lapbanders called cheats

[batkitty 0]

Oh Lisah25's back!!! :scared2:

I don't say this lightly, but anyone who refers to lapbanders collectively as cheaters, or even as "taking the easy way out" is an idiot. Period. There isn't even any debating that one, because it's someone yapping out of their pie holes without having a clue what they're talking about, and if you aren't informed on something, you should probably keep your mouth shut about it.

Once after a fill that sent me over the edge, I spent 8 hours unable to pass my own saliva. I had to ask a girl at work I didn't know that well for a ride to my surgeon's office. En route, she could not go more than about 4 minutes without having to pull over so I could yak out the door. Thank goodness she was not a sympathy puker. I had been in severe pain the entire time, and had pretty much yakked myself to exhaustion. A surgeon without band experience had to do my unfill, which took between 10 - 15 minutes, left me significantly bruised and, for about 4 days after, feeling like someone had punted me in the got with a steel-toed boot. I would LOVE to find ANYONE willing to look me in the eye and tell me that was cheating, or "the easy way out." Just one person.

Is weightloss less valid because you achieve it with surgical or manual assistance? Do you have to sweat off every calorie at the gym, or eat only lettuce, for it to mean something? What's valid and what is not? At what point does the fact that you lost weight outweigh the means you took to get it? About 10 years ago there was a lady on TV who lost something like 200 lbs on a strict diet of popcorn and Bud Light. Is her loss more valid than ours? This whole idea is preposterous.

great post!!

after having spent years being overwirght, diets, pills and MONEY!!! money on special diets, money for special travel arrangements, tears, missing out on having a social life, so MANY missed opportunities.

I finally decided on Lapbanding, I'm 2 days post op and I'm telling you this pain is not the easy way out, I haven't taken a short cut, this is going to be more difficult than any fad diet.

I'd like to know what magazine this was and write them a letter.

[skuzie 0]

i so agree,

before researching to decide to get a band, i used to think that it was the easy way, just eating small meals, but actually and i dont know if anyone agrees, but we have it harder, we cant eat some of our favorite foods, cant pig out unless we want to make ourselves belimic, and we still have to excerise and if we cheat it shows on the scales, we have scars for life!

what would they prefer, to see more fat people or see slim people and not have the burden of supporting those with obesity related diseases?

sus

[MissK 0]

Hi Guys

I didn't read the entire thread because I'm about to head off to gym BUT I do want to say that I do not feel like a cheat in any way, shape or form.

I had someone suggest to me in an email that this was the easy way out, and my response is pasted below:

"I don't think you intended to offend me but unfortunately I found your email offensive simply because you are suggesting that I have taken the 'easy way out' with lapband surgery.

Let me assure you that the choice I have made is anything but easy. It took some incredibly strong willpower to remain on a liquid diet for 14 days before my surgery; being my first time EVER in hospital the surgery was in my mind an INCREDIBLY brave step for me; I suffered a lot of pain and discomfort post-operatively and again I was on nothing but liquids for 14 days... that's a whole month without eating a single piece of solid food, could you do it? Perhaps you could, but it wouldn't be easy for you just as it wasn't easy for me.

The game isn't over yet, I have some strict eating guidelines to stick by and a LOT of hard work to put in at the gym - if you're thinking the weight will magically fall off, it won't. The band is just a tool to help me, I still have to do all the work... and the work has to be done under te scruitiny of many, as it feels like everyone who knows is now watching my every move.

Despite the fact that I was offended by your comments, I am sure you didn't mean to offend me, however, let me say one last thing: I have spent 27 years of my life feeling like an embarassment and feeling like I need to apologise for the way I am; I will never apologise to anyone for making the decision I have made to save my life. I trust you'll understand."

[Fanny Adams 7]

Great response, MissK!! Well said!

[TrishC 0]

I have told evryone that asks how i lost weight that Ive had a little help in the lap band, but at the end of the day I havent lost 28kg overnight, its taken a lot of hard work.....I still have a good 60kg to lose and Id be damned if I couldve done it without the lap band........

I dont think a lap band is cheating at all, we have been given an opportunity to help us get us on our way. What would be cheating is not taking that opportunity!!

I hope everyone is doing well!!

Cheers Trish

Big Hi Fives to Everyone

MWAH!!!

[sarah0607 0]

Do you wanna know what I think 'em. This is our battle. I am doing this for me...for my family....for my kids. For my health and our future. I don't give a rats's :thumbdown: what anyone else thinks. They can think what they like and i'll do exactly as I please. I'm paying for the surgery, it is my body. Why do these people care? Do they not have lives of there own to be concerned with instead of worrying about me??? Strange people, and they call us!?!?!?

I have this tatto on my chest it is for people like this it says. Illegitimi Non Carabundum

[Linny51 0]

I am not yet banded, I have a miserably slow 4 weeks yet to wait. My hubby reckons I should be proud that I've taken my obesity by the horns and shout it out loud that I am getting the band..I'm afraid I am with the majority of you in saying that there is a lot of negativity around he lapband so I am keeping my mouth shut and only telling people I feel need to know.

Linda

[Julia_N 2]

Yeah, I'm cheating ... cheating death!

[Bel 1]

my 2 cents....when someone is referred to as a cheat it usually means they are in competition and are cheating to get an unfair advantage. Don't know about anyone else but i sure as hell never got the band to compete with other people! I got it to get healthy and enjoy my life which it has helped me do.

Having a helping hand when you need something to change in order to save your own life isn't cheating, its using your brain to take advantage of whats out there.

Sure it may mean i have help but where is the shame in that? at least i won't be dead and gone because i was too proud to 'cheat'

So i am hear to say i am a proud CHEATER and if anyone has a problem with that i will happily go on my skinny ass way lol

:-) Bel

[Sarah.R 2]

How is it cheating when if you had someone exactly the same as you that started dieting same time as you and then in 10 years your going to be the one keeping the weight off? The band is definitely not cheating - considering all the pb'ing and getting stuck that we go thru, those that say it's cheating are usually the ones that want it themselves or don't know enough information about it

[UnsureJackie 0]

Thanks people. I agree, how come people can have plastic surgery and that is ok but for us to do something about our health, not our looks, we are labels as cheats. I am not yet done and was scared of peoples reactions so I have told no one but my husband. Unfortunately, my family and country town of residence are all pretty judgemental so it will remain that way. Mums the word.

Jackie

[raine56 0]

I was unsure as to whether or not I would tell people before I was done. I decided to tell my Mum and two friends. They were supportive. However one friend does not believe Medicare should pay for something I did to myself and should be able to fix. Wow!!! I was surprised by that. I am on the pre diet at the moment and nobody could call this cheating!!

[marmotsgrl 0]

Hi there. I just wanted to comment. I am not banded yet but will be in March. I have hesitated telling lots of people because I don't want anyone to bother me with the same stuff.

"why don't you just exercise more?" ok you try hefting aroung an extra 100 + pounds while you exercise and see how your knees and hips and breathing feel. "well all you have to do is not eat so much" Ya and you are the expert of me...I don't think so.

I guess they just don't try to understand what we are going through. Yes I was successful in the past with dieting but it keeps coming back. I don't think it is anyone's business what we are trying to do to help ourselves feel good again.

No matter what we do if we are heavy we can't make them happy, if we are getting surgery to loose weight we can't make them happy.

I am doing this for me NOT them. :confused:

[pipedoc 0]

Hello all, let me throw a compleatly different perspective into this. I am only 12 days post op, and I am sure there are many battles awaiting me. I am not your typical bandster. I am a male Biker constuction worker. This puts me into the testosterone pool way deeper than most. I ride a harley and I am in a motorcycle club. Typically your average bikers or construction workers are pretty tough roughnecks. I did tell the members of my club when I went in for surgery and have had nothing but positive responses from a pretty rough crowd. I am also a long term member in the building trades union, So the guys I work around have known me over 15 years and we too are a pretty rough but fairly tight group. I have only told select people @ work, but the ones I've told(also the ones that matter to me) have been nothing but supportive. We all face the same battle for different reasons, and ANYONE who stands in your way for any reason is not a person who really matters. Yes I am sure as time goes on I will get comments from the peanut gallery @ work. HOWEVER, that does not matter because I did not do this for them. I DID THIS FOR ME, JUST AS YOU HAVE DONE! If they wanna call me a cheater,so be it. But I know that the ones that matter will be glad I did this a year or two from now. As for the others, WHO CARES I DID THIS FOR ME!:thumbup:

[emmaf106 0]

My fiance and I were both banded at the same time and we made the decision to only tell our immediate family. More than 18months on now and they are still the only ones who know. I've been tempted to tell some of my close friends but he still wants to keep it a secret and I think if I told people they'd put 2 and 2 together so I've kept quiet. I still worry if people knew they'd be always watching what we ate and I don't want that kind of scrutiny. Ironically one of the women at work asked me outright if I'd had it done but did it at a table of people, fiance was there too. I hate lying and if she'd asked me with just the two of us I'd probably told her the truth but as it was I just laughed and said "You'd think I'd be losing more weight if that were the case" and changed the subject. Awkward.

Anyway I digress, what are we talking about? Oh yeah, we're both happy with our decision. We've put in bloody hard work to get the results we have so far (Fiance has lost 40+kgs and is at goal) so I don't think we've cheated at all! We've used the resources at hand to help us! Just like going to a gym and using the treadmill!

Em :thumbup: