Hi my name is Megan 32 years old, 5'8" and 270 lbs. I live in Denver and am considering LapBand.
I haven't been fat my entire life - I was actually quite an active teen. I really loved playing sports in Jr. High and High School. I really want that feeling back - I used to get runners high and loved biking and swimming! I really want to get back to my 'old self' or some form of who I see hiding behind all of this.
I haven't exactly made up my mind about LAPBand yet. I have tried many of scams and gimmicks and spent quite a bit of money to hop myself up on too much caffiene which has led to anxiety, headaches and many sleepless nights!
My first serious try was Weight Watchers and I did really well and was really starting to get back into bicycling (spin class), swimming laps and was almost running on the treadmill again as I lost 38 pounds. What happened? I plateaued for months and months - it was the worst - I could not get over that hump to "save my life". Frustrated, I quit WW and slowly started gaining back the weight and backing off my workouts and eventually it all came back and I have only been in the Water and to spin class once - I still keep up with yoga a bit.
My Second serious attempt was Nurtisystem - what a huge waste of money and I failed at that too (only losing 11 pounds) I still have a pantry FULL of food to remind me of that failure - daily :tongue2: ~ I can't even get my husband to eat the rest...
Now I weigh 5 lbs more than I did when I started WW years ago and last month ago I was considering an alternating day fast I had read about. Lapband was always in the back of my mind as a last resort, so, I ended up going to Dr. Snyder's seminar and was really inspired, but then the worry began about Insurance approval. In the past few weeks I have visited my PCP, had the tests, and have my Psyche eval tomorrow. So, I am getting everything together. "Jumping through hoops," as my PCP says.
However, I have two huge questions that I haven't found the answers to yet...
First question: Can I live with this "device" or "foreign object" inside of my body for the rest of my life? (I am sure I have to come to my own terms about this... yes it IS a tool, a great one and I think it's just the tool I have been looking for).
My second question is: Will the lapband restrict me from doing ANY activities that I might want to do in the future? A good answer to this second question might help ease my fears about my first question.
I just wonder if there is someone out there who has had the surgery and is active and athletic now and I wonder if they can help me out?