Is it really worth it?

clickersister · January 11, 2007

I am not banded yet but will be if my insurance approves it. The only significant weight loss I have ever had (30 lbs in 4 months) required a two hour workout every day and 1000 calorie a day diet with extreme limited fats. It also required about 2 hours a day of logging calories, planning low-fat meals, and cooking them. Count 'em.......4 hours per day. I called it my part-time job. Then I got pneumonia and a full-time job and it all screeched to a halt; the weight came back on plus 20 pounds, and here I am. I look at this surgery as a tool to help keep me from hitting a wall and reversing all the work I had done before. I would rather be a slow loser and be able to maintain a lifestyle of eating less and exercising moderately (or more as I lose weight and have the energy) if I can bounce back after an illness and still lose weight. From all of my reading and research, this seems to be the perfect place for me to be. Is it?

Alicia521 · January 11, 2007

Victoria, I think you have your answer, but I can definitely say it was worth it to me. I can honestly say that I am not fanatical about exercise nor do I follow a diet, although I have considered more careful watch over the carbs I eat. For the first month I didn't exercise at all and then I exercised about 3 times a week for 4 months. Then I stopped exercising and I am getting back in gear with that. My weightloss slowed down without the exercise but still continued. I try to monitor my food intake with sparkpeople just so I can make sure I am making healthy choices. I honestly eat whatever I want but just don't eat much of it. I average about 10 lbs per month (that is changing now that I am closer to goal). That is slightly above average according to my doctor. But it has been totally worth it for me. I still want to lose more weight but if I stopped where I am right now, it would still be worth it because I am getting my life back.

wish412 · January 12, 2007

It may just be me, but I do so much better with warm foods, and liquids. Cold stuff makes my esophagus spasm or something, and I really have to wait a long time between bites. I can almost feel cold things just scraping along in my throat. Warm things never did that to me, but even before banding I never got the "brain freeze" that some people get from ice cream, it always made my back hurt between my shoulder blades. Doctor said it was because my esophagus was closer to my spine than to my ribs,so my back hurts,,,,,,,,,,,,splain Lucy!!! Mizboo:eek:

transformer · January 14, 2007

I have to say that I definitely think the procedure was worth it. I think if you follow the directions your doctor gives you, you will have good results. I've been sticking to my eating plan (meet Protein needs first then have other low sugar, low fat foods) and exercising in moderation and I am losing weight even if my band hasn't even been filled yet! I am not starving to death in the meantime either.

I think that anyone who decides to get this surgery needs to decide how serious they are about following the eating plan you are given for the rest of your life. The "fad" diets aren't going to make a difference--I agree with Jack on that one. You need to learn to view food as fuel for your body--the healthier the fuel, the healthier you'll be!