YourPalBigAl

I just turned 42, I'm 6'2" and 340 lbs and I guess I've been in denial about my ever-expanding waistline. I've tried doctor supervised weight loss a couple of times with the appetite suppressing drugs, etc and it never worked for more than a month or two. I've done low-carb diets off and on for 15 years. If I stick with a diet long enough to lose 30lbs, as soon as I let my guard down, it comes right back. I developed asthma (or at least it got a lot worse) when I really started to gain weight after college (at about 260 lbs). I've got sleep apnea and use a CPAP. I'm tired, depressed and a grouch most of the time (and this is definitely not who I am). I want to get out of the 3xl shirts and the 46 pants (that I wear under my belly). I feel like I should try a new diet or something but after seeing the John Daly episode of Fehrety on the Golf Channel and hearing about his success with the lap band, I'm seriously considering it. My insurance is with UHC so I'm hoping they'll cover the majority of it. Any advice after hearing my situation? Thanks in advance...

I'm new here and have just started my research. My asthma became serious about 15 years ago when I started to really gain weight. Has anyone seen an improvement after weight loss?

Does it cause issues when one spouse has the surgery and the other does not? My BMI is about 43 and my wife's is about 35ish? I don't know that she'd consider the band. I can see some jealousy/resentment/you-name-it being a possiblity.

I've got UHC too... 80% up to 10,000 lifetime max for in-network. What should I expect for total out of pocket cost?

Yeah, that's how I'm feeling about my late twenties and thirties...

I was walking a couple of miles 2-3 times a week up until earlier this year and just stopped. Now I'm having foot/heel pain and just can't get motivated. I just called UHC and they say it is covered at 80% in-network after the deductible but it has a $10,000 lifetime max. How much should I expect the total cost to be (ballpark range)?

Thanks Diva and 2Much, I admit that I'm extremely naive about this whole thing. I would definitely say I'm an over-eater and a big snacker. I think stress plays a big part in my eating habits as well. I'm also somewhat of a workaholic and don't get nearly enough exercise. I'm feeling like I'm getting to the point where I'm almost too fat to exercise. What a cop-out right?!?!?! Thanks for the input... I'm going to hang around the forum and see what I can learn.