My cousin's husband and his family were in People magazine for their gastric band surgeries. There are 5 of them who have had it and have lost a good deal of weight. They have lost 500lbs together. My cousin was actually kinda heavy when she met Michael and they have worked on it together. Of course she was on diet pills and that is how she lost hers.

I have been thinkin about the band myself but dont' know if I would qualify because Iam not sure if I am overweight enough. Anyone have any ideas?


Kelly

Try South Beach Diet. It works. 90bs was gone in 5 months the first time I did it. It'd be gone now if I didn't have to take medication for a disease. When is the Peope Issue coming out. I'd buy it in a snap/

I will definately look into it. I said in my buddyup post that I want to find a happy medium. I dont' want to give up all the foods I love ya know. Then I won't stick to it.

To do South Beach, u give up cereal, fruits and grains for two weeks. U can have 1 percent milk, eggs, meat, poultry--except wings/legs---skinless meat/poultry though, fish, beans, vegetables. I'm back on it and have lost 9lbs in 6 days.

I am going to do it. I have made my grocery list and will be going to the store shortly. I can have tuna right? I thought that would be an easy lunch a couple days a week.

I will keep ya posted on how I do.

I was in the Dr's office a few months ago for my normal sinus/allergy sickness, and I read their story! That was the first I'd heard about it, and I was very interested in finding out more. I asked the Dr. if he knew anything about it, and he just wrote me off quickly, telling me that all I needed to do was "eat less & exercise more". I've been reading here about it, and even will be attending an informational meeting about it at the local hospital next Monday! I'm so excited!! I feel like there may finally be hope.

Is there anything else I should be doing? Any other websites that are helpful? Thanks for any info!

Surgery is a last resort IMO. Even after surgery you still need to be very disciplined. You still need to eat healthy, you still need to exercise! There are risks though too. My best friend is taking numerous medications daily and on vicodin still a year later. I think it is best to do it naturally.

Tiffany... I hope you'll consider WLS as a last resort. I followed all of Sharmel's postings and it scared me enough to keep me on my Weight Watcher program. For most of us, not all, weight loss is about taking control of our lives, which is a good thing.... taking control improves all aspects of our well-being, not just our waist lines. Before deciding to go on the operating table, see if you can make a real commitment to yourself. If not, shop for the best possible surgeon, check his referrences, and follow his orders. I started a 257 and have lost 32 lbs since February.... should be down more, but have allowed myself to be sidetracked at times.... I get back on program every time I've gone up 2 lbs and get back to my 32 lb loss. Now, it's time to stay focused, as I want to say I weight 50 lbs less at Christmas than I did last year. A big hug to you....

Hey adnile we are very similiar weights! I was 280 summer of 2005 and got down to 250 by last x~mas. This xmas i will be down to 200 or a little less. We can do this!!!

Could we just take a deep breath here? on the one hand, we're thrilled to have new people come around, and we actually do welcome different opinions. However, please realize that the regulars around here have a very basic philosophy:

1. We are not here to talk anyone into having the surgery or to urge anyone to avoid it. we're here to provide information and support.

2. WLS is the last resort, for those of us who have tried and tried and TRIED, and are having health issues. it doesn't mean that we don't know what to do or haven't been through just about every diet in the world, often multiple times.

3. WLS is a very individual decision, and people need to research the good, the bad, and the ugly, and then ask questions, questions, and more questions.

Sharmel's experience, while not typical, is REAL and HAPPENS [obviously!]. people can die from the surgery - everyone who looks at it has to become informed, and give some serious thought not only to how it's going to affect their lives, but also to the awful 'what-ifs.'

WLS is a tool - and we all have to understand the internal issues that we have to deal with in order to be successful

so, in short, while most of us get a jump start on the weight loss with the surgery, it's actually an opportunity to relearn everything we ever thought we knew about food and eating.

For all of you who are doing it the 'old fashioned way' - congratulations! keep up the good work.

For those of you who have done the 'old fashioned way' to death and are considering the surgery, let the questions and research begin!

As I've said time and time again, Jiffypoo, you rock my world!

The Chick

Sorry, I was a new post-er and just wanted to send my thoughts to Tiffany. Didn't mean to step on the toes of those of you who have been here longer. I've been reading 3 Fat Chicks for some time, and don't post. Just felt touched by Tiffany. But not being part of the "regulars", I will not post again. I am 59 years old and have never been one to step in where I didn't feel welcome or to cause offense. I will keep my thoughts & posts to myself. I have been trying to stay on top of my health & weight issues for most of my adult life.... I erred thinking that I should venture a word of encouragement to someone. Enough said, I will not bother again. I'll leave it to you that consider yourselves the authority and the sisterhood of this site. Sorry for the bad feelings.

Adnile,

While I can't speak for Jiff, I can say that I really don't think your post was the root of the problem. You were very encouraging, you didn't speak badly of WLS, and you gave some good advice - that's exactly what 3FC is all about!

What we're trying to get away from are the assumptions that there is a 'wrong' way to lose weight. While WLS may not seem 'natural' to some people, it is a fact of life for most of us who post on this forum. I can't think of a single person on here who chose to have WLS from the very beginning. Weight loss has been a constant struggle for every single one of us, and for those who have had the surgery, it continues to be a struggle. We're not saying WLS good, we're not saying it's bad, but we're saying it's what we have to deal with.

Well I didn't mean to step on anyone's toes either. But I do stand by what I said. I know there are alot of people that WLS was the only option for them cause nothing else worked. I do think, in some cases it is a necessity to get them off to a good start. But like I said it is not like you have the surgery and then it is all done for you. There is a lot of hard work, exercise and discipline involved. just like if you were to "diet" the regular way.

I did not just pick a random thread to jump in and state my opinion. This is the person I was responding to:

I know all of you are informed and have probably gone over every minute detail about this surgery and the pros/cons. That is great. This person has not. She doesn't even know if she is heavy enough to get the surgery. She asked for advice. I gave it:

I guess I am just in the wrong forum. My hat is off to you ladies that have gone thru with it. I am sure it is not an easy decision to make and I am sure you made the best decision at the time. I wish everyone the best in their weight loss efforts!

Thanks to everyone for their comments. I think the good & the bad should always be represented. I've been spending tons of time at obesityhelp.com, reading all of their threads, even the "WLS regrets" & "WLS complication" forums. Adnile, I do appreciate your thoughts too. I have tried so many things over the years and originally started WW 16 years ago, when I was only 20 lbs. overweight! And, I've joined & rejoined WW so many times, I can not keep track (last year being the most recent time)! The bad thing is that I'm now 100 lbs overweight, and I believe that I need WLS as a tool to help control me. I do know it is a very long & stressful task even after surgery, that is why I'm trying to learn all that I can at this point. Honestly, I know that if it were up to me, I'd be doing WW and quitting whenever I got tired of it. I won't be able to do that with WLS. If I do it, it will be for good. I just want to be here to watch my 5yo dd grow up.