Hello everyone,

My name is Suzanne. I am 31 years old, married to a wonderful man, and just had my first son in 2010. I have been overweight since 5th grade. Slightly at first and throughout high school, then ballooned to about 250 pounds in college. I have tried many diets, exercise, personal trainers, etc. I did lose about 70 pounds once through Atkins, but slowly gained it all back. After I had my son, I weighed 230 pounds. Then I managed to gain another 22 pounds, putting me at my current weight and all time high of 252 pounds. I'm unhealthy and embarrassed, and I desperately want to change.

I've been thinking about the Lap Band for a couple of years, and finally started seriously pursuing it in October. And while my surgery is set for Friday, I'm still struggling with the idea of it. The two people I have told (my husband and mother) both tell me that I can lose the weight without it if I really try. But they are also the first people to shove Cookies in my face when I tell them I'm on a diet. I feel as though I SHOULD have the strength and willpower to just say no to food and do this on my own, but I don't. I never have and fear I never will. Is the Lap Band a cop out? I don't know. I just know that I want to be healthy, have more energy, and be able to walk into a store other than Lane Bryant for clothing. My biggest fear right now is failure to lose weight even with the Lap Band. I mean, how humiliating would it be to have this drastic surgery done and still not lose weight? It's the most terrifying thought to me right now. Please tell me someone out there understands how I'm feeling...

All of that being said, I'm excited and determined. I don't want to set mini goals. I have ONE goal, and that's to be 135 pounds by December 31st, 2011. It's not going to be easy, but I am hoping to find encouragement and support from those who have gone through and are going through this process with me: ALL OF YOU!

Hello Suzanne

My name is Alisa and I am 33 years old.. I felt the exact same way you do. I was not always overwieght but since having kids I have been and cant lose.. So I have been now for 12 years.. I got to where I was ashamed the way I looked so therefore starting not caring how I dressed because I just felt "ugly" even though my husband kept telling me I was beautiful and he didnt care.. I do and I wanted to be healthy I have absolutely NO will power to do it on my own.. I dont think the lap band is a cop out.. some people need the EXTRA push.. I know I do.. I just got banded on the 9 of Jan 2011.. I have already lost 10 pounds.. So I am not at all a pro at it yet but I believe it was the best solution for me.. Because I definatly cannot say no to choclate cake and candy.. But going thruogh the surgery and the pain has helped me.. I am on a liquid diet for the next 4 weeks but so far it has not been so bad.. I lost some wieght and thats my incentive.. I have no regrets!!! I hope you decide to do it..Its not as easy to lose it on your own as everyone else seems to think.....

Hello everyone,

My name is Suzanne. I am 31 years old, married to a wonderful man, and just had my first son in 2010. I have been overweight since 5th grade. Slightly at first and throughout high school, then ballooned to about 250 pounds in college. I have tried many diets, exercise, personal trainers, etc. I did lose about 70 pounds once through Atkins, but slowly gained it all back. After I had my son, I weighed 230 pounds. Then I managed to gain another 22 pounds, putting me at my current weight and all time high of 252 pounds. I'm unhealthy and embarrassed, and I desperately want to change.

I've been thinking about the Lap Band for a couple of years, and finally started seriously pursuing it in October. And while my surgery is set for Friday, I'm still struggling with the idea of it. The two people I have told (my husband and mother) both tell me that I can lose the weight without it if I really try. But they are also the first people to shove Cookies in my face when I tell them I'm on a diet. I feel as though I SHOULD have the strength and willpower to just say no to food and do this on my own, but I don't. I never have and fear I never will. Is the Lap Band a cop out? I don't know. I just know that I want to be healthy, have more energy, and be able to walk into a store other than Lane Bryant for clothing. My biggest fear right now is failure to lose weight even with the Lap Band. I mean, how humiliating would it be to have this drastic surgery done and still not lose weight? It's the most terrifying thought to me right now. Please tell me someone out there understands how I'm feeling...

All of that being said, I'm excited and determined. I don't want to set mini goals. I have ONE goal, and that's to be 135 pounds by December 31st, 2011. It's not going to be easy, but I am hoping to find encouragement and support from those who have gone through and are going through this process with me: ALL OF YOU!

Hi Alisa,

Congratulations on your first 10 pounds! That's great. How did you feel after surgery? I have a 10 month old and my husband works...no friends or family here as I just moved...I'm a bit worried about feeling well and being mobile enough to care for my son. I am starting a liquid diet tomorrow by choice. I want to be mentally prepared for this before having the surgery on Friday. How much do you hope to lose?

I think we all have our doubt and concerns at first but after surgery they go away. My husband thought I could do the same lose weight without surgery but after surgery when the weight started falling off he was impressed to say the least. I was banded June 16th 2009, went into surgery at 12:30 on the afternoon and was home 4.5 hours later resting. I was out of work for 5 days and able to take care of my kids my daughter had just turnt 1. I was in the same situation where I had no one around to help out and my husband had to work. You can do it if you really want to just take it easy and have things close by for your son to do and play with so you dont have to get up and move around too much oh and you wont be able to pick him up but if he can get up to you on the couch he can sit or lay with you. Hope that helps a little. Good Luck!

You have to do this for you, we are all here to help and support you. My boyfriend doesn't approve of the surgery either, but I need to do this for my happiness and health. So this surgery is the only thing in my life that I'm selfish about. You will do just fine take it one day at a time girl, Good Luck Friday keep us posted

Suzanne

Hi! And thanks ! I hope to lose 70 pounds.. I think you will be fine caring for your son after surgery.. My husband is in the Army and we are stationed in Germany. .. They do it alot different here than in the states.. I went in on Thursday and they didnt let me go home until Sunday.. But I would have been perfectly fine to have gone home.. You are sore and it does hurt but not to bad.. After my surgery I had absolutely no pain meds I guess the germans dont believe in pain meds.. So if I would have had some I probably would have done ALOT better.LOL... And for me I slept on the couch for a couple of days because it was easier getting up and down if you are raised a little....I wish you the best of luck and I think you will be happy with your decisions.. But do make sure you get some Protein shakes.. You have to have lots of protein being on a liquid diet... They are not all that good but you have to do it.. And a multi Vitamin.. I use the whey protein and use skim milk instead of Water with a bananna blended in it.. Its the only one I can drink Keep me posted.!!

.

Thank you for all of your replies. Alisa, we are army too! Thank God for Tricare, or this would never have materialized for me. I too will have to stay in the hospital, but only for one night. Hopefully I can get a little bit of rest. I was hospitalized for 5 days after my c-section and didn't sleep AT ALL.

I just took my before pictures and measurements. Wanted to cry. It really put everything into perspective, as I never let people take my picture these days. I decided to start my liquid diet today and I am STARVING. I know it will get better, but the first few days are always hard.

Suzanne,

The band is not a cop out, not cheating and definitely not taking the easy way out. I felt this way once too. For years I thought, "oh I could do it myself, I wouldn't dare get surgery, that's cheating, it's just for lazy fat people.." and all that hesitation, stubbornness and lack of education did was pack on another 110lbs in 10 years. but after failing repeatedly at dieting, years of gaining and losing I finally decided to READ ALOT, get educated about myself, my body and the procedure and talk to some doctors.

The band is a tool. not a magic pill.. The only thing the band is doing is making us feel fuller faster, it keeps us from over eating giving us no room to pig out, and it mentally helps steer us in the right direction in making every bite count towards nutrition, not pleasure (for me it does, but everyone is different).

It doesn't make our decisions for us, it doesn't cook us healthy meals and it definitely doesn't pick us up and force us to work out (too bad it doesn't lol). It takes work and determination. Does it make it a little easier than doing it on our own?, for me yes and for a lot of us YES!

And you ask how humiliating would it be to fail with the lap band? it just might be. None of us know for certain if we will fail or not, but we give it our all, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. For me the 50/50 chance was worth it, because my only other option was 100% failure if I tried AGAIN on my own.

For me it's less humiliating to try my hardest with this band, then to sit around getting fatter, or to struggle on my own just to keep failing anyway. You have to be completely in this emotionally, mentally and intellectually before you make a decision. I wouldn't listen to negative things people have to say, people always shoot down things they don't understand, like the struggle with weight loss and what the lap band really means. Do this for you, no one else.

Good luck to you!

Thank you, Victoria. Your words are kind and inspiring. I know this is going to be very difficult, even with the band. I am definitely in this for me! Congratulations on your weight loss so far. How have you felt physically since your surgery?

Suzanne,

The band is not a cop out, not cheating and definitely not taking the easy way out. I felt this way once too. For years I thought, "oh I could do it myself, I wouldn't dare get surgery, that's cheating, it's just for lazy fat people.." and all that hesitation, stubbornness and lack of education did was pack on another 110lbs in 10 years. but after failing repeatedly at dieting, years of gaining and losing I finally decided to READ ALOT, get educated about myself, my body and the procedure and talk to some doctors.

The band is a tool. not a magic pill.. The only thing the band is doing is making us feel fuller faster, it keeps us from over eating giving us no room to pig out, and it mentally helps steer us in the right direction in making every bite count towards nutrition, not pleasure (for me it does, but everyone is different).

It doesn't make our decisions for us, it doesn't cook us healthy meals and it definitely doesn't pick us up and force us to work out (too bad it doesn't lol). It takes work and determination. Does it make it a little easier than doing it on our own?, for me yes and for a lot of us YES!

And you ask how humiliating would it be to fail with the lap band? it just might be. None of us know for certain if we will fail or not, but we give it our all, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. For me the 50/50 chance was worth it, because my only other option was 100% failure if I tried AGAIN on my own.

For me it's less humiliating to try my hardest with this band, then to sit around getting fatter, or to struggle on my own just to keep failing anyway. You have to be completely in this emotionally, mentally and intellectually before you make a decision. I wouldn't listen to negative things people have to say, people always shoot down things they don't understand, like the struggle with weight loss and what the lap band really means. Do this for you, no one else.

Good luck to you!

Hello everyone,

My name is Suzanne. I am 31 years old, married to a wonderful man, and just had my first son in 2010. I have been overweight since 5th grade. Slightly at first and throughout high school, then ballooned to about 250 pounds in college. I have tried many diets, exercise, personal trainers, etc. I did lose about 70 pounds once through Atkins, but slowly gained it all back. After I had my son, I weighed 230 pounds. Then I managed to gain another 22 pounds, putting me at my current weight and all time high of 252 pounds. I'm unhealthy and embarrassed, and I desperately want to change.

I've been thinking about the Lap Band for a couple of years, and finally started seriously pursuing it in October. And while my surgery is set for Friday, I'm still struggling with the idea of it. The two people I have told (my husband and mother) both tell me that I can lose the weight without it if I really try. But they are also the first people to shove Cookies in my face when I tell them I'm on a diet. I feel as though I SHOULD have the strength and willpower to just say no to food and do this on my own, but I don't. I never have and fear I never will. Is the Lap Band a cop out? I don't know. I just know that I want to be healthy, have more energy, and be able to walk into a store other than Lane Bryant for clothing. My biggest fear right now is failure to lose weight even with the Lap Band. I mean, how humiliating would it be to have this drastic surgery done and still not lose weight? It's the most terrifying thought to me right now. Please tell me someone out there understands how I'm feeling...

All of that being said, I'm excited and determined. I don't want to set mini goals. I have ONE goal, and that's to be 135 pounds by December 31st, 2011. It's not going to be easy, but I am hoping to find encouragement and support from those who have gone through and are going through this process with me: ALL OF YOU!

Congratulations on your decision, and best of luck to you. I am 65 years old and I so wish I would have done this or something years ago. I fell 2 years ago and hurt myself to the point of not being able to get up and get around. I could hardly walk. I have gout and the fall made it worse and then I was diagnosted with fibromyalgia. I have a 20 month old great-granddaughter and I haven't been able to get down in the floor and play with her. I could hardly pick her up and walking very far was impossible. I knew I need and wanted to get comtrol of my life. I have been up and down with my weight since after my second child. I have never had a problem losing weight, I just have never been able to keep the weight off for more than a couple of years. I always say I have lost and gained at least 2 people.I am so excitged about this journey. I now have a new birth date. I was born on June 25, 1945, but my new birth date is Nov. 30, 2010. Don't let anyone bring you down, and until a person struggles with their weight they have no idea how hard it is to lose it or maintain the loss. Just listen to your own head and heart and know you will be able to enjoy your son and be there for him as he grows into a man. Good luck Friday and keep us posted.

Thank you, Victoria. Your words are kind and inspiring. I know this is going to be very difficult, even with the band. I am definitely in this for me! Congratulations on your weight loss so far. How have you felt physically since your surgery?

You are more than welcome Suzanne, us bandsters have to be here for one another. I'm by no means a pro at this, I just started this journey, my first fill is tomorrow and I'm still afraid of screwing up but I am doing my best not to. Feel free to keep in touch, I'd like to know how things go for you.

And thank you, I'm excited about my weight loss even though I still got a long way to go!

After surgery I was really tired and had terrible gas pain in my back, it was awful, but I was home 4 hours after I woke up from anesthesia. I had little surgery pain, if you talk to others who have had it you'll hear similar stories, although others do have more pain than I did and some people don't get gas. My incision pains really just felt like I did a million sit ups, it just felt like muscle burn, not anywhere near as bad as I expected. I'm pretty good with pain so I didn't need pain meds until maybe day 3. I only needed them because the rest of my body was so sore from lifting myself up off the couch lol (I live alone, so most of the time I had no help moving) and again it just felt like bad muscle burn. I really felt good even the next day besides the gas which really was hell for about 3-5 days, but other than that I was ok, just tired. I took it real easy for about 2 weeks, then went back to work.

Hi there, my name is Michelle, from southeast MI. 44 years old, married, mother of a daughter who is a sophmore in college. I have thought about surgery a few times, but ultimately, the gastric bypass just scares me, too invasive to me it seems. I didn't know much about the LapBand, briefly talked to my primary about it, and he was not opposed to me looking into it. Bottom line, I weigh over 300 pounds, I am at my all time heaviest. I have GERD (acid reflux), aches and pains, just found out recently that I am borderline diabetic and had breast cancer 3 and a half years ago. I have probably lost 500 pounds in my lifetime, you lose 100, gain 110, etc. So, I have taken the first step, I went to a seminar, then made an appointment for a consultation 2/17. I don't look at it as a cop out, it is a tool. For Pete's sake, drug addicts and alcoholics go to rehab and they are treated better than overweight people (the last acceptable discrimination). Another thing that has motivated me is that a friend at work had the LapBand done in September, down about 40 pounds so far, a friend in Chicago had about a month ago, down 27 pounds. I have gotten nothing but positive feedback from both of them. Sure, you are sore for a few days, sure you get tired of the Protein shakes, but I am more tired of feeling like crap all the time, and huffing and puffing just walking to my car in the parking lot!! I too am self conscious about going out to eat, movies, etc, I see the looks I get. First and foremost I am doing this for my health, I have just had enough, and again, this is a tool, it is forced portion control, and if it helps then great!! It is so easy for people that don't have a weight problem to say, you can do it on your own, sure you can, I have before, but gained it back and then some!! So, listen to yourself, and if you need a tool, then so be it!!

Hello everyone,

My name is Suzanne. I am 31 years old, married to a wonderful man, and just had my first son in 2010. I have been overweight since 5th grade. Slightly at first and throughout high school, then ballooned to about 250 pounds in college. I have tried many diets, exercise, personal trainers, etc. I did lose about 70 pounds once through Atkins, but slowly gained it all back. After I had my son, I weighed 230 pounds. Then I managed to gain another 22 pounds, putting me at my current weight and all time high of 252 pounds. I'm unhealthy and embarrassed, and I desperately want to change.

I've been thinking about the Lap Band for a couple of years, and finally started seriously pursuing it in October. And while my surgery is set for Friday, I'm still struggling with the idea of it. The two people I have told (my husband and mother) both tell me that I can lose the weight without it if I really try. But they are also the first people to shove Cookies in my face when I tell them I'm on a diet. I feel as though I SHOULD have the strength and willpower to just say no to food and do this on my own, but I don't. I never have and fear I never will. Is the Lap Band a cop out? I don't know. I just know that I want to be healthy, have more energy, and be able to walk into a store other than Lane Bryant for clothing. My biggest fear right now is failure to lose weight even with the Lap Band. I mean, how humiliating would it be to have this drastic surgery done and still not lose weight? It's the most terrifying thought to me right now. Please tell me someone out there understands how I'm feeling...

All of that being said, I'm excited and determined. I don't want to set mini goals. I have ONE goal, and that's to be 135 pounds by December 31st, 2011. It's not going to be easy, but I am hoping to find encouragement and support from those who have gone through and are going through this process with me: ALL OF YOU!

Hi, it's not a cop out it's a tool for us overweight people who just can't seem to keep the weight off, it is harder than I thought it would be, I seem to have less willpower than I did before the surgery but I can't eat as much as I used to so that's a bonus, just be aware that it is still going to be hard to control your appetite, the appetite is still there. good luck to you!

Hello everyone,

My name is Suzanne. I am 31 years old, married to a wonderful man, and just had my first son in 2010. I have been overweight since 5th grade. Slightly at first and throughout high school, then ballooned to about 250 pounds in college. I have tried many diets, exercise, personal trainers, etc. I did lose about 70 pounds once through Atkins, but slowly gained it all back. After I had my son, I weighed 230 pounds. Then I managed to gain another 22 pounds, putting me at my current weight and all time high of 252 pounds. I'm unhealthy and embarrassed, and I desperately want to change.

I've been thinking about the Lap Band for a couple of years, and finally started seriously pursuing it in October. And while my surgery is set for Friday, I'm still struggling with the idea of it. The two people I have told (my husband and mother) both tell me that I can lose the weight without it if I really try. But they are also the first people to shove Cookies in my face when I tell them I'm on a diet. I feel as though I SHOULD have the strength and willpower to just say no to food and do this on my own, but I don't. I never have and fear I never will. Is the Lap Band a cop out? I don't know. I just know that I want to be healthy, have more energy, and be able to walk into a store other than Lane Bryant for clothing. My biggest fear right now is failure to lose weight even with the Lap Band. I mean, how humiliating would it be to have this drastic surgery done and still not lose weight? It's the most terrifying thought to me right now. Please tell me someone out there understands how I'm feeling...

All of that being said, I'm excited and determined. I don't want to set mini goals. I have ONE goal, and that's to be 135 pounds by December 31st, 2011. It's not going to be easy, but I am hoping to find encouragement and support from those who have gone through and are going through this process with me: ALL OF YOU!

I got banded on Friday and have lost 5 pounds already. I am so excited about this journey and wish you all the best! I was thinking I had made a mistake after surgery and felt depressed and so sore, but just seeing the numbers on my scale go down make me smile and proud I am doing this for myself! Let's get healthy in 2011, we deserve it!!

Hi Ev1,

I was banded on Jan 14th 2011, I am 38 married mother of 2 living in British Columbia, my post op weight is 257 Im still very sore and moving slow also following my 30 day liquid diet ...each day is getting a little easier thank god lol, id love to message others who have just been banded as well my email is jewals2010@hotmail.com if you'd like to chat.

Thanks

Jewals