Hi everyone. My name is Shante. I am so happy to have found a site like this. I feel that finding this site and being able to communicate with all of you will make my weight Loss with the Lap Band Journey that much easier. A little about me. I am only 23 years old. I have been overweight all my life. I look back at pictures from when I was only 1 years old and I was even kind of chunky then. I have ALWAYS been the biggest person in class etc. As the years have went on, i have tried numerous diets, atkins,weight watchers, etc and joined many gyms..but still the weight keeps coming and coming. In 2006 i was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. and borderline Hypertension. just recently i was diagnosed with Borderline High Cholesterol. I am sick and tired of Being Unhealthy! it seems like nothing I do works for very long, and I end up bigger then I started. i have been researching Lap Band for a while now, but it has just recently became realistic. I was a student in college, but I have decided to put school aside for a little while and get a full time job with insurance, so I can get my health in check!! I am still in the very beginning stages of what I understand to be a VERY LONG process! SO far I have went to a seminar, gotten a Referral from my PCP, and Last Wednesday I had my first appointment with the surgeon. at the appointment they took my vitals and talked to me about the surgery and the process, and what steps are next. I got a chance to meet and talk with the surgeon, who by the way told me that he thinks I'm making a great choice and he thinks I am a perfect candidate for Lap Band. (this made me feel really good) but anyway, The surgeon and the Nurse Practitioner told me that my insurance requires me to lose a certain percentage of my weight before the surgery. they calculated this and told me i need to lose 12lbs. This is going to be hard,but I am going to try and give it my all. They also told me that the next step would be to get all my testing done. Blood work, x-rays, sleep test,nutritionist,psych eval etc. they said If I can get all of these things done before my next appointment with the surgeon in the middle of January then that would really speed up my whole process. I am currently waiting to schedule these appointments, but I am hoping and Praying that I can get it all done in time for the next appointment. I asked about how long does this whole process take, and I was told it really depends on how fast i get my testing done, my insurance, and how quick I can lose the required weight..I know that my insurance requires me to be on a 6month supervised diet. My PCP started me on one in early October, which would put me being "qualified" for surgery no sooner then mid March 2011. I am fine with the process as long as I know its going to happen. I have never had this many mixed emotions in my life. I am scared, I'm happy, I'm nervous, I'm anxious, I'm excited, I'm sad sooo many different feelings all at once. This is the beginning of a whole new life for me. I am not sure how to deal with everything that I am feeling, but I am confident that I will be just fine! Also I see a lot of posts about support. As far as my support system I have my mother in my corner 100% i haven't really talked to many other people about it yet. i have a cousin whom is like a best friend,(who is also very much overweight) and she was not very supportive. she didn't understand why I couldn't just lose the weight on my own and she thinks I'm being lazy and taking the easy way out. I talked to her about the lap band that one time, and told myself to never mention it to her again. I don't think I will EVER bring it up again to her because I feel like If I'm going to be making such a major change in my life I only need to be surrounded by people who are there supporting my decision even if they don't agree with it.! I feel this is such a sensitive subject that there really isn't much room for Negativity. So throughout my process i plan to ONLY acknowledge the positive. Because someone so close to me had such a negative opinion, I'm not really sure if i will share this with ANYONE else. Has anyone else ran into something similar? where someone you were close to, and thought you could depend on as a support system, made it very clear that they were against it and had a negative attitude?? Please let me know. Thanks

Hi everyone. My name is Shante. I am so happy to have found a site like this. I feel that finding this site and being able to communicate with all of you will make my weight Loss with the Lap Band Journey that much easier. A little about me. I am only 23 years old. I have been overweight all my life. I look back at pictures from when I was only 1 years old and I was even kind of chunky then. I have ALWAYS been the biggest person in class etc. As the years have went on, i have tried numerous diets, atkins,weight watchers, etc and joined many gyms..but still the weight keeps coming and coming. In 2006 i was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. and borderline Hypertension. just recently i was diagnosed with Borderline High Cholesterol. I am sick and tired of Being Unhealthy! it seems like nothing I do works for very long, and I end up bigger then I started. i have been researching Lap Band for a while now, but it has just recently became realistic. I was a student in college, but I have decided to put school aside for a little while and get a full time job with insurance, so I can get my health in check!! I am still in the very beginning stages of what I understand to be a VERY LONG process! SO far I have went to a seminar, gotten a Referral from my PCP, and Last Wednesday I had my first appointment with the surgeon. at the appointment they took my vitals and talked to me about the surgery and the process, and what steps are next. I got a chance to meet and talk with the surgeon, who by the way told me that he thinks I'm making a great choice and he thinks I am a perfect candidate for Lap Band. (this made me feel really good) but anyway, The surgeon and the Nurse Practitioner told me that my insurance requires me to lose a certain percentage of my weight before the surgery. they calculated this and told me i need to lose 12lbs. This is going to be hard,but I am going to try and give it my all. They also told me that the next step would be to get all my testing done. Blood work, x-rays, sleep test,nutritionist,psych eval etc. they said If I can get all of these things done before my next appointment with the surgeon in the middle of January then that would really speed up my whole process. I am currently waiting to schedule these appointments, but I am hoping and Praying that I can get it all done in time for the next appointment. I asked about how long does this whole process take, and I was told it really depends on how fast i get my testing done, my insurance, and how quick I can lose the required weight..I know that my insurance requires me to be on a 6month supervised diet. My PCP started me on one in early October, which would put me being "qualified" for surgery no sooner then mid March 2011. I am fine with the process as long as I know its going to happen. I have never had this many mixed emotions in my life. I am scared, I'm happy, I'm nervous, I'm anxious, I'm excited, I'm sad sooo many different feelings all at once. This is the beginning of a whole new life for me. I am not sure how to deal with everything that I am feeling, but I am confident that I will be just fine! Also I see a lot of posts about support. As far as my support system I have my mother in my corner 100% i haven't really talked to many other people about it yet. i have a cousin whom is like a best friend,(who is also very much overweight) and she was not very supportive. she didn't understand why I couldn't just lose the weight on my own and she thinks I'm being lazy and taking the easy way out. I talked to her about the lap band that one time, and told myself to never mention it to her again. I don't think I will EVER bring it up again to her because I feel like If I'm going to be making such a major change in my life I only need to be surrounded by people who are there supporting my decision even if they don't agree with it.! I feel this is such a sensitive subject that there really isn't much room for Negativity. So throughout my process i plan to ONLY acknowledge the positive. Because someone so close to me had such a negative opinion, I'm not really sure if i will share this with ANYONE else. Has anyone else ran into something similar? where someone you were close to, and thought you could depend on as a support system, made it very clear that they were against it and had a negative attitude?? Please let me know. Thanks

I have come across postings about negativity from friends and family in other parts of this discussion board. It seems to be quite common. You are moving on to healthy living and that makes them look bad. It is easier to be a hater then a supporter for some people. I was banded on 11/29. i only told a couple people and they are supportive. Sometimes it is easier to just say "I gave up cheeseburgers" and change the conversation.

Yes! I agree!! I think they just are scared that you will now have the potential to be smaller then them, thus in their minds,look better then them. Some people use other people's dilemma's to uplift themselves. this may be the case with the Nay Sayers of WLS. i think your right though i will probably just tell them I changed the way I eat and what i eat.and change the subject! It really wouldn't be a lie!