Oh, man! I watched Discovery yesterday afternoon, and they had a marathon on the Brookhaven Weight Loss clinic. My heart went out to them because I'm in the same boat sort of. I only have 130 to loose; these people have twice that or more, so I'm hesitant to say we're in the same boat. They'd take one look at me and say, "get out and swim!". The director was not at ALL supportive to those wanting WLS, and every time it was mentioned by the narrator or the center's director, it was reffered to as a "quick fix." Not at all encouraging.

I don't know. This is the court of last resort for me. I've done the diets, I've done the exercise, I've lost weight, but it doesn't stay off. The way I see it, the Lap Band is a tool to make sure that once the weight comes off, it stays off. But what if? I see posts on the board where people are having trouble eating and throwing up, people thinking they've wasted money on the procedure, etc. If this doesn't work, I've wasted a buttload of money, and it's yet another failed attempt at loosing weight. I've fought with my body my whole life. Maybe I'm just supposed to be fat? I don't know.

Then there's the theory that if I don't do anything at ALL, I'll still be mornidly obese and possibly larger.

I'm freaking out. It doesn't help that surgery is so far away (February). HELP!

im so glad i did lap band,choice is to yo yo diet,or to finally lose it for good,i just wish id have done it 10 years ago,but glad at 50 i have,tg i dont look 50 hahahha.i was banded oct 20th i walk 2 miles a day,beofre lap band i didnt at all,i havent over ate everythinbg went well with surgery,and i had my first fill that didnt hurt a bit,jan 21 is 2nd one.so all and all its been perfect for me,by this time nxt year ill feel perfect again,heck by summer ill be looking good,gl and go 4 it:tt1:

I have absolutely no regrets! Other than I wished I'd done so much sooner. I feel absolutely amazing and still have a ways to go.

I saw that program series over a year ago, and it really opened my eyes to so much....

1. What the future could hold for me if I didn't change my habits.

2. That the larger you get, the more dangerous surgery becomes.

3. Every day is a new opportunity to make a change.

What I noticed was that very, very large people in this facility were making really good progress. Some of them were walking again. Many had gotten their lives back. But then they went home and did not stick to their rules, and they ended up right back where they started.

Do you remember the guy that they wouldn't turn away, but yet he continuously ordered take-out food to be delivered to him. I kept thinking, "I would love for someone to make my meals. All you have to do at this place is eat the healthy food they give you and exercise! Why would he throw all that away? But then I look inside of myself and see that I am weak too and was giving into the food rather than listening to my common sense.

I think you should be freaking out right now... but in a good way. If you don't freak out at what could become of a person who doesn't get their life under control and how the world treats them, then what will motivate you to take action now?

You are doing the right thing -- DECIDING TO MAKE A CHANGE. Regardless of the method you use...just the fact that you are at this point in your life that you want to make things different for yourself is all the fuel you need to get you started.

I think watching that program convinced me -- I didn't like the pain I was in, and if I didn't change, it could get worse...and I could eventually be in a facility like that begging for help and having hundreds and hundreds of pounds to lose. I kept moving forward towards my surgery approval, and I'm glad I freaked out when I did.

You keep thinking the "What if" thoughts even though you are convinced the band is a great tool. I hope you will put this in your head.... "What if I get the band and follow the rules?" The answer will simply be... "I will lose the weight and keep it off." What-ifs don't have to be negative. Just turn them around. What if I lose ten pounds? What if I lose 30 pounds? What if I lose 100 pounds? Woo-hoo!!! That would be great, right?

Sure, there are struggles along the way, but everyone is different...and out of 30 posts about the band... perhaps only one out of those 30 will be someone expressing difficulty, and that difficulty is momentary...not always constant. To me, that seems like great odds.

I wish you all the best!! February will be here soon enough!

I saw that program series over a year ago, and it really opened my eyes to so much....

1. What the future could hold for me if I didn't change my habits.

2. That the larger you get, the more dangerous surgery becomes.

3. Every day is a new opportunity to make a change.

That is exactly right! I felt the same way when I saw it!

Instead of looking at it negatively, read SR's response. This is exactly how you should look at it!:tongue_smilie:

I saw some of the program too. The WLS they kept mentioning was the gastric bypass not lapband.

I had 150 pounds to lose. Only 45 left to lose. Lapband has been the best thing I have ever done. You will love it.

A few of the people in the show did not want to help themselves. That was sad. But if you are motivated. Stay motivated. Get out there and start walking and get ready fur surgery in February.

Dont freak out... If you dont do it you will never lose the weight .. You know it.. You tried all diets and the weight went off and came back... Remember everyone is different everyone gives all kinds of stories.. Just read all u can about lapband , but do it... get the band and be happy for the rest of your life.. You will lose and it will stay gone.... Nothing is easy.. You will have some hard times but in the end it will be worth it.. trust me... I was banded june 08..Lost 52 and I am sooooooo happy... It's like I did not even have to do anything to lose it... It's really simple.. Eat little portions.... You will be fine./...God Bless

You need to calm down. Surgery is NOT that far away....

if you choose to follow the rules, buy into your aftercare, and eat the RIGHT foods, and get off your butt and exercise, you CAN be successful. HIGHLY successful.

I chose the surgery because I was tired of the ups and downs of losing weight. I was tired of the constant hunger, the constant battle... I did the right things... I DO the right things... and I am within spitting distance of my goal.

Side effects of the Band are there. BUT if you maintain the proper fill level, if you eat correctly, those are minimal. You are not destined to be fat. You are changing your destiny right now.

I've fought with my body my whole life. Maybe I'm just supposed to be fat? I don't know.

HELP!

This is going to sound way more snarky than I intend it to be, and basically I'm a nice gal, read my other posts, but what's in the quote is an excuse to not follow through. "Supposed to be fat?" Pish-posh. No, no, no.

You are not supposed to be fat. You are supposed to be fit and healthy. If you watched that show and came away with a sense of, "Damn, I've been doing this wrong all along, if I get to 500 pounds I can be hospitalized and disabled and that's the purpose of my life..." then you are supposed to be fat.

-disclaimer-I'm not saying the people on the show are supposed to be fat but that they are futher away from getting well than you, Oblong.

Look at what you've accomplished so far. You have a date, you have done your research, you have defended your choice to the important people in your life. You know this is a tool that will spark other amazing changes in your life.

And really I quoted you because the other piece, the "I fought my body my whole life" spoke to me. I did too. I've joked that my hair and my feet are the only two things where my body didn't disappoint me. But with the band, I own my body now. I do things like run and jump rope. It's freaky and cool and you'll be doing it too.

So breath deeply. Freak out all you need to. We're here for you.

Girl, you are just weeks away from being banded. It's an amazing thing. and you will do really well.

I self paid for my surgery and while the going has been slow at times, I would do it all again. I have lost approximately 63 lbs in 9 months and I either plateau for a bit or lose. I am not gaining and that is what is important.

I would not have gotten this far without the band.

Believe me, I would spend the money again in a heartbeat. Even in this terrible economy I can totally justify the investment in myself!

I am 53 yrs old. Started gaining at the age of 39. I feel like I wasted some really good years. I would try to take the weight off...lose 15lbs and then give up. I cannot tell you how many times that happened. My health was shot. Had this morbid feeling constantly that I would not wake up in the morning.

Worked really hard to get the Lap Band. Lost 54# on the six month medically supervised diet pre-op and have lost a total of 128 and feeling like a 19 yr old again. Have never PB'd and have just had to learn what foods my band will tolerate. Any work I have done to make this band work for me is well worth it to have my health and my life back.

I was born a social butterfly....went back into my cocoon when I was heavy. The Lap Band has freed me from so many things. It's NOT the easy way out. It's work! But...it's such easy work cuz I have my little buddy inside me as a reminder. There is light at the end of the obesity tunnel.

Just make your decision on what is right for you and focus on the positive from that point out. All the best to you.

Edited December 30, 200817 yr by Apples2

Banding is the only thing that has ever worked for me . . . and I have lost almost 100% of the excess weight and am now considered "normal."

I struggled with my weight all my life, but never had this degree of success before banding. I love my band.

OK - New rule: no more watching weight loss programs! I watched that show "Ruby" today; the one where she's lost 60 pounds so far on the pre-packaged meals. Her doctor says, "that's what you would have lost with gastric bypass". I know that the whole thing is to push his pre-packaged meals and that it doesn't really teach anybody how to eat. The thing I don't get is why is it doctors seem to be so against WLS?

I'm not as freaked as I was... Kinda....

Like everything else in life there are pros and cons. It's good to know what "could" go wrong but most people including myself will say it's the best thing they've ever done. Sure, there are people that have had problems with it but relatively speaking I think the pros outweight the cons. When some one needs to have surgery for health reasons it is usually not a choice for them so they don't give it much thought as to what problems "could" arise. In this case it seems to be more of an "elective" surgery which is why we panic so much over whether we are making the right decision or not. In my opinion, if we've been overweight most of our life and have not been successful in our previous attempts to lose weight then I don't consider this to be an "elective" surgery because I think the problems that will arise out of being morbidly obese are worse than what "could" happen with lap banding.

Good Luck to u

VeeJee,

You have hit the nail on the head! Absolutely true!

Oblong,

I can see more so why doctors would be against gastric bypass because it permanantly changes your anatomy and I feel your physical well being. LapBand is not permanant and still allows your body to absord the nutrients it needs.

For me, LapBand was the "healthiest" of my choices and allows me the option to unfill if I need to at a later time. That was the biggest deciding factor for me.

Oblong.... just notice what doctors are against it..... not all docs are qualified to do this type of procedure/surgery and they have to still make a living. Gastric banding seems to be taking over the lead in the marketing and success of weight loss world!, for some this is wonderful but there are others whose business could hurt from this. Try not to doubt you decision here... Feb's not so far... stay on board here for support!