Hi all!

I am new to this website, i have managed to finally book my lap band surgery for november 2011 after fighting with myself for so many years! I am 176 cms tall and weigh almost 139kgs.. sigh... i never thought it would be that hard letting that out..... i have a high high cholesterol of almost 9.0, and although i am getting this done because i want a healthier and longer life in the future, i am looking forward to being able to feel like a normal "young" person like i should be feeling at my age!

i turn 21 in a couple of weeks and do wish all my weight loss methods would have worked till now, because i have literally tried everything under the face of the sun, terry white, weight watchers, jenny craig, personal trainers, xenical, naturopathy... this was my last and final option! im so scared of the operation because i have been researching all the bad things that could come out of it but i am concentrating on the positive for now and cannot wait to have it done! the one thing i am scared of is failure.. so far all the weight loss methods i have tried have failed and ended up with me gaining triple of what i lost... i started dieting at 12 and have not been able to buy normal clothes for many years now.... i just hope it all works out well! anyone else getting it done anytime soon?

Welcome to the forum! And I think most of us on here can appreciate your story. I had my band done at 25 and now at 27 I wish I would have done it even sooner! There's much to be said for being overweight in your young years theres soo much we miss out on being held hostage in a body we dont really like. So congrats on your decision to have WLS you're in for an exciting ride. I understand your fears about the procedure, we all had them, but every surgery comes with its risk, it's surgery after all! But laproscopic surgeries are much safer than open ones and lap band is considerably safer than something like gastric bypass. Being obese carries its own risks so you have to decide which ones outweigh the benefits of having or not having the procedure. And if you find a good surgeon that you trust you should be fine. Most of the issues people have after being banded- slips most notably, you'll find come from the patient not doing what they should be and not from the band itself. Such as over eating, eating items known to cause stuck and regurgitation episodes, having an over filled band trying to rush the weight loss and vomiting much more than they should. If you follow your doctors instructions you should be fine. But read all sides of the forum so that you will know what to expect and relieve your anxieties and make an educated decision before being banded. Don't be afraid of failure- slip ups happen but you can't beat yourself up about it, thats usually what provokes us to over indulge and restart the cycle. The people who seem to have the most success with the band are those who are ready to commit to a lifestyke change, not those who expect the band to knock the cookie out their hands. Understand that permanent weight loss is a slow and steady process. Be willing to forgive yourself and get back on track. Dont deprive yourself just remember everything in moderation- the band once you're at a good level of restriction will help with that. Keep in mind it may take weeks or months before you will find that "sweet spot" of restriction so alot of it will still be up to you in the begining. Also be sure to keep realistic expectations. The band is a tool and it takes alot of getting use to, it won't stop you from eating icecream or other high calorie "slider" foods or from being a couch potato so keep that in mind, that it will take more than just the surgery to receive the ideal results we all set out for. Before I was banded I only read success stories and followed people on youtube who seemed to have exceptional experiences with the band and sort of assumed I would too- and while I have lost 100lbs thus far it wasn't the quick and effortless process I secretly hoped for! But I dont regret the band for a single minute because I know it truly helped me change my habits and see my over eating for what it truly was. Being able to love the skin your in for once is an amazing feeling and I cant wait to see you posting on the other side of the forum when you are seeing the pounds shed. At 21 your life is just begining and now more than ever you have so much to look forward to, congratulations on your surgery! Best of luck!

NurseShay, thank you so much for taking the time to motivate me! Things like these are what is helping me through these tough times where im fighting with myself in my head!! I feel so much better after reading your post that I read it three times already As far as my surgeon goes i trust him with my life so that puts me at ease! if you have researched lap bands you must have heard of dr paul obrien, he was in the team that initially designed the lap band 20 something years ago and he is the one that will be doing my surgery so i have no doubts about him! I have weighed up the options by risk of surgery/stay overweight and keep increasing in kilos... and the risk of surgery seems to be small compared to the latter option!

I am excited about the new life i will hopefully be able to enjoy as soon as possible! I have been spending hours and days just researching this even moreso recently and have gone through so so many videos on youtube and think to myself, all these people were in the same position as me 1-2 years ago and if they managed to change their life around... then why cant i?! the only thing that is stopping me is me! i just wish i could wake up every single day with this in my head and manage to follow all the rules and turn my life around for my benefit!

Congratulations on your -100LBS!! it must feel great to be on the losers bench, and i hope to join you there soon!! add me as a friend and hopefully we both can watch each other shrink through the months!!! Best of luck to you too!!! xx

Oh I am so happy that I was able to help motivate you banded_princess! It was this website and some of the videos I followed on youtube that put my fears at ease and even now, 19 months out, I still find answers to questions I never knew I had and find comfort reading peoples stories that are going through what I am going through. This forum has been invaluable! I always find that when I dont check in for a while I stray off course and old habits creep back in and the weight loss begins to stall so staying active on here is beneficial for me as well as those I'm able to advice through my experiences being banded, it's an awesome cycle. So by all means keep in touch, Im sure it'll help you along your journey as it has for me. You sound like you have picked the best of the best in your surgeon, thats great!! One less worry for you. I know what you mean about wishing you could wake up everyday still motivated, but of course life happens! Coming back on here or having support somewhere will always help reign ya back in though, no worries! And on those tough days dont be afraid to speak out, we've all been there before. Your B-day is one day closer, how exciting for you! I have a feeling you are going to be very successful since you're doing all this research. Yes it does feel good to finally be on the losers bench, haha, but I still have much more to lose and am looking forward to the day I get to be on the "@ goal" side. I will save you a seat- who knows you may get there first!!