okay I have been overweight all my life & and I have now come to the conclusion that I can not lose weight without some help (lapband) I can eat right & exercise my problem im always hungry,if i can knock out the hunger I can manage the rest,my question is i have been reading alot of these forums and i dont see alot of people with success stories (maybe im not looking in the right place) but I see alot of pain,infection,problems eating,discomfort,what im asking is where are the people who are doin well with the band,because honestly i have read some things that have me seriously thinking about not doing it,please help!

Hey SoCalGal3, thanks for your input and support. I know I have many changes to make and know that I can. I do love food and am a little scared of the cravings I sometimes get and wonder if they will hinder my progress. Congratulations to you, from what I can tell, you lost about 100 lbs in a year. You have to have such patience. It is hard not to want it now, but think with the slower progress of the LB I want have so much excess skin. I will be around and too will post my progress. I think support from those who are experiencing the same thing is best for your sucess.

This is a myth. If you are going to have excess skin, you will have it whether you lose weight fast or slow.

This is a myth. If you are going to have excess skin, you will have it whether you lose weight fast or slow.

Yep, what Chickie wrote. Very true.

With excess skin, Is there no exercises to keep this minimal or should you plan on saving BIG TIME to have it removed. From what I have seen on TV shows 1 surgery cannot remove it all and that it may take several. Have you guys had any issues with this?

Skin is not muscle, and cannot be exercised. No exercise in the world with stop excess skin if you are genetically predisposed to it.

Exercise can build muscle under skin (in the arms, for example) and improve the look of the skin, but that's about it.

I opted only to have a tummy tuck. If I had pushed, I could have had a lot more surgery (breasts, thighs and arms) but the tummy was the only thing I was really unhappy with, so it is all I have done.

No one has to have plastic surgery. Some people just chose to.