I stepped on the scale.
While it was on.
And looked down.
I would post a pic of myself on the scale, as proof. But I was naked. Trust me. That is NOT a pic you all want to see.
My weight, at 11:30 pm on August 25, 2011 is 221.6 lbs. Eek! At 5'3'', I'm morbidly obese.
I've been overweight my entire life, with the exception of a few years where I lost 100 lbs. My family is pretty hefty too, so it's nature and nurture.
One of the things I've done this summer is explore the possiblity of LapBand surgery. My insurance covers it 100%, and it's something I've considered for a while. I'd be lying if I said that losing weight wasn't about appearance, first of all, but it's more about keeping healthy. I have mitral valve prolapse and sleep apnea, all of which are affected by weight. My father is diabetic. It's also about family. My sister, is extremely obese, and I hope that if I lose the weight, she'll be inspired to pursue the surgery on her own.
So, I've spent much of the summer undergoing tests. To date, I've had an Upper GI scan, stress test, psych eval, and visited the nutritionist. I go back to the doctors on October 17 to review the tests and schedule surgery.
I chose LapBand over gastric bypass because I feel it's safer than gb. The surgery is done laproscopically, I'll be out for a few days, and they are not cutting my anatomy. They are simply wrapping a band around my stoamch, which creates a pocket, and then installing a port under my abdomen that allows them to fill or drain the band to adjust my rate of weight loss.
Has anyone ever had LapBand or had a friend/relative that did? I'm interested in hearing other peoples' experiences.
2 comments:
I promise that I do not say this coming from a place of judgment but a place of concern: have you tried, I mean really tried, to change your lifestyle? I only ask this because I believe that any surgery is a pretty extreme measure. Yes, you are obese according to your height and weight, but you are not even close to the point where I would consider you a must for surgery.
You mentioned in a comment on my blog that you drink diet sprite. I obviously don't know the rest of your eating habits but I do know that the way you eat accounts for 90% of your weight. It is so much more important than working out. I fear that once you have the surgery, you will use that as your weight loss strategy and not make the real change that is needed. I only say these things because I would hate to see you go through the surgery and just end up back in the same situation. There has to be a mindset and lifestyle shift for any permanent change to happen. I know this from first hand experience.
xoxo,
Teacher Girl
I agree with Teacher Girl. I think any kind of surgery is just a way of people giving up. I had two coworkers, one got LapBand and one had the full gastric bypass and while they both lost weight initially, after a year they were right back up in their weight because they never changed their entire lifestyle. Neither of them started a serious exercise program for 3 days a week and neither of them quit the fast food, big portions or soda.
Now with that said, I am still a fast food eater, soda drinking, bigger portions than needed girl--- but I am exericising three days a week. The number on the scale hasn't changed much but man have my muscles started becoming defined and I'm definitely going down in clothes sizes. So I tihnk losing weight means working hard and cutting back. It's hard, nobody wants to do it, but it's the only real way to lose weight and keep it off.
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