The last few days I've been doing a ton of reading on the Lapband. The qualifications make me nervous. I am 5'4" and last I checked I weight 190lb. I'm worried the doctor will tell me that I'm not overweight enough.

WLS is my last resort. I've tried it all. My life is at an all time low. I should be the happiest I've ever been. I just graduated college and got married to the most amazing man in the world.

Some places say you need to be 100lb overweight. And some place i've read only 50. Today I have checked and my waist is 46 inches, and that is very unhealthy. But i'm not 50lb overweight.

I feel like I'm an athletic, energetic, outgoing, healthy person deep down inside but all that is TRAPPED inside, and I'm the most miserable I've ever been.

I lost weight about 3 years ago (which is where my current tracker is still set at) but thats when I didnt have a job, husband, family, life). I was starving my self and exercising constantly. At my job now, I'm active all day long and I only eat 3 HEALTHY meals a day and I'm putting on weight like crazy.

I want/need this so bad, but I think the doctor is going to turn me down.

According to weight charts a healthy weight range for 5'10" is between 138-173. I was going to say if you are 180 , you
are only slightly overweight.Looking at your post I see you are 190. You should be able to lose without going to such drastic measures. My highest weight was 204 or more and I was able to lose by dieting and exercise. I am only 5 feet tall so you can see I was way overweight. I have heard Doctor's say you must be 100 pounds overweight before they will do WLS.

Are you 5'4" or 5'10"? Your stats on the side you have 5'10".. but you said you were 5'4".. just was confused with that!

Either height though I don't think its something you would qualify for. I have two aunts that had it done and they were considered morbidly obese and had to be considered morbidly obese by a doctor for 5 years for insurance to consider it. It may be different other places though.

I think you can do this! I have been struggling on and off with weight loss, but its going down gradually. It is hard.. have to change a lot of things.. exercise (which I hate). But you CAN do it. Don't give up quite yet!

you're not terribly overweight, and if you're not heavy enough for a doctor to perform the surgery maybe that's a good thing. if you're having all these problems, maybe go see a therapist? or a nutritionist if you need help with your diet.

I have the same question - are you 5'4 or 5'10? Big difference!

In any case, it's not a matter of how many pounds overweight you are. In the US, whethr or not you qualify for WLS goes by BMI. The standard set by NIH is that you must have a BMI of 40+ or a BMI of 35+ with serious comorbidities (such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, etc.). Going by your lower height listed of 5'4, your BMI at 190 is only 32.6. Based on your description of yourself as athletic and such, I assume you don't have any major weight-related comorbidities, so you would need a BMI of 40 to qualify.

Now if you don't want your surgery covered by insurance, I do know there are some surgeons who will do a band or a VSG on someone with a BMI of 30-35, but you will have to be 100% self-pay (which also means paying out of pocket yourself for any possible complications, fill/unfills, follow-ups, etc.).

This is the part of your post that I'm having some trouble with. You say that you were able to lose weight a few years back, but now that you have a husband, job, family, life you just don't have the time. There's really nothing in your life that you describe that sounds any different than anyone on here. I have a husband, family, job, life, and Masters degree studies but I still make time to exercise.

I'm really not trying to sound harsh but to put it honestly, it sounds like you are trying to get WLS because it seems like it's less of an effort than actually exercising and getting healthy. The reality is that even if you had the weight loss surgery, you would still have to make time to exercise. It's not a magic fix and still takes a lot of effort on your part to ensure the weight stays off. If you're unable to make the time to exercise now, what makes you think you'll make the time to exercise after you have surgery?

Also, if you're active at your job and only eating 3 healthy meals a day then really there should be no reason to be gaining weight as dramatically as you say you are. Are you counting calories? Are you sure that your meals are as healthy as you say they are? Maybe you need to see a doctor and have a CBC done to make sure that you don't have any underlying medical issues that is interfering w/your weight loss efforts.

Again I'm not trying to be rude, that's just the vibe I picked up from your post. Either way I hope that you're able to get to your desired weight and live a healthier and more active lifestyle.

You'r right Hopeful8. WLS is not for me. I lack the time and effort now, and most likely will in the future.

Its hard for me to find the time and motivation to lose weight, and it was time and motivation that I had plenty of three years ago.

But i'm sure, if I truly put effort into it, I could change the things I hate the most.

Thanks for the responses everyone.

And yes, I'm 5'4"..not sure why my stats say 5'10", i'll figure how to change that.

I'm glad that you see that it takes a very strong commitment whether you have the WLS or not. 190lbs is not unmanageable for a 5'4". I'm 5'5" and started out at 207lbs. You'll be fine, you just have to find creative ways to work it into your schedule. Good luck sweetie, I know you'll be down to your goal weight sooner than you think.

Your happiness isn't dependent on your weight.

You need to figure out what makes you happy - being with your family? volunteering? a certain activity? and do those things. When you start doing the things that make you happy, it will be easier to treat your body well and there won't be a struggle to find time or motivation to loose weight because being healthy will be built into your life.

Like for me - I discovered a love of yoga and hiking. Doing those things makes me happy. A bonus side effect is that they also make me more mindful of what goes in my body, and they make me stronger and more flexible and healthier. And I can do them with my family. There is not "time" that needs to be made for them, because they are a part of my life.

Experiment and see what that thing is for you.

At 5'4" and 190......WLS seems to be awful extreme to me. Our stats were very close when I began my low carb lifestyle. I am 5'3" and weighed 190 as well. Please consider other options before having such an invasive procedure!

Time, motivation and dedication really can work wonders for you. You can do this, keep the faith