Have you thought about Lap Band Surgery!

cheachea2

I have been working on losing weight since I was 15 years old and I still struggle mentally with the issue. I have lost weight one good time in my life and over 2 years gained it back. I have found past the age of 25 it has been much more difficult to get the weight off. I go into it mentally strong but with slow progress and continued plateaus, I give up and get no where. I have always been heavy but in the past few years have lost self confidence and I am unhappy with the way I look. Completely Defeated. So at my last year Dr. Appt my doctor asked me did I want to look into the lapband. I was scared to have the surgery and I would be disappointed in myself that I didnt have the will power to do it on my own. Here I am a year later going to my yearly in 2 days and I am considering telling my Doctor to refer me to the weightloss clinic to get the information. What are the thoughts out there? Have you had the surgery? Have you considered? Do you have the same reservations? Input PLEASE!?!?!?!

JustForMe2

I have considered it SEVERAL times. SO I watched You Tube videos of people who have had Lap Band - and ... almost all of them struggle the same way we struggle... and if they do succeed, I believe they would have succeeded with out the band. One of the video people said it's not the restriction that makes you lose weight - the restriction helps you figure out what being satisfied by food feels like with out the band. The point isn't to eat until you can't, it's to eat until you're just not hungry.... I don't know, there was a lot of wisdom in those videos that I feel like I need to give myself one last shot. I'm faxing my food diaries in weekly to my doctor - I'm sure they're just going in the recycle can, but it's helping me....

TheImageCoach

Good morning!

I'm a successful lap band patient - I had the surgery in Nov 2008 and lost 85 lbs in 14 months. I've kept off the majority of it for nearly 4 years, and I'm very happy I had the surgery. I had several health issues that pushed me toward the lap band - a family history of high blood pressure and diabetes, plus my own weight problem. There IS no 'quick fix' or 'easy' solution.

I chose the lap band because it's completely reversible (should you choose to do so - I will never have my band removed) and because you don't have the potential issues with malnutrition that can occur with the other "malabsorptive" surgeries (gastric bypass, gastric sleeve). There is no change in how your body digests food, it's purely a restrictive surgery. You simply can't eat as much as you could pre-band.

I have found that exercise is a critically important part of the overall plan. I lost quite a bit before getting serious about exercising - I was doing a little here, a little there, but after my weight loss plateaued for a while, I got moving. I started with 15 min of walking every day, then worked up to 30 min, then 45, and then I started jogging. I used the Couch to 5K program and ran my first 5K in 2010. Now I'm a regular walker / runner and do occasional races. I found that as I worked out more, my weight loss because steadier and more sustainable. I still love to eat (one reason why I'll never remove my band) and because I have a band, I can eat less and be satisfied with less.

Ask any other questions you might have - I 'll try to help. I will say that I also struggled with my weight from my teens and did not have the lap band surgery until I was in my 40's. It took a major health crisis (two days in the hospital with an irregular heartbeat) to make me truly get focused on my health - please don't wait that long to make the decision that is right for you! I am now 50 and would not trade my lap band for ANYTHING. I wish I'd known about it years ago!

davebrownoffice

I have researched a little this subject, because I tried to lose weight by exercising and didn't get any results:sad:. I'm still deciding on what should I do because according to a post on http://blog.dayonehealth.com/lap-band-and-exercise-routines/ there are a few thinks to consider after this kind of procedure and I am not sure if this is the best choice for me. Recently I've heard about a quite interesting procedure called POSE. They say is less invasive. So far I have exercised by my own and due to the lack of results now I'm considering a professional trainer. Maybe this way I will start losing weight and I won't be needing a lap band or any other procedures.

I summarized here a few things about lap band.Here is what I found:
Patients are usually released from the hospital the day following their surgery and they are able to resume work within one week. However they must follow strict dietary rules. The first week following surgery only liquid diet is permitted. Mashed and soft foods are gradually added to the diet and within one month patients will be able to tolerate solid food.
Within one week after surgery patients will have their first post-operative visit. During this visit the surgeon will adjust the gastric band by placing a needle into the port and filling the balloon with water. The band can be adjusted periodically to fit the needs of every patient.
After recovery patients will still have to maintain a strict diet in order to avoid complications and to obtain the desired weight loss. The lap band itself can only regulate the amount of food a person can take in, but it cannot control the calories. To achieve weight loss patients have to:
• consume low calorie foods
• have only small meals several times a day
• eat slowly and chew their food well
• avoid drinking water for half an hour after every meal
• avoid sugary beverages
• make sure to consume fresh fruits or vegetables with every meal
• avoid foods that might block the reduced size stomach such as corns for example
Another aspect lap-band patients have to consider is that regular exercise is required for a successful weight loss. Depending on the level of their activity prior to surgery patients can begin their exercise program with a half an hour walk every day, gradually increasing it to more demanding activities.

mabupi

I'm glad to hear ThelmageCoach had a good experience, but be VERY CAUTIOUS when preparing for/researching for this procedure. I used to work in a hospital that did this surgery commonly, and I saw high numbers of patients return needing to be hospitalized due to post-surgery complications. More than 5 of my coworkers also had the lap band, and 4 of them experienced SEVERE health problems due to the band slipping months or even years after the procedure. It could be that I just happened to see an unusually high number of people with problems and overall it's a great procedure, but after my experiences I would never recommend it to my friends or family, much less consider it myself. Just be careful and good luck to you in your journey for health no matter what you decide!