:confused2:

Hi everyone,

I just need some direction, as my date gets closer Aug 15th I find myself more and more filled with self doubt & wondering if I should do this. Doubt meaning can I do this, will it work for me or am I just fooling myself again ect. I am self pay in Singapore and if I fail it's money gone when this money could possibly go towards my son's education. I have no problem hitting the gym and I will follow the diet given to me, drive is not my problem nowadays It just seems lately all I read are people not losing but having restriction I'm 6'2" 326 and I feel every extra pound any words of wisdom from you Veterans will help tremendously.

Thanks:thumbup:

I'm not a veteran yet but I do understand b/c currently I'm waiting for the insurance company to say I'm approved and I'm starting to get nervous too. However I enjoy reading this forum and hearing all the positive results. Remember the lap band is not a weight lose cure but a weight lose aid. It will still take some time to loose the weight but if your band is filled properly you will not be as hungry and you will not be able to eat like you use too. I can't wait.

I absolutely know what you mean about the self doubt. I had thoughts of "I'll be the one person this doesn't work for and I'll be fat forever". I was banded October 2007 and it was slow going for many months. It took until this June 2008 with my 3'rd fill to really get things going ( although I did loose around 35 lbs during those months). Now that I've hit my "sweet spot" I can see my goal of 160 at the end of the tunnel. I would have loved to see a miracle the day after surgery but that didn't happen...BUT I'm on my way. Hang in there man, you can do it.

From what I see, an overwhelming majority of people succeed rather than fail. Yes, you have to work at it, but it is a great tool. I started at 6'4" and 338 lbs and have lost 60 lbs so far. Not easy - I'm still figuring out how to eat with restriction and I work out religiously. I realize whe self-paying it is a huge burden, but your health is too important...

I don't blame you for having second thoughts. I've been banded since March, lost 57# and still have second thoughts. You will never eat the same again for the rest of your life. You are having a thing put on your stomach. You are having people in a foreign country do it. Some people don't do that well post-banding according to these forums. It's scary

Now that I've really bummed you out, let me say that in spite of my occasional second thoughts (too late to do anything anyway) I think this is the second best thing I've ever done in my life. Most people do well. I expect you've dieted before and it's a pretty sure thing to say that you've found you lose weight easier than most women do on the same diet. Most lapband people are women so you are more likely to lose weight better than most of them (I hope that didn't sound like I'm down on women) and almost all of them successfully lose weight. Slightly twisted logic, however my point is that the odds are really with you.

If you follow the rules, it is probably a sure thing you'll lose a lot of weight. You will probably live longer and that is a better gift to your son than a little more money towards his education. Really, to get banded is less than 5% of a 4-year private-college degree program tuition.

Trust me, you will be so happy.

:confused2:

Hi everyone,

I just need some direction, as my date gets closer Aug 15th I find myself more and more filled with self doubt & wondering if I should do this. Doubt meaning can I do this, will it work for me or am I just fooling myself again ect. I am self pay in Singapore and if I fail it's money gone when this money could possibly go towards my son's education. I have no problem hitting the gym and I will follow the diet given to me, drive is not my problem nowadays It just seems lately all I read are people not losing but having restriction I'm 6'2" 326 and I feel every extra pound any words of wisdom from you Veterans will help tremendously.

Thanks:thumbup:

Do it! I am just at the start of my journey, but I can already tell you it WORTH IT. I had second thoughts as well, I just said to myself, "its this or die of being fat." I know it weird to become a cyborg, but once it is done you are the same person and you will be so glad you did it. I was up and about the same day, and back to work, with a "little soreness" about 6 days later. I know it is scary but we are all here to help you!

Here is what I posted in another thread, it might help you feel better.

"I get my first fill next week. I have lost 28LBS since surgery date, 6/18/2008! YAY! I went out and bought some new clothes, I have been wearing and then washing the same pair of pants and same three shirts for about 3 months, now I can open my closet up, get out the pants I used to wear 2 years ago and they fit and are loose! Its like I have all new clothes!!! I went from a 46 - to almost a 42!! I know it will slow down, but I am so happy! I am looking better. My skin is acutally looking better, my psoriasis is better, and I am feeling much more confident! I have felt restriction though, the first two weeks after surgery it has been willpower, then all the sudden, I almost had a PB? on taco meat, it hurt bad! My parents kept trying to talk to me, I couldn't speak. I turned around and grunted, "I AM IN PAIN, HUSH!!!!!" LOL Then the other morning while standing in line for the new iphone, i KNOW I KNOW, I AM A GEEK, I bought a white castle sauage hamberger with egg. I had another "stuck" feeling and tears came out my eyes! I learned my lesson, smal bites, eat SLOWLY. That pain is awful!!!!

OH AND I QUIT SMOKING ON JULY 3RD!!!! SO now I dont eat much or smoke, LOL I have SO MUCH FREE TIME!! I used to lie on the couch pre-band and eat like a horse and get SUPER THANKSGIVING FULL, and not move all night, I was embaressed to go anywhere, and have no energy to go anyways. I would just watch tv after dinner and smoke all night.

Now I get up and go for walks, bike rides, motorcycle rides, and work on all kinds of projects! The band so far is chaging my life!!!

In the words of Howard Dean: whoooooohahahahhawooooooohahahahhyeeehawwwwww!!!!! LOL gotta love him."

Edited July 15, 200818 yr by s1nemesis1s

I'm down almost 100 pounds in 5 1/2 months, and it's been easy.

Whatever you've tried so far hasn't worked; this will, if you let it. And it IS reversible - you can have the band unfilled, you can even have the band removed. This ain't gastric bypass surgery. And it's an extremely safe surgical procedure.

Everyone has second thoughts before surgery, this is very normal.

This lap band is simply a tool to help you change what you eat, how much you eat and help you to change your life. You will be doing all the work; the band will simply make it hard to binge and over-eat at one time and make it very easy to be full. It's a tool you have with you 24/7. The key is that you have to eat much less and exercise more.

The eating less is critical. I decided to have it because I figured if I had not done it by now I was not able to do it on my own. It has been very helpful but if I do not restrict my calories to 800 or 1000 a day then I am not loosing weight. However that is not the fault of the band, it's my bad choices. And so it will be for you. Make great choices and the band helps a lot. I am sure your son would rather have you alive and healthy than anything else you could do for him. Good luck!

I have gone thru the very same things a few times now. Was scheduled for last month and got Strep throat and had to reschedule for this Friday, now once again I find myself getting nervous and wondering the same damn things you are. Am I doing the right thing or not? Well, I guess I am going to find out because come hell or high water this time it is getting done and I am looking forward to the future! You should to!

Git-R-DoneI was self pay and had second, third and fourth thoughts about the procedure and the money. I was already in the pre-op area with an I V started and the thought crossed my mind to get up and leave. Glad I didn't. After the surgery I realized I wasted a lot of time worrying about nothing. Since starting pre-op diet on 2-1-08, I am down 65 lbs. Best decision I ever made, I would do it again in a heart beat.

Good luck with your decision.

db