did you question yourself...

[ivy20062007 0]

I really want this surgery but I find days when I start thinking that it just won't work because nothing else has. Did getting the lap band motivate you to exercise because right now I always say I need to but never do. I am paying for the surgery myself so it freaks me out to think of spending all that money and it not working. Did anyone else feel this way and what did you do? Is is worth the money I will spend??? PLEASE GIVE ME SOME ADVICE!!!

[crzytchr 3]

I really want this surgery but I find days when I start thinking that it just won't work because nothing else has. Did getting the LAP-BAND® motivate you to exercise because right now I always say I need to but never do. I am paying for the surgery myself so it freaks me out to think of spending all that money and it not working. Did anyone else feel this way and what did you do? Is is worth the money I will spend??? PLEASE GIVE ME SOME ADVICE!!!

I still do not exercise, although I do plan on starting soon. My weight loss has slowed and I know I must exercise to jumpstart it again. Whether or not the band is the correct tool for you, depends on your eating habits now. If volume eating is the issue, then the band should help you. If sweets is your downfall, you should probably seek a different approach. Most sweets are slider foods and will go right through the band.

I suggest journaling the foods you eat and the AMOUNTS you eat for a couple of weeks. By doing this, you can really evaluate the types of foods you eat and determine if it is the food itself or the amount of it you are eating that is giving you problems. Before being banded, I really did not realize the volume of food I ate. Looking back, I easily consumed 2500-3000 calories per day. Now, I eat 1200-1500 per day. I journal my food using fitday.com, but there are many places online you can use.

As far as if it was worth it...Every penny as far as I am concerned, but only you can determine that. Please realize the weight will not miraculously fall off of you. Once you reach restriction, your band will help you be satisfied on smaller amounts, but you still have to decide what to put in your mouth. Please try the journaling. It may help you decide what you should do.

[isaviolinist 11]

I think I thought to myself now and again that this wouldn't work since nothing had before. Still I find myself in disbelief sometimes that I might actually succeed with this. But overall, I was SO excited to get the band and so far so good!

[Lizabeth 0]

Sometimes I find it hard to think about what it will be like when I get to my goal, because before I had just made myself believe that I will never be that small. That it would be impossible to be that thin. However, as I have begun this journey and have been banded for almost 3 months now, I am beginning to see that goal become closer and closer and it still isn't real yet mostly because I don't want to jinx myself but I am hopeful that my goal is in my future. And I have faith that I know this will work as long as I use it properly. I have been working out and journaling my food and trying to eat slow and take small bites, which is always a working progress, but I am working on it and I think that if we put in the hard work we can do it!!!

[Uber Pretty 0]

Hi there,

I was banded in June of this year, I weighed 280 on the day of my surgery. I also paid for the entire procedure and all the fills since then by myself, my surgery was $14,500.00 and each fill is $200.00. The months leading up to the surgery I was so excited and like two weeks before I started getting worried that what if it doesn't work. The first 15 pounds came off like it was nothing, the next 10 were pure hell lol. But I talked to my doctor because I'm pretty tight and he said I wasn't eating enough calories or getting enough Protein. So this week I started eating about 1000-1200 calories a day and doubled my Protein. My weight loss has increased and I've lost three pounds this week!

The main thing you need to think about is, can you commit? I still eat pizza and bad stuff (not that I'm encouraging you to do this), but what I'm saying is don't be scared. food is an outlet for all of us... we all deal with stress the same way, we eat. And I know for me, the thought of letting go of pizza and never having it again was scary, not at first but definitely as the surgery date approached. But then I realized I can have that stuff, just limit my portion size... instead of having three slices, have one. Not to mention, your fills keep you full so you don't even WANT to eat more!

I don't regret getting the band, and I am still well on my way to getting to my goal weight and as Lizabeth said, I don't want to jinx myself (I don't think any of us do). I would say to look at all the other people on this site and how amazing it is that they accomplished so much. You can be that person if you are ready.

If you ever want to talk or have questions you can email me!

Good luck and I hope you choose to do it!

Jessica:smile2:

[ALuv82 0]

The answer to the question is easy for me...Yes, yes a thousand times yes it was worth it. But the truth is, just because it was worth it for me, doesn't mean it will be worth it for you. Only you can decide how commited you are.

My parents tried to pressure me to have the surgery over 5 years ago and I didn't do it. I wasn't ready then and I don't think I would have experienced the success I have had since beeing banded 6 mos ago (I'm down 70# from 313 to 243 btw). This is not the easy way, it is just a way. You need to be commited to making changes necessary and you can't be the kind of person who gives up when you hit a rough patch which many of us have done time and again in our weight loss attempts. This is forever.

Someone above was talking about this only working if your problem is quantity and if you ahve a sweet tooth and just eat the wrong foods, it won't work. I don't agree. I had a problem with quantity AND quality. Now what I can eat is restricted so every time I put something in my mouth I have to decided if it's worth filling my timy stomach with it. I know I can't gorge on candy because I need the room for the quality foods. I still will eat all the foods I loved in the past--pizza, Bagels, candy--but only occasionaly and in small portions. I have to prioratize what I eat because I know I can't eat it all. That is enough for me to moderate the quality of what I eat.

But again, it's a choice. If yo're not commited, that may not be enough. You don't have to change your whole life and commit to a diet of fish and broccoli every meal for the rest of your life, but you do have to realize that each thing that goes in your mouth is going to count more now than ever. You could still eat a gallon of ice cream every night if you wanted too. You could skip the chicken and carrot sticks for lunch and eat a sleeve of Cookies instead. And you can fail, or you can use this tool to help you make the right decisions and live a healthy, happy, life free of deprevation and dieting. The choice is yours.

[Sarah.R 2]

Honestly I don't excercise - right now I don't have the motivation I guess. It definitely sucks and I have started walking like once or twice but overall I really need more motivation =(

[chocolate_snaps 3]

No, I did not question myself regarding getting banded. And I haven't questioned my decision since being banded. I feel better about myself, my life, and my future than I ever have. Simply put, it was the best thing I have ever done.

Regarding exercise...I love it and I exercise regularly. But, the band didn't motivate me to exercise, my desire to be healthy did that. Not just regular healthy, optimally healthy.

Certainly, I wouldn't have lost 130lbs if I hadn't (to quote Jachut) "Shut my Gob and Move(d) My Ass". IMOP, losing weight was the bare minimum that I could do to improve my health, not the only thing. But then, Ive always been a "Go Hard or Go Home" kinda person.

[ALuv82 0]

I completely agree about working out. Working out isn't about losing weight for me. I exercised reularly before I was banded and I know I would lose weight, though maybe a bit slower, if I didn't work out. But I do it anyway because it makes me feel good and makes me stronger and healthier. If you look at exercise as only a means to and end--ie losing weight, it will be a chore and not an intregal part of your life. Exercise is something that should be done because it improves the quality of you life. That's motivation enough for me.

[Anii 0]

Dude..it is soo worth it. I just came across some pictures of me back in February (my surgery was in March) and I was grossed out. I had the same fear but trust me...soooooo worth it. I exercised like 5 times a week in the Summer but not as much now that school started :thumbup: You will lose whether or not you exercise it just helps things like skin sagging and the speediness of your weight loss. Plus after a while it just feels good, I haven't gone to the gym in like a month and I sincerely feel depleted like something is missing, haha need to get on track and go back!

[sweetheart181 10]

I felt the exact same way! Surgery was totally worth it though. I never regret getting the lap-band.

[msrojacks 1]

I just got the band, so Its early for me to say if Its a sucess or if I will fail with it. What is good for people are age, is its always going to be inside us. If we are not ready today, maybe in a few years we can do it.

Though I think once you get the surgery, your outlook changes, and you want to suceed. For me I was an eater when I was bored. I truely think I will lose the weight.

These boreds are helpful, so look into before you spend the money. In this economy spending money on somethiing that you dont want is scary