Choosing to do that Lap-Ban...any concerns?

there's a really inspiring story on cnn.com about a couple who together have lost 500 pounds between them, but note that it has taken 2 years of calorie counting and exercise. if you have a lap-ban, you will have to be even more careful about what you eat than you possible are now, and you can even gain weight again.so make sure you have healthy habits in place before undergoing major surgery.

The whole digestive system is a lot more than a bag that gets full, which seems to be the logic many people use to justify the various surgeries.
Messing with such a fundamental system should only be done if the alternative is a very high possibility of death.
I've lost 140 lbs of my original 144 lb goal. I plan to probably lose another 20 on top of that. I've done one simple step at a time, and besides the obvious health improvements, the journey has changed and improved me as a human being in a multitude of ways.
I never would have gained what I have through some quick fix. And that is not even looking at how surgery doesn't prepare you for the rest of your life in the way a long term diet and exercise plan would.

Wonderful post and congratulations on your weight loss, that's a serious achievement. Well done.

As an aside, why are we saying 'Lap-Ban'? is it not 'Lap-BAND' as in it's a BAND they put on your stomach???

I totally support your decision to lose weight & get healthier through WLS. Nearly a year ago I had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) done laparoscopically & have lost 90 lbs. It was definitely one of the best choices I have ever made. That being said, I would hesitate to have a Lap Band. When I first met with my surgeon, I was also considering the band & he said that he was not recommending them anymore because the number of complications outweighed the number of successes. I suggest you look into a different type of surgery. The sleeve is also a restrictive type of surgery--you do not have to deal with the nutritional malabsorbtion issues of a bypass.

Any rapid weight loss can cause hair loss--I went through it, still have plenty of hair, & what I lost is growing back. Weight loss surgery is not to be taken lightly & you will still have to deal with your eating issues. It is also not "the easy way" or the "lazy" way. I worked with a nutritionist for 6 months prior to having my surgery, went to the psych testing, went through the pain of the surgery & recovery, & have had to totally change my way of eating while still providing my 4 children with food they will eat. Could I have done it without the surgery? Probably. Could I have kept it off? Probably not. I've been losing weight & regaining it for a long time.

To say that you just need to eat less than you burn is a really naive way to look at all the issues around weight loss. If it were really that easy, everyone would be skinny. To ignore the emotional issues/psych issues attached to eating & the motivations that fuel food addiction with a simplistic energy in & energy out formula is not dealing with real life. I also think that this forum is just about the least supportive place to be when considering WLS. I suggest you head over to www.3fatchicks.com . Don't feel like you have to justify your choices to anyone. You are making the best choice for you.

Hi Laura,
I did not have this done, but I am close with a few coworkers who have had this procedure. I am assuming you feel you have exhausted all other nonsurgical ways to lose weight. I am sorry to say that all the people I work with that have this and have had it for a long time, lost a lot of weight initially and then, gradually put most of it back on despite the lap band. Watching my one coworker eat candy all day I can see how she put the weight back on. I have been told that it forces you to eat smaller meals and certain foods, like carbs that expand with liquid in you stomach can make you feel very uncomfortable. Personally, I would never have this done. I am a believer in exercise and a healthy diet. I need to lose about 50lbs. Since I have been out of control with eating again, I am going back on Medifast. I recommend it. It is not a long term solution, but it helped me get on track the first time I did it and I lost 30 lbs. I know nothing is a magic weight loss bullet. It is up to me to make the right choices. I do feel much better and more motivated when I do one of my exercise DVDs 20-60 minutes at least 5 times a week. I work and it is much easier for me to fit a workout in before work if I know I do not have to get dressed to go to a gym. I did Curves after work for a year, but I rather get the workout over with first thing in the morning. I wish you great success in whatever you decide. --Bernadette

I did the bypass surgery almost 10 years ago, I don't regret it a minute from my decision, the only thing that I wasn't aware of it, and after 8 years maintaining my weight, I started putting the weight on, little by little. I couldn't understand why, since I kept myself active and kind of choosing the right food, but still the weight was crawling all over again, so I gained 30+ pounds within 2 years, struggling to get rid off it, without any success. I was more than sure I was having problems with my thyroid, but since it's hard to be detected, my doctor didn't want to prescribe me something to fix the problem. I started taking iodine by myself (researched) and now, finally my weight is going back to where I was when I had the gastric bypass surgery. Before the surgery I was 242 pds, and very active, but losing 2 pds and putting back 3 pds per week. After the surgery, my lowest weight was 142 pds, I maintained for years at 157 pds, until few months ago, my highest weight reached 197 pds. Just keep in mind that you'll always struggle with your weight, even though you won't be able to eat a lot, but if you don't watch yourself you can start choosing to eat the wrong food, and your body will retain EVERYTHING, because it was used to eat a reasonable portion, and now...it thinks, it is in deprivation mode! And whoever said this surgery is for lazy people, they are dead wrong! each one of us know the struggles, frustrations, depressions we go through, and in my case...something I was not, was Lazy! Good luck to you!