Anyone considering gastric banding???

Only you can know what's right for you.

For me? I didn't want to have one. Other people suggested it to me. Even went as far as to email a link or two for me. How helpful and subtle.

For me, it was about taking control. I didn't want to feel as if something else was controlling what I ate or didn't eat. I wanted, and needed for my own sanity, to take control of it and be in control of my own weight, of my own intake...to be in control of my body and life really.

Is it easy? Oh no LOL But you learn as you go, learn new habits. I see it as trying to reshape my lifestyle for...well...life LOL If I want to go out and have a bbq or a treat meal, I want to be able to do it and enjoy it. I want to have the choice to be able to eat what I want and not have something in me controlling it.

We're all different though. I'm sure it's been a good experience for many people.

Just had a friend have her's released due to excessive vomiting and damage to her esophagus.

I haven't had it, so of course my point of view is just based on what I have read....

Even with that procedure, you are STILL required to completely change your eating and fitness habits in order to actually have success. So, if you still need to restrict calories (even more so) and you still need to be active in order to see success, why go through an invasive procedure that is known to have some very serious side effects? Maybe for some, having the procedure FORCES them to make the changes in order not to feel sick every day... bit if that is the incentive people need, that they want to avoid feeling sick, well, think about the illnesses related to being overweight.

The band just forces you to eat a smaller amount of food. This can be done without permanent surgery.

I kinda thought of it and one my co-workers got one. He's a total pig and I decided to follow his footsteps to losing weight the easy way. I found that self control and exercising for 400+ minutes a week was the right way of going about it. I found losing weight it was all a mental afeter you get over that bump its quite easy.

BTW my co-worker didn't lose anything from the banding ironically.

I know several people that have had the surgery and most of them are still thinner, but they have numerous health problems. Have you tried the Paleo way? If you are very strict with it.....you WILL lose weight. But just try and stay at 80% if you can't go at it 100% right at the beginning. Let your carbs come from fruits and veggies. Good luck with whatever way you choose to lose.

my mom had it about 12 or so years ago. She has maintained the weight loss and is at a very safe weight. For the first couple years she was pretty sick because she would pretty much throw everything up. She is much better now though. There are certain things she simply can no longer eat, but other than that there haven't been any major side effects that have stuck around. Honestly, it has been pretty much a magic pill for her. she does not meticulously plan out her food or anything like that. She simply eats much less than she used too.

not sure where you live but very large medical facility here in so california will no longer do the banding. the doctors group that I had my surgery through will no longer do the banding. I had gastric bypass in December 2010 and have lost 160 pounds. I take my vitamins as per instructed by my doctor. I actually am trying to gain back 18-20 pounds and it's not as easy as the other people are stating. I have tried to eat the crap junk food that got me to be 265 pounds and can't! I can barely drink 4 oz of any soda. I made the choice that was best suited for ME! Not what others thought or what others told me and I heard every single horror story in the book. Any surgery is filled with complications and they tell you this up front. You do not get to walk into a medical facility and say I want the surgery today and thank you. You are put through classes you see a psychiatrist to make sure your able to handle the lifestyle changes. You have to be willing to put forth the lifestyle change. I left my husband 3 weeks after having surgery why because he was not willing to support my choice. I will not lie it is not easy and yes some of the people on here can do it themselves without surgery. I had some other medical issues that was not making that possible. So choose for yourself because no one knows better for you than you!

I am in the process of getting RnY bypass surgery, or possible a vertical sleeve if the insurance will cover it. I do not know how much you know about how surgery will affect your life. Though the band less so than the other options. It is multifaceted. First, you MUST change your eating habits. If you don't, you will fail and fail hard. Or worse. It is not a magic fixit like so many people on here seem to think, it requires a great deal of post op work and a change in lifestyle.

The band is something that can work if you are relatively mobile and do not have a significant amount of weight to lose. It takes the longest of all the options to do its thing. Is prone to slippage and other issues like esophageal erosion. It is very common for people who first opted for a band to go back and get a sleeve.

My biggest word of advice for anyone considering surgery is to know what they are getting into and that it still requires work, a lot of work. If you aren't willing to do the work without the band or bypass surgery don't think that after having surgery anything will change. Be honest with yourself about what you are willing to do for the rest of your life.

I have seen people post opp do amazing things and drop weight like water in a bucket. I've also seen people fail miserably and end up hospitalized because of the poor choices they made. The surgery can and does work, but you have to work with it, not against it.

I can't actually tell you by personal effort. My parents and my sister and I have a big build but that is not the answer or a reason. I know that after we lost my mom in 2002 to cancer. My sister, all of a whole 33 years, decided that the doctors at the hosp. where she worked knew what they were doing and did the band on her. I know she died of alcoholism. But I know she was down to less than stick figure and could not eat anything. She was taking more pills and liquids than substance. I got the call finally when there was nothing else to do. I was the one that was the last to know. I had seen her once for 15 minutes in that whole time before she died in 2010. I will never forget how small and fragile she was and how terrible she looked. Yah she was pretty but she was not healthy. You could see all her bones and were afraid to even touch her. Yah I am a very big person. but I will do it slowly and then quit when I get to what I want to be.
All I can say is look at the pitcher after. What is the next step and When will you be happy? Where is the end? Please be very careful and get all the information first.
Take care.

My dad had the band put in a few years ago. You still need a total lifestyle change by changing the portions of what you eat dramatically. My dad struggled with this and frequently had to go to the bathroom to throw up after meals because of over eating. Took quite a change to get him on track.

Have you visited obesityhelp.com? There is a forum for each type of surgery. Lots of good information and research available out there...

Good questions. I've been doing a lot of research and know two people who have had the procedure. Here's a link that explains how the procedure works in losing weight: http://www.realize.com/adjustable-gastric-band-surgery-information.htm

It is about smaller portions but allows food to stay in a smaller portion of your stomach, which causes the food to be digested slower, so you stay fuller longer.

One person I know had it done and have had some success but has a lot of the issues other's had mentioned. Another person I know had it done and hasn't had any of those issues. I think it really is a gamble on how it affects everyone.

I agree that it's a gamble, which is why when my mother asked if I would consider it I said no way, I didn't like the odds.

As for the "feeling full longer" bc food is digested slower, well, to me, that seems like just tricking the mind into feeling something, instead of learning that not being full is really ok! I know, in my mind, that I can go several hours without eating and I'm not going to starve or pass out*** So just having an empty belly isn't a reason to eat. I consider other factors when deciding if I should eat something, and some questions I ask myself are: when did I eat last? what and how much did I eat last? How much have I eaten all day in relation to my goals? How much activity did I participate in today? Am I "hungry" because it's really time to eat? Or do I want to eat because I feel an empty belly, and I have the munchies?
(**of course some people DO need to eat often bc of blood sugar etc, but barring any medical issues, going several hours without food is totally ok)

I absolutely used to eat until I was overfull, and the minute there was room in my stomach for more, I gave it more! An empty belly to me, felt like a void to be filled. Now, omg I love the feeling of NOT being full! That feeling when my digestive system has already started sending my last meal through my system, before any new food gets in there, is very liberating. I am no longer ruled by a stomach that says "hey, hey you, there's room in here now, gimme somethin!"

I think I see this as such a mental issue, that any surgical fixes don't really solve it. They just try to cover it up, or trick us into different behavior. Yes, learning the difference between wanting to eat and being actually hungry is tricky, but once I figured it out, all I needed was to practice saying no when I wasn't truly hungry. and practice. and practice. and fail lol. and practice some more.

If a friend or loved one was going to do this procedure, I would of course support them in their efforts, I just personally feel that healthier results come from a less intrusive method. I don't intend to discourage you or make you feel bad for considering the procedure so I hope you don't take it that way. I think I'm sharing all my thoughts on it because the more information you have, the more opinions you read, the better able you will be to make the decision that is right for you.