Hi Everybody!

For a long time I was not sure which way to go RNY or the band. After a lot of research I have finally made my decision to go with the band. I know that I have a sweet tooth so RNY might be better in that sence but I also know that regardless of which way I go...its is ME who is goign to be responsible on how successful i will be. Will instant gratification of eating M&M that takes 2 minutes to eat more important than being healthy and the right weight? No, its not. I believe with the band, I will learn how to eat healhy and take responsibility for my own actions.

I also like that fact that the band can be adjusted year after year that will be a great tool in keepng up wtih the weight loss or mantaining. I also believe that the slower weight is better for the organs and the skin. I have been over weight for almost 30 years now - I don't need to loose 135 lbs in 6 months - I can wait another 2 years as long as the scale is moving in the right direction. I need to learn how to eat healthy not just for my sake but for my daughters sake. She is 2 years old who copies me in every single way! She now gets excited pizza and cookies and it was cute in the beginning but now I am realizing that I need be prime example that fruit and vegetables are as yummy as the candy. and guess what - for the past 2 months I have changed how I ate and now instead of asking for a cookie she asks for an apple. I refuse to let her struggle with the weight and what comes with it.

I already did the seminar and now i have my surg. consult, phsyc and NUT on September 2nd. I am hoping that my insurance will approve and I can move on and start living my life.

I wanted to thank everybody who has shared their success, struggles, happy and sad stories, people who had questions- i have leared a lot and I am looking forward to chating with all of you.

Stacy

good luck to you and congrats on your life changing decision. it is a journey i too am looking forward to.i havent been banded that long 7/29/09 i havent had a fill in my band yet. i will be thankful when i get one. i hope all will go well for you ,and you will make a good example for your 2 year old and i am sure she will give you plenty of runing around time.

Welcome!! I wish you the best in your LB journey!

Catherine

You have a really good attitude which I'm sure will be very helpful for your LB journey. Best wishes for much success!

Hi Stacy! Welcome. You really sound like you're ready for this challenge. That's great. It so wonderful that you're concerned about your little girl's eating habits too. I don't mean to sound critical but please be careful with things like apples and popcorn. Small children have a hard time chewing them. I knew someone whose daughter choked - but she's fine! But I worry. Sorry! Not really my business.....

Anyway, this is a great forum. You'll find lots of help and support here. Best of luck to you! :biggrin:

TPG

Congrats Stacy! You are embarking on a new journey that will change your life and your daughter's life for the better. She is still young so when you reach your goal you will be able to do things with her and play with her like you never thought you could. Good Luck and keep us posted!

WTG Stacy!!!

Your reasons for the band sound just like mine and how I feel about the loss as well. Well at first I was like I don't want to wait to lose but then I thought about it and was the same way with losing a steady amount each month.

That is great!!! Also to set the right example for your daughter. I have a 6 year old step son and I am hoping that on our visits it will help him learn to appreciate food better as well and not just live on Fast Food.

It is say how much fast food gets eaten these days. Last weekend we had fast food and we asked him which one he wanted, his reply was Burger King because of the kids toy was GI Joe. They ended up not having them... so his response to that was we should have gone to McDonalds then because they have the coolest Lego toys now.

Just to hear that and realize he eats fast food so much that he knows where the toys are and basing it off of the toys and not health. Which really no fast food is healthy...but he eats it so much is the sad part.

So we decided to change that every time we have him no more fast food. Home cooking. (Which we do cook a lot when we have him, fast food has been pretty much cut out of our house for several months now)

Just amazes me how easy it is to just forget about our waist lines even for our children too sometimes.

I am glad you are making the right desicions for you and your family.

Sorry to ramble on...I tend to do that sometimes... :thumbup:

Welcome to the board!!!

Don't mean to hijack Stacy's thread but wanted to give Courtney an idea that my neighbor uses with her kids. They eat extremely healthy and don't eat fast food. When they are on good behavior at the end of the week she takes them to the dollar store and lets them pick out a toy. They think they have hit the lottery of course. They are six and three. I know you don't have your stepson all the time but maybe you can have an inexpensive toy for him when you fix his home cooked meals or something like that so he still has something to look forward to but is eating good. BTW good for you for changing his habits early. Good for both of you!

Hi Stacy

Chocolate was my downfall. I wanted it, I even needed it to keep me in a good mood. But you know what? Once I started my pre-op diet and cut out sugar and caffeine, I no longer crave it. I was banded July 29 after a two-week pre-op diet and I haven't had or wanted a single piece of chocolate yet. If I can go without my daily dose of chocolate and be fine (meaning I haven't torn the heads off any staff members...), then you will do great too! After all, you have a child that is a great motivator for you to make the right choices. That's great!

Best of luck!

Stacy-

the best of luck to you.

I am also new here. I was banded a little over a year ago and am very happy with the choice of the band. I have lost around 50 pounds in the last year. I have also made mistakes and have eaten the wrong things. But I get right back to eating right. I think it a good thing to want to set a good example for you daughter--but do the surgery for yourself and not for anyone else.

things just get better as time goes on after surgery.