here's my story.. why I chose to get lap-band?

[MissWhitzel 0]

this is what I wrote in my facebook's blog.

Why I chose to get Lap-Band?

It’s been a struggle my whole life trying to lose all this weight. I’ve been overweight pretty much my whole life. I don’t have an excuse why I’ve become this way, but I have to blame it mostly on emotional eating & low metabolism. Most percent of my family are overweight. I gotta admit I LOVE food! Who doesn’t!? But- I know I love food more than I should. Food is #1 worst addiction on earth. Because: it’s EVERYWHERE you go. It’s on TV, fast food is everywhere, it’s legal, and of course you have to eat to survive. There’s no way around it. I eat when I’m bored, mad, sad, or stressed. Food is my therapy. I gained ALOT when I started puberty. I didn’t like sports when I grew up; I was more of an artist than an athlete.

I started to diet and exercise around my teen years, I never stuck by it. I would always give up within a month and go back to my bad habits. Then I went back to it again and failed again. I would lose 20 lbs then gain it back. I was yo-yoing with my weight all the time. I would try many different diets, and then I could not maintain at it. I was ALWAYS hungry… I tried and tried. Last year, when I lived with my parents in NH- Mom and I decided to do Weight Watchers together. I did lose 40 lbs and then when we moved back to Texas, I just stopped dieting and exercising and gained it all back! I was devastated. I was angry at myself for doing this to myself.

I always have this issue on my mind, constantly- 24/7. In the back of my head I would be thinking of this and that- no matter how hard I try to stop thinking about it- it’s always in my face. I go to food a lot for comfort. I struggle everyday with this. I bumped into an old friend of mine that I’ve not seen in about 2 years; I could not recognize him at all! He lost about 100+ pounds. He was completely a different person, and I asked him how did you do it!? He said LAP-BAND! I was like, what is that? I had never heard of this procedure before. He explained to me about it and stuff. I asked him a lot of questions, poor him! Ha

I researched more about this procedure, because I’m a researcher and I love to research on new things. I saw that Lap-Band isn’t invasive like Gastric Bypass, and it’s irreversible. That got me hooked. Then I met another friend that also got hers done last year. I asked her more questions and she referred me to check out a seminar about the Lap-Band at the hospital with an interpreter provided. I called and found a seminar, and went to check it out. I was so intrigued about it, but I was also skeptical because I hate the thought of something foreign inside of my body.

At the seminar, the surgeon gave a presentation and a slide show all about statistics, facts, & how it works. He also brought a sample of a lap-band itself so we can get the feel of what it really looks like in person. I signed myself up to have the hospital to check if my insurance would cover for it, and etc. I heard back from them within a week, with the news that my insurance will cover 80% of everything.

I gave this a lot of thoughts, talked about it with John (my darling & supportive boyfriend) and I decided it’s my last resort at losing weight and keeping it OFF. I want to be clear that Lap-Band isn’t my magic solution to my issues, but it’s a TOOL to help me feel full fast and control my meal portions. I wouldn’t be hungry all the time. I would still have to watch what I eat and add exercise into this. I don’t want people to think I got this procedure because I’m lazy or want an easy way out of this. It’s the opposite, because I’ve struggled all of my life with diet and exercise. I feel this procedure will definitely help me a lot, because statistics show that those people who go through this have much higher percentage of keeping it OFF than those who do it by themselves or with gastric bypass.

I had to go through 4 nutrition classes, 1 exercise consultation, and 1 psychological evaluation as a requirement for my insurance to approve me for this surgery procedure. I started my 1st class in May, and finally got done with all these requirements!

I am very excited to get my lap-band on Nov 10th! I am also nervous! I really hope I will become successful with this surgery. This is going to be a new chapter in my life and I am really looking forward to the road to healthiness!

I want to thank my family, boyfriend and friends for all their support and encouragement throughout this period. Y’all rock!

[soocalchic 1,087]

congrats on your decision I'm also beeing banded in November 16th for me KIT

[Shannonsonline 0]

Congrats on your decision. I am due to be banded on October 28th. I have started my pre-op diet and I have lost about 6 pounds in 4 days. Most of it I am sure has been Water, lol. U an excuted and nervous. I have been overweight my entire life and have failed at the many diets that are always being advertised. But now I am hoping that this will finally help me, and I am so glad that I Accidentlly found this website. I look forward to meeting everyone.

[meldlc37 0]

Like u I have been big most of my life and I too am being banded in November (25th), good luck and stay stay strong. I'm sure you'll do great.

:thumbup: