Why is everyone judged/ashamed of their lapband?

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I might do some research on this topic, I'd love to find out some of the other facts on it, like rate of relapse and underlying reasoning of choosing it. Maybe also some numbers on the amount of people who've attributed their weight gain to psychological trauma and if those relapse rates are different from the whole. It's interesting to me.
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There is relapse but the percentanges is not as high as dieting and exercising alone. The stats still show that only 5% of the people keep thier weight off from the regular approach.

I am not sure on lap band stats, but for Gastric Bypass in 2004 when I had mines these were the stats: 50% gained back 50% of lost weight in 5 years after GP. For me being morbibly obese my entire life and super morbibly obese over half of my life, at 39 years old I was desperate and tired and I had tried everything else and GB was an option for me. I researched it 3 years before doing it.

I am still morbibly obese and I managed to keep off over 200 pounds thus far. So was it worth it for me. Absolutely. It would have taken me another decade to lose 400 plus pounds on my own. So I had to take a chance that I would not be one of the ones who gained back 50% of my weight. I was headed in that direction and I said I can not go back down this road and I put the brakes on right before I found this site. So I have about 150 more I will lose and even then I will still be overweight but a lot healthier at 200+ vs. 600+

I am fortunate that I've never had a lot of issues with my weight. So, admittedly, I'm kind of talking about what I don't know, and would like to get that out of the way first.

That said, I work(ed) with 2 women who have had bariatric surgery of one flavor or another. One had a gastric bypass, the other has a lap band. I also worked with one woman who is morbidly obese; 5'5" tall, 395 lbs.

The 2 women who had procedures are both nurses. The one who had the bypass (I'll call her C), used food to cope with raising a special needs son. Her son has bipolar, ADHD, ODD, and a few other challenges. He was institutionalized for a brief time. C used food and alcohol to deal with the pressures he put on the family. She lost 147 lbs after the bypass, BUT continues to live with dumping syndrome, excessive gas, and GI issues. She also had an infection after the surgery that nearly killed her. She does eat healthily now, salads with fat free dressing, whole grains, no fast food. Her diet has really improved, but mostly because she has worse GI problems if she doesn't eat well.

The woman who had the lap band (She's A), still eats horribly. Culver's burgers, goes out drinking, candy bars, full-fat frozen meals, Chocolate Shop ice cream, and she thinks the lap band is a "blessing". Sure, she's lost about 120 lbs, but she still looks like complete CRAP. She pours herself into tight jeans that do nothing but showcase her booty and saddlebags, t-shirts from the junior's department that make her look pregnant... it's embarassing, really. And her oldest child, her son? He's 13 years old, and while he's tall for his age at about 5' 10", he's fat too, because he eats what his mother eats. He's an athletic boy, but if he eats all his meals from Culvers, KFC, and Pizza Hut with his mom, and that's what she's taught him, he can work out all day, be overweight, and grow up believing he has a genetic predisposition to being heavy.

L, the obese woman, wants gastric bypass. But I also saw what she ate for lunch. Two frozen meals, yes, TWO, one of which I remember quite clearly: Chicken in Herb Butter Sauce. BUTTER SAUCE. TWO of them.

I don't judge people just because they've had a weight loss procedure (or want one). But in the cases I've seen, I don't think they were necessary. There are/were things C could have done to help her deal with the pressures of raising a son with behavioral disorders. Also, because of her complications, she almost left 4 children motherless. I'm seriously thinking A didn't even try to change her diet or exercise plan before getting the lap band, because after, she isn't eating any better and has deluded herself into thinking she's skinny. And L? Try eating one portion of healthy food instead of 3 or 4 of butter sauce.

You can lambast me if you like because as I said, I've never been in that position. But from where I'm sitting, I know THREE people that could have done more to help themselves before resorting to surgery. Is it necessary for some people to have weight loss surgery? Maybe. Is it necessary for most people who get it? I have my doubts.

I had lapband surgery in October 2008 and quickly lost 70+ pounds. I really should lose 20-30 more. I quit losing when I quit writing down what I ate. I continued to eat fairly well and exercise off/on. The fortunate thing is that I didn't GAIN--my band won't let me overeat (or I throw up and I HATE that!). For instance, I just ate some squash and part of a piece of thin crust pizza and I'm stuffed. (It's too hot to cook in the oven so we are improvising with stovetop and microwave) What it DOES allow you to do is consume alcohol and certain high calorie foods (ice cream for instance). I'm starting with MFP to keep track of calories/protein/carbs again and am feeling motivated!! I went out with friends/hubby last night and managed to stay on track!!

FYI--I have been morbidly obese for several years after giving birth to four kids. I have a herniated disc and have had back surgery. I also have rheumatoid arthritis (and I'm 42). The weight had/has to go!