I know this is totally mean but everytime I see someone that has like 75 pounds to lose..I think..why the heck did you have to have surgery to do this? And furthermore, why do you need to come on here and talk about your major problems? How do people even get surgery w/ that low of a bmi??? I don't get it..let me have it people..I know you will!

If their weight is going upward, do you reckon they should wait until they weigh as much as I do? (140 pounds overweight)

At one point I was only 75 pounds over weight and I wasn't exactly successful at losing it or at keeping it at bay. No. I got fatter and fatter. It happens.

Try to focus more on your own success, because I know you will have it. You are on your way. :cursing:

I don't think it's mean at all, I think the grass is just always greener . . . .

Well, I "hit bottom" at 299, a full 100 lbs sooner than you did. So I'm not surprised that some people find being even 75 lbs overweight intolerable. In fact, right now I'm itching to get this extra weight off -- it's really bothering me. And I "only" have 60-70 lbs to lose to be really where I should be.

My guess is that most people who have the surgery with low BMI have already tried diet & exercise and that's what has gotten them to be as overweight as they are. They know they are on the path to true morbid obesity if they don't get it under control now. Especially if they have family members who area already further along that path.

I'm guessing it's not so much that they are being banded at a lower BMI, but certain things that they say along the way that bother you most. Maybe you feel they don't really understand what it's like to be morbidly or super obese, but they talk as if they do? (kind of like when that skinny girl whines about being SO FAT because she has 5 lbs to lose). Or maybe you feel like they are self-righteous about hitting goal so soon, not understanding how long of a journey and struggle those with more weight have in front of them?

Each of us has our own journey, and we all get to have our feelings about it. I doubt at 299 lbs I truly understood what it felt like to be 399 or 500 lbs. But trust me, I felt awful at that weight -- depressed, hopeless, ugly, rejected, chronically tired, and more. Who "deserves" to have the surgery is not up to us to decide, I think.

But I understand where you are coming from.

I know this is totally mean but everytime I see someone that has like 75 pounds to lose..I think..why the heck did you have to have surgery to do this? And furthermore, why do you need to come on here and talk about your major problems? How do people even get surgery w/ that low of a bmi??? I don't get it..let me have it people..I know you will!

I'm one of those - 75lbs needed off the body; but I'm also 5'1. At 200lbs, my body had been through the ringer - several miscarriages, inconsistent exercise & regular overindulging of food & drink.

I knew I could diet & exercise to get the weight off, my body just did not bounce back like it did when i was 25 when i thought 127lbs was a high number. at 38 - my metabolism was not responding to heathly living w/out WLS, i sought out the band because i needed something to KEEP the weight gain from coming back. just needed a little push & i got it, thankfully.

i was able to get the lapband at a BMI of 36 because that still put me in an obese category. Now my Ins wouldn't cover me - I paid cash for the lapband.

I come to LBT because I have NO where else to go to talk about WLS. My husband had the band w/me, but he wants to keep this private - and I'm a talker; so my outlet is only here to talk about my issues/results & share w/others and their success.

I'm not going to flame you one bit, I will say this - I wish I got the lapband when I hit 175lbs; I'm very respectful of those who have a low BMI to take hold of their issue sooner rather than later. I venture to bet most wish they took charge of their weight issues before they got out hand.

Well I am 35 years old and am 5'8" and started out at 230#'s. I do not mind you asking that because it's a legitimate question. I want to lose roughly 70 to 80 pounds. I tried and tried for 8 years to lose weight. I actually lost 40 lbs at one point them put 60 back on. When I talked to my Dr prior to my surgery I asked the same thing. I wanted to know how could I justify this surgery. He asked me how much weight I was gaining a year. I answered about 5 to 10 lbs a year. He said by the time I am 55 years old I will be 350#'s. He said what I was doing was prevention surgery. It was to keep me from gaining more weight. I am young and I want to look "hot" while I am still young, so here I am. I hope this helps.

I feel your frustration. Like Molly said, its like a skinny girl saying she is fat and weighs like 120. I barely made the BMI allowed to get the surgery. I gained a lot of weight the last year taking care of my dad until he died. I have dieted in the past, WW ,Jen.Craig, phentermine, exercise etc. Weight will drop if you follow those to a T. But it was how quickly I gained it back. I was under so much stress as an only child being a caregiver, single mother of one with no child support and still worked when I could. So to even get a chance to exercise would have been a luxury. So when he passed, I used some money to pay for the band. A life-changing gift that will keep on giving in honor of my father. When I get to goal or anywhere near a healthy weight, I will never get back over 200. I started my surgery with a weight of 222. Always tired, heartburn, weak bladder and a bit of sleep apnea I am sure. So even at 200 for my 5'5 frame, I am miserable. I also work in the medical field and encounter people who can't even afford diabetic supplies and insulin. If I can do everything in my power to prevent diabetes which in my case is preventable, by gosh I am going to do it. My band date is the beginning of my new healthy life. A new energetic happy mom that my son deserves. Good Luck!! Live your best life, we only have one (that I know of). Eternal life with God is a different chapter.

JDs- you're not alone, I think that too sometimes. I know I know, "imagine how it is for short people" or some people get it as prevention. I guess I wouldn't have done it at a lower weight because of how scared I am of surgery. But we're all different I guess. Sometimes I get annoyed at people who had to lose 60 pounds. I wanna be like "I have to lose two whole people, you have to lose a couple of watermelons" Clearly we're not on the same level. :smile2:

Having weighed at least 409 pounds, and also spending years "down" to the 350's because of undiagnosed diabetes and other illnesses, I know what you are saying. I think that one of the differences is that at those weights I had never heard of WLS, and I don't think that if I had even heard of them, I would have had the energy or the self esteem to persue. I was so out of tune with myself that I don't think I could make wise choices for myself when it came to my health.

I have a friend who is about 20 pounds overweight, who has told me many times that her 20 is as big a hurdle as my 200 (yeah right - although I just nod my head):smile2: and smile.

I sometime get jealous of those folks who "only" have 75 to lose in total. I think that my jealousy stems from the fact that these people are taking charge and control of themselves, when I couldn't or maybe a better word is that I "wouldn't". If I am to get to a healthy BMI, I still have about 60 pounds to lose and for the first time in my life, I believe it is possible.

As you go through this journey, focus on losing the weight in a healthy way and retraining your eating habits so that your weight loss is sustainable. I worry more about the people who get so militant about their diet and go for so much restriction that they can't eat real food and treat the band as another diet to be endured until they lose the weight and can go back to being "normal".

I don't know how long you have carried your weight, but I have carried it my entire life and my definition of "normal" is changing a whole lot. A huge part of my journey is opening my eyes to myself (maybe for the first time ever) and seeing me for the treasure that I am. I think alot of the lower BMI'ers already "see" themselves and were ready for the journey earlier - or not - just my nickel's worth :tongue2:

Chin up - you are not alone and you can do it!!!

JJsmiles and Mrsflipflops-

I am wondering if either one of you had any problems getting approved by insurance? I was denied last week because my insurance company said my BMI was too high at 56.5 and that the Lap Band procedure was for people with BMI's below 50.

Anybody else have any problems like this?

Thanks for any feedback!

jjsmiles- right on, your concept of low BMIers being ready to change at a lower weight than I was, dead hit. We really do hit rock bottom at different times.

Hopeful- wow, no, I didn't have any problems at all. That would definately frustrate me! Are they wanting you to have RNY surgery instead? Doesn't seem right...

Hopeful - I am a Canadian, so private insurance for health care is a foreign concept to me. 99% of Canadians who get banded are self pay, as our "universal" health care doesn't cover the band, so there are no issues with BMI (unless health issues preclude). That said, I am one of the lucky 1% who got the band covered by my provincial health care plan. I didn't have any issues getting covered. In my city, the only wls offered is the band, and not privately by self pay either.

There are lots of successful banders who started with high BMI's, maybe you can get your dr. to advocate for the success of the band and appeal the denial?

Good luck!

I am really, really glad I did not wait till I needed to lose two or three hundred pounds. I wanted to stop the problem before it got any worse. Donna

I wanna be like "I have to lose two whole people, you have to lose a couple of watermelons" Clearly we're not on the same level. :party:

Oh my thats funny! I feel the same way sometimes.

Ah, my guess is that if YOU were able to lose 75lb and keep it off, you wouldnt need lapband surgery either! Once upon a time, YOU were exactly 75lb overweight, did you do anything about it? You probably tried, succeeded for a while, gained even more than you lost right?

So why is it illogical to step in with effective action BEFORE you get hugely obese and BEFORE you have major health problems?

Should i have waited till I was 200lb overweight? I dunno, I've lost 120% of my excess weight and dont really have loose skin, to me, that means I probably took the right action at the right time.

It must feel like the thin girl moaning about being fat but the truth is, it IS fat. Its just not as fat as some. I have said a lot of blunt and opinionated things on this board but I have never ONCE pretended that I understand or know what it is like to be morbidly obese. Yet I dont have enough fingers and toes to count the times people have intimated that I am/was not as deserving as they were. Its the one area when obese people get upset about the way they are treated in public that I feel moved to remind them about their own prejudices and biases. Because you've just demonstrated one very clearly.

Now, I'm not offended or angry, but consider this - were you deliriously happy about your body and yourself at 75lb overweight?

I think she was more looking for others to vent to that are in the same boat...

Yes, I know, and that's fair enough. I'm sorry, I didnt realise what forum I was in as I tend to just click "new posts". But the point remains, 75lb ovrweight is still fat and its still a good idea to do someting about it.