My surgery was 12/13/04. I weighed in at 280 pounds. Now I weigh 195 after a tummy tuck 3/3/06.

I love my new self. I am so happy and my self esteem has gone up so much. I think I am on top of the world.

I would like to thank two very important people in my life without whom I could not have done this; first my wonderful wife, who supported me and stood by me from the beginning, and Dr. Daniel Jones who saved and changed my life. Without them I don't think I would be alive today.

My name is Joel and I am fifty-nine years old. I've been a master chef for approximately thirty years. I have been overweight most of my adult life and have had a lot of different medical problems, such as being diabetic - taking insulin three times per day, and severe pain in both legs from carrying around all the extra weight. Some days the pain was so bad I could not even walk. I also suffered from sleep apnea requiring a special machine with a mask to assist my breathing so I could sleep. As the years went by my problems just got worse. Being a chef and around food twelve hours a day made it very difficult for me to diet. I tried many different diets, lost weight and gained it back numerous times. I was at the end of my rope. If I didn't do something very quickly I would probably die.

I had heard about gastric bypass and called Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. They sent me information to review and after I did, I made the call to set up an appointment to see if I could have the surgery. I didn't even tell my wife at this time. I would say, "I have a doctor's appointment at such and such a time" and she would say, "no", because you see she always made all my doctor appointments. But this I did myself. I wanted to see if this procedure was right for me. I went to the hospital, completed the forms and had a lot of questions. I had a physical, saw a nurse, a psychiatrist, and a doctor to see if the bypass was for me. The psychiatrist asked me why I wanted this done. I told her I had a weight problem and other medical issues and I just wanted to bring my food intake down to lose weight. She then told me about a new kind of stomach procedure that would make me eat less and told me that I was an excellent candidate for this new procedure called a Gastric Lap-Band. She told me more about it and I told her this was just for me, and G-d was watching over me. I agreed to do it.

It took a few months of paperwork and doctor visits before the surgery. Then I told my wife what I had planned to do. She thought I was crazy, but I told her this was my last resort. I took her to orientation where a group of people like me shared their stories. We met one of the other surgeons. It was supposed to be Dr. Jones, but he was called away that night. My wife told me after the meeting "I'm with you all the way, honey". A couple of days later I had my date for surgery, August 21, 2003. The day Dr. Jones changed my life. Up to that point I had never met Dr. Jones. The morning of my surgery I was waiting in my room, people coming in and getting me ready - anesthesiologists, nurses, etc., checking me over and asking me different questions. Then all of a sudden someone came in my room and said "hello, Mr. Sisel". I said, "who the heck are you?" He said, "I'm Dr. Jones" and I said, "no , you're not - You are the elusive Dr. Jones."

I felt very comfortable with Dr. Jones doing my surgery. The surgery went perfectly. I have five small incisions in my abdomen and a portal under my skin in the abdomen so Dr. Jones can adjust the size of the band by injecting saline to make it larger or smaller. I was up and walking two hours after the surgery and went home the next day. The next few weeks after the surgery were the hardest for me. The liquid protein diet did not agree with me; so being a chef I changed my diet a little to better agree with me. I changed it to a light chicken broth with a little rice, and I was OK. Then things started to change. I started losing weight, feeling better, and adjusted to eating differently, and the weight started coming off. I started to change. It's been over three years since my surgery. I feel good and I look great. I lost fourteen inches on my waist, and over 100 pounds at my greatest loss. I take pride in my appearance; I have self esteem again. I am different inside and out since I lost my weight. Heavy people are treated differently than others and are looked down upon. I recommend this procedure with all my heart and soul, but remember that it's not a magic pill. You need to work at it every single day. When I had my surgery, the only person I told was my wife. I did not tell my friends, people at work, or family. I had my surgery during my two-week vacation. After the surgery I told my son and my daughter what I had done. I just can't say enough about this procedure. I've been on the radio, the Internet, and was included in a DVD about this procedure. I highly recommend it to everyone, it's a lifesaver.

My wife and I were all dressed up at a formal event. The hostess came over and said to my wife, Cheryl "It is so great to see you, but where is Joel?" I was standing right next to her, but the hostess didn't even recognize me. It is such a great feeling. People who have known me for years don't even recognize me. Starting from day one with the receptionists to the nurses, to the doctors and everyone affiliated with the Lap Band I was treated with utmost dignity and respect, and that is a great feeling.

I love Dr. Jones for saving my life and saving my wife's life, which is a whole other story. I used to eat a four-pound chicken in ten minutes. I ate not because I was hungry; but just to eat. Now if I eat a chicken thigh I am full, which tells you how much things have changed. Before the operation I was obsessed with food - eat, eat, eat - now, food is no longer important to me. I eat only if I'm hungry - three small meals a day and I enjoy them greatly. If I'm not hungry I just don't eat. I no longer eat just to eat. The small space in my stomach is too important to me. Another reason I decided to have the surgery is to see my daughter get married and dance at her wedding.

My wife Cheryl also has a very special bond with Dr. Jones. Approximately, two and a half years ago she was diagnosed with a rare form of stomach cancer and needed surgery. She was very scared until she found out that Dr. Jones would be doing her surgery. She had the utmost confidence in him as a surgeon and this is why we have the relationship that we do with Dr. Jones; a two-for-one special. When my wife found out she needed stomach surgery as soon as possible, Dr. Jones' schedule was full, but he said he would fit her in right away even if he had to sleep over in the hospital in his pajamas.

When I used to go in for my check-ups, I would bake and bring desserts for all the staff -- homemade fudge, pies and cheesecakes, etc. to show my thanks. Dr. Jones said to me, "I have to stop this because if I keep it up, I would have to do the Lap Band on myself!"

One day I made lunch for the staff - assorted sandwiches and cakes. I found out Dr. Jones liked roast beef with mayonnaise. He told me that every time he ordered it he received funny looks because most people have it with mustard. So, I made him a two foot, cooked to perfection roast beef sandwich, three inches thick with lettuce and tomato, with many packages of mayonnaise around the sandwich. You should have seen his face. That night I got a call from his wife on my answering machine thanking me for supper that night.

A few weeks after my wife's surgery I had an appointment with Dr. Jones. He asked me how my wife was doing and I replied, "Emotionally not so good". At that point, he stopped my appointment, asked me to wait outside the exam room, called my wife on the phone and talked to her for about twenty minutes. Then he asked me to come back in and finish my appointment.

I had decided that when I finally reached my goal weight I wanted one thing, so I bought it. What was it? A complete leather outfit, including leather bike pants, vest, boots, jacket, gloves and a special hat called a dew rag. My wife thought I was nuts. I also bought leather shorts for the summer, and a leather belt with a big silver buckle. I looked so good I scared myself. This is the kind of self-confidence I now have since I lost the weight.

After 11 years I lost my job due to budget cuts, but don't despair because I found a new job even before I left the last one. I was a chef for a senior adult lunch program, which was in the same building as an assisted living program. When word reached the employees at the assisted living program, they came to me and asked me to run their two kitchens and manage the kitchen staff. Every day my wife would set out my clothes for me because I had to "dress the part." I was a food service director and had a staff of about 20 people plus 100 residents to feed. Everyday I would wear a different outfit and go around to visit the residents to see how dinner went the night before. They would remark how good I looked because many of these people knew me before the band. I had one staff person, a registered care nurse who would give me two thumbs up everyday and say I looked great. That made me feel so great, words cannot describe.

As an orthodox Jew, every Saturday I go to temple to pray. I've been going to the same temple for about 20 years, so the other congregants saw the change in my weight. Typically I wore a shirt and tie to the synagogue, but on Purim, a holiday on which costumes may be worn I told my wife that I was going to wear my biker outfit. When I walked into temple wearing my leather outfit, everyone was in shock, even the Rabbi. He came to me and said, "Which is the real Joel, the one who comes to temple in a suit and tie, or the one in the leather pants?" I leaned over to the Rabbi and whispered into his ear and said, "Rabbi, this is the real Joel."

I take great pride in the way I look now and how I feel about myself inside and out. My wife says, "Dr. Jones created a monster!"

I love my new banded life. I was so tired of being fat, overweight or obese What ever you want to call it, I was tired of it. I had tried every diet and diet pill that I could find. Sure I would lose some weight only to have it return with some of it's unattraxtive friends and always harder to lose the next time. I knew if I didn't do something I wouldn't be able to keep up with my granddaughter. My feet, my back and my knees always hurt and I was just plain tired all the time. The extra weight was too much for me.

I had concidered gastric bypass but I felt the risk were high. When I heard about the lap band I knew it was the tool that I had been looking for. It takes commetment and dedication that I could do!

I am so thankfull to have found the doctor that I have. Dr. Mark Watson is fantastic. His entire office is staffed with the greatest group of people. They make sure you have all the info you need.

At the begining I thought I would do something wrong and the band wouldn't work for me. Boy was I wrong! My band is the greatest gift I have ever given myself.

I have lost more weight than I ever thought possible and best of all I have kept it off! I have gone form squeezing my...into a tight size 22 down to a size2/size0. My starting weight was 236lbs. and now I weight 124lbs.

I hope they neve have a recall because this is one band they won't be getting back.

-Sheila Wantland