Looking for those who started with BMI 35 or less

[Soexcited 64]

Hi CatLady,

Well I am 44 and started this journey at 235 pounds, I am 5'8 1/2 and the mother of a 4 year old. I could have tried again and again and again to loose the weight without the band but I figured I had done that before and I was not getting the results I wanted. I chose to be banded because I want to LIVE for my family. I do not want to be an old tired fat middle aged woman, I want to be able to keep up with my son and to never have him be ashamed of his fat Mommy. I think you should so it because it will add years to your life and if you are like me you have a family who wants and needs you to be as healthy for them as you can be. I want to grow old with grace and be like my Dad who is 83 and STILL walks 18 holes of golf 3 days a week.

Hi all: My name is Chris and I am thinking of getting the band surgery. I have alot of questions that were answered on this website. I'm glad to see many of you with a lower BMI have chosen to do it. I have a BMI of 36 weighing about 220 presently. I have hi blood pressure and would like to cut down on some meds. I have lost and gained the same 20 lbs for the past 10 years. I'm disgusted with myself and cannot get past it. Would you do it again if given the chance. Is it worth the pain and suffering involved. I am 62 years old and would like to finally get down to a size 12 or even 14 again. It would make me feel so much better. I am ashamed of myself at times and tired of trying to hide my weight. It is so frustrating. Thanks for your honest replies. cat lady:confused:

[JoJo1 0]

Hi all: My name is Chris and I am thinking of getting the band surgery. I have alot of questions that were answered on this website. I'm glad to see many of you with a lower BMI have chosen to do it. I have a BMI of 36 weighing about 220 presently. I have hi blood pressure and would like to cut down on some meds. I have lost and gained the same 20 lbs for the past 10 years. I'm disgusted with myself and cannot get past it. Would you do it again if given the chance. Is it worth the pain and suffering involved. I am 62 years old and would like to finally get down to a size 12 or even 14 again. It would make me feel so much better. I am ashamed of myself at times and tired of trying to hide my weight. It is so frustrating. Thanks for your honest replies. cat lady:confused:

I am very glad I got banded, I would certainly do it again. I feel in control of my life for the first time in many years. I am 58 years old, and my daughter was banded 2 years ago. She has lost about 95 lbs and looks so good. I want to lose a total of 75 and am currently down 26 so I am well on my way. It takes a lot to get to know all the stuff you need to know, but every bit of it is worth it. We have to learn to throw off the stuff everyone else says. Fat people will criticize because they are jealous, and thin people will criticize because they think all we need to do is "get away from the table a little sooner"!! It is our journey and our journey alone. I have learned to shake off other's opinions but for some this is very hard to do. Best of luck to you...I feel so much younger already, you will too.:eek:

[homewith2 0]

I'm so glad I did it too. I had a couple days of panic before the surgery but I kept reminding myself that I have a lot of years left and I want to live them happy. It's a huge change and you have to learn how to eat again. It's kind of hard core. That said, I need hard core, I need a true lifestyle change and the band is perfect for me because it's always there to remind you of the right thing to do! Good luck with what ever you decide.

[K-ROD 0]

Hi there, My BMI is 35 and EVERYONE told me I was crazy for doing this and that its only for HUGE people. The thing is, i have been obese since i was in grade 3 and i have been fighting it for 10 years. The reason my BMI is low is because I have been dieting for half my life, if i wasnt id be 45. DONT listen to anyone. We are doing this so that we dont have to be BMI 45 and likely to have a heart attack and i bet a lot of people on this forum would say they would have done it earlier.

I struggled the first week out of surgery, dont know if it had anything to do with my weight but it was a shit week. OH well, 3 weeks later i feel fantastic and 99% back to normal. Be prepared that after surgery sux but it gets better and all worthwhile.

My appetite is back and although i lost 10kgs in the first 4 weeks (2 weeks pre op and 2 weeks post op) i am eating almost as much as i used to so i expect the weightloss to slow dramatically. Im getting a fill next friday but have heard it takes a few fills to get it right.

You are smaller and so probably can expect to lose heaps of weight as fast as the bigger people but hang in there, you are more likely to get to goal.

I havnt even started yet and already happy i made this decision!!

[Mangofish 1]

All my friends thought I was crazy too but I wanted to be in control of my weight for the rest of my life. This is a great tool to do that but it's not a magic cure all. I mean there are fat people on you tube complaining how it didn't help them one bit. On the bright side at least for me: My surgery was a piece of cake. I flew out of town. I walked myself into the hotel a few hrs after surgery. I think having my wisdom teeth pulled was more traumatizing. Good luck!

[Soexcited 64]

Id say my surgery was a bit harder than my last visit to the dentist but I am still glad I did it. I needed something serious otherwise I dont think I would have done it on my own. Gain yes...loose a lot no.

[homewith2 0]

I had a few moments of panic before the surgery about it I was doing the right thing. I mean no diet coke FOREVER seems pretty hard core. Then it hit me, I NEED HARD CORE. I have gained and lost the weight more times than I can count and I don't want to do that anymore. so Hard Core it is! Of course I'm sure most of us are private pay because insurance won't pay for our BMI so I felt a little selfish asking my husband to shell out the cash when he already provides for me to stay at home. I got over it because I knew he would like the results! LOL!

[JoJo1 0]

I had a few moments of panic before the surgery about it I was doing the right thing. I mean no diet coke FOREVER seems pretty hard core. Then it hit me, I NEED HARD CORE. I have gained and lost the weight more times than I can count and I don't want to do that anymore. so Hard Core it is! Of course I'm sure most of us are private pay because insurance won't pay for our BMI so I felt a little selfish asking my husband to shell out the cash when he already provides for me to stay at home. I got over it because I knew he would like the results! LOL!

I was also a Diet Coke addict and felt the same as you. I was pleasantly surprised after surgery though, I did not crave it. A few weeks after surgery I did have a craving so I got a diet coke, poured it over ice and let it sit for a few minutes to get all the bubbles out. I drank it but have not craved it again. I did not like it very much flat. My new drink of choice is Diet Green Tea. (Lipton) You might want to try that after surgery to see if you like it. This Journey is about 95% awesome and 5% hard, the attitude is the key so keep up the good work. Best of luck to you

[cat lady 10]

Hi: My BMI is about 35-36. When I went for my consultation the doctor mentioned that I could have the surgery done with only 2 incisions. One would be for the port at the belly button area -- and one higher up in the abdomen to actually put the band in. Did anyone else have this type of surgery?? I want to know if its perfected. Dont want to try something too new. Replies please. Thanks cat lady:scared2::thumbup:

[Ready2 4]

I was also a Diet Coke addict and felt the same as you. I was pleasantly surprised after surgery though, I did not crave it. A few weeks after surgery I did have a craving so I got a diet coke, poured it over ice and let it sit for a few minutes to get all the bubbles out. I drank it but have not craved it again. I did not like it very much flat. My new drink of choice is Diet Green Tea. (Lipton) You might want to try that after surgery to see if you like it. This Journey is about 95% awesome and 5% hard, the attitude is the key so keep up the good work. Best of luck to you

Why is it that you can't have Diet Coke?

My BMI is 34.5 and I am in the pre-planning phase right now. I will be scheduling my consultation tomorrow. I am 5'8" and 228 lbs. I have been struggling with weight for years and I am inching toward diabetes and need to get this under control once and for all.

[homewith2 0]

Hi: My BMI is about 35-36. When I went for my consultation the doctor mentioned that I could have the surgery done with only 2 incisions. One would be for the port at the belly button area -- and one higher up in the abdomen to actually put the band in. Did anyone else have this type of surgery?? I want to know if its perfected. Dont want to try something too new. Replies please. Thanks cat lady:scared2:

Why is it that you can't have Diet Coke?

My BMI is 34.5 and I am in the pre-planning phase right now. I will be scheduling my consultation tomorrow. I am 5'8" and 228 lbs. I have been struggling with weight for years and I am inching toward diabetes and need to get this under control once and for all.

Hi Cat Lady! I would ask how big the incisions are going to be. Maybe he is talking about an "open surgery" rather than laprascopic. I have 5 incisions but 3 are so small (millimeters really) My other 2 are less than an inch long. Good luck to you and check back and let us know what he says!

Diet coke is not tollerated well in the band. It's fine if it's flat but the fizzy is uncomfortable for most people and most doctors don't want you to have it. But who really wants flat diet coke. :willy_nilly:

[MzLB09Ann 0]

Glad to have stumbled upon this thread! My BMI was 34.6 with no comorbidities, weight 225-227 at 5 feet 8. Not a candidate for my insurance to cover the expense, but certainly at my own expense. The prices were just too high. I opted to have my band done in Mexico, date 12/09/09. I was scared, nervous and excited. Overall, no regrets. I consider this an investment in my future. After my last weight loss attempt, I lost about 10 pounds only to gain them back and seemed to be stuck at 225 for what seemed like forever.

Yes, larger people are like oh you look ok at your current weight. Well I don't feel OK!!! Thin people are evil and can never understand how it feels to be fat, so I just let them be evil because they don't understand this particular struggle. Let's stay on the path and make our decision for a life change successful! Thanks fellow low BMI'ers!! Hugs

[Soexcited 64]

I agree mz and that is the biggest reason I chose not to tell anyone other than my family. They are all skinny and I know they would support me, my friends have been my friends for a very long time but they would not understand....especially since they knew me when I was 3oo+ they would just say oh you can do the rest on your own! But the simple fact is that I couldnt, I want to be healthy for mu husband and son....they are my whole world I adore them and want to be around enjoying them as long as I possibly can!

[Mangofish 1]

Glad to have stumbled upon this thread! My BMI was 34.6 with no comorbidities, weight 225-227 at 5 feet 8. Not a candidate for my insurance to cover the expense, but certainly at my own expense. The prices were just too high. I opted to have my band done in Mexico, date 12/09/09. I was scared, nervous and excited. Overall, no regrets. I consider this an investment in my future. After my last weight loss attempt, I lost about 10 pounds only to gain them back and seemed to be stuck at 225 for what seemed like forever.

Yes, larger people are like oh you look ok at your current weight. Well I don't feel OK!!! Thin people are evil and can never understand how it feels to be fat, so I just let them be evil because they don't understand this particular struggle. Let's stay on the path and make our decision for a life change successful! Thanks fellow low BMI'ers!! Hugs

Hilarious post! I was at the waiting room to get a fill last week & I was the smallest person but when I go to school I feel like some giant ogre w/all the girls look like sorority chicks. At 5 feet 9 220 starting out I was def. self pay. There was huge guy in the waiting room when I went to get a fill last week who was self employed and no insurance. He was paying 20K+ for gastric bypass and was floored when I told him about the rates in Mexico for half price of the US. Poor guy.

[Soexcited 64]

I give you guys credit for trusting the docs in Mexico...I just couldnt do it....and I am in San Diego, just an hours drive away! But something about Mexico just dosent settle well with me. My surgery cost us $16,500 each (mu husband was banded too) WORTH EVERY PEENNY!