I am down 70lbs and feeling great (thank you, thank you band). The dilemma and I know it is a good one is should I carry on and lose the final 18lbs??? I am 59 years old and so far the skin I can live with, it is not pretty. I will never be able to afford to have surgery, it almost broke us paying for WLS so no chance for more surgery. Has anyone got advice for me, or faced similar situation?

I set my goal a little high so I can think about this. I want to thin, period. For me and mostly for my health. And the more I think about it. I want my goal lowered. That's why we had this done. Right? Those extra 18 lbs isn't much when you think about it. But it's much when you want to be done. I guess you need to decide what you really want. Yes it might mean you have to diet a bit longer. But it would be so worth it in the end. Just a thought. It's so easy to give up. But it's harder to stick to the end, it's reward is something that is priceless

It all depends on how you look and feel. I set my goal lower than my surgeon did. He set it for 150, I said 140. He insists that when we women get to a certain age, we can carry a little more weight and look better. Don't know?

I say do what makes you feel best. If you feel great where you are and don't want to lose more? Then don't. You can always change your mind and lose the 18 pounds later if you change your mind.

Do what is best for YOU and makes you happy.

I am down 70lbs and feeling great (thank you, thank you band). The dilemma and I know it is a good one is should I carry on and lose the final 18lbs??? I am 59 years old and so far the skin I can live with, it is not pretty. I will never be able to afford to have surgery, it almost broke us paying for WLS so no chance for more surgery. Has anyone got advice for me, or faced similar situation?

this is me....i have no idea if my military ins will pay for my apron to be removed..and if they dont, well i am OK with that...its just (sag skin).....we are pretty with or without it...even though it sure dont seem that way huh (smile here)...

kia: you have done so well and come so far....you have better health.you have lost alot of weight...whoo hooo..and that is what this is all about about..I am beyond proud of you and will always be your#1 fan.....i say if you want to lose that last little bit to get to your goal, go for it.....whatever you decide, you have already accomplished something f**king amazing.......

Again, such a personal decision and it is all about how you feel about yourself. I have a lot of loose skin and I do catch myself looking in the mirror and groan but then I look at the alternative. Weight nearly 500lbs and not able to walk more then 10 minutes at a time. Even my Wife would prefer the loose skin over me not being happy and not able to physically do anything. Perhaps if I ever hit 199 I will look into plastic surgery.

Not to down play losing 18lbs but is 18lbs one way or another going to play that much of a factor in regards to loose skin?

When I see you guys come together I realize that I can lose 100 lbs. regardless of what BS the Nah-Sayers are spouting. Since the big merger (puke) I've noticed a lot of if you have more than 100 lbs. to lose the band will never get you there. I say BullS**t!

You all should start a club called the BIG LOSERS.

Lately, I've been feeling like the little kid who wants to hang out with the older, wiser kids to be cool. I just like the energy you guys put off and the positive reinforcement you share with each other.

I am down 70lbs and feeling great (thank you, thank you band). The dilemma and I know it is a good one is should I carry on and lose the final 18lbs??? I am 59 years old and so far the skin I can live with, it is not pretty. I will never be able to afford to have surgery, it almost broke us paying for WLS so no chance for more surgery. Has anyone got advice for me, or faced similar situation?

I have similar demographics to you, and I actually had this same discussion with my PCP yesterday. I have exceeded the goal set for me by my bariatric surgeon, and wanted my PCP's opinion on what weight he felt was a healthy range for me. He said reaching 150 would be an acceptable healthy weight for me, however he felt that 145 would be ideal.

He also said that the low range weight for normal BMI would likely make me look unhealthy.

The concern that occurs to me is a possible " let it go" mindset. The last 20 pounds seem to me to be the most difficult to date, but I am not watching the calendar or the scale. I am going on with my established routines knowing that the diet compliance and exercise is healthy for me. I will reach my goal weight, and the calendar is irrelevant.

You need to do what feels right for you, and be at a weight that you feel healthy. At the same time, if we don't stay awake and aware, the pounds can come back.

Right now, I am so pleased with my mobility and health I could easily say I am done with my weight loss journey...but really, I am on the verge of going into the next phase of maintenance. So I will continue to move forward, mindful that this journey is never over while I am alive.

Best wishes to you whatever your choice. You have already done stellar!

When I see you guys come together I realize that I can lose 100 lbs. regardless of what BS the Nah-Sayers are spouting. Since the big merger (puke) I've noticed a lot of if you have more than 100 lbs. to lose the band will never get you there. I say BullS**t!

You all should start a club called the BIG LOSERS.

Lately, I've been feeling like the little kid who wants to hang out with the older, wiser kids to be cool. I just like the energy you guys put off and the positive reinforcement you share with each other.

So nice to hear that. And I have to agree. We are all about education and support. Occasionally there's a blip in our communication (but that just ends up being good entertainment and comic relief ahhah). Anyway, 100 lbs is more than doable on the band. There are way too many factors that influence one's success (in any of the surgeries) but for some reason our failure rates are always blamed on the band and never noncompliance. I'm thrilled to pieces that I and MANY others from the lapbandtalk site are here to share their 100+ lb losses and success stories w/ the band.

I posted about this recently. I noted that my ticker says 25 lbs to goal but I really have met my goal in that I had my hip replacement surgery six weeks ago and I am no longer morbidly obese. However more weigh I lose so be it. It's a number and nothing more. I will have my mobility back soon.. I no longer fear embarrassing situations due to my size and I no longer take BP meds. Thank you lapband.

I found that my body decided my goal for me. I never really had a number in mind, just wanted to be health (& thin, lol). Once I got to 170 lbs i found that I quit loosing. I haven't changed my eating or exercising, I just maintain (with a 5 lb flex either side).

I am more than happy with that.

My advise is listen to your body, it will let you know.