hey all, my names lindsey from CA...i am 18 and a freshmen in college at West Virginia University. My mom suggested getting banded about 2 weeks ago and we have already made appoinments with doctors and we have called the ins. company. i want to get banded at the SOONEST possible time...like in 2-3 months over the summer while i am home and start losing the weight i have carried around forever!!

i didnt actually think there were any people even close to my age around here but i actually have a couple questions...

did you tell your best friends?

i wasnt going to tell them (not bc they wouldnt be supportive, but i dont think they would understand) but i think they might think somethings wrong if i just stop going out to eaat with them and all.

also, do you find it hard to not eat certain foods espeicially in like a high school cafeteria or a college dorm...

just wondering.

let me know!!

hey all, my names lindsey from CA...i am 18 and a freshmen in college at West Virginia University. My mom suggested getting banded about 2 weeks ago and we have already made appoinments with doctors and we have called the ins. company. i want to get banded at the SOONEST possible time...like in 2-3 months over the summer while i am home and start losing the weight i have carried around forever!!

i didnt actually think there were any people even close to my age around here but i actually have a couple questions...

did you tell your best friends?

i wasnt going to tell them (not bc they wouldnt be supportive, but i dont think they would understand) but i think they might think somethings wrong if i just stop going out to eaat with them and all.

also, do you find it hard to not eat certain foods espeicially in like a high school cafeteria or a college dorm...

just wondering.

let me know!!

I actually didn't tell anyone. Only my mom who went with me and my husband. Of course, nosy family members found out.

You kinda have to feel people out. I didnt' want any negative imput since I had made my decision.

Some people just do not understand and I didn't want to hear them trying to discourage me.

I guess it depends on your personality type.

I don't like conflict and didn't want to have to keep on explaining why, why, why.

I had a tummy tuck about 4 years ago and people hounded me over it.

I told people & haven't really gotten any bad feedback. The constant eyes watching everything I eat is very frustrating though.

I told my friends. Bad move on my part. But, whatever.

They all thought i was dumb, taking the easy way out.

They would attack me with the constant "why dont you eat healthy and go to a gym" but being 300+ pounds, it's really tough to find the motivation for it.

Anyway, my friends are super supportive now, and they all understand that it's nowhere close to the easy way out.

good luck on your journey!

thanks max...

i probably wont tell my friends because that is EXACTLY how they would react. they would tell me to just eat healthy and work out...which i have done and only gotten heavier as another one of my diets failed...

another thing- my friends are constantly 'on' me about what i eat. i want to live my own life and they (being 125 and a size 3) dont understand it is hard for me at times. they eat whatever they want and never gain a pound. its hard to keep up.

i am not going to tell them and see how it goes.

-Linds

I think you should tell them though. Cuz even if they dont get it, they'll still support you when the surgery is finished.

Like, they fought me almost the whole way, and the day after surgery, they were all chillin with me in my hospital room, which shows that they at least cared...so, hey, do w/e you gotta do.

I know exactly what you mean which is why I dont plan on telling most people, the only one that will know are my mum, dad and 2 sisters mainly for the sole fact that we have a family that we're "friends" with "" meaning my sister is friends with them and I 'm not nice to them whatsoever anyway theres one daughter and she's always been not thin but not huge either with big boobs and I remember one day she said to my sister "has sarah put on weight cuz her arms are getting bigger" well pot boiling the kettle black cuz now she is huge (almost bigger than me) and her sister who is the same age as me is bigger than me, they kind of criticize alot of what i do as well but I figure once I get the band I will not be telling them crap, they have been rude, arrogant and downright pig headed about everything i do, and I know that if I told them they would be the same as everyone says about there family/friends "oh why cant you just eat healthier and go to the gym" actually I eat healthier than anyone I know, I eat vegetables or salad with dinner everysingle night and when I see them eat it's usually followed up with 2 cans of coke or something, just try to find out who your real friends are, either there asking you to eat healthier because they genuinely care for you and dont want you to get in any health trouble or there bitches, it's up to you to decide which one they are.

the only person against it has been my dad. but because he isnt my custodial parent... we kinda ignored him. none of my friends think anyless of me for doing it. in fact, they are all super proud. i dont tell EVERYONE that i have a band, but if they ask i will.

Today a mom from the daycare I work at told me she had gastric bypass five years ago & it's been great, blah blah blah. I'm thinking to myself: "WHY is she telling me this?!"

Our receptionist up front just "somehow" brought up that I had been banded. I mean, wow. But she was super sweet about it, the mom was.

The point of me saying this is once you tell someone you can't keep them from telling others... I guess that's my point.

The point of me saying this is once you tell someone you can't keep them from telling others... I guess that's my point.

lol, yeah, i know that feeling.

I know I'm over 18 (38) but my friends kids are in college so I'd like to comment. I would keep in mind sometimes your bff in college isn't with you for life. Things happen; people change. likely, if they are not overweight (or as overweight as you) they will not understand. I had 163 pounds to loose when I started. People with 30# can't understand the same struggle. I ate out a week after I had the surgery. You can almost always find something on the menu to eat- you say the truth "i;m eating healthier!". The temptation to eat foods that are not "good for you" will always be there whether it's a t home, restaurant, or dorm. But, usually there are healthy choices as well. You just have to choose well. You're body gets less chances to get it's nutrients in when you eat less w/ the band. So, you have to make healthier choices. I don't think any food is forbidden but you have to ration it & choose it rarely. I was banded on 12/20/07, lost 10 pounds in the 10 days before the surgery; & have lost 49 since then for a total of 59 pounds! yeah! I feel great. I've been making better food choices, portions are controlled easily, and I've been exercising for an hour plus per day 6 days per week. I'm determined this will work for me. Since no food is "forbidden" I've had a very very small portion of things i like (ex. on valentines I had one piece of chocolate from the russel stovers box) on very rare occassions.

Hope that helped you. Life isn't over with the lapband- it's just beginning. And, you & your mom are smart enough to do it early instead of struggling with it for another 20 years before you do something about it. Best of luck to you!

im going 2 do the same as you im gettin banded in the summer too so i understand how ur feeling! um i already told my best friend but see shes on the big side too so she understands better you know so idk what you should do but keep this in mind if she is really ur best friend she'll support u no matter what! and as for me the only people who i want 2 know in my life is my parents, my sister & nephews & my neice & thats about it but i know some of my aunts & uncles will eventually find out cuz of my mom & dad so thats gonna kinda suck 4 me but oh well id rather have family know then like people i go 2 skool wit but yeah im also worred about my friends noticing im eatig different or not wanting 2 go out 2 eat with them cuz i heard that when u go out 2 eat u should order 4rm tha kids menu cuz u wont be able 2 eat stuff lik u used too & u also gotta eat really careful cuz u dont wanna eat 2 fast & throw up so yeah i think thats gonna be tha hardest part! but good luck & i hope ur friends support you!

so i have been like super scared about the idea of surgery so to make myself feel more at ease with it i have made it a point to tell every person i know and have come in contact with for about a week now. out of like 40 there was only one guy who said that i shouldn't and he only said that cause he wouldn't pay money for it but i sure would so i ignored him! my friends all said that they are proud of me for being so brave (ha ha I'm so not brave) and that they are excited because i deserve to be thin. isn't that nice!? so I'm excited. i think i have encouraged a few people to get banded as well, or at lease planted the seed in their brain. i have gotten allot of "exercise and eatless..." and i told them (with the dirtiest look i could make) "i have been over weight since i was 5, i have been on every diet possible i even go to the gym on my lunch break at work, and you think i haven't tried?!!" they usually don't say much after that. i have been afraid that people will think I'm wimping out of hard work but you know what it isn't their metabolism and they don't know my body so heck with them ill do it how i want and look hell of allot better than them when I'm don't.

Hi everyone!

My immediate family (parents, brother, sister) all know and so does my best friend. I didn't want to tell anyone else, so I didn't and I stressed to those I did tell that I valued their confidence highly and that is why I told them. I have eaten in front of friends 3 times a day since I had the op (I go to boarding school) with no problems. You have to be careful not to exclaim "wow I'm full" though after half a bowl of Soup hehehehe Do whatever feels right to you, I can see the benefits of telling people like hollyncharm did! it just depends how you feel! Good Luck to you!

I am a 19 year old college student who was banded almost 2 wks.ago. I have had no problems what so ever. I am still in the liquid phase so I havent starting eating again, but what I do know is that i am in the hardest part of the post-op phase and I can honestly say that I would do this again if i had to. It has been wonderful to not be hungry. at one week out I had already lost 14 lbs. but remember this is not always a quick fix surgery and this will be a part of u for the rest of ur life.

oh by the way, i have told everybody about my surgery. I guess because i am so proud of myself for going threw with it and i am so thank ful that my parents paid 16 thousand for it.