Here goes...I might be having second thoughts about getting my band. Whereas I once obsessed over the length of time it would take to get the surgery, I now look at it as a blessing because of the different emotions you experience leading up to the big day. I'm probably rewriting many people's story here, but this is my version and I think feedback from some of the Evangelists and Aspiring Evangelists might help me through this phase.

Everyone I tell has the same response - You don't need that, you aren't very overweight.

The truth of the matter is that I'm what my elders would refer to as "solid". I weigh much more than my appearance says I do - most of that has to do with the way I choose or sew my clothing. What's more is that I was recently diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, I snore like a bear and my upper body is out of proportion to my lower body. I've lost weight before, but never enough to get rid of my upper body problems.

I'm starting to think about trying diet and exercise - again, but deep down I know what I need to do. I'm so worried about giving up some of the things I love - right now, it's the occasional coca-cola, fried catfish, fajitas and flour tortillas. I know that I shouldn't ever have these things anyway, but I am worried about the cravings I'll have for them and feel very sad thinking that I can't even splurge on them sometimes.

Any advice is welcomed.

well, the band wont stop your cravings nor stop you from (eating) things..it will however help you eat less, esp when fills start ...and i speak only for myself in regards to this...the band can help you lose weight if you let it and by following the how to use it instructions. i think its a good thing for you..if you want it..

When I was anticipating this surgery, there were a couple of people who also said that I wasn't that heavy; not heavy enough to warrant surgery. Though that was nice to hear, the reality was.....YES, I was that heavy, and the number continued to climb.

I also went through the gambit of feelings over the months prior to surgery; many of those months just getting to the decision to do it. As difficult as it is to wait, it's a blessing. This is a huge life changing step, and not one that anyone should jump into. Once I decided against having a gastric bypass, the lap band (+ plication) wasn't as scary, and I never questioned my decision. My behavior, the scale AND the mirror told me ALL I needed to know; if I didn't do something, I would continue to gain weight, and eventually have some catastrophic health event......probably, death.

I don't know how old you are, but ask yourself this..... Is there anything you are going to miss eating, more than you miss feeling good about yourself? Instead of focusing on what you'll be giving up, try & focus on ALL that you'll be getting in return; especially, a beautiful HEALTHIER you. Imagine not dreading getting dressed in the morning & looking in the mirror. Imagine how it will feel being lighter on your feet, not dragging around the ball & chain of the extra pounds. And the reality is, once you're well on your way with the band, on occasion, you can have a little bit of the things you love - in moderation. There is nothing wrong with fajitas, but you will only eat a small amount. Fried fish is never a good choice, but on occasion, if you have a taste for it, you can have a small amount. As long as you count the calories, and stay within your program, you are fine. However, with the band, Coke is something you will need to give up. Aside from all the sugar, carbonated beverages are a huge NO when banded.

The bottom line is, you have decide what's more important to you; continuing to eat whatever you want when you want it....continuing to gain weight with more life threatening health issues, or putting the unhealthful lifestyle in reverse, and moving in the direction of good health and longevity. Type II diabetes is SERIOUS! In retrospect, is fried catfish really that important?

I honestly can relate. but you get to a point where you have to be honest with yourself. I would always say I'm going to lose the weight on my own but I know myself sure i can go to the gym and work up but I dont have any discipline and deep down inside i know I need help and the band is just what I need. My surgery is tomorrow and I'm ready for the task. I've been on a re op liquid diet and have lost 25 pounds in 10 days.

I don't have any wise words of wisdom I have not even been banded yet. But I just wanted to let you know that I have been going through the exact same thing. I carry my weight well so I don't LOOK the weight I AM. I have had all the same thoughts as you as a matter of fact I recently posted about It. Funny today I don't feel that way anymore, but who know about tomorrow. I think for some it is normal to have all kinds if different emotions. So unless something gets in my way to stop it I'm going through with it. I have been trying to diet on my own and to no avail. So I can't do this on my own, maybe you can. You will figure out if it is nerves or not before it is time. Just listen to yourself and you will be fine. Good luck.

"but I am worried about the cravings I'll have for them and feel very sad thinking that I can't even splurge on them sometimes"

Don't know where you heard this but it's not true? You can eat anything you want. The band will help you to feel satisfied much quicker so you don't feel like you need to eat two plates of your favs.

The band does not stop you from eating anything and won't stop you from eating a lot of anything. It only allows your mind to feel like it's no longer necessary to overeat everything.

I still have a few slices of pizza every now and then. I still eat small quantities of lasagna. I still eat an occassional burger with a few fries. They don't taste as good as they once did so I'm craving and eating so much less of these unhealthy foods now.

tmf

When I was anticipating this surgery, there were a couple of people who also said that I wasn't that heavy; not heavy enough to warrant surgery. Though that was nice to hear, the reality was.....YES, I was that heavy, and the number continued to climb.

I also went through the gambit of feelings over the months prior to surgery; many of those months just getting to the decision to do it. As difficult as it is to wait, it's a blessing. This is a huge life changing step, and not one that anyone should jump in to. Once I decided against having a gastric bypass, the lap band (+ plication) wasn't as scary, and I never questioned my decision. My behavior, the scale AND the mirror told me ALL I needed to know; if I didn't do something, I would continue to gain weight, and eventually have some catastrophic health event......probably, death.

I don't know how old you are, but ask yourself this..... Is there anything you are going to miss eating, more than you miss feeling good about yourself? Instead of focusing on what you'll be giving up, try & focus on ALL that you'll be getting in return; especially, a beautiful HEALTHIER you. Imagine not dreading getting dressed in the morning & looking in the mirror. Imagine how it will feel being lighter on your feet, not dragging around the ball & chain of the extra pounds. And the reality is, once you're well on your way with the band, on occasion, you can have a little bit of the things you love - in moderation. There is nothing wrong with fajitas, but you will only eat a small amount. Fried fish is never a good choice, but on occasion, if you have a taste for it, you can have a small amount. As long as you count the calories, and stay within your program, you are fine. However, with the band, Coke is something you will need to give up. Aside from all the sugar, carbonated beverages are a huge NO when banded.

The bottom line is, you have decide what's more important to you; continuing to eat whatever you want when you want it....continuing to gain weight with more life threatening health issues, or putting the unhealthful lifestyle in reverse, and moving in the direction of good health and longevity. Type II diabetes is SERIOUS! In retrospect, is fried catfish really that important?

Wow...I love and appreciate your response! This is what I needed to hear and something I can reflect on if/when the time comes that I have these thoughts again.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

I'm right there with you- when I tell people that I am getting it I get the same response you do "You aren't that heavy" My best friend even told me there was no way I would even be a candidate for it when I first told her I was considering it. I have been overweight all my life- I was in the Air Force for 21 years and was always right there on the edge of where I needed to be- I hated being on the "fat boy" program, but no matter what I did I couldn't get to the point to actually get off and stay off of it. Once I got out of the AF I became more laxed in trying to keep my weight where it was supposed to be since no one was watching. I couldn't believe it when I stepped on a scale one day and I was 201 pounds. I tried to get back down to 140 where I was in the AF, but just have not been able to do it. The people who tell me I am not that heavy that I am doing this not only for where I am now, but where I don't want to get to. I know that though I am overweight now I am not as heavy as most people who have done this I am doing this for me and no one else so in 20 years I am not to the point where I can’t hardly walk and have absolutely no energy. I guess my advice to you is to do this for you an don’t worry about what other people say about your weight- they are not the ones carrying it around. I know that sounds easier said than done, but I’m telling you that I have been fairly open with family and friends about this with some supporting and some not. If someone can’t support me in the decision I have made to make myself healthier then I have to consider if they are really someone I need in my circle. I have distanced myself from a couple people and it has hurt, but I need to surround myself with positive people who want the best for me.

I "had" type II diabetes and sleep Apnea before the band. I am off all meds and the Bi-PAP machine. With these life threatening conditions along with being overweight, the lap bad can be a sensible choice.

You could loose the weight on your own and then you may gain it back. With the other conditions described, I would definitely consider the band.

I don't miss my fav foods at all!! I just eat a much smaller amount of then pizza, even sandwiches (if the bread is toasty enough), I even splurge occasionally on a piece of chocolate or some chips BUT I tend not to overdo it anymore. Thanks to my band <3 I love you, band.

One of my fav alltime quotes from a year ago was from Pinkdahlia:

"I'm so stinkin' thrilled with my weight loss i dont even care about what i cant eat!" Pink Dahlia

I resemble this quote, no, I am this quote.

tmf

I don't miss my fav foods at all!! I just eat a much smaller amount of then pizza, even sandwiches (if the bread is toasty enough), I even splurge occasionally on a piece of chocolate or some chips BUT I tend not to overdo it anymore. Thanks to my band <3 I love you, band.

I have not had much bread since I got the band, as I usually get stuck on it. Have you noticed that it goes down better if it is well toasted?

Second thoughts are normal, most of us are terrified of making such a big change.

Most people that say they are not that big, carry their weight well etc etc are just deluding themselves. My BMI was "only" 32, not that big really. Well I can tell you now that I looked like a baby elephant. A stomach that was about 12 months pregnant, huge sausage arms, a big round face with multiple chins - yet i "wasn't that big".

If you can do it on your own then kudos to you, most of us can't.

I had really bad thoughts today. I went to my EGD and I thought that the procedure would be much easier. But I felt like going into surgery! And I freaked out for a little bit. They dressed you up, put an IV and take you to a kind a operating room for your exam. They put you to sleep and everything. But the people were so nice! I felt in good hands so I don't have any doubts everything will go awesome for me in Friday. Sometimes you have this idea that is more terrible that actually is (it happens to me before riding roller-coasters haha) so you forget to enjoy the opportunity.

If you want to change something, you have to change something

Over a year ago, my neighbor told me that she had bariatric surgery 9 years ago (gastric bypass). I had NEVER given any thought to surgery, but was intrigued listening to her. At that point, I looked all over the internet, and after reading all the different forums & what people with the various surgeries go through, I nixed the whole idea. A few months passed, along with another few extra pounds added to my weight, so I revisited the idea of WLS. My husband and I attended a seminar by the doctor who I decided would do the procedure, and that next week I was on their doorstep for my initial exam. That was in November 2012. After racking my brain and obsessing about which way to go, I settled on the bypass. Over the handful of weeks after that decision, I was stressed out all the time, not sleeping, etc. Then 10 days prior to my surgery date, I TOTALLY freaked out and cancelled it. I decided at that point that I wouldn't do anything; too extreme, and that I would just live with my fat self. Well, that lasted about two weeks (and ANOTHER 2-3 pound gain), so I revisited the lap band. I decided to add the plication, which caused some extra stress, but I'm glad I did it.

The point of my story (and I'm sure many others), is that I knew as sure as I'm sitting here typing this, that if I didn't move forward with some sort of WLS, that I would continue to gain weight. My metabolism is a mere shadow of what it used to be, and any time I tried to follow some sort of plan, I'd toss it aside when I "felt" like indulging. It was so clear to me that the only way I was going to turn this thing around, was either Divine intervention, or surgery. Well, lightening hasn't struck & the spirits haven't intervened, so I did what I needed to do. Not an easy decision, but a necessary one.

Since being banded 6 weeks ago, there have been several times where I new I'd being chowing down whatever, whenever. If it weren't for the band, I probably would have gained another pound or two, instead of dropping 17. I have no regrets, whatsoever.

Oh yes I had second thoughts. My BMI was 37, EVERYONE told me I wasn't heavy enough. I didn't really even dislike my heavy self- I dressed well and was generally happy. Why do something so drastic? I had been heavy all my life, surely I was MEANT to be big?

Yeah all that was wrong. I was wrong. Losing weight wasn't about vanity, it was about giving me a quality of life I didn't even know I was missing. I now regret the years I sat on the sidelines where I could have been out there in the mix. I regret not taking care of my health as carefully and as preciously as I would have for one of my kids. I regret not accepting that sometimes, people need help to get where they should go.

My doubts meant I waited 18 months to have the surgery. Now, knowing what I know, I feel a little silly for having waited at all.