Low BMI bandsters feedback please!

[marys 2]

I was lower bmi but my weight fluctuated from the time I was in my late teens early 20's. I'm now in my 40's and wish I had been able to do this sooner although I may have thought it was too drastic as i even debated that before surgery - cuz it is pretty drastic. However i've realized and now see very clearly that I would never have achieved permenant weight loss without it - i'm hoping i will but i'm still not there. What i've been forced to see is all my bad habits around food - most are easier to change with the band. I was so tired of yo yoing and one year being 125 and the next 200 - i know that wasn't/isn't good for one's body, etc. So, my bmi was 33 at surgery and I'm hoping to lose a total of 40-50lbs AND KEEP IT OFF FOR LIFE. if the band can help me achieve that - i will be the happiest person. So, yes think hard and research a lot and make the decision for you - don't tell a bunch of people as you can always tell them later and good luck.

[KrystalRay 0]

YES!!!! I'm so glad someone finally got a thread like this going. I had a BMI of 29 when I got banded which was only 4 weeks ago. My story is much the same as everyone elses: my weight yo-yo-ed like it was going out of style and I really really struggled just to stay in the overweight category, although there may have been a few times in my life when my weight put me in the obese category. Maybe. Sandee, since I'm only 4 weeks post op, I feel like I can't give you a fully informed opinion. Although I will say, considering it's surgery, it was sure a breeze. Short down time and little pain. Also, my scars are really inconspicuous. From a distance, you can't even tell. And it's only been 4 weeks!!!

To all the low BMI veterans, I have a question. Did your fill docs ever give you a hard time about getting fills? Like, I went to Mexico to get the procdure and I have an appointment in a couple weeks with a local doctor that does fills and I have a sneeking suspicion that he'll take one look at me and say "you don't need a fill....your only 30 lbs from you ideal weight..." or something along those lines and either deny me a fill, deny me a second fill, barely put any saline solution into my port or something like that. Do I have any reason to be concerned??????

THANKS. And Sandee, I'll keep you posted, girl.

[skbishop78 0]

Hey, I had a bmi of 35 when banded. My insurance paid for it believe it or not, but I have lost 45 pounds as of today, and don't regret a thing! I do however, when I am eating get pissy b/c I can't have the old food I love! BUT...that is the beauty of the band! You just know that if you eat that nice looking doughy peice of bread...that its going to get stuck and then you won't enjoy the rest of your meal.....so you don't eat it! The band does its part, as long as I do mine! I want to lose about 40 more pounds...but I have had great progess and don't regret it at all. I just got banded in Feb. so I still am pretty new, but my experience has been a pretty good one!

[sandeee_77 0]

Thanks everyone for your valued insight!!

I am now leaning towards getting the band. I know it's a drastic measure, but after years of yo-yo dieting, I've come to realize that I am a food addict. It's amazing how I can be so diligent for a couple of months, and then totally lose it...always going back to food, my drug of choice. I need this band to help control my addiction, so that I can relearn healthy eating patterns. I'm tired of feeling like a failure everytime I screw up a diet, or go over my WW points, or eat too many carbs...and so on and so on. It's such a vicious cycle. Well enough of my ranting. Tomorrow Im going to the bank, need to get a line of credit since im self pay....Im hoping to get a date by the end of next week.

Thanks again for sharing your experiences.

Best of luck to all....its nice to know there are people out there who understand.

Sandee;)

[BeacheeGirl 0]

Sandee, best of luck. You are so fortunate to do this while you are young. Your skin should snap back no problem. Keep me posted girl! I want to see Before and After pics!

[lianna 3]

Damn, and he is HOT also!!

*disclaimer......not criteria to choose a doctor, but still a FINE doc,, pun intended there!

[BeacheeGirl 0]

Who is HOT???? Did I miss something?

[lianna 3]

Post #15 has a link!

[housecatgirl 0]

Hey Sandee....I could have written your last post...I feel the same exact way. Hey, maybe you can get banded with me next week. In any case good luck and pm me if you need help choosing a doc. I met with 3 in MX before making my choice.

[RavensRiches 0]

Hey everybody! Tomorrow is my 38th birthday and I'm feeling just a tang bit of blues. I had a big Barbie-Q (love it spelled this way) party planned for this Saturday and had invited my entire family of origin (took great care to even invite the ones that are really unhealthy for me to be around). My Mom is the only person who has RSVP'd as of today. My soul-sister can't make it because of a prio-committment that I knew about. And my bio-half-sisters won't come because I've offended them by living this long. Hell, I offend people just by walking out my front door most days! My family of origin is sooo disfunctional that they prop their cocktails on the dead elephant under the rug without another thought. One day they hate you, the next day they're asking for a loan. WTF!? My hubbie likes to joke about our gatherings as being elephant graveyards. My goal, life lesson, Quest, ambition, what-ever you want to call it is this, to not let any of their manipulations and hurtful words affect me at all. I only see this happening when they are all dead, or I am. I don't like hardly any of them, and only put up with my Mom's manipulating shit because she's, well, my Mom, but it still bothers me when they are so hateful. I hope to one day be able to not take it personal. This probably isn't the right thread to post this on but hey. I've vented. I feel a tiny bit better.

Sandee------have you called and made that appointment yet? When is your surgery date? Make sure you take a good picture of your BEFORE self in either a bathing suit or something like that. Good luck!

[jcbydesign 0]

Oh Sweetie,

We have all been there, tried every diet known to man...usually several times. Good...lose some weight and then POW! up we go and usually gain a few just to punish ourselves or something.

I am only in my 5th week out and I would do this again in an instant. I haven't even had a fill yet and I can't eat as much as before, my head hunger is getting better and I've lost 12.5 inches with only a 5 pound drop.

Once you make up your mind than don't second guess yourself. Only tell people who will support you...and we'll all here for you.

[niche 0]

on the fills question: my doctor was doing a low-bmi study and was very liberal with fills. her basic thought seemed to be that three things 1. if you're not losing (and not eating liquids) you're not tight enough. 2. if you're feeling physically hungry you're not tight enough. 3. if you can eat over 1c of solid food at a time, you're not tight enough. so i never had problems getting fills. i go see her once a month and she's even asked me why i didn't come back after 2 weeks of not losing. she's also done a lot of bands and knows that getting to good restriction in a reasonable amount of time is important. so i feel lucky to not have any judgement of 'you're no longer obese so you don't need a fill.'

[skbishop78 0]

I feel the same way...my doc has slowed down on the fills b/c I am at a good restriction..but I am so glad they didn't judge me b/c of the lower bmi. I had alot of fills at the beginning...and I think it really helped. But everyone is different!