Well here I am 30 yrs old and would finally like to be done with my weight issues.  I have basically struggled with my weight the majority of my life but I was able to manage it with diet and exercise until I got to college.  I have been able to lose weight several times but never permanently. I have considered WLS for quite sometime now probably on and off for 3 years but I would never completely go through everything b/c my insurance always had an exclusion clause denying bariatric surgeries of any kind.  Then in March of 2006 my husband started a new job and a couple of months after that in May he mentioned to me that he had spoken with a young lady that had bariatric surgery (RNY) and that the jobs insurance had covered everything at 100%.  She sent me the doctors name and number that she'd gone through and I went to a seminar in July and new that I wanted to pursue the lap band surgery.  For me the process of getting approved was not as difficult as some the stories I've read and heard.  I got all of my paper work together and submitted it by August 8th 2006.  The only requirements that my insurance had were approval from a psychologist and meeting with a dietician.  I didnt have to have months of supervised dieting etc.....I was approved wit,h the first letter submitted !!YEAH!!!  I was worried that I wouldn't be since I did not have a lot of comorbidities.  I have some joint and back and knee pain due to my weight...along with some depression but no hypertension, sleep apnea or diabetes or anything like that.  It took some time to get my psych evals and dietician meeting requirement done b/c they stay really booked up..but by mid December I had a surgery date of Jan 3, 2007.  I started dieting on my own on September 12, 2006 with the help of two great Aunts I was able to drop 47lbs by December!!!!...that made me feel pretty good but of course my next question to myself was if I can do that then why not continue doing what Im doing and I wont need surgery.  My aunts and other family members tried to convince me that I could keep up the weight loss on my own....even the pscychologist was impressed.  But the more I thought about it I have been dieting alll my life and I always started off well but 4 to 5 months into it I would fall off the wagon and then before I know it I have gained all I've lost and then some...yes the infamous yo-yo dieter I am here.  So in making the decision to move forward with the lap band I knew it was the right one.  My starting weight in September 2006 which was also my highest was 325lbs I am 5'10 tall so people are always surprised when they learn how much I weigh b/c I dont look it due to my height....but believe me I feel it.....by december 14th 2006 I was down to 278lbs....On December 20th, 2006 when I got my surgery date....all bets were off....I decided to enjoy what I wanted for the next 2 weeks.  Perfect timing with it being right near the holidays...so I ate what I wanted when I wanted.  within one week I had gained 7 lbs and was back up to 285 so I decided I'd better cool b/c the doctor told me not to pile on weight right before surgery and that is exactly what I was doing.  I weighed myself the morning of surgery and I was 287lbs another 2lbs gained and  the morning after surgery I was 292....6lbs gained from surgery. but I am on the right track now.  I have  wonderful husband and two yr old daughter both whom mean the world to me and I dont want my daughter to grow up with a fat mother....I want more energy to play with her and I want another child but not at this weight....my daughter was born prematurely at 6 months (24 weeks) she weighed 1lb 6oz  but she was a fighter and survived my little miracle baby, maybe it had something to do with her initials Taylor Nichole Thomas (TNT)....no I know that it was the Lord and lots of prayer that saw her through.  Imagine how devastated I was to learn that my weight could have contributed to my daughter having the struggle of her life...in addition they say once you've had a pre-term baby your risk of having another preterm birth increases by 40% WOW.....so I knew I needed to give my next child the best possible birthing conditions I could.....which is another reason why I know I am making the right decision with the lap band......I know there are many others out there that have family or friends that dont agree with their decision to have surgery but when it comes down to it it is your quality of life that will be changing....it is you that has lived through depression due to weight, societies stereotypes of obese people, not loving yourself because of how you look, low self esteem etc....so it has to be you that makes the decision to do something about it....and you and only you knows your strengths and weaknesses so you have to do what is right for you. Anyway I am thrilled I have started my journey and I can't wait to be on the losing side!!!!!