don't know what to do

[smithmo 0]

I am going to an information meeting on lap band June 11th. I am scared to death, I am embarassed, I am in disbelif that I am going and I am confused. How did I get here?? I have 100 pounds to lose. There I said it. Why can't I do this??? Why is it I can't lose weight. People say oh just cut down and exercise. Please help me with a decision on a lap band. I am 57 years old and don't want to waste anymore time. I am scared about the eating after. Can you ever have a beer or pop? Please tell me what you think......Help

[Froggi 4]

You can have beer 1 year after according to my doctor but my doc never wants me to drink soda again.

As for surgery and learning about it. That's wonderful

Welcome to LBT.

[cagirlv 0]

Pleae do not feel embrase this is not a fashion show meeting. This is a healthy lifestyle change. I was worried too, but felt at ease since almost everyone that attends the meetings will look exactly like you and it will put you at ease. I've just one week post op but I've been told carbonaed beverages such as soda and beer are out but wine is okay. Just think of it as changing to a more spohisticated drink in celebration of your new body.

:biggrin2:

[snowbird 2]

Everyone at that meeting, as well as everyone on this board, has been in the same position as you are. My motto is always "you can't change the past, but you can change the future." You are taking steps to do that, so you should be proud of yourself.

I'll be 54 in two months, and as of last week I weigh 100 lb less than I did 5 years ago. I feel better than I did 20 years ago. You really CAN change the future.

[nyllrap 0]

Hi, good luck to you at your lapband seminar. I am 53, and felt much like you. But then I decided, why by embarrassed? Everybody can see what I look like and that I am fat! I am certainly not hiding anything. I attended the seminar and even invited my husband to go (which was a biggie, because the weight thing is a sore subject between us). Since then, I have scheduled the surgery for July 24, had my psyche consult, have even lost 10 pounds because when I made the decision I decided to get a headstart on it. I am also listening to a weight loss hynosis tape once or twice a day and believe it or not, I think it is helping. I love diet coke with lime, but have resigned myself to giving that up. I want to be a healthy weight, feel better, and look better more than I want carbonated drinks. This is such a personal decision - you have decide if you are ready to do this for you and if you are ready to.

[Elisabethsew 50]

Don't be surprised if you go to that meeting and find out that you're one of the lightest ones there. You won't be judged so go for it!

[Northwest_Nance 0]

Oh, I know just how you feel! I have struggled with my weight my whole adult life. I lost 100 lbs. three times and always gained it all back. This past year I have been miserable as I wallowed in my fat, outgrew my clothes, cut myself off from a social life, and watched my fat start affecting my health. Then my hip started hurting (which actually means the front of the top half of my leg hurts) and when I was finally referred to a hip surgeon, he told me he could not do laporoscopic surgery on my hip because I was too fat. He said the instruments would not reach the injured part of my hip. Not only that, he said my hip was in worse shape than my doctor thought, and I really needed a hip replacement, but that at my current weight the surgery would have more risks. And, hip replacements don't last forever. At 55, I am young for a hip replacement, and at my current weight, the "new" hip would wear out faster than it should, and would need to be replaced at least one more time in my lifetime.

So, he said "I think you should look into weight loss surgery before we consider hip surgery". I was SHOCKED. And very embarrassed and humiliated. My first thought was "I'm not going to tell anybody".

But after sleeping on it, I realized.... they all know I'm fat!!!

Long story short.... I ended up telling my boss and my co-workers, and everyone was SO supportive. And for the first time in my life, I could talk openly about this problem. It was no longer the elephant in the room (no pun intended) that everyone saw but nobody talked about. I think that alone was a huge step towards changing my life.

I was banded 2-1/2 weeks ago and I'm already losing weight. I am SO excited about this journey. You will be too!

[coltorismom 0]

Take it from a former diet soda queen. Remember TAB, the first diet soda EVER to come out in the 70's or 80's. I used to drink SOMESTIMES 6-12 of them daily.

Now, I am perfectly content with my Decaf tea & crystal lite. I, personally, do not drink alcohol so I don't really know about BEER. I guess BEER is carbonated, right.

When I went to my information seminar, I'd never seen so many FAT people in all my life! One table in the front row was vacant so I took a seat there.

You'll be fine.

[orsemus 0]

Hi, Smithmo,

That is the question, isn't it? How did I get into this predicament? You're one year younger than I am, and I've been asking myself that question for years. The only overweight member of my large family, I don't know why my weight loss efforts have never been lastingly successful. When I started researching the LapBand, I knew I had begun to accept that traditional weight loss methods weren't working for me. I have a friend, a Weight Watchers lecturer, who lost 182 lbs. on Weight Watchers. Why couldn't I have done that?

The answer is...I don't know the answer. The fact is I'm 58 years old, 2 years from 60, and my health is being eroded by the obesity. I decided just to get the fat off before it killed me and see what life is about in the normal BMI range. Breast cancer, sleep apnea, knee replacement and high blood pressure have been my morbid obesity companions. I want to trade them for normal sleep, control of arthritis, no more high blood pressure and, if it's God's will, no more cancer. I was banded on May 23 and am just in the post-operative recovery mode. I want to trade illness for health and fatigue for energy.

You may be in better health than I have been, in which case other less drastic measures might work for you. It's not the surgery that takes the weight off--it's the food you put or don't put in your mouth. I would, however, encourage you to go to a seminar to learn more about the procedure. More than that, you might want to visit a support group and hear the stories of folks who have been through the surgery and improved their health. Don't be ashamed of yourself or of me, the fat lady in the chair on your left. We're just folks with a medical problem who are looking into ways of improving our lives.

Whatever your decision, try to lose the shame our society attaches to obesity. You don't deserve it.

All the best,

Orsemus

[babbs3772 1]

I am going to an information meeting on lap band June 11th. I am scared to death, I am embarassed, I am in disbelif that I am going and I am confused. How did I get here?? I have 100 pounds to lose. There I said it. Why can't I do this??? Why is it I can't lose weight. People say oh just cut down and exercise. Please help me with a decision on a lap band. I am 57 years old and don't want to waste anymore time. I am scared about the eating after. Can you ever have a beer or pop? Please tell me what you think......Help

I understand about being embarrassed and confused, I felt the same way as if I was the only person who was going to be overweight there.

You are the only one who can make that kind of decision- you and your doctor of course. Be kind to yourself right now, you are going to need your own support just to make the decision to have the surgery much less actually get through the process.

I think what helped me when I went to the informational meeting was that I knew it was now or never for me and I had to attend that meeting if I wanted to understand what I would be going through (or at least get a general idea) So yes, I was scared and embarrassed, I had a hard time meeting peoples eyes, quite frankly I think most felt the same way, and there were a ton of people there - but you know what? We were all there for the same reason! That is what made it easier for me.

So that being said, be nice to yourself, take good care, go to the meeting and listen :)

[babbs3772 1]

Northwest Nance I had to quote you

"But after sleeping on it, I realized.... they all know I'm fat!!!"

That is exactly what I thought to myself when I thought about not telling people LOL, like it was some big secret I was over weight.