Hi. I would love to knowwhat made every one decide this was the way to go?

As you probably know from reading my silly messages, that I am thinking about the surgery..the money is the ony real thing holding me back..(I am sort of poor).

Presently, I am doing a modified liquid program/ weight watchers type deal..losing about a pound a week.. still hungry all the time..cheat too often!

Whats the typical weekly weight loss?

I apologise for the stupid questions...

Is there schedual chats here...I noticed the chat room icon.

Sue

I would love to knowwhat made every one decide this was the way to go?

Nothing made me decide. For me, coming to the decision was a long process of nearly continuous evaluation.

Whats the typical weekly weight loss?

Research average suggests 1 - 2 lbs per week.

HI Sue,

I agree with Wheetsin, for me too it was a long process... really a journey. I also knew that I had tried to some things and that it wasn't working for me. I finally asked my amazying dh if he ever thought I would loose the weight on my own... and with great sadness he said no. It was then that I decided, with his support to look into other options.

I wasn't an easy decision for me and it really is life altering... but I know it was the right one (my size 18 jeans !!!!!! down from a 34 ain't lying!!!)

Dawn

Christmas Goal

Yup, that's right....average loss should be 1-2 lbs per week (overall average...and once the proper level of restriction is obtained).

For me, it was a long journey but a quick decision....although I couldn't have done it with the 100% support I received from Mr. Yoda. Fortunately, the money wasn't really an issue. But too often, "we" (women) don't look after ourselves and we deserve it too....is there really such a thing as paying too high of a price for a healthy and long, active, productive life? Personally, I don' think so.

bonus: unlike EVERY other "diet" out there, the band won't leave you feeling hungry and deprived.

Bonne chance on your journey.

A friend of mine was talking about the band. So i research it and discussed with dh about it.The money was the issue.After major discussions my dh and i both got the band . no regrets

Yoda - similar here, you put it into words better than I did. I "contemplated" it since 2001, when sisters I know were selected to be part of the FDA trials.

In November I went to an info seminar. I decided that I would go ahead and fill out the paperwork so that "if" I decided to go through with it, I could just go... and wouldn't have to THEN wait for the paperwork to get done.

I'd like to say that somehow my "if" transitioned into a "when", but that wouldn't be entirely accurate. Deep down, I had already made the decision to do it. I made the decision to do it before I went to the info seminar. I just didn't put the decision into action before then.

For once I was honest with myself and admitted that one more try was NOT going to bring results. I not so much as gave up as just admitted I had a problem. Once I did that, I realised that surgery to fix a health problem is perfectly acceptable (and not risk free) for any other part of your body, why not this. Nobody would question me if I had had surgery to fix my dodgy ankle, nobody questioned my husband when he had surgery for compartment syndrome in his legs, nobody questioned my decision to have the recommended caesar with my daughter (and that was TWO lives at stake). So why question lap band surgery? It is NO different, and it's brought me the results I needed.

In my case the tipping point was my vanity. I had always viewed myself as less vain about myself than many women I've observed, and certainly more relaxed about the business of ageing. This is because I have never been one to go to spas, get manicures or pedicures and I hate getting my hair done. And my ironing board and I are strangers. But after I went through (early) menopause I began to gain weight. At first I didn't mind this but when I was given a new drug cocktail to treat my depression I exploded. Clothes that I had bought for myself at the beginning of the season were too small by the end of the season. I had never been fat when I was younger! My body was out of control! And I knew it was only going to get worse as I got older. I was both humiliated and embarassed by my new big body. I hated it. There were times when I would lie awake at nights loathing my body and if there were emergency lipo clinics I would have phoned a cab to take me to one. Of course I am aware that this all sounds very dramatic but my relationship with my own body was on the skids.

I thought of liposuction and a tummy tuck. My tenant told me about lap band surgery and about the Toronto Lap Band Centre. Surgery of this nature certainly seemed less invasive and painful than body resculpting and this seemed like a good thing to me. My only concern then was whether I was fat enough. What was the minimum cut-off point?

I booked an appointment with the TLBC and must say that my first impression was not favourable. I was kept waiting for almost an hour. Once I was interviewed I was reassured that I was a candidate for the band and I was very well treated.

At this point I should tell you that my frustration with my body was such that I signed on for the operation and cut the TLBC a cheque for the full amount before leaving. I first saw them in late July. I was banded on Sept 7.

I was lucky. Money was not an object for me. (By the way, there are ways of funding the operation for those who don't have the funds.)

How do I feel about it now? Well, I have lost 15 and a half pounds in eight weeks. This works out to a nice steady weight loss of almost 2 lbs per week. Had I weighed more when I had gone in for the operation I believe that my weight loss would have been more dramatic. As for me, well, I have lost weight off my face, my waistline does not compete with my boobs, friends have been commenting on my weight loss, and I can throw my clothes into the dryer. I am eating a lot less both at home and in restaurants and I am doing this without feeling any sense of hardship.

It might be argued that those 15 and a half lbs that I have lost have cost me a thousand bucks per but I find myself content with my choice. I think that the band bodes well for my weight management issues in the long run. I do find myself functioning quite, well, entirely differently with respect to my food intake and to my approach to food.

This has been a lengthy response to your inquiry and I hope that it has been helpful to you. Good luck to you on your journey.

DH had it done last March. Watching him lose 80 pounds eating smaller portions of normal food made me realize that my yoyo dieting could stop if I went the same path as him.

Like others it was a long journey . But like someone else said it was a quick decision. I had been thinking about it for a few yrs . But didnt really think it was an option because of money . I would look into it if i saw something about it , read some info on it and think " boy that would be nice" .

Then a friend told me about a friend of ours that had it done in Mexico and how much it cost. At that ( this )Point in time we can afford it. So i started looking into it again very hard. Talked to DH about it and said " Its a great idea but your NOT going to Mexico " . So i started cleaning houses to save the money , a job we got from our company took off and I quit all my cleaning jobs last week and I get to start my process next month!!!!!!!!!!!!.

once i really looked into it it didnt take long for me to realize that I could do this and it was a great option for me.

Mindy

I have been overweight my entire life. I have tried it all. When I first heard of the band, it was like a no brainer for me. I did my research, went to the seminars talked to my doctors and decided. I am way to chicken to do a bypass, my husband was also against it. But I knew I needed help and this sounded like the least invasive, best decision. I have grandchildren that I want to be around for and my quality of life was not good. I am not a fast loser, but I am seeing improvements everyday.

The final deciding factor for me was watching a documentary on television that featured three people who had been morbidly obese, lost weight and kept it off. The statistics for this are very low, something like only 4-5% of people maintain their weight loss. When I heard this I got the big cosmic whack on the head with the realization that I would never be in that small percentile.

The interesting thing about these people is that their whole lives were totally focused on their bodies, whether it be the exercise or eating. They spent many hours a day in exercise and almost as many in meal planning and preparation.

I have a busy and enriched life that includes some exercise and I'm definitely the main cook in our home, but I'm just not prepared to give up a huge chunk of my life's time to that intense focus on my body.

The band has been a good option for me. I don't spend any more time on food prep than I did before and I can exercise in moderation and still lose weight. In other words it's not cramping my style.........unless you count the extra time chewing!

Having total and complete desperation and chronic shame for years led me to make a quick decision.

I had a long history of feeling totally defeated and devastated after dieting for 6-8 weeks, losing weight and then feeling so starved that I had to eat and eat until I gained back the weight I'd lost. (I learned from my lap band research that I wasn't just being weak-willed, my brain really was telling me I was starving! The band took care of that physical problem. Emotional eating is another story.)

The daily joint pain and possible health complications of obesity is terrifying and was pretty much a forgone conclusion as I got older. I got away with being obesese when I was younger but at some point it was catching up to me. I believe I would have been in a wheel chair within 10 years. Now I exercise every day. Quality of life is so important. I consider this my last chance (I'm 55).

I no longer feel starved and more important, I no longer feel shame. It hasn't been easy and for me there are many challenges to having a lap band but I'd do it again!

Mine was a quick decision. My dr suggested it when I wondered what else I could do for the pain in my knees. She suggested I go for the cause of the pain - my weight- and see what happens after that. I actually was in shock when she suggested that- I was sure it was too expensive, insurance wouldn't cover it and I could not do have an elective surgery with taking blood thinners. Wrong on all counts. I was speechless and that is very unusual form me. This was in Dec of last yr. Same month went to the meeting, saw the nutrionist, January the shrink and Feb the surgery and I have never looked back. I have my life back! and my desire to enjoy it rather then just exist.

I knew when my health problems became more frequent and my doctor said I would have a heart attack before I was 30. I have other health issues, and weight was never really an issue until these issues occured. I knew I was heavy, and when the scale turned some numbers I never dreamed I would see, I knew I needed help. Bad.:faint:

Like most of us I suppose I had yo-yoed all my life, everytime gaining a little bit more. After I gave birth to my son last September (a healthy 11lb!) I had really piled it on and was in excess of 320 lbs.

I had known about the various weight loss surgeries and after doing some research decided the band was for me. I live in the UK (used to live in Cananda) but went to Belgium for my op as it was less than half the cost and the belgians very well respected in this field.

I had my band on July 10th and currently weigh 268 which is great but there have been times when I would like to stick my hand down my throat and rip the band out. On the whole though I don't regret my decision. It was a long, long time coming.

Laura x