choice for me. I have struggled with my weight my whole life but have been obese for the last 20 years. I have been successful a few times with losing a large amount of weight but I have never been able to keep it off longterm. Then of course when I gained it back I always gained a few extra pounds to go with the ones I had lost! I have recently reached my highest weight again and have to do something to get going in the right direction again. I have been having a hard time getting started again -- I think because I can't imagine it being a permanent loss and I don't want to be disappointed again. I believe that the band could make the difference - but it is a little scary to me. Any advice would be appreciated!!

wendy, i know exactly where you're coming from. i've been morbidly obese for the last 15 years and i've alwyas managed to lose 20-40lbs if i was on a strict diet but just like you and probably most of us.. i always gained back more than i lost. i had surgery 12 days ago .. and even after surgery i had some buyers remorse. but i think what i have to keep in mind is that, there aren't really that many 50-60yr old 300lb males out there .. because they just don't live that long .. and what i want is a healthier long life .. but more than that i wanna enjoy that life while i'm here .. being morbidly obese is a task .. and no longer want that.. that's why we're all here on this forum.. i've lose 17lbs since surgery .. (in 12 days) so , i think i'm well on my way , and a year from now .. all the anguish i went through is not going to be near the feeling i'm gonna have when i'm a new me! hang in there honey!

thanks, congradulations on getting started! I too am tired of living this way and know that there is much more to life than what I am experiencing now. Take care and keep me posted on how you are doing. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers!

If you read enough of what people have wrote you will find your answer. I read a lot of what's on this website and found it very helpful. I also watched my brother have the surgery ten months ago---I was really against him having it but then saw how well he did and how good he felt. He told me he had absolutely no regrets. I thought it was kind of drastic to have surgery but realized now that it's really an opportunity to take in order to get this part of my life together. It's not as extreme as it sounds. I'm five weeks post op, have not had a fill yet and already feel much more in control and glad that I did this. I didn't want to spend the next 25 years or so I have left on this planet obsessing about my weight like I've done the past twenty five years. I know that if something happens, the band can be removed so that's good to keep in mind. That said, it's still a big decision and I wish you luck.

I got banded for exactly the reasons you mentioned. Like so many of us on this site, I'm a great dieter. I lost weight many times and every time I gained it back and a few more lbs.

Even though my weight loss has been impressive, what makes the band right for me is the adjustability factor. I've had a few times over the last 2 years where I've gone crazy and gained a few pounds. Whenever this happened before, I'd go off the diet and start back to every bad habit I ever had. With the band if I'm that hungry, it tends to mean it's time for a fill. I make an appointment, get an adjustment and the hunger is gone. I really don't diet with the band. I just eat less, because I'm not hungry. At this point, I haven't had a fill in 7 months and I'm still not hungry. My weight loss has slowed considerably, but I haven't gained. That was what I was looking for, and I think I've found it.

Good luck on your decision.

Cindy

Hey Wendy, I can certainly relate to you playing it over and over in your mind. I was sitting in the doctor's office just yesterday thinking that I must be a fool to be going through this. I started thinking that I could lose the weight on my own if I really try.... and then I thought about all the complications that could happen. My mother thinks I am crazy and my 15 year old daughter has asked me not to do it. While I am still scared out of my mind.... I am sick and tired of looking and feeling fat!. I have decided that I just can't waste anymore time surrounded in fatty tissue! There is a beautiful me under all this meat and I'M DIGGING HER OUT! I let life get the best of me. It's time to fight for me, my happiness and my health. No one is going to do it for me and no one is going to do it for you. I did my blood work on yesterday and today I'm moving on to psyc and nutr. Tommorrow I will do my upper GI. Iknow that I'm going to worry myself silly while going through the process, but in the end, I going to I deserve this new begining and so do you. I'm very afraid, but it's something I have to do. Watching people live while I only exist has played out. I'm ready to get back to living life. You can do it Wendy. I wish you much luck in whatever you decide to do. Just remember that we are all afraid, you aren't alone in this. Take care and keep us posted.

Get the band, let it work for you like it has for many of us. Eating habits will have to change, sure, but the weight goals being long time is well worth it. I was banded 4 months ago and I LOVE IT! It is an easy surgery with limited complications and is reversible but I doubt you'll ever want it removed. Go for it!

Thanks!! I feel so much better just from reading everyones input and encouragement. I know it's important to remember that I am not alone in this or the only one going through the thoughts, emotions, etc. As far as your daughter is concerned I would encourage you to have a real heart to heart: it worked with my 18 yr old daughter as well as my 16 yr old son! Now they are on board and willing to support my decision. I havent talked to my 2 younger children yet (ages 9 & 6), but I will deal with that eventually. LOL thanks again and take care