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The band isnt designed to make you vomit lol so you sure aint missing out on that! Maybe you arent at decent restriction yet,it took me a few fills to get the full feeling. If you check up some of my early days posts,you will read that I was thinking the band was not going to work for me,and I felt like a failure;but a few fills later,I was on track,feeling full and losing weight! I will never say the band has been easy..it takes a lot of getting used to.Some days I would give anything to eat a fresh crusty chunk of bread and butter!:thumbup: I have tried every diet possible,with weight loss and then weight gain at the end of it. I really think the band is the best thing I ever spent my money on and will never regret it. Good luck to everyone on there journey. Its a bumpy ride at times,but well worth sticking to it!:w00t:

"How can you drop inches if you're not dropping pounds." Your body will redistribute weight, you can be losing fat but gaining muscle (even if you're not working out you're likely moving a little bit more), you could have Water weight gain in some areas but lose fat in others - resulting in steady weight or gained weight but lost inches. There are all sorts of ways.

I to did HCG pre-op and lost 45 pounds! Then I got prego and gained all that weight back within like 3 months and just kept gaining. My OB had me on a very restrictive diet to try and slow my weight gain but nothing worked. I ended up 20 pounds heavier than I was before I started HCG after I had the baby. You lose the weight but gain it right back. My hubby did it too with the same results. Lost 50 and gained 60! And my friend who introduced us in on the HCG roller coaster. She's loses 20 gains it back and then goes right back on it.

Hey y'all! I was banded on 8/6/09 (I weighed 265 the day of my first appt with the doctor and then more the two weeks before surgery on the liquid only diet - lost about 17 pounds after surgery but gained 4 of those pounds back before my first fill which was this past Monday 9/28/09. Got 5 cc's in an 11 cc band. Since the fill I've lost 7 pounds! I have not felt hungry at all since the fill. I had to be on liquids for 2 days after fill and ate some black eyed peas last night. I wasn't hungry but I ate a small bowl knowing I had to eat and finished it all but did not feel stuffed, just content. I do have a tootheache that is not letting me think of anything but pain right now so I have not even thought about Breakfast and it's noon already. Once I see the dentist at 1:30 today it might be game on with the food, don't know yet. My doctor told me DO NOT weigh yourself between my followup visit and my first fill. He did not want me to get frustrated because I probably would gain a little weight. He said he would be happy if I maintained but if I gained he would not berate me because he said, let's face it, you got the band for a reason - dieting wasn't working for me so he did not expect me to lose during the bandster hell period. I didn't listen and weighed myself every day. Fortunately I did lose so he would not have even known about that 4 pound gain since I had lost 13 according to his scale and the last time I was there! They do have a new rule they explained to me though. My next appointment is October 28th and if I want/need a fill then I have to bring a food journal with me to show them that I am trying but it's not working. I have to show proof that I am actually dieting instead of just getting the fill for the heck of it. Don't beat yourself up over the weight gain. Apparently the doctors are prepared for it! Oh, and GEAUX TIGERS!!!

It's ok to have a freak out moment. Maintaining and eating more calories is a whole new mind set. Your surgery restriction is still good at 6/7 months out. Your restriction may feel less after your first year. Check with your dietician and see if they would approve liquid sources. I drink liquid carbs to increase my intake for distance running. look into body building weight gain/muscle mass protein shakes. The macros are much different than bariatric shakes. (Read the nutrition fact labels)

Lenny Vartanian, PhD., from the Psychology Department of the University of New South Wales in Australia and her colleagues recently analyzed the effect of stress on overeating by placing Cookies in a cluttered/clean kitchen and watching the results. According to a study involving 101 women at Cornell’s food and Brand Lab, researchers showed that when those with heightened stress levels were placed in a noisy, messy kitchen — think scattered newspapers, a stacked sink of dirty dishes, relentless telephone ringing — and they were asked to wait patiently for another person, they ate more. In fact, these women ate twice as many of the cookies left out for them as did their equally-stressed counterparts, who waited in the same kitchen, but one which was organized and quiet. Environmental chaos can induce stress. Stress then leads to a coping mechanism. In this instance, the coping mechanism was to overeat. And overeating? It’s your one-way ticket to weight gain. But what’s also worth considering are the cascade of events that led to the overeating — a cascade not relegated to just this one experiment, but one that’s applicable to the broader population. A better understanding of this could help with the diet-and-food-related issues many of us face. Stress is a condition characterized by symptoms of physical or emotional tension and anxiety. In a normal, stress-free state, we have hormones that circulate our body, catecholamines, called epinephrine and norepinephrine. These hormones give us the energy to perform daily tasks in a calm, consistent manner. But if we’re triggered by an unpleasant feeling or event, these catecholamine levels rise. And our bodies’ natural response is to find a way to lessen them. One coping mechanism in dealing with stress is to overeat. Eating increases another of the body’s “feel good” hormone, called serotonin, which helps to improve mood. Serotonin tempers the catecholamines, thus reducing feelings of stress. More of this article is available here. http://acsh.org/news/2016/02/12/81099/

Being 18 months out I constantly think about weight regain. I'm glad to see that even when there is a weight gain with determination and mindfulness there is a solution. Thank you all for sharing your stories and I wish you success and luck in your journey to lose the weight.

This should be setting off alarm bells. You say you already have restriction but you are having a fill every 3 weeks. WHY? You have admitted that your mind is not in the right place and you are deliberately setting yourself up for failure by not following the rules by drinking with food. What do you think more fills will do? How do you think they will help? If you continue to push the food through then the band will not work the way it should. But what will happen if you continue the way you are is that you will end up too tight, you won't be able to eat proper food, you will exist on sliders which will not fill you up and will contribute to weight gain and you risk a slip, erosion and serious reflux. Does your Dr know what you are doing? If not then it is time to be honest. The band won't work if you refuse to work with it.

I believe sugar is addictive as some drugs. I have to avoid sugary foods altogether. My weight gain was due to eating gallons of ice cream and anything with sugar. since being banded and gaining more control I seldom eat sugar I had diabetes for years . My A1C has been normal since a few months after my surgery,

You are putting too much pressure on yourself. 126 pounds in a year is a tremendous accomplishment and you deserve to give yourself a huge pat on the back for getting to this point. There are "stalls" in the process, I am only five weeks out and had my first stall a week ago and I am sure there are more to follow. If you are doing everything that is being asked of you, why do you feel it is not enough? Could it be that way because you have emotional struggles that need to be addressed by a therapist? Or could it be that you are comparing yourself to a version of yourself that may not exist (for the time being). Or is it that you have established muscle which weighs more than fat and switching your exercise routine may be the answer? Instead of beating yourself up, look for solutions in unexpected places. Maybe visit your nutritionist and get some feedback about your diet; she/he may suggest something different. Stress, sadness, the feeling of being overwhelmed won't make the scale tip in the direction you want. It may also contribute to weight gain and even worse a general feeling of malaise that will lead you down the path of turning to food for comfort. It is going to be okay and the number on the scale does not define who you are, your worth or take away any of your previous successes.

It has been 2 1/2 years since I was banded. I got down to size 10 and my lowest weight was 155 lbs. My husband and I were traveling in March to May this year. I got sick with a kidney infection on our drive to Florida. My stomach got upset with my IBS and I was nauseated. My band got really tight in the middle of all that and the end result was MILKSHAKES! My stomach was so upset and my band so tight that I was living on very little food but could drink milk and milkshakes felt very comforting. They settled my stomach and filled me up. I got antibiotics when I got to Orlando but they made my stomach more upset. I was throwing up a lot and had terrible heartburn, throwing up if I laid down. I spent most nights sleeping sitting up. I was in misery. It was not caused by my band but my band got into the middle of everything. I needed a defill but was out of my country. I tried everything - bland foods, eating mushy or liquids, using antacids constantly. Nothing helped. We got home from our trip to Florida and I got more antibiotics because I felt like the infection was still there. I also got a small defill. We were leaving again only 10 days later for Hawaii for our 40th anniversary. When we got to Honolulu for the first week, I got really sick again. I was very nauseated and throwing up. My band felt very constricted again and I stopped taking my antibiotics. My stomach settled down but the band stayed very tight. When we got home from Hawaii the first week of May, I was sick again for about 4 days, vomiting and nausea. My band seemed even tighter and I could hardly eat anything. It was hard to even drink tea. My band seemed to have tightened on it's own again. Then I started having choking episodes and I felt like my stomach/pouch was up in my throat. I had a few episodes where I couldn't breathe and had to concentrate to relax my throat and let the food or drink go down so I could get my breath. I was terrified. I could not understand what was happening. It seemed like the band had slipped. I phoned and talked to my clinic and they advised me over the next few days to get a big defill. I did that and my stomach and band settled down. I had severe gas pains for about three days following the defill that doubled me over and I was in agony, pacing the floor and crying with the pain. Bandster hell. Finally that stopped. I then felt no restriction and was eating too much and too much junk. I started gaining weight and felt so upset with myself. I tried to stop overeating and watch what I was consuming but continued. I needed my band refilled. A month after my defill of 2 cc, I went back for a fill of 1 cc. that gave me back some restriction but I was still gaining weight. We had our 40th Anniversary party on Aug 7 and I felt self conscious and fat. I changed dresses to cover up my 14 lb weight gain. Other people didn't notice but I could feel the extra weight around my middle especially. I missed feeling svelte and beautiful and in control. I have had a lot of company and been too busy to spend any time on my Curves program or eating patterns. I am feeling more restriction now but have had another setback.After all the problems with my stomach, my doctor sent me for tests. One test I had on Monday this week was a barium swallow. The radiologist asked me questions before the test about what had been going on. He was not knowledgeable about lapbands but could see it in the xray. He told me that it was sitting on top of my stomach not like the picture on my lapband card I showed him. I guess my band has slipped and I am anxious to get it back to normal again before I gain too much weight. I wish I could control my eating and lose some weight through just diet. I really love my band and how wonderful it made me feel to lose all that weight in the first place. Wish me luck! :wink2::glare:

1. I didn't have a pre op diet so I just had broth after I first got home and it wasn't just broth but broth, sugar free Jello, Protein shakes, v8 juice, Water...and I had no desire to eat so it wasn't miserable. 2. That will depend on your doc and his/her instructions. 3. I'm 3 months out and I don't snack. Snacking can lead to grazing and grazing to weight gain, so I just stick to my plan. I'm never hungry so the desire to snack has gone away which really helps. 4. My scars were all closed on the outside within 9-10 days except for my drain hole. That one took about 2wks to close. My scars are really tiny, but will probably remain dark purple for about a year then fade to a pink and hopefully disappear in the stretch marks like my gall bladder surgery scars did. 5. I don't have cravings...so that changed, but my taste buds completely changed. Before surgery cherry anything made me gag and throw up. Since surgery it's my favorite flavor! I also find that chocolate tastes like dirt...it did when I was pregnant too, but now it's all the time so I had to ditch all my chocolate protein shakes because of the taste. 6. It depends on where you go. I love sushi and sashimi so when we go out for like Chinese food, we'll go someplace that does Asian fusion and has sashimi. I'll have a couple pieces of that and maybe half of a crab Rangoon if I'm in the mood and that's about it. If I'm going to an Italian place, I'll look for a fish or something non breaded and take the rest home. If we are doing a burger place, I'll do a bun less burger with condiments on the side and give the fries away to the kids and take the rest of the burger home. You'll be surprised how long leftovers go. I had a ribeye steak one day and it lasted me 6 meals with plenty leftover for the dog. lol

Congrats on a huge accomplishment! Don't know what to say on the Skinny Popcorn. I do know from watching, that the people who tend to maintain their original losses are very strict with themselves. But I also know, that for me personally, saying I won't ever have something again or will never be a "weensy bit bad" is not practical. It's pretty magical thinking IMHO. So I'd tend to look at your popcorn fettish like this: if you can eat your serving appropriate size and it doesn't hurt the new anatomy, cause weight gain/stall, or cause cravings to get out of control, and you can dictate the frequency of eating it--then no problemo. If on the other hand, it causes the binge monster to visit, makes you stall or gain, and you end up wanting more and more and more of it at increasingly shorter intervals--then it's a trigger food and should be avoided at this time. I'm gonna shoot for a 95/5 plan where 95% of the time I eat like a saint. The other 5% of the time, I will enjoy like a sinner. And I will have a safety window. At the high end=angelic behavior; at the low end=devil behavior.

I have a little experience with excess skin, lap band and RNY. I was always on the heavy side since childhood and when I was 19 I lost over 100 lbs fairly quickly with the help of drugs that you could get very easily back then but were not done through a prescription. I then gained it back over the course of a year and then the following year lost it again. During those two weight losses I had no extra skin. I then put on about 25lbs became pregnant and had a 9lb11oz baby and stretched out my stomach, gained some weight over a 3 year period and had a 10+lb baby and stretched out my stomach a lot more. So basically even though I lost weight quickly the first two times I had no extra skin and didn't until I had to the two babies. I don't know if it's a quick weight gain then loss that creates the skin, genetics or what but I don't think you can say that with lap band you'll have no extra skin and with RNY you will. I will always have extra skin no matter what. My daughter was a quick gainer of weight prior to her RNY. I think she may have put on an extra 60 lbs fairly quickly at one time so since her surgery she's having extra skin issues and is in her 20s. So maybe it's a quick gain that does it not necessarily a quick loss that guarantees the extra skin or both. Just a thought. It does take more time to recover from RNY as I have been there since my daughter's surgery this past May. There are many more things you have to take in order to supplement your diet basically for the rest of your life. It works, I've heard people can gain back weight after a period of time but not as much as the had lost in the beginning. I personally did have a difficult time letting my daughter go through this as she's my flesh and blood and no one wants their child to go through something this traumatic but then I knew if she didn't she'd be miserable and she chose this surgery over the lap band as she felt it had a better rate of success. I don't know if my issues had that much to do with it as she's a pretty smart cookie and makes up her own mind. Nancy:smile:

I had mine on 8/12 and lost 20 lbs before surgery day of I weighed 268 Today I weigh 245 I don't weigh daily because I just don't really think to.. I weigh in at the dr. So at two weeks i weighed 258 and then 6 weeks.. I weighed 251 ( but had a kidney stone so infection and swelling caused a 6 lb weight gain) after my kidney stone procedure and an office visit only 4 days later.. I was 245 I see inches lost my clothes are almost way too big I can't wear them without them falling off... My dr. Said to not weigh myself more than once a week for the first several months.. But to keep doing measurements on my body to see the difference. But 43 lbs in 2 months (since the two week per op diet) is more than I've ever lost on any diet so I think I'm doing well.

@@Embrace Hi! Thank you so much for checking in on me. Your note before my surgery gave me great peace and comfort. I have told NO ONE but my husband, so having you and others checking on me in INVALUABLE! I have had a tough 1st week of recovery, but am beginning to feel better. My 1 week check up is tomorrow. Because I was converting a "plication" to a sleeve, my procedure lasted 5.5 hours. I think this may be the reason the Anesthesia was particularly difficult to rid from my system. Not sure if this is the cause of my blurry vision for the last 6 days, but reading online, I have found that this can be a result of anesthesia and will improve in 9-10 days. (I have been unable to read the newspaper, emails, or any of the 3 new books I bought to enjoy during my recovery phase.) Additionally, I have had severe headaches that I cannot treat with my regular migraine meds, due to the complicated revision-----my doc's fear that the strong meds (even crushed) would cause damage to my new sleeve. ENOUGH COMPLAINING THOUGH!!! I'm grateful for my supportive husband who paid the 17,500. fee to have this done and my steady improvement. I actually feel myself getting stronger each day. Remembering what you said about walking the anesthesia off, I made sure to walk a little each day but honestly I only made it to my mailbox and back, walked from one end of my house to the other.....etc. (I was quite wimpy this week) I tried to balance what you said about walking and resting my body. I have a goal of walking 30 minutes (all at one time) by Saturday of this week. I hope I am able. Your 3rd piece of invaluable advice was very helpful and something I HAD NOT considered. As soon as I can get out, I'm going to purchase tiny bowls and small plates. Thank you so much for this tip!! Something I had not expected was the weight gain in the hospital from fluids. ( I probably should have done better research and made myself aware of this bc it SHOCKED me!) I gained 11 lbs and after 6 days that was finally gone. I hope I begin steady "losing" from this point on. I practiced "going out to dinner" last night with my husband. This is a little scary at first! We went to a Tai restaurant where I was able to order a bowl of simple broth. It was divine. (After eating broth from a box all week.) Since today is 1 week out, I'm going to weigh, take measurements, etc. I'm hoping I'm on the right path and will continue to improve. Enough about me! Are you doing o.k.? Still losing? Adding new foods to your diet? Feeling good? I think your surgery was this summer so we are just a few months apart. Your wisdom and compassion came through so clearly in your message to me and I want you to know how very much I appreciate the time it took to send it. Please continue to send your valuable tips and please let me know how you are progressing.

I see your on ativan I took that for a while klonipin works much better for me also latuda works amazing for depression and anxiety and doesn't cause weight gain. Trileptal is amazing for mood I'm on all 3 it keeps me sane Sent from my SM-T380 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi Trixie, I am 4 years out and not happy with my slow continuous weight gain. One of the active Lap Band support groups would be Dr. Fowler at Castle Hospital. His people used to post a lot on this website but have since petered out. I had my band done by Dr. Lapschies at Queens's, but I don't think they have a support group any more. If you ever want to walk, especially on Sunday's, give me a call. I am always looking for people and places to walk. My cell phone# is 383-3820 or my work phone is 971-7199. Aloha, Paula Aurio P.S. also try ObesityHelp.com, the Hawaii State forum. They get more input than this board lately.

So let me start by saying this , I got the lap band to improve my quality of life. Because I have PCOS ( Poly Cystic ovarian syndrome ) and migraines I am at greater risk of things like stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure as it is. Being over weight adds to that. So I wanted the band to reduce that risk BEFORE anything bad happened to me. I am a mother of 2 boys who need me . After I first got the band things were great, I could eat what i wanted, just smaller portions and occasionally threw up after eating too much , or so I thought .. I even changed the way I ate, what i ate , i felt better so I ate better. I was , as you can ask my doctor , the model patient, i did everything I was suppose to (with the expectation of working out and that lesson has been learned trust me ) Eventually what I ate seemed to come back up more often , But after losing 125 pounds I thought I was doing ok. At a year out a slipped my band , that is where my stomach comes up through the band and can potentially be very serious. After it corrected it self I gained some weight ... It slipped again , more weight gain . I was then told my band had scar tissue build up around it and I could no longer get the fills I needed to lose the weight the opening to my stomach would be closed off it was filled again . That was around 2-3 yrs ago . As time has gone on I have slowly gotten worse. You see because of where the scar tissue is I still have " restriction" Meaning , I am still limited on what i eat , so things like steak, pork, chicken , solid Proteins wont go down . The food literally sits on top of my band until it gets either pushed through , which is very painful , or it comes back up . If I throw up too much, my stomach swells and eating any form of solid food is impossible for several days. So i have to go to liquids, milk shakes, Protein shakes , mash potatoes things like that. Those type of things are high in calorie and cause me to gain weight , but what other choices do i have ? broth, Water ? Yeah those fill you up ?? NOT ! So my day goes like this ... Breakfast: Protein shake cause eating in the morning is nearly impossible. That's if I can get it to go down if I cant and anything comes back up then its liquids for me the entire rest of the day Lunch: I try to eat something semi solid but I usually end up eating Soup Dinner: Some times a salad works but most evenings I throw up my dinner several times over and end up in pain from the swelling . By that time liquids hurt to go down ... NOW that leads me to my "other issues" Joint pain Fatigue body aches head aches My teeth are deteriorating because of how much I throw up Cold feet cold hands numb feet cysts on my feet numb hands You see they are finding out now that people who have had bands for several years are developing auto immune disorders like Fibromyalgia .. Problem ? Docs done believe it yet .. So no doc will help me out . With out insurance I cant get proper diagnoses . You can read more about that stuff here . I am now 20 or so pounds away from my original start weight before surgery . That's right I have gained nearly ALL My weight back . And at the rate I am going by next month or so I will exceed the 250 pounds i was before my surgery . I had my revision surgery on 11-14-2012 after surgery they told me the band removal went fine and they were able to repair a hiatal hernia , that was a surprise to them ( and me ) and sleeve me in one procedure. I was SO relieved to have had it done in once procedure. The day after surgery I started throwing up water and unable to keep it down . After a couple more tried they ordered an EGD for me . They told me if the scope went through easily then and showed no obstructions I should be fine and not need another surgery , but if it did not I could have excess scar tissue from the band and I could need another surgery . WHAT !! Yikes . So they did it and it showed no obstruction some swelling around the band area ( where the band was ) they told me to take liquids slow . For several days I was still throwing up just water, in fact it freaked me out because it looked like I was throwing up some blood as well. Finally around day 3 or so the water was staying down . So finally I was able to go home today . NOT an easy process that's for sure , but I am glad its over. The doc told me to progress my liquids slowly , as long as I was keeping liquids down I was fine , the minute i started if i did throwing up liquids I needed to come back . But to just take it slow . I have been home for about a week now and its still a back and forth issue with food. I encourage ANYONE reading this to NOT get the lap band, do not ever tell anyone abou the band and Hope some day it falls off the face of the earth !

Well there isn’t an average, everyone is different. Generally the heavier you are to start the more you lose. But then some people struggle to lose the water weight gained during surgery etc.

I am kind of distressed over how much I've gained so far in my pregnancy, and also still having about 10 weeks to go. My goal was to gain 15lbs TOTAL and for my past two check ups (still going once a month) I have gained 15lbs EACH time! So I am up to 30lbs gained at 29 weeks. I am so afraid to put any more weight on. I lost 75lbs before I got pregnant and watching the scale go back up is really upsetting. I understand I have to gain for the baby etc...but I never intended to gain twice as much as I *should* have gained. So what did you guys gain during your pregnancy? Did you find it easier or harder to get it off (or, the bigger question, HAVE you been able to get it off?) Thanks!

:help:Last night was a really bad night! I have had several episodes where I start by having to throw up something I ate that sticks and then it progresses to not being able to keep down even a sip of water. Usually, by the morning, and with no sleep, I go get my fill taken out. Last night, I determined in my heart to see this thing through without having to call my doctor, drive over to Texas, have the fill taken out, and start over with the inevitable weight gain of the "freedom to eat" ticket (no fill)! Me and the Lord had a long and continual talk through the night and praise God this morning I didn't have to go have my fill out! I am trying to recall all of the enormous amounts of information you get before surgery about eating right, troubleshooting, etc. and I started out this morning with a glass of grape juice. Liquids today, soft foods next, gradually building up to a normal diet (if I can ever find what that is!)! I feel like I have jumped a tremendous hurdle and I feel really encouraged! Pray for me that I can FOLLOW THE RULES! To date, I have lost 30 pounds - several times in the past year actually - and I want that number to be 80!

My surgeon shares the following poem with all of his WLS patients. I was shocked so much of this was true for me and I think this helped me come to terms with some of my issues. There were also a lot of tears shed as I tried to read it to my husband. LISTEN TO THE LIFE OF THE MORBIDLY OBESE Author Unknown LISTEN to the embarrassment we encounter in our everyday life. The name-calling, stares, rude comments and looks of disgust we endure battling the last acceptable form of discrimination. People we meet that give us a far wider berth than we need when passing us on the street, in the hall ... in life. Afraid that somehow our disease of obesity might be contagious. LISTEN to our apprehension as we expertly eye the chair. Will we break it, or will we fit. Will we ever fit into life, as "normal" people know it? LISTEN to our agony as we just walk and perform the simple activities of daily living on joints screaming in pain from an incredible burden they were never meant to carry. LISTEN to the pain of our humiliation when ridiculed by a doctor for "allowing" ourselves to get so fat. Realizing even the doctor's office is not a "safe" place, we tend to neglect our health even more. Hey doctor, didn't you take an oath to help? LISTEN to our hopelessness after being turned down over and over for a job or promotion because we don't "match the corporate image" of the person they envision for this position. LISTEN to our guilt. Because of our size, we feel we've cheated those we love out of the parent, spouse, child or friend we feel we should've been. Our embarrassment has now become theirs as well. LISTEN to our anticipation as we eagerly embark on yet another diet. THIS will be the one. This time I WILL SUCEED! LISTEN to our frustration as once again we fail at another attempt to lose weight, reinforcing once again our feelings of worthlessness, failure and defeat. LISTEN to our fear for what life holds if we don't have surgery. We try to ignore it, to stuff it down, but when we are brutally honest with ourselves, we realize an early death is an almost certainty. LISTEN to our indecision as we do extensive research, trying to outweigh the risk of complications (up to and including death) versus the chance of a new life. A chance to improve our health, move without pain, play with our children, the opportunity to just "fit in" to society. LISTEN to our indecision as we second-guess our decision to have surgery. As we ask ourselves, "Should I try just one more diet?" ... And tell ourselves, "If I only had more willpower." Knowing that willpower isn't the whole answer. LISTEN to us as we eagerly meet with the surgeon, with our five-page, single-spaced, list of questions in hand. Let down by the medical profession in the past, can I really trust this person who looks at me with compassion, as he assures me I'm a "good candidate" and he can help? Please God, I want to believe him, tell me I'm not setting myself up for failure once again. LISTEN to our feelings of helplessness as we place our future in the hands of an insurance company. Fully aware that with a simple denial letter, all the work we have done to this point, may be pointless. This surgery is not without cost, physical, emotional and monetary. LISTEN to our joy as we open the long awaited "approval letter" or obtain financing to make this dream a reality. LISTEN to us as we grasp for a chance at improved health, of moving with ease and just living life as a "normal" person. LISTEN to our renewed hope of living long enough to see our children grow up, get married, play with grandchildren and grow old alongside our mate. LISTEN to our fear as we roll into the surgical suite. The sights, the smells, the needles, the faceless people behind the masks. Do you care? Do you understand, or will you too make cracks about my weight once I'm asleep? My life is now in your hands, please take care of me. I have a brand new life ahead of me, and so much to live for. LISTEN to the Sigh of relief as we wake up in pain ... but alive! Stand up, walk a few steps, cough and deep breathe. Sure nurse, whatever you say, I can handle it ... because I'm alive! LISTEN to our delight as the weight starts to drop off, realizing this is for real. We are actually on the losing side. LISTEN to our misery as the body we once knew so well, now betrays us with nausea and vomiting when we attempt to eat. LISTEN to our frustration as we attempt to do something as simple as drinking a glass of Water. LISTEN to our panic at the first plateau or weight gain. As that little voice inside tells us, "Once again I'm a failure." LISTEN to us relax and let out our breath as we watch the numbers on the scale edge down once again. Plateau over. Renewed hope. Maybe I will make it after all. LISTEN to our efforts to move as we slowly and painfully attempt to exercise in a body that is still morbidly obese. LISTEN to our confusion as our emotions wreck havoc with us. Why am I crying? Why do I feel depressed? Why am I mean and snapping at the ones I love? I don't like this person that has taken over my emotions. LISTEN to our sense of accomplishment the first time we walk a mile. It rivals the high of any runner completing their first marathon. LISTEN to our depression when we realize we can no longer soothe our emotions with food. We now have to learn to feel and deal with these emotions. LISTEN to our tears as we mourn the loss of that brief but satisfying sensation of gratification we once obtained from the "comfort foods" we can no longer have. LISTEN to our obsession surrounding the scale, Vitamins, Protein drinks and carb counts, determined not to fail "this time". LISTEN to our sense of accomplishment as we pass up that calorie laden, high carbohydrate treat, telling ourselves, "My new life is sweeter than any dessert." LISTEN to our elation as we reach that "century mark" that once seemed so distant, but now is a reality. LISTEN to our resolve to reach our goals. Moving the weight on the scale down another notch, reaching a new "century" of numbers, wearing the dream outfit and attaining our "goal" weight. LISTEN to the gratefulness in our hearts as we thank our surgeon for not only their technical skills, but equally important, their understanding and compassion for the morbidly obese. Thank you doctor for the opportunity to rejoin society and live a fulfilling life. LISTEN to our amazement as we come to the realization that "reaching goal" wasn't the most important thing in life. It was the lessons we learned, the friends we made and the sense of accomplishment we gained along the way. LISTEN, don't talk, don't give advice, don't judge, just listen. And then, maybe then, you will start to understand the life of a morbidly obese person.

I just want to say that I know exactly where you are coming from! I have prayed for a long time for God to show me what i need to do to lose weight and keep it off. And i went to my dr and asked her what kind of diet i needed to be on to lose weight, and she then point blank said....“have you ever considered lapband?” And at first i was kinda stunned and didn't know what to think. But then I started to feel like I had failed bc I haven't been successful on my own. But I realized this surgery is a tool...not a overnight fix....and God knows it's a process, lol...but I need something that will change my life...and I truely feel like God said “this is it, this is your answer”. And of course as soon as I accepted this new chapter the devil has battled me. Making me feel like I will fail if I try this bc I have failed at losing weight my whole life. And then I felt doubt and confusion creep in...BUT then I remembered my Bible says that God does not create confusion....that satan does...so I knew I chose the right path. I am (almost) 27, I have a 6 year old daughter and a great life with my husband. But I feel like I have let them down bc of my weight gain....my weight has held me back for far too long. And i not only want to do this to make them proud of me...but I want to be proud of me. I am still going through my processing stages, and my insurance co. Has an awesome team of supporters that helped me get started. I still have a ways to go....but its exciting, sometimes scary and overwhelming....but I am confident in God that He will give me the strength to accomplish my goals. The devil has told me all my life that im a failure, I am unworthy and I should give up bc I will mess up and fail. BUT I CAN DO ALL* THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHICH STRENGTHENS ME....and so can u! Hold your head up! Rebuke the devil and the lies he is trying to feed u....and put him under your feet! You are a child of the ALMIGHTY and he has set you free! We don't earn forgiveness....he just shows us his love and mercy if we ask! (sorry so long)

Thanks to everyone replying to my post! I appreciate the questions and the concerns and has helped me be more selective with my decision. I have chosen to go with Dr Mario Camelo Ramos through Medical Tourism Co. It's still a risk to fly there and back but I've wasted so much of my life being overweight and unhappy..My underactive thyroid problem since birth has contributed to most of my depression and weight gain over the years. I am so sick of wishing that one day I might not hide from life as well as having children with my wonderful husband one day, because of my weight. ~~Kind regards to everyone, Suzan~~