I'm curious from everyone here who has been banded...What do you expect to get out of it? I mean realisticly?

I'm not looking for answers such as "I'd like to see my toes" or "I'd like to wear those pants again"

You went through all the hassle of getting surgery...surley people must have some serious expectations.

And the 2nd half of my inquiry is....To what extent are you willing to go to reach that expectation? Are you willing to sacrafice the very thing you love? food? That got you in this condition in the first place?

OR...do you think you can do both?? Hold onto your old life and try to change your future life at the same time?? Specifically your love for food.

I have reached my goal, but I am finding out that peoples goals are very subjective. What one person wants may not be what the other person wants at all!

To me, the goal has always been to have a normal BMI and normal weight, and I would do whatever it takes to get to that goal! I have also learned that some people are not ready for that type of commitment. Maybe "slow and steady" is the course.

When I got banded I knew this was a lifestyle change not a quick fix.

I set goals for my self. I mean attainable goals. My first goal was to lose 25lbs, then another 25lbs. etc.

I have lost 89 lbs since being banded in Sept 2009. Yes, I have had a few setbacks and gained a little bit and I'm back on track now. (I got really sick a few months ago and on top of being sick I also became severly dehydrated)

I would like to lose another 35lbs, but if that doesn't happen I am happy for losing the 89lbs that I have lost. I am healthy now and I haven't felt better!!!

As far as food goes, I know that I can have anything in moderation. I do try to stay away from certain things because I don't trust myself. By overeating and making bad choices is what got me overweight in the first place. If you restrict yourself from everything one day you will lose control and food will take control of your life again.

I also thing having a great support team is very important in this journey. I have had great support from my husband, family and many many friends.

My goal was to get down to a reasonable weight. I was hoping for 50kg but would have been happy with 52kg. As it is I seem to have settled at around 51kg. At the time I thought I would give up chocolate, Cookies etc and for a long while I did. The problem came in when I discovered that I could still eat them and not regain. I do have to make sure though that I do only eat them in moderation.

The fact I have maintained my loss for approx 2 years with very little effort makes me feel great although i definitely think maintenance is harder than losing. Your band gets looser over time, things that were difficult to eat initially get easier and your motivation is not quite as high as in the beginning.

I would love to have a perfect body with a flat stomach but at almost 50 and with 2 Caesareans and a hysterectomy behind me I don't think that is likely to happen!

My goal was to get down to a reasonable weight. I was hoping for 50kg but would have been happy with 52kg. As it is I seem to have settled at around 51kg. At the time I thought I would give up chocolate, Cookies etc and for a long while I did. The problem came in when I discovered that I could still eat them and not regain. I do have to make sure though that I do only eat them in moderation.

The fact I have maintained my loss for approx 2 years with very little effort makes me feel great although i definitely think maintenance is harder than losing. Your band gets looser over time, things that were difficult to eat initially get easier and your motivation is not quite as high as in the beginning.

I would love to have a perfect body with a flat stomach but at almost 50 and with 2 Caesareans and a hysterectomy behind me I don't think that is likely to happen!

I like what you say about motivations changing over time.......I wonder what the outcome would be if someone was not highly motivated when first starting out??

Destined for failure??

I am and always have been a perfectionist - but I can be very all or nothing. I was either going to sit around stuffing my face and getting fatter or I was going to lose a spectacular amount of weight. Not for me this "normal BMI" stuff. I was always aiming for the very bottom of my healthy weight range, to get as thin as I could. Not for me walking and moderate gym work. I was always going to try to run a marathon.

I dont always achieve my goals, but luckily, that doesnt bother me that much. I havent run a marathon and accept now that I never will. My main problem with having such ambitious goals is never getting started, once I'm on the path, I'm quite capable of adjusting to a more reasonable goal.

As it was, I did get right down to a BMI of 19 at one stage (looked horrible, have regained to about 20). It was actually quite easy despite being an "i eat what I want in smaller quantities" type of bandster. I think due to the all the running I do. I will go to my grave protesting that cardio IS king when it comes to weight loss. Well, it worked for me, anyway. But would I do "whatever it takes" to get there? No. I just hate strength training, if that was really necessary, I would have settled at a higher weight. Would I do strict low carb?. Not a snowflake's chance in hell of that happening. Would I give up wine or chocolate completely? Never.

And would I have a full body lift, breast work, brachioplasty and thigh lift, spending 50 grand on my body? Nope, not even if I had 50 grand to spend.

My goal was to not be the "fat lady" anymore! I have met goal, but falter up/down a bit. I have had some bad experiences, such as a slipped band and resurgery. But, would I have not done this, heck NO! I am not sure what extent I would have gone. I would not have had either a liposuction, nor plastic surgery to look my best. I am not sure that I would have gone through gastric bypass, either. But I am totally settled into my new lifestyle, and will not ever have a problem with not eating steak, pizza or whatever else I can't eat now. But this is me, so others need to make there own decisions on whether they can do it or not! Karen

My goal was to be healthy. A healthy Mom for my son. I want to be able to run around with him and be able to give him a sibling. I have been overweight my whole life so I finally decided an extreme measure was needed. I put 110% of myself into this. Everytime I want to slip back into old habits I think, you put your life at risk for this opportunity, don't screw it up. The exercise for me has been key. It keeps my energy up and keeps me motivated. It has made me into a morning person, up at 5am four mornings a week. The changes that I see in my body in just 11 months are unbelievable. It is such an exciting time for me! I can't wait to see what other new and exciting things are coming as more of this weight comes off.

The one thing I keep in mind all the time is - There is no finish line! This is my life now and I am loving it!

Thanks all for your replies. You have no idea how much I needed to hear from successful people who are still motivated and committed.

When I was first told that they would put a band around my stomach, adjust it tight enough to the point I would not be able to over eat ever again without pain and vomiting, I said BRING IT!

Not to mention I would not be able to eat some of the foods I used to love. SO WHAT!

Small price to pay in comparison to the big picture.

I'm still going strong. But it is good to hear from other veteran bandsters as well.

Who said veteran bandsters can't support each other!

I just had to put my two cents in because my perception has changed so much over time. I was banded at 26 years old. At the time, I didn't want to be the "fat girl" in the group. I also didn't want to be 26 years old and on blood pressure medication (which I was) I lost a good amount of weight, and due to stress and my job, and just being a bad bandster, gained a lot of the weight back.

Now at 31 (soon to be 32), it's more than just not being the "fat girl" originally I didn't want to be the fat bride (I'm not even engaged yet lol), so that's what started the new re-motivation between me and my doctor. But recently, it has been other things. I'm 31 and not a mother yet. At this point I might not be a mother until 40, which is going to make things hard enough. On top of that being overweight, it's going to be impossible. My friend that I grew up with is having a hard time getting pregnant, when she went to her ob/gyn he basically said "you got to lose some weight first". I think at 26 I thought this band was going to do the work for me. At 31 I realize it's only a tool. I have to watch what I put in my mouth (the band can't do that). I have to get my butt to gym, the band can't run on the treadmill for me. Now that I "get" it, I get it basically. And to sacrifice food, well I see food as something to keep me going not an event. Sure I screw up, I did on superbowl sunday and I was so hard on myself. My lapband dr even said not to stress out about what I eat, just eat. But I still write everything down. We made a deal on Fridays I can't keep track of what I eat, and to eat something different (for example, instead of my usual crack, I mean chobani for Breakfast I'm having a veggie egg white omlette this morning).

I think once a person gets to maintenence mode, I think there can be a balance between being a good bandster and eating normally. I just don't think I can be that person because food is always going to be there for me. I can't even have junk in the house because I'll probably eat it. It's going to be tough but I finally do get it.

I think I had/have two main goals, the first one being was to get thinner and maybe getting to a normal bmi. The second was being I did this for my mental health, I was severely depressed being how I was. So it was to get out of my severe depression, which I've achieved. I may still be fat but wearing clothes I'm actually pretty happy with the way I look. Of course I will strive for better since I'm still in the obese catogory. I think overweight is under a 30 bmi. Not happy with myself naked but I doubt I'll ever be.

This may sound crazy, as it doesn't sound like it has anything to do with weight - but I want to get a new job, and get paid what I'm worth. I've always sold myself short because of my weight - and the statistics prove that fat women get paid considerably less. Yes I want to be healthy, lose weight, keep if off, and look good, but most of all I want the confidence that comes with it. I've lost it on my own before, and I'm just praying that the band will make it too uncomfortable for me to overeat - which is my main issue.

What do you mean you don't want to hear things like "I'd like to see my toes" or "I'd like to wear those pants again" ? LOL ..........those types of things were/are my main goal! I not only wanted to see my toes, I want to paint them without holding my breath or grunting! I did want to fit in those size 10 jeans instead of size 24! I'm wearing my size 10 jeans right now and they feel great! I wanted to be able to get up in my husband's 4X4 truck without a stepstool or major effort and grunting and being strangled by my huge boobs and belly! I wanted to wear pretty clothes instead of fat lady clothes.

As someone else mentioned, my self esteem was so low about the way I looked and my lack of flexability and mobility, I felt like crying every day.

What would I do to correct the problem? I would do something as drastic as weightloss surgery! I didn't care if all I could eat for the rest of my life was gruel. I would do something as drastic as spending $10,000. I was in a very desperate state.

I am so happy to say I did it! I took off over 100 pounds with very little effort.

I have kept the weight off! I don't have to eat only gruel! I can paint my toenails! I can wear size 10 jeans and my ass looks great in them! I can get up in the 4x4 like a normal person! I could go on and on with these types of reasons .......... (being fit or healthy was not my top personal priority. I'm fitter and healthier, but that is just frosting or gravy to me)

For me my goal was to get to the lower end of my BMI. I was willing to give up whatever it took food and drink wise to get there and I did! I workout all the time now and I love it but I didn't at first but again it was what I had to do. So after all my hard work and sacrifices I made to get there my husband rewarded me with a tummy tuck that I had on Monday! IT WAS SO WORTH FIGHTING FOR TO GET HERE.

This may sound crazy, as it doesn't sound like it has anything to do with weight - but I want to get a new job, and get paid what I'm worth. I've always sold myself short because of my weight - and the statistics prove that fat women get paid considerably less. Yes I want to be healthy, lose weight, keep if off, and look good, but most of all I want the confidence that comes with it. I've lost it on my own before, and I'm just praying that the band will make it too uncomfortable for me to overeat - which is my main issue.

That's not crazy at all!!!,

Keep up the good work!

ok... so for me i just wanted to be thin again. In my twenty's i was a size 0 and weighted 100lbs. My husband and i got married 21 years ago and year by year... i got fatter and fatter. But i never saw myself as big as i was in the mirror... in my mind i still looked good.... then one day i was looking at pictures (husband is a photographer) and i said... who is that, then i looked again and it was ME... OMG i thought, do i really look like that. How did i let myself get so FAT....

I was not and i'm still not ... "un healthy"... never had HB, heart problems, diabetes, sleep app... ... nothing... just FAT...

My first goal was to have the surgery and take charge of my life again. Then to fit in a single digit paints.... size 8 and not a size 18-20. Buy... pretty sexy panties from VS. Be able to walk up a flight a stairs with out having to stop and catch my breath. As far as seeing my toes....my boobs are too big for that...lol. I wanted to look sexy and feel my confident about my self and not hide and be ashamed of what i had let myself become.

and last but defiantly not least.... i wanted a better sex life with my husband.

So two years later and 80lbs gone.... Wednesday i'm going in for a TT. It's not for everyone, but after two c-sections, hysterectomy, gallbladder, and LB.... my stomach apron is bad, it get sore and irritated when i walk, and exercise and i'm tired of having to wear "girdles". I didn't go thru all the watching what i eat and exercise to still have to do that.... so going get it cut off.

What would i do to stay thin.....? Every damn thing i had too. someone posted on here a while back about "self fills" and people tore her up.... if it meant me being able to stay thin.... hand me the needle and saline.... But luckily for me my son and daughter in law are RN's.... but i still go to my doctor at least once a year.... yes i still gripe about the rapping he does each time charging $235 for a fill... but i will do what i have too.

Today... i woke up and weighted 143 again....