:eek: Hello, all. After being a professional dieter since the age of 12, I've finally decided on getting the lap band. I'm 4' 11", and weigh 268 pounds. (God, it hurts to type that! And I thought I was fat at 118 when I was 18! This is the heaviest I've ever been.). I've done WW to DEATH and through several incarnations, I did the Oxford Diet in college. I did Atkins just before my wedding and was able to get to a point where I didn't look like a HOUSE in my wedding dress (I wish I could have been the perfect size 6 and looked better for my husband!), and diet pills and starvation diets. I must have lost 1,000 pounds over my life, and I'm 45.

This is my last resort. I want to be able to eat like a normal person, and not worry about my weight. I would LOVE to be able to go into a store, pull something off the rack, and not have it look like a tent. I caught my mother looking at me the other day, and shaking her head in disgust. The weight just doesn't stay off. I know what to do and how to do it, but it just doesn't work. So it's either this, or wiring my mouth shut.

I know surgery carries risks, and the dying part doesn't scare me. I lost my husband last year after only a year and a half of marriage, so I'd get to see him. What I don't want are complications that'll be permanent. I actually was sent to the complications thread on this website when I told someone I was thinking about LB surgery, and she said, "OMG! Don't do it!! It's too risky!!!" But I know a friend of mine who's had her band for about a month, and her husband was banded about a year/year and a half ago, and all seems to be fine.

SO, here I am. I've just switched insurance so that I can get the bulk of this covered (I got Oxford), started with my food diary, and I'll hopefully have the surgery by the end of the year.

AAAGGGGHHH!!!

Anyway... Hi!:w00t:

Welcome! I have had my band just 7 weeks and love it. Life has complications....and being fat as we get older carries a big bunch of risks. The statistics on lasting bad side effects with the band are low; lower than the statistics for lasting bad side effects if you did nothing and remained heavy (or got heavier)

So Good to meet you!

Hello Oblong. Welcome. Sounds like you are ready to get your band. Your post touched me. I think we all have lost and gained and lost and gained many times. And when we get our weight off, maybe we can go shopping for those cute non-tent clothes together :w00t:. Like Restless said... sure there are risks with the surgery, but nothing compared to the risks of carrying all of our extra weight around. We have to be realistic about the risks, but try to stay positive and focus on the success stories - that's what I do. Good luck to you - stay in touch. Now that you have found LBT, you have lots of support. If I can do anything for you (answer, listen, chat) let me know. Take care!!!! Becky