****DISCLAIMER - I am just a regular person, who is a regular poster, on a regular forum for Lap Band surgery who is just sharing a thought in a regular way...no offense is meant towards anyone

So, as I have been reading and posting today I have been thinking... am I embarrassed to have had this surgery? No way!

I was embarrassed when I couldn't fit comfortably in my seat on the airplane, when my thighs rubbed so much they were raw, when the skin folds on my body had an odor (you know what I mean)....

those are the embarrassing things and honestly my surgery is not in anyway something to be ashamed of.

I am honest always regarding my weight loss and my surgery - it doesn't matter who it is I am sharing it with - and this is my personal choice - if you do not want to tell anyone that is fine too and that doesn't mean you are embarrassed by it just you are more reserved for your reasons than I am.

Plus, I always think back to when Star Jones had surgery but she wouldn't say she had surgery.... I know I was wondering why she didn't.

So yes, I am proud to have had my surgery - I have no issues with it and if someone does well it is no different than any other aspect of life - people will have different thoughts, feelings and their own insecurities and issues - who gives a rats a$$

Edited January 4, 200917 yr by babbs3772
Because I do not want anyone to be annoyed with my posts lol

I think for the most part everyone on this board is pretty open and able to communicate fairly! This forum isnt all about bashing one another like some that I have been on which is good. We need to be here for one another bc if we cant help each other who can?!

I LOVE this post!! I tell anyone; I am not ashamed. Good luck to you

I'm not embarrassed about having my surgery but I was worried about failing. Now that I'm making good progress this isn't a problem but I was worried about not being able to lose the weight after surgery. Nothing worked before so why would things start working out now. Also I think it's no ones business so I only told people that mean the most to me.

I was worried about failing. Now that I'm making good progress this isn't a problem but I was worried about not being able to lose the weight after surgery. Nothing worked before so why would things start working out now.

I had the same thoughts. My wt loss has been slow but I have NEVER continued to lose for this long....:wink_smile:

I am not embarrassed.. I am just private.

While I am not embarrassed that I had the surgery I do feel bad that I let myself get to the point where it was necessary.

I have only told a handful of close family and friends who I knew would be loving and supportive.

The one exception was when I bumped into an acquaintance last Spring who had not seen me in a while. Her first reaction was "Oh my God Lisa you got skinny"I was flattered but she looked crest fallen I could read her thoughts because I had been there it was a look of "why can you take off so much weight and I can't no matter what I try" so I told her. I'm not trying to be deceptive to people I just like to keep some things private.

No! In fact I felt like part of this whole thing was admitting I had a problem and needed help with it. I didn't want to keep it a secret because for me it was really important to face it head on or I would never be able to be successful regardless of what I did.

For me, keeping it a secret was just another way of staying in denial. And, I knew I was going to have amazing support from those around me. And I have, I can't imagine doing this alone.

I even disclosed my weight. 38 years of pretending the weight of an extra person wasn't there didn't get me anything. I just went for it and after I did I felt like I could breath for the first time in my life.

Ummmm... embarrassed, GOD NO. I just posted this on my Facebook account today, so this is perfect for this thread...

Coming Out of the Closet

I've gotten a lot of messages from people complimenting me on how good I look; as much as I would like to say that I was one of the 'few' who have found a great figure through diet and exercise, I simply don't want to perpetuate that myth. The statistics on losing weight and keeping it off are staggering. 98% of people who lose weight put that weight back on within 5 years. 98%... So basically, it is impossible... I've lived my life going from one diet to the next, losing, and putting it back on. In college, I became obsessed with the gym. I worked out 3 hours per day, 5-6 days per week in order to maintain a size 10. And I was ALWAYS hungry.

My theory is this: Overweight people get more energy from food. A calorie is not the same to each person. Some people get more energy from said calorie. Also, people have a set point, as far as their weight is concerned. You lose more than a few pounds, your body goes into starvation mode, and your hormones get all out of whack, making you hungrier and hungrier, until you 'break' and 'act bad' (actually giving into NATURE) and EAT until your hormones are regulated again by gaining weight. It becomes a vicious cycle. Fat people walk around talking about how they are 'addicted to food' and they are 'bad' etc, but I truly believe that a vast majority of overweight people are like that because... nature set it up for them like that. If you look at twins, that were separated at birth, and meet 30 years down the road, their weights are virtually the same. Different upbringings, different diets, different activity levels, but their bodies are EXTREMELY precise in determining their weight. Science is backing me up more and more on this. Even if this is the 'unpopular' opinion, because America is by nature, a 'diet obsessed' billion dollar industry, I firmly believe this after talking to countless people who have struggled with their weight, and after having read tons of scientific studies to back it up.

So, I said all of that to say... my husband Robert and I sat down and talked about what, if anything I wanted to do about my weight. I was not having any health problems, but I didn't want to put myself at higher risk for them. And I wanted for once in my life, to stop thinking about how hungry I was all of the time, and start thinking like a 'normal weight' person. I wanted to be the girly-girl and wear the fancy clothes... and not have to worry about clothes in the Misses section not fitting. So, we decided my best option was a Lap-Band. I was not 'fat enough' to qualify to have it covered by insurance, so we paid for the surgery out of pocket. The surgery itself was a simple procedure, but it was not something that was a 'quick fix.' In order to be successful, I had to eat healthy foods and following up with the doctor for adjustments is critical. Without follow-up, a person will remain at the same weight. It is not like gastric bypass, where foods don't absorb in your system, so you lose weight simply from not getting the full calories from the foods you eat, so I choose nutritious, organic food. After a few months, and a few adjustments, my constant hunger was cured. The surgery literally re-wired my brain. Someone who has never struggled with their weight cannot possibly understand what a completely different person you become after that food problem is fixed.

I wanted to put that out there, and know some people will judge me for 'taking the easy way out' or whatever. But those overweight people who judge will continue to preach they will do it the 'natural way' and yo-yo up and down... and think about food more than 'normal.' I think and feel normal for the first time in my life. My grandmother gave me a piece of clothing for Christmas in a size SMALL and for the first time, I put it on, thinking it might fit... and it did. I think I was 13 when I was a size 8, and now I am between a 6 and an 8. It is truly a life change. But the thing is, that because I 'get more calories' than a 'normal' person, I will always consume WAY less than that person as well. I currently eat about 800 calories a day (and always will) to maintain my weight. Some people would think that is starvation, but for me, it is the right amount, and I have a ton of energy and no more hunger.

Just wanted to share, because I want people to know the truth. There are options out there that can be explored, but they are not for everyone. And I surely don't want anyone looking at me, thinking I am in that 2% statistic that say diet and exercise alone works. Because I would be lying.

Embarrassed no. But I don't share any of my medical procedures with co-workers and friends. I have had 12 surgeries and have not felt the need to share each procedure with all my co-workers or friends.

I don't share my finanical information or my sexual activities with my co-workers and friends, nor do I share my medical information.

It is a privacy issue.