hi shannon, i'm margaret. i am new here too. i am scheduled for lap band aug 13. i looked into it about a year ago when i was diagnosed pre-diabetic. with a bmi of 35 and 2 co-morbidity factors i am eligible for my insurance to pay for the surgery. i had to join ww or jenny craig for 1 year. i joined ww and i only lost 15 lbs since july 2011 and i have recenly gained 3 back. i had to meet with a life coach 2x a month for a year. this was done on the phone sometimes for 15 minutes and sometimes for an hour. i had to meet with a mental health professional once. i also had to meet with a nutritionist once and i will meet with her again when i go in for my pre-op appt. i had to get a series of lab work done, an ekg and a mammogram and a letter from my pcp that i am a good candidate for the surgery. on july 29 my one year waiting period will be up and then it goes to the insurance for approval (praying they approve it!) from that point i will have to do a liver shrinking diet to make the procedure easier. the the surgery. i am beyond excited and i would do it tomorrow if i could. as far as the loose skin i have heard that it is more common with the bypass and the sleeve and not so much the band as the weight loss is slower with the band and as long as you are exercising it shouldn't be that bad. i have also heard that if you are getting infections from the loose skin that some insurance companies will pay for it. but you might have to fight them to do it. i hope this helped you a bit. and good luck! margaret