stormie80

Thank you all for the information, it was helpful. Although I like food, I do want to end my relationship with it, I am ready for that. He scared me because I thought I would have to create another relationship with food, but the whole cutting up peas thing made me fear I would have to develop a "bad" relationship with food, in that it would still control me. When I was pregnant and the type 2 diabetes was at an all time high of out-of-controll, eating became an absoltue chore....and I wasn't ever hungry! I never craved anything! It was awesome. And I HAD to eat for the baby, in fact the doctors had a hard time getting me to eat! And starting around six months, while the baby growing healthy, I actually starting loosing weight. Now if I could regain that physical and emotional feeling again, it would help me greatly. I ate just enough of the right thing. I was happy to loose all joy of eating. If I wanted something "bad", I did have it, but I only ever took a bite and that was enough. Now how can I feel pregnant without being pregnant???

First I would like to say congratulations to everyone who is making a wonderful commitment to a better life! I admire your strength and ambition. I would also appreciate you sharing your knowledge and expertise with me as I struggle with the decision to do lap-band surgery. I met with a doctor yesterday (not from the OCC) to consult on lap-band surgery and he scared me to death about the procedure. First some statistics, I am currently 5'6" and 257 lbs. I have always been heavy even as a child, but active and healthy enough, but would run about 200 lbs and was comfortable enough. In fact, up until about two years ago I was a volunteer firefighter. Now (and some of this stuff before now), I have had a child (this is what slowed me down & I can't get back on track), have a messed up back, bad knees, weak ankles, GERD, PCOS, hiatal hernia, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, the beginning stages of high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. I love food, I'm not a snacker but a big portion eater, and sometimes eat for emotional distress or because it just looks too good to pass up. I am not into sweets, sodas, candies, chips, typical junk food, but I like real food...I just eat too much. The doctor explained that I would have to loose 10 or 15 lbs pre-op and be on a liquid diet for about six weeks before surgery. That didn't scare me, I could do that. He told me about the adjustments of the band and I thought I could do that. What scared me to death was that he said I would have to cut up my food to 1/8" for the rest of my life. I thought I heard him incorrectly and asked if things would need to be cut down to the size of a pea...and he said no....I would have to cut my peas up. Now there is every reason in the world for me to do this procedure, but if I had the will power to be on a liquid diet for 8 weeks and spend the rest of my life cutting peas and crushing pills...I don't think I would need the lap-band or even be in the position to need it. I realize I would have to make a commitment to make this work, that it would be hard, emotionally trying, and would hopefully be the help I need to get back on track with my health. But I like to enjoy my meal and not focus on how big the bites are. For me, eating is a struggle and I was hoping the lap-band would help me end that relationship with food. If I get the lap-band will I continue to find that eating is a struggle? I am pretty devastated about this because I am afraid the lap-band will not work for me and I have no other options left. I don't like the idea of gastric bypass as a friend of mine almost died from it. So I need to know how your life is several months after being banded and how "normal" you feel in you life and in your relationship with food. Thank you in advance, and it is ok to be brutally honest with me.