hayllyn

This is so awesome! Congratulations!!!!

Hello! New to this forum, and this is the first post I've read, but I couldn't help but chime in. Before my band procedure, I had the exact same reaction from nearly everyone. I am 5'7 and before starting I was 255, and people would always say things like 'But you're not fat!' or 'You don't need surgery, you just need to exercise!' ...as if I'd never thought of that. Luckily, my family and immediate circle of friends was incredibly supportive. I looked into Lap Band surgery for two years before deciding to go through with it. The entire time leading up to it, I had been a member at a gym which I went to occasionally, I did pilates, I had a nutritionist... nothing worked for me. I just couldn't seem to lose more than 2-3 lbs before leveling out. I was tested for a thyroid problem, there was none. So I went with Lap Band. I was banded on June 5 of 2013, and I could not be happier with my progress. Since surgery, I've dropped from 255 to 179, I am wearing clothing that I would never have been confident enough to wear before (I went out in a shirt that showed off my stomach the other day- talk about a new experience), and I've been running. I've completed a handful of 5K races and each one makes me feel a bit better than the last. I can keep up with my family (all of whom are very athletic) when we go places, and for the first time in YEARS, I am comfortable and confident in lingerie and swimwear. I've even started doing some alternative modeling. When I tell people now that I used to weigh 255, they ask where I kept it all. Even when I see people and tell them about the surgery and they say 'you looked great before!' I can say, 'I know I did- but now I feel great.' Do what's right for you, but know that you're absolutely not wrong. It's funny, though, because when I started this, I thought that I would absolutely never tell anyone what I'd had done. But now that I've had it done, I talk to anyone who asks about it and I'm completely honest, because it is literally the best thing that I feel I have ever done for myself personally.