I know its stupid and wrong! But my goal weight is 199, and when I read post by people who are got banded because they were 199 it makes me so mad.. not sure if its at them or my self it just makes me mad. I know its stupid. but IDK

well.......what if someone looked at the weight you are right now and got mad because thats where they would like to be ? that wouldnt be fair to you , would it ? instead of looking at your glass as half empty, look at it as half full ! you had the surgery, you've lost some weight ( i assume ) and hopefully youre feeling better about yourself because of your accomplishments. looking at someones else weight just makes you go backwards for a ridiculous reason, not move forward for a good reason. seems like a lot of wasted energy to me........

feel that at 199 is isn't as hard to lose weight as if u are 250-plus as someone 199 pounds. People can move easier, there for lose weight. I'm at 194 and very happy. I wouldn't never get the surgery at this weight, it is a life changing and it has risks. But even with 190's I am still big and unhealthy weight, I feel I can do this.. lose this weight, so that's why i can say I wouldn't get this surgery at this weight, b/c I'm there 194. feel that at 199 is itsn't as hard to lose weight as if u are 250-plus as someone 199 pounds. People can move easier, there for lose weight. I'm at 194 and very happy. I wouldn't never get the sugery at this weight, it is a life changing and it has risks. But even with 190's I am still big and unhealthy weight, I feel I can do this.. lose this weight, so that's why i can say I wouldn't get this sugery at this weight, b/c I'm there 194.

It annoyed me too at first, because my goal is 180...but you have to consider ones height also. A lot of those who weigh 199 or so may only be about 5 feet tall or shorter, so their normal weight would probably be under 120.

Everyone's journey only belongs to them. We are all so different. I know what you mean but try and focus on yourself and don't let the negative creep in. Easier said than done!

It bothers me some because people have made it to their goal and I can't get any more off. Not that it really matters, when you factor in people's starting weight, age, medicines they take. but just 15 or 20 more would make me so happy. My body just seems to settled in at this weight. Size ten pants is okay but a 8 or 6 would make me much happier. But I did loose 84 lbs with the band and doing good keeping it off. So I should be happy

Cheri

I am 5' exactly. If I had weighed 199lbs when I got banded I would have had a BMI of 38.9! Sorry that makes you mad. What makes me mad is people that don't think some people are/were fat enough to get surgery.

Personally I am glad that I had the motivation to do something when my BMI was only 32. Being obese was bad enough , I don't see why I should have had to wait until I was morbidly or super obese to do something about it.It is always better to do something sooner rather than later.

I am 5' exactly. If I had weighed 199lbs when I got banded I would have had a BMI of 38.9! Sorry that makes you mad. What makes me mad is people that don't think some people are/were fat enough to get surgery.

Personally I am glad that I had the motivation to do something when my BMI was only 32. Being obese was bad enough , I don't see why I should have had to wait until I was morbidly or super obese to do something about it.It is always better to do something sooner rather than later.

Im sorry are you suggesting i waited untill i was "super obese"? I'm 23, I didnt really "wait" that long!

I said in my orignal post that i didnt know who i was mad at but just i was mad. that i get frustrated that i wish i was 199!

Well, I find the attitude that lower BMI bandsters are less worthy of being banded downright offensive.

What if I said to you that you it makes me mad that people are so lazy, self indulgent and stupid to let themselves get to BMI's of 38+ and should have the brains to get themselves banded before they get so fat? What if I said to you that my tax dollars should not pay for your healthcare because you have caused your own health problems (actually they dont because I live in Australia but you know what I mean)?

Sheesh.

But I do know that sometimes you just feel some way in particular and you know its not logical or right. For example, I'm sorry to offend any 5ft 10ers (my height) that have goal weights of 180 to 200 believing they would look "sick" at my measly 140, but I would be HORRIFIED to be that heavy again. I was desperate about my weight when I was in my 20's and weighed that much and I dieted myself right up to 240. In truth 180 at 5ft 10 is quite healthy, very attainable and maintainable and worlds better than 300 or more.

Im sorry are you suggesting i waited untill i was "super obese"? I'm 23, I didnt really "wait" that long!

I said in my orignal post that i didnt know who i was mad at but just i was mad. that i get frustrated that i wish i was 199!

And you cant really say something so judgemental and offensive and then act offensive when a similar assumption is made of you!

Personally I think you're very lucky to have this opportunity as young as you are. When I was 23 and a huge 180, the only things available were Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers and Limits (remember those?)

Hmmmmm…that makes me sad for you, envy and/or jealousy can be poisonous.

So, are you saying that once you are in the 190’s that you too shouldn’t be able to use your band to lose weight? Would you really consider yourself skinny at 199? When you get to that point, while yes, you will feel better, you certainly will then know (as did I) that 199 does NOT look or feel skinny on a 5ft 4in frame (my height). Now that I am in a size Zero down from a size 20…I not only FEEL skinny, I AM skinny…LOL In fact I am trying to gain about 10 pounds back.

I started at 220 and lost my weight in less than 1 year because of a sincere desire to have a chance at a healthier lifestyle. It makes people angry to hear it, but it has been SO, SO easy for me with the band. When you do exactly as the doctor says and keep your band comfortably tight, you cannot fail to reach your goal weight easily and quickly. I am proof of that and NO…I didn’t go to the gym J In fact I hate the gym. I never drank a Protein shake, they gag me and I despise vegetables LOL. Oh, I could go on and on.

I think you are being absolutely silly, probably one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard on here, but at least you’re reaching out to others for advice on the matter which tells me that you don’t like feeling that way?

Seriously, remember this post when you are 199 pounds and then imagine what you would do if someone says, “OK, you’re too skinny to have a band now that you’re 199, you can’t use it anymore, just suffer on your own.” Whether you START at 199 or end up at 199 on your way down the scale, DOES NOT: A) Mean you’re skinny or Mean you shouldn’t be applauded for wanting and fighting to be a healthy weight or C) Be denied the use of a Lap Band. It sounds like a simple jealous/envy issue and trust me, one day in the near future, the other “fat” people around you that know your weight loss secret will be jealous and will envy you too. Guess what? You won’t care what they think, you’ll just be happy you did it and if they want it, they too can do it. I never in a million years thought I would ever be in a Zero again in this lifetime. I hoped for at least a size 7…what seems impossible to you right now, WILL become a reality in time.

I will say I think some people don't think about the tone of their statements on this board. When some says " I'm 5'4" and I am so tired of looking like a cow at 220 pounds!"; to me it is mean spirited. After loosing about 160 pounds weighing 219 today was a huge victory for me. Am I still over weight sure. But when someone says they are a cow at 219 how do you think that makes me feel? Does that make them any better than someone on the street saying the same thing to me? No. Do I envy these bandster no. I hope I am bit more mature than that at my age. I just wish people thought before they spoke/wrote.

I wish I would have had lap band years before. I stupidly thought I didn't need it. So I just kept gaining and gaining. I envy those people who took the initiative to have the surgery before they got to where I was - 371lbs! I missed out on so many years of my life hiding out because of my weight. In less than a year I have my life back and it gets better everyday.

I feel great and am starting to not feel fat all the time and I still have 80+ lbs to lose. It is too much work to worry about anyone but myself! I save the effort for my workouts. Don't hate - appreciate!!

Don't get too upset with her, she said she knows it's stupid and wrong, what she's thinking. I have thought about this many times. I think it is harder when you have less to lose, because it usually comes off slower and can be more challenging. I'm so mad at myself that I let myself get up to 263 before being banded...when I get under that 200 lb mark, you're all gonna hear about it!

The way I see it is this...

Insurance companies won't cover the surgery unless your BMI is somewhere between 30-40, obese-severely obese.

For the record, someone would have to be 5'8" to be 199 with a BMI under 30. Anyone under 5'8" would considered obese at 199 pounds.

If someone weighs 199 with a BMI of 28 then they'll be a self-pay because insurance won't cover it. If they want to put themselves through this and spend their money, that's their business.

I do understand what your're saying, but you have to remember we all have different paths and reasons. Just be glad you have the option to be banded and let others worry about themselves. Concentrate on you

I suspect when you reach 199, you'll be happy but inclined to go further. I have relatives who hit nearly 400lbs and had no intention of getting any bigger, PARTICULARLY when I am nearly 37yrs old and have been on beta blockers for blood pressure since I was 25 and at risk for type II diabetes. We are all trying to be healthier, so it serves to anger "skinny bandsters" when their efforts are poo-poo'ed by those who started at much higher weights. It's also quite common that folks, like me, who were banded at ~200 started out higher and paid for the surgery out of pocket as a reward for getting down that low from a higher weight. For the record, I'm 5'5", try to be encouraging to everyone, and assume negativity I could have toward anyone on this journey could be better directed at someone else, like criminals or general jackarses.

Saying skinny bandsters are infuriating is the same as saying bigger bandsters waited too long... it doesn't really help anyone either way. LB for folks less than 35BMI was just approved by the FDA in early 2011, so that is why there seem to be more and more skinny bandsters. I suspect some with >35BMI would've had the surgery sooner if it had been available to them in the US. I had no idea at a BMI of ~33-34 that I was eligible until I was reading something else from the FDA. I was tentative, but really happy to have the opportunity to improve my health with this tool! We could all get mad at the real skinnies who lost so much they need to re-gain some, but their struggles are just as real as everyone else's and their mental and physical health just as important, so they need to share and get encouragement as well! Happy health everyone!