The Linda O Questionaire

I'm going to follow Amy's example and post my responses to the list of questions that Linda O. put on her blog. These are really great questions, and I bet that most future bandsters wonder about them. Here goes. . .

1. ANY REGRETS? Are you happy with your decision and would you do it again?
I have no regrets. I would do this again in a heartbeat.

2. ARE YOU SORRY, YOU DIDN'T GIVE TRADITIONAL DIETING ONE MORE TRY?
No way -- even if I could have taken off the weight with traditional dieting, which I can not imagine, I would be terrified about the extreme likelihood that I would eventually gain it all back and more. Now I don't worry about that. My band keeps me honest.

3. WHAT IS THE WORST THING ABOUT HAVING THE BAND?
None of the stuff you'd think would be a big deal really is. I don't miss pigging out, planning meals isn't that bad, sliming & PBing don't happen often enough that they are a big burden, etc. For me, the hardest thing is keeping the right balance between protecting my personal privacy and being open with people I care about.

4. WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT HAVING THE BAND?
Just one thing?!? Too hard! For me, it's that it has finally let me conquer the weight problem that I'd been feeling terrible about for as long as I can remember. And that I actually feel good about how my body looks. And that I am healthy, strong and fit and feel more attractive than I've felt in years. I could go on, but I'll stop there! :)

5. On a scale of 1 to 10 HOW HARD WAS/IS IT PSYCHOLOGICALLY TO GET OVER THE FACT THAT YOU CAN'T EAT THE SAME WAY ANYMORE?
I'd give it a 2. I was ready to make the change when I got banded, so the motivation helped me to get through the transition. Truth is, I still eat pretty much the same things, I just eat less of them (but am still full and feel satisfied). It took more effort to plan my meals and look at menus on-line before I went out to eat (so I wouldn't have to stress about what I could eat after I got there), but it was so worth it to me (even at the time) because the weight was finally coming off.

6. HAS BEING BANDED MADE YOUR PERSONALITY CHANGE? For the better or worse?
No -- I'm exactly the same. It did, however, change my bee-hind, which is now quite a bit smaller and cuter! LOL

7. Are you still able to party a little? (I am a wine drinker...can't imagine giving it up completely) and are you a party pooper now cause you can't party as much?
Hell yes. And I have never been accused of being a party-pooper! :) I still have wine on a regular basis, go out with friends several times a week, stay out late, etc. The only difference is that now I am even more careful never to drink so much that I would be hungover to the point of having to throw up, since that would not be too cool with the band.

The one thing I don't choose to do now is have a martini -- it's just way too much alcohol for me at this weight and given how much less food I eat these days! I used to have one maybe every 3 months or so, but now I generally stick to wine. I also stopped drinking cocktails that have carbonation.

8. HOW MUCH HAPPIER ARE YOU WITH YOUR BODY? I am wondering what I will look like 50-80 lbs thinner. I am 47 and will have a "lose skin" issue.
I am so much happier, that just thinking of it will bring tears of gratitude to my eyes. I feel so lucky to have found this tool and to have been able to make this kind of progress. The fact that I've been working out like a maniac for the past 6 or so months has helped, too.

On the loose skin issue, I'll be surprised if you have too much, since 50-80 lbs isn't a huge amount to lose, and you are only 47. I was happily surprised both (a) not to have any; and (b) that the "girls" seem to have bounced back into place (one of my biggest fears pre-op was the tennis-ball-in-a-sock effect. . ). I definitely recommend using lots of moisturizer -- maybe find one for pregnant women that promotes elastin.

9. HAVE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS CHANGED? Spouses? Family? Friends? Strangers?
No -- my relationships are all pretty much the same. However, I've stopped avoiding old friends and have been reaching out to people more, now that I'm no longer ashamed for them to see how fat I'd let myself become. So, I guess that's a positive.

As for strangers, I'm getting a lot more attention from men, and am getting a bit more star treatment when I'm out and about (better service, better tables, etc.).

10. DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE SAME PERSON OR COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NOW THAT YOU HAVE LOST WEIGHT?
I feel like my old self, and it feels wonderful. This is the best feeling in the world to me, and I am so incredibly grateful. The effort and changes that I had to make to work my band are absolutely nothing compared with it. I am happy to have made them, and don't remember ever feeling deprived or like I was missing out.

11. (I'm adding this one on.) What do you wish someone would have told you pre-op that would have helped you to be less fearful about having the surgery?
I wish that I would have known that if there is no fill in my band, I can eat just like I did before. I was so worried that I'd hate it -- that the band would feel like some kind of stomach-prison, and I'd be really hungry and hating it that I couldn't eat enough. None of that turned out to be true. BUT, during Bandster Hell, when I found out that I could eat whatever I wanted even though I was banded, that was a bit of a relief for me. Even though I don't want to go back to eating the way I used to, just knowing that I could in an instant if I decided that was what I wanted made me less stressed about what I was giving up. And honestly, I haven't missed it for a second.

I hope that helps! Great questions, Linda!!