Hi. I have my surgery date for lap band July 25th and am really nervous. My whole life I've been overweight and I just want to be thin and healthy. Anybody who has done this and maybe is now older or who is going through it now at my age please respond back. It will he greatly soothing!

Im 20 years old & 12 days post op. And let me tell you, there is NOTHING to be scared about. The surgery is so quick & easy. There will be some gas pain after the surgery, but the pain meds really help. Don't be worried, we have our entire life ahead of us. You'll do great.

Hi. I have my surgery date for lap band July 25th and am really nervous. My whole life I've been overweight and I just want to be thin and healthy. Anybody who has done this and maybe is now older or who is going through it now at my age please respond back. It will he greatly soothing!

Hi. I have my surgery date for lap band July 25th and am really nervous. My whole life I've been overweight and I just want to be thin and healthy. Anybody who has done this and maybe is now older or who is going through it now at my age please respond back. It will he greatly soothing!

Hello!

I am in your shoes! I am 20 years old and was just banded (6/30/11) I am happy with my choice. All my life my weight has been up and down. I started really gaining weight after high school. When i met my boyfriend i had lost some weight and was the smallest I'd ever been in my life. After a year of being together i gained even more. After the birth of my son i gained almost 70 pounds. In a span of of 4 years together i've gained about 110 pounds. Finally I said enough was enough! I looked into it with the insurance, and they covered it. Did my 6 month pre op... and here i am now. In 7 days I've lost almost 13 pounds. I feel great already. In the past seven days I've had my ups and downs. My best advice... Tomorrow is always a new day! Work hard and don't get discouraged!

Best of Luck! Add me as a Friend & keep in touch!

This is just what I needed! I just want a better life (my life is great and I'm happy but there is just something missing). I am about 220 and I work out ALL the time I just don't know why I can't lose weight! I hope to keep seeing your guys weight loss because that's amazing! I'm scared I won't get the results other people on here got but I'm hoping for the best

I'm 24 and will be two years out in October. Like you I've been overweight my whole life. I'd lost weight on my own a few times - 50 to 60 pounds through eating very little and excercising like a madmad only to gain it all back and then some when I got discouraged. Then my doctor and I decided to have this sugery (I have the Realize Band) to use as a tool to help lose the weight and keep it off. I was just as worried as you were when I first started: what will happen if I fail? What will happen if I succeed? For my first six months I lost probably 30 pounds. It was really hard because my fill wasn't tight enough and I could eat just like I had before. I started to get scared that I was one of those people that this band just wouldnt work for. Then in May, six months after my surgery, I finally got the fill that made the difference. I started losing about 10 pounds per month for a good seven months. The weightloss slows as you start getting closer to goal. So far I've lost 115 pounds with about 20 to go. Don't go into this expecting the quickest fix. When I started I thought I would be at my goal weight by May, not just starting to get restriction. And even with a good fill level, when i stall for a few weeks, I still get that panicked feeling that I will no longer lose weight. That's when I tell myself "remember when you weighed 290 and didnt think you would see 289? Remember when you were at 276 and didnt think you would get to 270, remember when you were at 226 and didnt think you would see 224?" I keep reminding myself of all the times I thought my journey was over only to lose more and more weight later on. For me the weight loss isn't consistent- it could be 5 pounds one month, one pound the next, none for a few months- and you really just have to go with it. Don't stress when you're not losing- it takes your body a while to shift everything around.

My last bit of adivice- take before pictures!!! Even though i was incredibly embarrassed at the time I took pictures at my heaviest weight, and boy am I glad I did it! I took them straight on facing front, facing back, and side view. I've taken pictures once a month since, as well as keeping measurements, keeping a journal to write about how I feel during important milestones, and tracking weightloss (i put in what i weigh on the last day of every month to compare). Now when I'm feeling bad or like I havent lost anything, I compare my current picture to my heaviest weight picture and it just blows my mind. When I put the two side by side I no longer pick at what I have left to lose, instead I marvel at how much I've lost. I was recently worried about the currently fattest part of my thighs until I noticed while doing my monthly measurements that the fattest part of my thighs right now is the same size of the smallest part of my thighs back when i first started. If that makes sense, right now the biggest part of my leg (thigh) is the same size as what was once the smallest part of my thigh by my knee. Do as many measurements as possible, this really helps to track what and from where you're losing fat. Measurements are far more important than what you weigh on the scale.

My ONLY regret with this surgery is that I didn't have it done sooner- yes I've struggled with food since banding, yes I miss certain foods, yes I've eaten things I shouldn't, yes it's been physically, emotionally, and mentally tough- but now I can walk up stairs without getting winded, I can fit comfortably in seats at movie theaters and on airplanes, I no longer wear sweatshirts even in the summer to cover up my extra flab, I can look at myself and not feel disgusted or shameful. You have a great opportunity in front of you and I wish you the best of luck on your journey!

Wow! Thank you so much! I went to fat camp and lost 30 pounds and over the past 5 tears gained it all back plus some. And you totally have the rest of your life too! Thank you forth words and I hope to keep in touch! Pictures and measurements are something I never thought about but I can totally see why it helps in the journey!

I was 19 when I was banded and surgery was a breeze - my journey has been flawless but I definitely understand why you're worried/anxious. It's all part of the process! You'll do great if your head is in the game.

Thats good to hear! A flawless journey would be amazing to have to let's hope! How much have you lost?

Thats good to hear! A flawless journey would be amazing to have to let's hope! How much have you lost?

115lbs.

im 19 and im waiting for insurance to get back to me. hopefully im approved! i am so ready! not nervous at all!

You can do this! You are doing it to be thin and healthy and you'll be happy with that choice. I know I am. I'm also enjoyint the compliments I get!

I was 39 when I had my surgery. I have quite awhile to go yet (I hope) and just didn't want to live my whole life being unhappy and unhealthy.

Well insurance was approved. So I'm gonna be getti banded in 10 days. Im so ready but goodness it's just such a change. I'm eating everything and I don't care even though that's bad. Do you guys think that's bad? I mean I know the commitment it's just my whole life I've watched what I've eaten my whole life I just want these 10 days to atop worrying.

Not sure if you have a pre op diet or not. But if you don't, I still wouldn't go too crazy on the pig out fest. Because your liver could get really fatty and pit you at risk for them to knick it during surgery.

I'm 21 and had my surgery on June 16. I'd always been a little overweight but when I quit cheerleading in high school I put on about 45 pounds in the next year. I managed to stay there until about 8 months ago when the stress of my impending wedding got to me (those lucky jerks who lose weight when stressed...) and I gained another 20 pounds. I joined a gym but unless you can eat properly along with it, I find I didn't lose weight. So I finally had enough and when my mom and aunt decided to get the surgery after my dad and cousin had it, I decided to jump on board with it.

It's been difficult. It was really frustrating not seeing any results this past month, but keep in mind now that there won't be a lot of Fluid in the band post op and so once you start healing you will get hungry. (that's something I wish I would have been more aware of. It was really tough on me) I was getting so upset that I wasn't losing any weight. But I went and got my first fill this past week and it's a little better. I've lost a couple more pounds. I can't wait to go back in a couple of weeks for my next fill because I'm still not at my "sweet spot". Just keep in mind that it is a very emotional journey but I think it will be well worth it. We're so fortunate that we're able to do this now while we're young. I want to enjoy my 20's!

Any fear is just anticipation. I had one moment of freak out while I was in the hospital, but I took a little nap and felt so much better (I thought they put something in my IV, but my husband said they didn't lol) then they took me back and I woke up in recovery. They gave me plenty of meds for the pain

Anyways, enough about me. I think it's great that you're able to do this. Good luck with your surgery and I wish you immense success

This is just what I needed! I just want a better life (my life is great and I'm happy but there is just something missing). I am about 220 and I work out ALL the time I just don't know why I can't lose weight! I hope to keep seeing your guys weight loss because that's amazing! I'm scared I won't get the results other people on here got but I'm hoping for the best

you need to lose or gain weight is to talk to a doctor or dietitian, who can compare your weight with healthy norms to help you set realistic goals. If it turns out that you can benefit from weight loss, then you can follow a few of the simple suggestions

1.Don't banish certain foods

2.Avoid fad diets

3.Don't banish certain foods

4.Get moving

5.Build muscle

6.Forgive yourself

7,Make it a family affair.

8.Watch your drinks.

Thanks !!!!!!!!!

hiya! my name's dani and i am 21 yrs old. I was banded on January 11th and in 6 months i've lost 60 lbs. =) (68 today). I exercise at the very least twice a week and I stick to my diet 90 percent of the time =) (nobody's perfect) I was petrified minutes before I was taken back for surgery. I had a hernia that was repaired at the same time.

Everything went well, and I'm so happy now. I went from 240 to 172 today and from a size 18-20 to now a 10-12! I wish you well and hope you stay strong! YOU CAN DO THIS!