HI,

I have recently started my journey. I went to my first seminar and from there I recieved a call that explained that my insurance will cover the surgery up to 90%. My first Dr.'s appt is scheduled for May 23rd and I am very excited about starting this journey. Just to let you know a little bit about myself....... I am 31 years old 5'4 and 275 lbs which is the heaviest I have been in my entiiiire life . I have always had weight issues starting from middle school . Even though I wasnt the smallest growing up I was very athletic and with my father being a physical ed teacher and a basketball coach I stayed busy playing basketball and volleyball . Moving foward it seemed like once I reached my twentys I started piling the weight on....I think my problem is that I am an emotional eater and I eat when I im bored or upset . I find myself over eating alot . My father passed away 4 years ago which was a wake up call for me . My father had hypertension, diabetes, kidney failure and congestive heart failure which majority runs in my family. I have tried everything under the sun to aid in my weight loss. I tried weight watchers, working out and even tried out being a vegetarian which lasted about 3 mnths my latest venture was weight loss pills which did take off 36lbs and at that time brought me down to my lowest which was 219lbs but as soon as I loss my job which forced me to be home more than I liked i gained it all back plus 20 addtl. I am now at my breaking point. I find that is getting to be a task at doing the simplest everyday things like taking a shower. I recently had a biometric screening at my exsisting job which notified me that I have high blood pressure which prompted me to make an appt with my pri DR. which suggested the lap band as an option. I know alot of people at my current job(which is a call center posistion) that have had the lap band surgery both successfully and unsucessful. The succesful ones told me that they follow the lifestyle change to a "T" and the unsuccessful ones admitted that they have found ways of going around the band or that once they reached their goal they started back in their old ways and gained all the weight back. I am now at the time in my life where I reconize that i need to make a major change in my lifestyle, hence the option of lap band. At first my mom and two sisters were against the surgery and stated that I can do this on my own. But you see where on my own has gotten me . I took my mom ans sister to the seminar with me and now they are supportive. I am now looking foward to the process and the surgery in the future. I understand the lap band is a tool and is up to me to make the changes in my life necessary. I haved read a numerous amount of blogs and posts which have become very helpful...........Wish me luck !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!