1 year with the lapband makes all the difference

[RedTulips3 0]

Thank you for posting this realistic post. Weight loss will always require work, even with the Band! But yes we love the Band.

Congrats! The band is the best product I've ever purchased. It's been so reliable, no problems...been great!

Congratulations and keep up the GREAT work. Enjoy life!

Thank you everyone for your well wishes!

Great post...very inspirational. Good to know you kept going even with the leak/surgery...that says a lot for the help of the band. Thanks! -BG

Good luck with all of your pre-op plans. Hope the rest of your 6-month diet goes quickly!

[RedTulips3 0]

Great post!

Just proof that the real key to success is all within ourselves, its your outlook, your determination against adversity and challenge, your ability to remain optimistic and make the best of any situation. We cant prevent real problems that result in losing our bands etc, but many people cant even get past the fact that they actually have to choose what to put in their mouths.

Well done, I bet you're a success in many aspects of your life.

Thanks Jachut for your comments! Wyomingrl, you touched upon what I was going to say. I agree wholely that one's emotional state is definitely a key to success. But unfortunately, a healthy emotional state is not an easy thing to attain. I am extremely blessed and cannot give my parents enough credit for raising me with lots of love, encouragement and positivity. They accepted me for who I was even when I was overweight. My value as a person was not dependent on how I looked, what I weighed and what size I wore. It was enough that so many other people judged me because of my weight. They taught me to love and accept myself for who I was. They believed that I could be successful.

Throughout my weight loss, it has become so clear to me how important it is to have a positive self image and self esteem. I constantly had to draw on my strength to remind myself that I was committed to this change and I wasn't going to let anything stop me- most especially when things weren't so easy.

There are so many people, overweight and normal weight alike, who were not raised with the same self acceptance and love. I see my skinny friends who suffer in other aspects of their life as a result of their low self esteem. Then take an overweight person who lives in a society where physical beauty is the ultimate goal and that's the message they've been hearing their whole lives. When your self image is dependent on what society says, it's going to be a lot harder to stay motivated when the number on the scale doesn't move.

When people realize that they are not happy even though they're losing weight, their idealized image of weight loss= happiness is shattered and they're is nothing to work towards anymore. All of the sudden you're faced with the reality that true happiness is not rooted in the way you look. This idea is so much more clear to me now that I'm at a relatively normal size and weight. I used to think that my skinny friends were all happy, but now I see that they're not necessarily.

I'm not saying that if people have poor self esteems that they can't be successful with band, because they can, but it will be harder. Having a positive self image does not happen overnight and it can take a life time to undo the damage that family, friends and society have had on a person's self esteem.

I would say to those who are pre-op to think about how they view themselves. If you see that you don't accept yourself, start trying to view yourself differently. Tell yourself that you're worth it, complement yourself and really try to believe it. Seek out the people who accept you for who you are and will be supportive of you. Talk to a professional. Taking the steps to improve your emotional state as much as possible will definitely help you in the long run with success with the band and in other areas of your life as well!

[Bandana 0]

Red Tulip

That was a wonderful post. It is truly inspiring to both newbies and oldies. Thanks.

[thesuse2000 698]

Red Tulip - you're awesome!

Your story is so inspiring - and I really appreciate your thoughts about the importance of self-acceptance. It's rare to see that sort of empathy and understanding from someone who DID have the experience of being loved/cherished.

I have always struggled with feeling unworthy - and my weight has become entrenched with that identity. I definitely think that's played a role in my plateau in recent months. While it's exciting to feel more like a normal attractive woman, in some ways it's less comfortable for me than just being in the familiar fat chick role. So the motivation to stay on track and keep losing gets weakened because I'm still adjusting to where I am now.

But without the band I would have regained everything by now. As it is I've just gained a couple pounds and am now getting ready to get back into it. It helps to have a good shrink and work through all this! With hard work - mentally and physically - I'm hopeful that, with the help of the band and therapist, I'll be able to overcome my battle with my weight, overeating, and low self-worth.

Thanks for sharing your story - and your empathic perspective. It's great food for thought (not fattening either! :rose: )

-Susan