Hello all! I am a newbie! I am getting banded on 4/30. I am nervous, anxious, excited...so many things. I have been prepping for 6 months and learning all I can about the process. I have logged on here before and read tons of posts and it has been very helpful.

I am probably doing something many of you have.... I am not telling many people. Right now the only people that know are my Mom and 3 friends. I am just keeping it really close to the chest if you know what I mean. I will tell others when I think the time is right. Everyone just has their own preconceived notions on weight loss surgery.

The bottom line is... I am doing this for me. For my health. For my longevity. Not for anyone else. I am single and 26 years young. I am nearly 300 pounds. I want to see 85 like my Grand-father. I want to fit in seats at civic centers. I want to carry in my groceries and not get winded. I want to be able to play with my dog and not have sore legs the next day.

In other words... I want to be normal and helathy. I am not meant to be 120 pounds and I don't want to be. I want to use the band as a tool to help me live a longer, healthier life. SO! Here I am! Ready to face the challenges ahead in the coming weeks!

Hi stephyv, . We are glad you decided to join us. You sound like you have a great attitude and will do very well.

I understand not telling a lot of people. Many of us choose to do that. This can be a very personal choice that we wish to keep to ourselves.

Best of luck to you. Let us know when you get a date.

Hi Steph,

Congrats on your date. I soooo can relate to your reasons for making the decision to go ahead with the band. At almost 300lb, I'm uncomfortable in lots of places.

In case you might be interested there's a forum for all of us being banded in April HERE and we've added you to the list of April bandsters HERE.