...I really need a Lap band?

How is your family eating habits? Have you ever asked yourself why you are fat? Do you eat your ''emotion'' sort of speak?

I mean most people can lose weight to an healthy level without any surgery if they don't have any medical condition and have the will and support to get there.

You're 21. Which isn't very old, but you don't need to push for a dietician, you need to do it. Do a web search, or check out who is covered by your insurance, or even make an appointment with your family doctor and ask for a referral. Your family might (or might not) mean well, but this is YOUR life. When they tell you you 'need' a lap band, smile, thank them for their concern, and tell them you've made an appointment. Or else tell them to jump in a lake and let you worry about you. The first is more polite, but since it is your life, you should do whichever one reminds you that you're the one with the power.

don't let them push you into a surgery you don't want. And don't let them make you pay for a doctor's visit for even a consultation if you don't want to do it.

You can do this. Use this to motivate you to prove them wrong.

Good for you for wanting to lose the weight naturally. Even if you get a lap band, you will still have the emotional side to deal with, and that's what your family needs to understand. The lap band will fail miserably if you don't deal with WHY you are overeating in the first place. Plus, you want to be healthy for the rest of your life, right? Explain to your family that to be successful in the long-term, you need to learn to eat right and fuel your body properly, and a lap band is just an easy way out.

I've already explained to then what my concerns were about the long-term condition of my overeating and they won't listen. Then they get angry with me for throwing their idea away.

You mentioned that your mom had gastric bypass - have the others had surgeries as well? This might be root cause of them pushing you into it - they couldn't do it on their own, and now they want you to get the surgery as well. If you are successful, then you are reminding them of their own failures. I'm cynical by nature, so I could be totally wrong, but once you mentioned that your mom had had surgery, it began to click for me that there might be more to their pushing you into surgery...

It might not be that they don't think you can do it. It might be because they are afraid you can!

You're 21 years old. Why is anyone other than you scheduling medical appointments for you? Why do you think you need to "push to see a dietitian or counselor?" As an adult, you determine what medical care you will have. No one can or should try to force you to have an elective surgery against your will. That's just crazy! I strongly recommend counseling to help you set some boundaries with your family members, as that may be a big part of your weight issues.

... and as someone who has had WLS and been quite successful, I would highly recommend against a Lap Band. If you choose to look into WLS, don't do a lap band -- they have terrible complications and a very poor long term success rate.

I did not have the band- I had VSG, HOWEVER, there is no way you should let them bully you into surgery if you don't want it. It is a last resort, in my opinion. Also, the band has a very high failure rate. Good luck and get away from these people!

Seriously? I have a friend who had lap band surgery, lost 50lbs, and stalled out because she didn't make the lifestyle changes necessary. Now she's been in my Challenge Groups and doing well because she has made the necessary changes, but the lap band itself is not a miracle cure. You still have to want it bad enough to make those changes, and quite honestly, my friend Amy could have done it without the band!

You're over 18,, right? So your family cannot force you to do anything! Do any of them have weight problems? Sounds like they really don't even understand!

To start off, I am a twenty-one year old girl. Lately, I've been extremely depressed and down with my weight and suddenly my mom mentioned that I should get a lap band. I laughed it off and said whatever. Over the next few months, my family began to talk about it over and over. Even the most mature and cynical of my family are like "Get a lap band! Get a lap band." God, that doesn't hurt or anything. I mean, I knew I fell off the wagon hard, but they act like I just can't do it! Ugh.

I'm just at a loss. They won't listen to me and they actually scheduled an appointment for me. I'm going to push for a dietician or a therapist to help overcome my food addiction, but I feel powerless right now. Like they actually don't believe I can lose the weight myself and now I have no support... It just sucks. I don't want a lap band. I don't want surgery. I don't want pills. I want my family to think like I do about this nonsense.

I don't know what to do anymore.

1) you don't need surgery
2) you are not addicted to food
3) all you need is the right info and a desire to change your life

Here's how you can get started. It's easier than you think.

You just have to be patient and change your lifestyle. That's it. No other secret than that...

Here are my tips for those getting started:

1) Determine your BMR/TDEE so that you know what amount of calories (on average) you should be eating to lose weight at a healthy pace. If you use the MFP tools, they'll compute this for you.
2) Log everything. Don't eat it if you can't log it. Take a multivitamin everyday with food.
3) Don't drink your calories. Try to get to a point where all you drink is water.
4) Walk or jog or run... a lot! Then start strength training when you're up to it.

Forget the scale. Don't obsess about daily changes in weight. - they don't mean anything. What you should be focusing on are long term changes to your lifestyle. The weight WILL come off. You CAN do it. The math works and it doesn't lie. It just takes time.

This is not a diet and you don't have to deny yourself anything you crave, you just have to eat in moderation and be accountable for what you put in your mouth. For example, if you go over on Monday by 300 calories, then go under on Tuesday and Wednesday by 150 calories each day. Be honest with your log. Be accurate. Be accountable. You can lose the weight and it will happen faster than you realize when you make this a lifestyle change.

I know most people have success from weight loss surgeries, but my mother had gastric bypass surgery when I was 13 and it was an awful decision. I hear it's different from other types of weight loss surgery because it's irreversible, but basically not only did she gain heaps of the weight back as she hadn't changed her habits, she developed a million other problems too. Seven years later, she can barely stay awake for 8 hours in a row, let alone move around the house. I know the chances of this happening to other people are slim- it turns out the surgeon she went to was pretty bad and one of his later patients ended up dying on the table and he got his medical license taken away or something- but because there is even the slimmest chance, I always beg people who are thinking about it to try another way. I would never wish what happened to my mother on anyone.

It sounds like your family isn't ready to deal with your emotional aspects of losing weight...most likely because they're not ready to deal with their own emotional issues. I know it's hard, but congrats on being willing to stand up for yourself. Family members who aren't ready to face their own issues can sometimes sabotage those who are, because it causes them to look at what's wrong with themselves. Having said that, don't let them stop you from doing what's right for you. If you don't want the surgery, don't get it! You'll just end up resenting your family later if you let them talk you into it.

Hi,

I suggest that you stand up to your mother and CANCEL the appointment to get a lap band!

Even though the doctors that profit from doing WLS try and make you think it's safe, it is still MAJOR SURGERY!

Most people that have weight loss surgery of any kind have many more long term complications than the doctors tell them to expect.

Here are a few web links you can read and show your mother:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/lap-band-surgery-half-patients-complications/story?id=13187452

http://www.hungryforchange.tv/article/dangers-of-lap-band-surgery

http://www.livestrong.com/article/15593-dangers-lap-band-surgery

lol, politefully thank your family then:

1-Join a gym
2-do weights
3-cardio every day and night
4-adjust eating to compensate
5-get shredded.

easy!

Do what feels right in your mind and heart. Don't let anyone try to push you. You are young; your body is capable of a great deal. Believe you can make the changes you want to make. We believe you can do it.

I am 49, weight 265 lbs and have had type 2 diabetes for 4 years. I started at 310 lbs. From the moment I was diagnosed, my doctor tried to push me towards injectible medications. I pushed back. I told him as long as there were pills that do the same thing as the needles, I opt for pills. It is bad enough I have to poke my fingers 5 times a day to test my blood, I am not sticking myself with a needle anywhere else for any reason.

He also started pushing me about weight loss surgery. I have had multiple surgeries over my life for a variety of medical reasons. I am not going in for another procedure. I told him I knew I was fat, I knew I now had a problem, and I had to make changes. I wanted to do it slowly and do it the right way and not count on quick fixes. (I had a friend who had the lap band and had nothing but problems. When she had it removed, she ballooned up past her original starting weight. )

I told him I appreciate his advice, but ultimately the course of my treatment is mine after I consider his recommendations, do research and seek second opinions. I also let him know if he continued to try and push me down a path I did not want to travel, I would seek another physician. He said he respected my feelings and would help me treat my condition within my boundaries.

Granted, 45 lbs loss in 4 years is nothing to crow about BUT I have managed to keep that weight off. I have not gone back up. I will get to my goal weight, eventually. You need to get to where you want to be on terms you can accept.

Do what feels right in your mind and heart. Don't let anyone try to push you. You are young; your body is capable of a great deal. Believe you can make the changes you want to make. We believe you can do it.

I am 49, weight 265 lbs and have had type 2 diabetes for 4 years. I started at 310 lbs. From the moment I was diagnosed, my doctor tried to push me towards injectible medications. I pushed back. I told him as long as there were pills that do the same thing as the needles, I opt for pills. It is bad enough I have to poke my fingers 5 times a day to test my blood, I am not sticking myself with a needle anywhere else for any reason.

He also started pushing me about weight loss surgery. I have had multiple surgeries over my life for a variety of medical reasons. I am not going in for another procedure. I told him I knew I was fat, I knew I now had a problem, and I had to make changes. I wanted to do it slowly and do it the right way and not count on quick fixes. (I had a friend who had the lap band and had nothing but problems. When she had it removed, she ballooned up past her original starting weight. )

I told him I appreciate his advice, but ultimately the course of my treatment is mine after I consider his recommendations, do research and seek second opinions. I also let him know if he continued to try and push me down a path I did not want to travel, I would seek another physician. He said he respected my feelings and would help me treat my condition within my boundaries.

Granted, 45 lbs loss in 4 years is nothing to crow about BUT I have managed to keep that weight off. I have not gone back up. I will get to my goal weight, eventually. You need to get to where you want to be on terms you can accept.

Have to disagree with you. 45lbs lost in 4 years IS something to be proud about. Congrats on your loss