FOR ALL YOU DARING BANDTERS

WE ALL DREAM OF ONE DAY WEARING A SWIMSUIT WITHOUT FEELING LIKE RUNNING FOR COVER.

BATHING BEAUTYS AND HUNKS LET IT SHOW!!

POST YOUR PICTURES

The picture is of me 9 years ago, before I stopped wearing shorts and swimsuits.

Current BMI - 39

Body fat @ approx 44%

Muscle mass @ 110 lbs.

Current Weight 198

Band Surgery Date Set for August.

Edited July 9, 200818 yr by GDC
Adding pictures

GDC

We wonder about your post due to the fact that it it a bit suspicious

Why you ask??

#1 you are concerned about the scarring - what's worse a couple little scars that will heal and fade eventually or your obesity.. Which would you rather have - a few scars or the fat

#2 that 1st pic we thought was you - it's not It's what you hope to look like

#3 your bikini & wedding dress are beautiful - but depending on your skin issue & DNA after losing the weight and your exercise - are you really going to look like these pictures?? Are you setting yourself up for failure cuz after losing a considerable amount of weight - we don't know that you will look like those girls. Will you have rock hard abs - ???

#4 you talk more about your looks and doing this for the man who loves you as you are now - what about your health??

#5 you ask more questions about superficial questions - scars bikinis than real questions like what does it take to be a successful bander - what's bp what's slime - how do I get a ticker - how do you feel now that you are at goal - what kind of food do you eat - what exercise are you doing..

#6 - have you even dealt with why you gained 70 lbs to begin with.. The band is more head work than just the restriction that you have when properly adjusted - Your band doesn't make your food choices - your band doesn't exercise - we eat when we aren't hungry to soothe our feeling to comfort us.

You don't need to see pic of pple in bathing suits - go look at the before and after pics - for all we know you are a troll who just wants to see pics of girls in their swimsuit - cuz your first post are more about the stuff that we don't really care about - most newbie post questions i mentioned before - This is the Internet you could be anyone and as I said before for most of us this is more about the health than the physical beauty aspect ya we love that we look better can buy clothes in the regular stores - but that wasn't the main reason most of us got banded

Good luck on your journey - be happy and I wish you a wonderful wedding.

Here! Here! Thx Indiogirl 55, Well said. :redface:

Wow! I'm not sure why you're getting jumped on as you are.

Some bandsters don't have current medical issues from being obese and some just choose not to wallow in them. While many bandsters primary reason for getting the band is to imrove or preserve their health, some have different reasons. Yes, looks are a superficial reason - but it is still a REAL reason. How many of us have been uncomfortable in our own skin because of weight? All of us, I would guess. With a wedding coming up OF COURSE the way you look would be a primary thought/concern. When I got married(and I wasn't obese then) I worked out with a personal trainer the whole summer leading up to my wedding. I don't think it's abnormal to be focused on how you look before your wedding.

The first picture is you right...but you also said you are 70lbs heavier right now?

At any rate, you did bring up the PCOS thing and let me just tell you - it may be harder to get pregnant but not impossible. I too have PCOS. I had to take clomid to get pregnant but have an amazing little girl who will be 2 in October. I was 230 when I got pregnant with her.

Jachut you look amazing!!!!

Was it a total thrill to reach your goal???

BTW, I Love your bathing suit! I love the color combination

Thank you Pearly Girl.

I am in love to a good man and want to give myself a chance to have a family with him. I also would love to experience summer trips and day to day activities without the demons of self-consciousness or complexes. I am blessed with a great man that accepts me the way I am and that encourages me to get a handle on my weight and complexes... I want give him the best of me...in every sence.

Yes PCOS has been a nightmare, but I want to try to conceive...if I can't I want to at least have the energy to chase around my adopted children!!

IndioGirl55, I think your response simply demonstrate your ignorance and hipocrisy.

I don't feel the need to explain myself any further...

I will simply say that posting in this forum is optional. If you are not interested in posting then don't. Don not waste your energy.

Finally, stop being hypocritical and admit to yourself that part, if not most, of your motivation to lose weight is due to appearance. If appearance and the way your body felt was not a factor in the formula, why didn't you stay the way you were? If it felt so great to be fat why are you trying to lose weight?

There is nothing superficial about wanting to enjoy life without being conscious about the way you look and feel. Or wanting to have children with the man you love. Sorry but I refuse to wear my aches and pains as a badge of honor, and pretend that these are the only reasons why I want to lose weight.

And to affirm and confirm your ignorance and narrow mindedness .... I live in a beach town... we do not go in the Water to swim or surf with our clothes on. Maybe that is why I requested swimsuit pictures!!!!

Now Now, No need to get ugly. when you start a thread you open yourself up to all types of opinions. some of us just think it's odd you would ask for swimsuit pics instead of just asking for updated pics if they want to send swimsuit pics then so be it nothing wrong with it I just think it's odd to dirrectly ask for them. can't you tell how much better someone looks even with clothes on? and what does a 9 yr old pic have to do with other peoples now pics? I grew up in va. bch, big resort area, just don't see the point of what someone else looks like in a swimsuit has to do with it. everyone is differant some will look great in one and others won't but bet they're all healthier. OH! that would be one hell of a reason to lose weight now wouldn't it?

Darling - Why are you so pissed... I wasn't nasty or yelling at you..

Be careful your age is showing and usually pple usually get pissed when you are hitting upon the truth that they don't want to admit to.

#1 I was banded as I wanted to extend my life - I want to see my grandkids get married and hopefully some great grand kids

#2 I wanted to improve the quality of my life - my obesity was limiting my life and what I could do physically

#3 Yes I love the secondary benefits of losing the excess weight - never said I didn't but it wasn't the reason that I got banded - The excess saggy skin isn't pretty but I will take it any day over the fat that use to be in it's place

#4 I never said I felt great when I was obese or that I was happy when I was obese (heck I couldn't walk from here to there without being exhausted - I sleep my weekends away - just vacuuming the house I would break out in a sweat) - I didn't want to stay obese because the fat was going to kill me. Here's a link that will explain to you that being obese is going to kill more pple than smoking - it's on it's way to being the #1 killer of pple Death Rate From Obesity Gains Fast On Smoking - New York Times

#5 As to living in a beach town what's that got to do with the price of tea in china - at 245 I went on a cruise - I put on a bathing suit - and didn't wear a tee shirt or shorts to swim - I got in the ocean & pools fat and all - I am who I am - I am what I am In fact as I took off my cover up to get in the ocean - I warned the pple next to me that it wasn't going to be a pretty site. The same thing goes for now at 150 - i will put on a bathing suit and instead of fat you are going to see saggy skin - but again I am what I am - I am who I am - and what anyone thinks who gives a flying "F" I am not ruled by what society thinks - at my age I have gotten past that - and really gotta say it's never been a biggie to me

#6 - There is a little saying that I like - I would rather be hated for who I am than Loved for who I am not.. You don't have to like me or agree with what I say - I was just telling you why pple were suspicious of you that's all

#7 What I can tell you is I feel 200% better with the 100 lbs gone - I am no longer on blood pressure med - I am proud of myself for eating healthy and exercising. I am proud of myself for the work that I have done to become a healthier person - the looks are icing on the cake - but it's not the cake - the cake is that my body is no longer drowning and choaking in fat - that the fat is no longer killing me.. Hope fully (Lord willing) I have added a few more year to my life...

Again I wish you all the best ....

That sounds pious and better then thou and all.. But reality is that you motivations are similar to mine...

The only difference is that I am honest to say that I want to wear a bathing suit on my honeymoon. I don't see what the big deal is!! This particular sticky/post is to post pics or messages of bandters in bathing suits, etc. --if they want to. All other issues and questions can be, and are, answered for me in other threads... Here I want incouragement to know that this particular goal is possible!! If you want my boohoo story of my ailments and pains... I can e-mail you directly.

Darling - Why are you so pissed... I wasn't nasty or yelling at you.. (please reread your original message and see your nastiness)

Be careful your age is showing and usually pple usually get pissed when you are hitting upon the truth that they don't want to admit to. (Again your pettyness) ( I think my age is showing in that I want to take care of matters now and not wait till I get to where you did, and then hide behind matyrdom, pretending that there is no vanity in your decision. )

#1 I was banded as I wanted to extend my life - I want to see my grandkids get married and hopefully some great grand kids ( I am being banded to have kids, and yes I am also doing it for my future husband so he can al least have a chance to experiment fatherhood with me. I will not have kids I cannot see grow or to afford them quality of life --- a mother that is set and ready to live life included)

#2 I wanted to improve the quality of my life - my obesity was limiting my life and what I could do physically ( My obesity limits me psychologically and mentally. Both are real and valid factors)

#3 Yes I love the secondary benefits of losing the excess weight - never said I didn't but it wasn't the reason that I got banded - The excess saggy skin isn't pretty but I will take it any day over the fat that use to be in it's place. (I am being banded to avoid getting to this point. I am currently doing my part, but need the additional help. I want to avoid the saggy skin --- and yes, because I want to someday wear a bathing suit and not think much of it.)

#4 I never said I felt great when I was obese or that I was happy when I was obese (heck I couldn't walk from here to there without being exhausted - I sleep my weekends away - just vacuuming the house I would break out in a sweat) - I didn't want to stay obese because the fat was going to kill me. Here's a link that will explain to you that being obese is going to kill more pple than smoking - it's on it's way to being the #1 killer of pple Death Rate From Obesity Gains Fast On Smoking - New York Times. (see answer above)

#5 As to living in a beach town what's that got to do with the price of tea in china - at 245 I went on a cruise - I put on a bathing suit - and didn't wear a tee shirt or shorts to swim - I got in the ocean & pools fat and all - I am who I am - I am what I am In fact as I took off my cover up to get in the ocean - I warned the pple next to me that it wasn't going to be a pretty site. The same thing goes for now at 150 - i will put on a bathing suit and instead of fat you are going to see saggy skin - but again I am what I am - I am who I am - and what anyone thinks who gives a flying "F" I am not ruled by what society thinks - at my age I have gotten past that - and really gotta say it's never been a biggie to me ( This is exactly what I don't want for me or those around me. I don't want body image to even be on my mind. Has nothing to do with what others think. You just admitted it... to YOU it has an ugly appearance. You don't have to have others point it out. Just the fact that you are conscious about how you look and that others may not approve proves my point. I don't to spend time worrying about how I look. I want to just be.)

#6 - There is a little saying that I like - I would rather be hated for who I am than Loved for who I am not.. You don't have to like me or agree with what I say - I was just telling you why pple were suspicious of you that's all. ( As I mentioned earlier... posting is optional. )

#7 What I can tell you is I feel 200% better with the 100 lbs gone - I am no longer on blood pressure med - I am proud of myself for eating healthy and exercising. I am proud of myself for the work that I have done to become a healthier person - the looks are icing on the cake - but it's not the cake - the cake is that my body is no longer drowning and choaking in fat - that the fat is no longer killing me.. Hope fully (Lord willing) I have added a few more year to my life... ( I am glad for you. )

Personal note, nothing to do with this thread:( I have never understood how people can use the name of the "Lord" in the same breath that they are spitting a nasty or hissy attitude.)

Again I wish you all the best ....

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LADIES!!!

I think both of you need to calm down... Everyone is in this together. we all have one goal to lose weight... No need to criticize anyone.. (frankley i think we got enough of that from strangers)

I think of all my fellow bandsters as a family.. We all have to stick together..

Both of you made your points.. Now move on...

Think about it all we want is to be successfula dn for our fellow bandsters to do the same..

-Jeni M.

I just dont get the aggro over this. I had no real health problems when I was banded, I was a bmi of 36.

I will be the first to admit it was very much a cosmetic decision for me, I hated the way I looked and wanted to improve it. We've had this discussion in another thread, and I think I expressed the view there that why is banding so different from getting fake tits or sucking bits of your fat out? We all condone that, or at least understand it so what is so darn wrong about getting banded to lose weight to look better.

Of course our health is also at stake and we would all like to improve it or at the very least prevent future problems. The best thing I got out of all this is becoming a runner, its a joy in my life. But I look much better than I did and that was probably 80% of my motivation. Why is it OK to have a facelift but not get a lapband? In my view, facelifts dont do an awful lot to improve your health or extend your life!

If I'd been brave enough I would have asked, but I wasnt. But I certainly wanted to see people in swimsuits and I wanted to see what the scarring was like. It was a big concern to me.

I just dont get the aggro over this. I had no real health problems when I was banded, I was a bmi of 36.

I will be the first to admit it was very much a cosmetic decision for me, I hated the way I looked and wanted to improve it. We've had this discussion in another thread, and I think I expressed the view there that why is banding so different from getting fake tits or sucking bits of your fat out? We all condone that, or at least understand it so what is so darn wrong about getting banded to lose weight to look better.

Of course our health is also at stake and we would all like to improve it or at the very least prevent future problems. The best thing I got out of all this is becoming a runner, its a joy in my life. But I look much better than I did and that was probably 80% of my motivation. Why is it OK to have a facelift but not get a lapband? In my view, facelifts dont do an awful lot to improve your health or extend your life!

If I'd been brave enough I would have asked, but I wasnt. But I certainly wanted to see people in swimsuits and I wanted to see what the scarring was like. It was a big concern to me.

I guess my age is showing cuz I did it for health reason and didn't really think about it being akind to a face lift - but ya - I guess it could be used that way - I have a freind who did just that she had like only 30 lbs to lose went to Mexico and got banded - but is struggling cuz she drinks again someone who thinks it's the easy way to lose the weight

I have morbitly obese mentally - it was about my health not the scrs or not my looks I just wanted to live a little longer.

Its just that its not actually a particularly invasive or dangerous surgery and it doesnt reroute your insides, so really, compared to a silly 18 year old getting into debt for a nice pair of boobies before she's even begun her career, its not such a terrible option for someone who's healthy but doesnt like the way they look.

You have to draw the line somewhere though,that's the problem. But 30lb can turn into 50 which can turn into 100......

GDC DID mention health issues, she said she has PCOS and would like to get it under control. That is a real health problem and it is not just related to infertility. And I think that most of us would be lying if we said that the decision to get the lap band had nothing to do with looks.

And many of us with PCOS get a double whammy when it comes to appearance. Not only do we get the fat but most get the excess hair (body, facial) and/or acne and/or thinning hair and/or skin tags...losing weight can help in those areas too.

Edited July 11, 200818 yr by Jodi_620

GDC, I understand your concerns as I feel similarly. Vanity, although not my only reason, was certainly a part of my decision. I didn't ever want to hear "She has such a pretty face. If she only lost some weight..." Uggh, I wish thin people knew how horrible that makes overweight people feel!

I am a bit concerned for you however. Please don't think that just by losing weight you're going to solve your body image issues. It won't. That's a psychological problem and if you're not overweight, you'll find something else that you're uncomfortable with. (saggy skin, droopy boobs, whatever)

I say this because you're already at a point where you won't even wear a bathing suit. Even at my heaviest, I would go in the pool with my son. I couldn't stand the way I looked but wouldn't let it interfere with playing with my son.

Just make sure you take care of the psychological issues as well as the physical ones.