I hope that some of you can help me. I am having a hard time in making the “go” decision on getting banded. I have a low BMI (33) and I keep telling myself I don’t deserve a lap band. I also get a bit scared reading all the posts about how little people are eating after being banded. I’m not sure I can do it.

Did anyone else go through this indecision? I’ve seen the surgeon, the psychologist, the nutritionist and I will be self pay.

I went through what you are going through but I am not a low BMI. It is a huge life change. You will never look at food the same way. For me, that's a good thing! I make payments to my band and it is truly an investment. You are definitely in a tough spot. Good luck with your decision!

Regarding how little food you will be eating after surgery--the key thing to remember is that with good restriction, your body will be SATISFIED with much less food. Head hunger is something else, and is an emotional issue that many people have to deal with before and after surgery. But I cannot adequately express how happy I am that smaller portions fill me up and satisfy me! It feels like freedom.

i had a low BMI of 36.6 and i was self pay. i wasn't always overweight. it wasn't until i was in my mid-20's that i started struggling.

i have to be honest with you... this journey is HARD. had i known then what i know now... i might not have gone thru with it but let me explain.

i did all the research but i thought i'd be okay with everything. i only needed to lose 75 pounds to get me to a normal BMI, so how hard could it be, right?

they don't tell you about the struggles between the brain and the stomach. my stomach (and my band) tell me to stop eating after a few bites but my brain tells me to keep eating because it tastes SO good.

if you listen to your band, you WILL lose weight but if you listen to your brain, you'll throw up. a lot.

you have to learn to love your body and really respect the band. if i listen to my band i'm totally fine with my eating. it's when i listen to my brain that i run into problems.

you also have to be aware that some foods that you LOVE might be foods you'll never eat again. i can no longer eat pizza or hamburger or bread of any kind. if i do, i throw up.

have you tried everything possible to lose weight naturally? do you feel like this is your only option? think long and hard....

I think the decision to have the surgery is a personal one. We can tell you to have it or not to have it and in the end, you will need to do what's best for you. You just need to trust yourself and your doctors. I appreciate the post from Kalipso2. I haven't gone through anything yet. I'm a beginner but for some reason I'm terrified. I'm going to do like she said and think long and hard and do my homework. For me, there are so many reasons to have this surgery..I just have to know it's the right decision. I have tried soooo many diets, pills, programs, therapies,,but I don't want this to be an easy way out. I will definitely pray on this, research it, talk to others who have experienced it and I'm so very glad I joined this group because I'm learning alot and thinking about things that I hadn't thought about before.