how do I know if im making the right choice

[Angiekate 4]

I have been over weight my whole life and I'm tried,.I'm really to be better ready to not have food take over me ! I'm just very scared my surgery is in Aug and its all i can think about ........what if i fail ?

[SashaWLS 412]

Angie, I don't know how to tell you this, but getting the band is the single best thing that I've ever done in my entire life. If I had EVER known how easy this would be I would have done it years ago. It's not perfect, and it's not effortless, but it's not hard. And contrary to popular opinion here, I think it really does do it for you. I'm probably the most rebellious person on the planet, and it's working, even for me. You can't know in advance if it's gonna work for you, all you can do is try. Good luck!

[SashaWLS 412]

And for what it's worth, I've had a pack of Reese's Peanut Butter cups nearly every day for the last 3 months. Good idea? No. Do I recommend it? No. An I losing weight anyway? YES!

[2muchfun 8,927]

"what if i fail ?"

What if you succeed?

"Sometimes to get where you want to go, you have to do what you are afraid to do. You must be brave and push forward. Miracles occur when you give as much attention and energy to your dreams as you do to your fears.".....Unknown Forum member.

[kristinc1985 111]

You're the only person who's going to determine your success.

With that fact in mind, do you allow it to be liberating or scary?

[Lapbandster 496]

I was also TERRIFIED of failure. I really was!

And frankly, I still am!!

BUT, every day I wake up and tell myself that "today will be awesome" and remind myself how hard i've come

Being down 60lbs is the best feeling i've ever had

[lellow 1,713]

Failing at losing weight was what ALL of us were good at. So of course when we go into this, we almost expect to fail because that's all we've ever known.

I psyched myself into believing that failure wasn't an option. That's why, unlike most banders, I told everyone about my upcoming surgery. Because I acted like, from the very first day, that it was going to be a roaring success, and even though I spent a lot of time having to convince myself most of all, I would rather spend my energy doing that than succumb to the fear of failure.

I have talked to and made friends with SO many people on this site who all started out thinking they might fail, and along the way, resolving that they wouldn't. That's all it took.

Tell yourself you will not fail. Start telling yourself from now. And when we see you in a year, you will have succeeded.

[Wanna-Be-Healthy 46]

I have been over weight my whole life and I'm tried,.I'm really to be better ready to not have food take over me ! I'm just very scared my surgery is in Aug and its all i can think about ........what if i fail ?

I don't have much insight as my surgery is still on Friday but I wanted to let you know that you are not alone. I have been thinking the same thing.

[Faith-ster 35]

I find out my surgery date tomorrow and I am not going to lie... there is a part of me that is scared to death, but I know that fear is just a feeling. I can choose how I want to feel! And today I CHOOSE to not be afraid! I am a woman of God so I put my faith in Him for this! He has made a way for me to even be able to do this and i know He will get me through it. I just wanted you to know your not alone! Take your thoughts captive and CHOOSE to succeed!!

[Terry Poperszky 2,784]

what if i fail ?

There is a really good way to not fail, don't try. If you are happy being fat, if the decreased quality of life and shortened life span aren't a problem for you, then don't get banded. Thing is, you wouldn't be on this forum posting if that were the case.

So the question you really should be asking is not "What if I fail", but what if I do nothing.

[2muchfun 8,927]

There are many emotions approaching surgery. Fear of the surgery, fear of failure and the strongest fear is, our emotional attachment to food and the eventual loss of our security blanket.

The majority of failures in any WLS is the latter. Make darn sure you're ready to accept the fact you will not be successful if you don't deal with this demon.

tmf

[KAATNS 1,473]

I had the same concerns, but I knew I needed help. I took a leap of faith, had the surgery and am quite happy that I did. I think we're all afraid of failing at some point. Best wishes to you!

[Instyle98 240]

Ask yourself this: What if you don't have the surgery? Are you like I was that no matter what you did you keep gaining? Even if you maintain your present weight, are you happy? Do you like how you look and feel? What if you don't fail? Are you willing to do almost anything to lose some weight? Does food really make you feel better?

WLS may be right for you or it may not, only you can decide. At the very least if you're not happy or have problems with the band, you can have it removed unlike other weight loss surgeries. I know when you first go to find out about Lap-Band surgery, you're presented with a bunch of you can't eat this anymore, you have to do this, etc. and it sounds very daunting and difficult, but I have found that it's not! Just having the surgery and knowing I'm doing things that are better for me, has lifted a great weight off of my shoulders. Not many people know I have a band and they never will. It takes the same motivation and "want power" (as someone on here calls it) as it does without surgery, but somehow there are times when it is a little easier and other times when it is not. With Lap-Band there are so many more tools at your disposal, including this forum.

Losing weight has always been extremely difficult for me (my metabolism is not the greatest) so I am not the fastest at it, but I'm in it for the long haul. Before surgery, I couldn't stop gaining weight, no matter what I tried and I would have been excited to lose 10 lbs (which I was finding very difficult), but now since starting this process I have lost 50 lbs! Even if I don't lose anymore (that is not my plan), I am in a much better place than I was before. My journey has not been easy since I have had some complications (unrelated to the Lap-Band) along the way, including being very restricted on my exercise (scheduled for tendon repair in 7 days with an extended recovery of no walking, etc.), but I'm still losing.

In the beginning I wasn't sure WLS surgery was for me either and because of my doubts, I stalled a little by not trying to alter my eating or exercise habits during my 4 month waiting period. I could of had my surgery a little sooner than I did. One of my big excuses was the holidays were coming and who wants WLS at Thanksgiving and Christmas time? Now I wish I had gotten it done sooner. The tools are out there if you want them. It's up to you to determine which ones will help you and when is the right time. Overweight or not, you are still the same person. Being fat does not make you less than, just like being thin does not make you better than someone, but it does make life easier. Believe me I know I went from being a size 24W to a size 6 (sometimes) 4 and back again. That's right - I lost 165 lbs and gained almost all of it back before Lap-Band. I will never be a size 6 or even an 8 again, but I don't like being almost 300 lbs either (and I'm short!). Having the band is helping me to make life altering permanent changes. You're only a failure when you stop trying. Best of luck to you.