just researching....

[lookin2lose 0]

I came across this site when I was looking for chat on lap bands. I am at the point where I just want to research the subject, I don't want to jump into it just yet. I just know gastric bypass surgery is not an option for me because I do not want something that invasive.

I've always been overweight and can remember going into 7th grade at about 140 or so and by graduation I was 179. Now, approaching my 25th birthday next weekend, I am 228 lbs. This puts me at a BMI of 39.2 which scares the crap out of me. I mean I am only 0.8 points away from morbid obesity! I don't think I am at the point where I can't move, but for once I'd just like to be able to walk into Victoria's Secret and buy something. My husband often wants to go in and find something for me to help me feel more beautiful, but it makes me feel a little worse knowing the local store doesn't have a plus sized section so NEWS FLASH.. nothing is going to fit me! I love my husband more than anything and while that situation makes me feel embarassed I'm also glad in the respect that he loves me for who I am and doesn't see me as being a grotesquely huge woman. Don't get me wrong, I want to do this for my health first. I want to be there for my son as he gets older and has kids. I don't want him to have to be teased in school because of how fat his mom is. There's just so many reasons I want to lose weight period.

I tried Weight Watchers and lost.... and then gained and gained and gained some more. I'm giving it another shot to see how I can do this time around but I just want to know my options. If I fail this time I need to know all of my options to slap my weight issue in the a$$ before it slaps some more on mine along with all of the soon to come health problems.

I have a physical scheduled with my doctor for March 8th. Yeah, and I made that back on December 8th! She's a great PCP though and to get a huge time slot with her for something like that is hard.

My son is 8 months old and I am at the same weight I was before my pregnancy. I had borderline gestational diabetes, borderline hypothyroidism, and mild preeclampsia. I think for 4 or 5 months my feet looked like Fred Flinstone! All of this landed me with a semi-emergency c-section at 39 weeks 5 days and my son only ended up to be 5 lbs 9 oz and 19 inches. I want another child, but I don't want to go into that pregnancy being overweight and put that baby's life at risk like I did my son's.

I'll be lurking around the boards trying to find my information before I go asking questions, but if anyone has some sites with a great explination of the surgery along with before/after care, etc... please let me know! I'm also up for instant messaging if anyone would like to discuss their journy with me!

[Kat817 19]

Hi! Welcome to LBT---you have found a great site to conduct some of yoru research! If you will scan through the different sections and threads in them, you will find an abundance of information. Now that being said, let me also say, you will see a large amount of people with some scary complications. If you will look at the numbers, the percentage of complications is actually very low, but most of those who are trouble free, are off living a new life, and those with problems, are here looking for support and help. Which is why it looks like a bigger amount than it actually would be.

I would suggest mentioning to your PCP when you make the long awaited visit, that you are considering this, and have it on record, along with weight, diet attempts etc. It will all be needed for insurance coverage, if you do decide to do this at one point or another. Documentation is VERY important to insurances!

Most of us have tried WW, Atkins, Jenny Craig, and countless lesser known diets. And most of us had success on at least some of them, then, like you, we ALL gained what we had lost back and then some. It is so common, the term yo-yo is now referred to more in dieting than as a toy!

I think taking control now while you are young, and your child is young is perfect. I only wish I had had the option of doing this years ago. I cannot begin to explain how this has changed my life! I feel like I have my life back! My husband (you will see them referred to as DH...Dear Husband, Darling Husband, Damn Husband...whatever the mood!) was wonderful as well, never making me feel shamed by my weight, that was a self inflicted emotion. He loved me when I was at my highest weight which was 289 pounds. He loves me now at just over 200. I don't think he loves ME more, but he loves the things we can now do more. We go and do things, that I had hung back from doing due to my size. He had put up with my highs and lows emotionally from my success and failure with various diets. He ate whatever diet I was on without complaint. If anything, he complains some now that I am going to make him gain weight, because he finishes so much of my food!!

I was banded April 24th 2006. I had my first "fill" (adding saline solution to the band to tighten it) in June, and from then I seldom felt hunger. I had a second fill in July, and have literally not been hungry since that time. I think I am hungry---I am in my head, but as for my stomach, if I stop and think about it, I really am not hungry! It allows me to make much wiser choices in what food I am choosing to eat. When I was ravenous all the time, I ate whatever was close at hand, and huge amounts of it! Now a small amount of anything satisfies me. I try to make smart choices, and eat my nutritious food first since there is not much room in there! But if I want something sweet, I eat it. One piece of candy is enough now, not the entire bag.

With banding you can cook and eat normal foods with your family, without worrying about supplements. It is not a malnourishing surgery if you eat properly. It is something that allows you to dine out, and eat with friends and family in a normal fashion.

As you begin to lose weight the desire to be active again returns. I babysit for my 2 year old granddaughter, and I will tell you, a year ago, there is no way I could have kept up with her! She too was a little preemie--4 lbs. 14 oz., as my DD (Darling Daughter) also suffered from pre-eclampsia. Please don't beat yourself up, thinking that the weight was all the blame. My DD is tall and thin, but suffered with it anyway. It happens...not your fault!

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask away---you can ask in open forum, and we will all chime in, or you are welcome to PM me anytime. I have not had much luck with the chat room, but I do have yahoo, if that would work better.

Researching is the best thing you can do---going into anything educated puts you ahead of the game!

Good Luck, and again....Welcome!

Kat

[BONNIE 0]

HI MY NAME IS BONNIE

YOU ARE NOT THAT OVER WEIGHT HAVE THE SURGERY WILL MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOUR SELF AFTEWR YOU HAVE SURGERY.I HAD SURGERY DONE JULY-14-05 THE DAY OF SURGERY I WAS AT 258 NOW I AM AT 225 I LOST ABOUT 60LBS BUT THEN I HIT BAD SPOT IN MY LIFE AND I GAINED SOME BACK.IF YOU LIKE TO EMAIL ME AND WE CAN TALK.

bonnie_clinesmith@yahoo.com