I have been heavy literally as long as i can remember, I mean 3-4 yrs old i have memories of kids making fun of the fat girl (me). I weigh 330 # right now, and i have a consult with my surgeon Dr.Fass on the 24th. What I am worried about is having to live thin after losing the weight. I have never been able to shop in "regular" stores, I have never been able to walk into a Victoria's Secret or Charlotte Russe ( my very thin sisters favorite store) or a for ever 21 or a wet seal, hell most of the time I have trouble in Target, Old Navy, and Walmart. I am afraid that because I don't really know how to dress my body in clothes that don't really do anything but just fit, i will be totally at a loss with my new body, not to mention the inevitable extra skin. I also feel like being fat has always been a part of who i am , and i am worried that I may loose some of myself with the loss of the weight. Did y'all else feel this way before your surgery? Just Curious...

Sounds familiar to me. I think that's why I've yo-yo'ed so much and not been able to keep weight loss off. Being skinny equals being vulnerable in my mind. I have some head issues to deal with. You might look into getting some Geneen Roth books - she talks about compulsive eating. Very interesting. I just started going through her workbook, Why Weight? It is helping me to see what my fears are that have held me back, what I get out of being fat, etc. I can deal with the issues NOW so that when I do get to "skinny," I'm not fighting myself so hard. I really wish there was something they could turn off in the brain to make this easier.

But, yeah, one of the things I realized in my work was that once I got skinny, I'd be more visible. That makes me nervous. I'm a major introvert. And more cute clothes will be available to me and I've wanted them for so long that I WILL get them - they'll just make me stand out more. So, yeah...head issues. Just another thing we get to work on after getting banded.