DeAnsin W.
When I was a kid, my mom took me to the doctor because my bones stuck out -- I was so skinny -- all through school, I never had to worry about gaining weight. After my second child, I weighed around 170, but was in decent shape -- exercised enough to keep in ok shape. About 10 years ago, in 1996, I started having medical problems -- the doctors put me on all kinds of medicines, which caused me to gain over 60 pounds in six months. The same doctors who gave me the medicine that had weight gain as a side effect told me that if I simply stopped eating so much, I would not gain any weight -- IDIOTS!!! I stopped taking the meds and my weight kind of evened off -- but only for a while -- over the next few years, it inched up until I reached my peak of 270 -- at least that was the highest I was ever weighed at, no telling what it really went up to. I have tried all kinds of diets, exercise, joined health clubs and Curves -- got a bit of loss, then gained back plus -- ALWAYS.
I started researching WLS about 2004 -- had a lifelong friend who did RNY and lost a LOT of weight -- she sent me pics after one year and I NEVER would have recognized her -- she had been big her whole life and now she was so thin, it was amazing. Had another friend who did RNY, and I got to see her go through all the beginning phases -- hair loss, nausea, etc... I became convinced that RNY was not for me -- read about the band and thought, "That could work for me!" So, I started to work through all of the insurance companies hoops and here I am -- banded on 12/27/06 -- I weighed 263 the week before surgery and am hoping to lose a total of 130 pounds -- I think that 140 is a reachable goal and that at 5'6 1/2" it is a good weight for me -- I know that this will be a long journey, but I am ready to take it and am doing so with the support of my family and most friends -- some still think I should just keep trying different diets, but they simply don't understand that this is my way back to the old me -- the lap band is simply the tool that will allow me to lose the weight and keep it off for good.
