For me it was a life of abuse, I put on weight to keep people as a distance so I would not be hurt, and it nearly killed me! I'm also a professional baker and cake decorator. I was always tasting and eating left overs. When I started losing weight I had to keep a sink of hot soapy water to put the bowls in so I would not lick, taste or otherwise. We all have our stories, yours just might be the one to help someone overcome theirs. Blessings!

So sorry to hear ur past abuse. Sounds like u are looking out for U now and I hope the future is bright. My journey is I was always "little " 99 pounds when I got married 25 years ago and was always small even after having kids. I was diagnosed with RA couple of years ago but took 6 years to diagnosis so lived with terrible pain and steroids. The prednisone put alot of weight on me, then depression/eating for comfort , isolating myself because I was embarrassed about my weight, blood pressure high, sleep apnea and not having energy to be a good mom or wife. Decided I needed to get my life back . Best thing I ever did! Been banded since may 29th and down 50 pounds . Getting my life back again . Wishing u good luck.

For me it was a life of abuse' date=' I put on weight to keep people as a distance so I would not be hurt, and it nearly killed me! I'm also a professional baker and cake decorator. I was always tasting and eating left overs. When I started losing weight I had to keep a sink of hot soapy Water to put the bowls in so I would not lick, taste or otherwise. We all have our stories, yours just might be the one to help someone overcome theirs. Blessings![/quote']

My story too. At my psych eval for surgery the physiologist said " so you've been abusing yourself more than anyone else huh? Time to take care of yourself!" Made sense. Never again!

I really don't know why or when I started using food for comfort, but I did. Happy, sad, lonely, bored, whatever, food was there for me, my medication. A medication that never really worked, but was always there.

Glad the blinders have been removed and I can face my emotions in more healthy ways. The medicine cabinet, aka the kitchen ,

has been purged, replaced with healthy natural foods.

My weight struggles also began with Prednisone. Prior to a very bad posin ivy episode I had been a vegetarian 17 years and did a lot of juice fasting, etc. was always worried about my weight but I really wasn't fat. I think I set my system up for storage big time and when I was given IV prednisone in an ER I gained about 50 pounds very quickly. Then the panic dieting, the up and down yo yo series of diets always resulting in more weight gain. That initial 50 got a companion 50 over time and I've never been able to lose it. Instead I have about another 20 on top of that that fluctuates. I'll never get down to where I was but I'd like to be about 100 pounds thinner. Bring on the band!

To the women above who experienced abuse, I am so sorry for your painful histories -- you both have a lot of courage. Thanks for sharing!

My daughter was diagnosed with cancer in 2004 and I decided to quit my job to stay home and care for her. During that time I became very depressed and began using food to help ease the pain. After 4 years of this behavior, I couldn't even recognize myself in photos, developed pre-diabetes and was taking multiple medications for blood pressure. Last year I finally decided to take my life back and I couldn't be happier. My daughter's cancer is in remission and she is now a 2nd grade teacher and I'm healthier than I have been in years. I feel very blessed.

Hello Everyone!!!

I have been reading from this site for many, many months but this is my first post. I am scheduled for surgery on September 12th. Like many on this site I have struggled with weight my whole life. I don't think growing up in a BBQ restaurant and Donut shop did not help. I never got a handle on how much someone should eat and food was always used to treat emotions- happy, sad, angry...you name it, there was food to go with it.

I have been trying to lose weight since high school and all of my adult life. It became more serious for me as I hit 30 and I have tried A LOT of different methods. A few years ago I was on a liquid diet for 3 months and lost about 45 lbs. Of course, it was short lived and all the weight returned.

I have been looking into lap band for many years but have finally decided to take the plunge. I am so tired of being tired!!! I do not currently have any health issues besides reflux but my family has everything you can think of - cancer, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, heart attack, etc.... I do NOT want to go down that same road.

I was feeling a little hesitant about surgery this weekend because I have seen some very negative things on the site. I understand that the band is a tool and not a magic wand. I can also understand that it may not be right for everyone and that complications can occur but I believe that it is the right choice for me. I have been so happy this morning to see some great inspirational posts and I am convinced now, more than ever that I have made the right decision. I am looking forward to a long and HEALTHY life with my husband and two girls!

I come from a large tight knit family. Grew up on a cattle ranch so was always active and outside all the time. Up to that point had not had a weight issue. I dieted and watched my calories but my weight was stable and in a good spot. I married my hubby in 2008 and moved to the UK. My hubby is an only child and is not close to his family. For the first year I was billy no mates as I basically started over. No friends, no close knit family, left the job I loved, and guess who became my new best friend? FOOD. Yep over the course of the last 5 years I managed to put on an average of 30lbs a year. I have now acclimated to my new country (getting used to being married as well) and learned some coping mechanisms to cope with home sickness. I decided this year was going to be the year I made changes. With the support of my hubby I got banded on June 29th. 50lbs down so far. Looking to lose another 100.

i had got so large.....that i could hardly walk as my girth hurt my legs/knees and (sorry for TMI, i was having trouble wiping my butt after the bathroom)..but was that enough to make me do something about it..NO.....my son told me i was going to be a grandmother...i wanted to push her around the block in her stroller...that is and was the main reason i sought help.....

the surgery helped me realize that once i got by all the reasons i (cant) and understood/accepted all the reasons i (could/can)...that i have...

I am the product of two thin parents who didn't know the first thing about health. You know, the 90 lb mom who eats cheeseburgers and pasta galore but never gains a pound lol. Well, I wasn't so fortunate. I ate what I was given, I was given free reign of the kitchen w/out any foundation for healthy choices and as a consequence I was overweight by age 7. I struggled with my weight from this early age and remember weighing 100 lb at at 10 when we did our physical challenge in PE in 5th grade. But the weight only packed on because I had no guidance, no support...my parents simply turned a blind eye. As I aged I became more and more self conscious. And ironically I was never picked on, but comparing myself to others was burden enough. By time I was 18 living on my own, I started every wayward diet alive. I did my own research and became very knowledgeable in health/nutrition. My problem..was a lifetime of bad habits that seemingly were impossible to break. This is one of the reasons I find it imperative to instill healthy habits and education in my very young children. So I seesawed back and forth, some diets more successful than others. But I aged, I had kids and it just resulted in failure. Food became a coping mechanism for me as early as high school. Not happy? eat a piece of cake= happy again. Horrible and I struggle to this day with stress eating.

The band has been a lifesaver. Obviously it helps cut portions and calories, but it also did something that no other diet has done. It's as if it's slowed time down. All those issues (stress eating, binge eating name it) can now be dealt with over time. You can still partake in these bad habits but at a much smaller scale and as you go through the journey you learn to identify and control these issues in other ways. This is the real burden to tackle for some. Unlike before the band where one bad day can result in one month of bad eating...the band helps me address my diet and my issues alike.

Hello Everyone!!!

I have been reading from this site for many, many months but this is my first post. I am scheduled for surgery on September 12th. Like many on this site I have struggled with weight my whole life. I don't think growing up in a BBQ restaurant and Donut shop did not help. I never got a handle on how much someone should eat and food was always used to treat emotions- happy, sad, angry...you name it, there was food to go with it.

I have been trying to lose weight since high school and all of my adult life. It became more serious for me as I hit 30 and I have tried A LOT of different methods. A few years ago I was on a liquid diet for 3 months and lost about 45 lbs. Of course, it was short lived and all the weight returned.

I have been looking into lap band for many years but have finally decided to take the plunge. I am so tired of being tired!!! I do not currently have any health issues besides reflux but my family has everything you can think of - cancer, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, heart attack, etc.... I do NOT want to go down that same road.

I was feeling a little hesitant about surgery this weekend because I have seen some very negative things on the site. I understand that the band is a tool and not a magic wand. I can also understand that it may not be right for everyone and that complications can occur but I believe that it is the right choice for me. I have been so happy this morning to see some great inspirational posts and I am convinced now, more than ever that I have made the right decision. I am looking forward to a long and HEALTHY life with my husband and two girls!

Welcome to the forum, post often. We are all here to support you through your journey. Your life is about to change for the good. I'm so excited for you and your family!

For me, it was being over medicated by two different doctors who refused to communicate with each other which packed on about 90 pounds over the course of about 18 months. I had never been a stress or an emotional eater.

By the time I was aware of my new to me weight problem, I had reached post menopause, and my metabolism was seemingly in hibernation. I tried several diets, and had previously lost significant amounts of weight several times and successfully managed to keep my weight at a healthy number for years. This time it was different. I was able to lose around 40 pounds, but with stress and the demands of my career I found it nearly impossible to keep the lost pounds off, never mind about losing the rest of what I needed to.

It was when my A1C level crossed the line for a diagnosis of Type II Diabetes that I knew I had to get serious about losing weight and keeping it off for good. Ironically, it was through one of my patients that I first heard about the band, and began my research. It sounded like the proper solution for me.

My journey has not been without complications, some resolved, others not so much. But I still believe that it was the proper choice for me. For now, everything is stable, and my band and I can stay together.

For those who are hesitant about surgery because they are concerned about complications, it is good to know that most are manageable. If you take care of your band and adjust your lifestyle to the healthy way of life we should all try to follow, you will likely be successful with your weight loss journey.

ShastaPants - my surgery is also scheduled for Sept 12! This is my second post - I have been overweight since having children -most of my 20s and 30s. Everytime I would go on a diet I would lose a little weight - just to gain back more. I have honestly tried everything and I'm sad and upset at myself for becoming overweight. My aunts and first cousins are almost all overweight and for me - it was also genetics.

I work in a law firm in Miami and I'm the most overweight person there. It hurts my feelings so much. They all love me but its very noticeable and it makes me embarrassed. I have also had my feelings hurt but really it's not done on purpose - but things like "you know you are a big girl" and "you should try eating this or that" or "why don't you exercise more."

I have an amazing husband by some grace of God he loves me anyway. He wants me to be happy and he would do anything for me. He went to work in Maryland with his job to make extra money for the summer. We are using that extra $ to finance this surgery as my insurance doesn't cover weight loss. He said just do it! One daughter needs braces and a million other things we need - but he says just do it - do it for you. I honestly never do anything for myself, but I'm going to make this commitment. I want to look good & feel good! I know it will be difficult at times! Thank you to all the people here - very inspiring!

I was what you would call a "thick" child up until the age of 9. I wasn't fat, but I wasn't thin. Then I had some medical stuff happen and I heard a surgeon say "she will probably have trouble with her weight now." Well, that was when I stopped thinking of myself as thick and started thinking of myself as fat. Then, after some more humiliation at the hands of an adult in charge (no one in my family, but a teacher of sorts), I just decided that I would be fat. I see pictures of myself from high school and I wonder why I couldn't see how perfect I was back then...but that was then. Now, as a 40-something adult, it's clear I'm fat. Not just fat, but morbidly obese. (I still cringe at that term.) I've got arthritis in my knees and feet. My blood pressure ticked upwards for a few years until I was put on meds. About a year ago, I tried yet another attempt at Weight Watchers (which is a fantastic program and has taught me all about great food choices but something is just missing for me). When it became clear that WW wasn't going to be enough, I heard my PCP's voice in my head. Then I heard my knee doctor's voice in my head. Then, my foot doctor's voice joined the ruckus. The band is not a lazy way out, they said. The band is a great choice, they said. I finally listened. And now I'm scheduled for surgery on September 11. I'm so excited and ready! I have all my ducks in a row...all my expectations are in check. I'm ready to put in the work and change my life!

Well you and I can be buddies - because I get mine the very next day! Congrats for taking the step - I'm sure you are nervous - I sure am! I told a few people in the office and surprisingly everyone was supportive! Honestly I feel everything is kind-of going right in place for this to happen to me! I hope I do ok

For me it was a lot of things over many years. I blame no one but myself for position I am in.

When I was very young I was a heavy toddler and always told I had a good appetite. I know chunky babies are cute though. As I grew a little older I was very thin and very active. A little older then that I got pretty heavy again. One summer I was about 3-4 grade when my father decided i was old enough to watch my slightly younger brother so he would not have to pay a babysitter. We were not allowed to go outside and play while he was not home 12-14 hours a day. So we ate as there was nothing else to do. That summer I was so embarrassed when school started back up and I had out grown my school uniform. I was forced to wear it anyway. My pants did not button or the bottoms of my shirts. About 7th grade I no longer had that responsibility and was back to being active. I slimmed out and did very well. Of course looking back on it I was never happy with the way I looked and always had very poor self-esteem. I was always called fat so when I was not I always found someone smaller then me I wished to be. Well at 17 I got pregnant and gained 60 pounds in just the 6 months I was preggo. My daughter was born 3 months early and was in NICU for 5 weeks. I never lost the baby weight and just kept going up from there. When she was about 4 I decided I had had enough and starved myself allowing myself only to eat baked chicken and veggies. Veggies for Breakfast and lunch no more then 100 calories. Chicken for dinner only after I stuffed my self on 16oz of more veggies, then I allowed myself one or two bites of baked chicken until I felt very sick. I actually kept this routine up till about 2001. My mom came down with cancer. I ate for comfort. I gained about 25lbs from then till she passed away in 2003. After that I did not care any more. I ate what I wanted, when I wanted and did not give a crap what anyone thought. I used me being fat as a joke. Plus my job size is everything the bigger you are the less you get messed with. So my size had its benefits.

One day almost a year ago I realized I hate being big. However always wanted the T-shirt that said fat people are harder to kidnap. I went to a seminar for the band. I had done my research previously already. I told my 18 year old daughter at the time who is a model (another thing to kill the self-esteem..lol) that I could not wait to go clothes shopping with her where I did not have to go to the men's section of t-shirts and sweat pants. She put her arms around me and said she wanted nothing more and me being healthy was a bonus as she laughed.