Hi All,

I am reletively new to this site and I would like to thank you all for your support, encouragement, and inspiration. This forum has such a wealth of knowledge, and I am very thankful for it!

I have not yet been banded, in fact, I haven't even met my surgeon yet, but I am scheduled to meet him on January 12th - where I hope there will be a quick approval by my insurance and I will be on my way to banded life by March 2010. In the meantime, I plan to read as much as I can about your experiences and successes, as they are a huge inspiration to me.

That being said - I would like to share with you the things that are not going to be a part of my life when I finally get banded. And I'd love to know what you plan to drop (besides some pounds!) once you get banded.

I will no longer:

- Be out of breath walking up a flight of stairs

- Search a room to see if I'm the heaviest girl around

- Stay home because I'm too embarassed to go out with my friends

- Work out in my house because I'm too embarassed to go to the gym

- Give into the newest miracle weight-loss drug hype

- Place the blame for my weight on circumstance

- Need a double-digit ring or pant size

- Binge eat alone in my room

- Fret at the thought of going to an amusement park, movie theater, or ball game (because I will fit into the seats)

- Need a seatbelt extender for an airplane flight

- Settle for an unsatisfactory relationship

- Have "such a pretty face" - without the body to match

- Shop at Lane Bryant or Torrid

- Hide in the back behind plants or walls of relatives during family pictures

- Use food as my escape and comfort

- Be miserable in my own skin

I will:

- Walk tall with my head held high

- Be able to shave my legs with ease

- Be able to cross my legs while seated

- Fit into a classroom desk

- Zipper my jacket

- Control my food, not be controlled by it

- Go for a run - because I can

- Not ever forget where I have come from, I will always be kind to those overweight

- Be thankful for the ability to change

- Become the woman I was meant to be

- Find a meaningful relationship with a man who doesn't have a scary fetish for BBWs

- Shop at regular clothing stores

- Wear heels

- Share clothes with my friends

- Have so much more closet space

- Be an inspiration to others, as much as others have been to me

Edited November 28, 200916 yr by mimi1512

So many never agains...

- i work in a school, so never again will i squeeze my fat ass into one of those freaking desk, with my "extra boobs" piling over the top

- never again will i be embarrassed about what's in my grocery cart and paranoid that everyone is judging my choices....

- never again will i have to go to the "left" (or right) of the door at the clothing store to get to the plus size half

- never again will i be "such a pretty face"... knowing they are thinking .... but so fat :confused:

- never again will i wear capris all summer in 100 degree weather because i wouldnt dare put on shorts

- never again will my son suffer at MY weight. just yesterday I called to set up swim lessons and had to make sure it wasn't a "mommy and me" class first, because if it was, i wasn't doing it. how sad for my son

- never again will i be ashamed to do ANYTHING because someone might say something rude in front of a new boyfriend, etc and just make me want to DIE (there are some RUDE freaking people in this world)!

- never again will i have to stalk the tables and booths in a restaurant to 1. make sure ill fit at the booth and 2. make sure i can find a semi-direct path that doesnt require my belly and butt rubbing someone else's chair - or worse, having to ask them to "scoot"

- never again will i stand all day at a BBQ because I am scared of chairs - listen to that SCARED OF CHAIRS! how pathetic! because i wont fit, they might break, the arms will dig in and my fat will squeeze out, etc

- never again will i have to skip the cute shoes because they dont come in "WIDE"

- never again will i be ashamed to go to the food table at a party or cookout or whatever because im too ashamed of what people think when they see me up there eating

- never again will i be the "fat mom" at my son's activities

What a great list you have! I totally identify with standing at the BBQ and stalking resturants for booth sizes and pathyway girths!!!

I, too, work in a school and have always had that problem. All very good, counselor!!! You will do it. How are you doing so far? Any problems? How long till you felt yourself after surgery? Are you still sore? Tell me everything....

Michelle, My husband saw my list and asked, "Do you really look around the room to see if you are the heaviest person?" We have been married 20 years and never knew that about me. lol

These are all so great. I too hope to be banded in March 2010. Keep this list going, I love them all

I will ride a rollercoaster with my son. I will not be afraid of triping and breaking a bone because of my weight. I will buy a two piece bathing suit. I will buy "skinny" jeans. I will not be embarrassed to eat in front of others.

Illumination,

That made me LOL. I'm so happy you put that on your fridge! I put mine in my car on the dashboard - to keep me from going to the drivethru while I'm waiting for my surgery date.

Catmom,

I know! I wish more people would share their will&will-nots! I can identify with all of them!!!

JeweI,

I know your pain of the "skinny" jeans - I can't wait until I can wear a pair of them without looking like an upsidedown triangle!

Never again will I go into my bathroom or closet to change clothes so my fiance can't see me.....even though we have lived together for 3 years. How ridiculous is that.....

Never again will someone tell my daughter, "You like just like your mother, but small....." She is 21.

Never again will I avoid posting my own picture.....because I will not be anxiety stricken to the point of needing to be tranquilized at the thought of someone taking a picture of me.

NO more people asking when my baby is due...UGH!!!:sad:

Never again will I go into my bathroom or closet to change clothes so my fiance can't see me.....even though we have lived together for 3 years. How ridiculous is that.....

Never again will someone tell my daughter, "You like just like your mother, but small....." She is 21.

Never again will I avoid posting my own picture.....because I will not be anxiety stricken to the point of needing to be tranquilized at the thought of someone taking a picture of me.

I completely understand your pain; I am an accomplished photographer, it was the simplest way to ensure I could always be safe behind the camera.

I will no longer have to shimmy sideways down a narrow isle at a store!

Never again will I be the fat child

I will no longer wonder whether I am encroaching into the space of the person sitting next to me on the plane.

Never again will I walk by a window or mirror and wonder what the heck that thing is following me only to realize that it is my butt! :wink2:

Never again will I walk by a window or mirror and wonder what the heck that thing is following me only to realize that it is my butt! :wink2:

or preceding me.....or walking beside me........

Thanks so much to everyone for their contributions to the list. I'm going to create my own and read it everyday for inspiration. I so related to what you wrote, and will be happy happy happy when we all reach our goals!