my fitness pal vs lap band

and you cant just get the lap band and not change your habits - eating and exercise e it don't work like that

why not do both - nothing wrong with the lap bad as a tool for weight loss, but without learning to control your portions and make some lifestyle changes the chances of overriding the band are gonna be much higher.

I think the band is a great tool though for sure, most people on here will disagree with me (I have no personal experience with the band - just clarifying)

Some Things That Can Go Wrong With Weight Loss Surgery

Pulmonary embolus

The main risk of death from bariatric surgery is the same as with every other abdominal surgery—pulmonary embolus (PE). This is a blood clot which breaks loose and travels from the legs or the pelvis to the lung and lodges there. Once there a part of that lung is unable to transfer oxygen to the blood.

This all starts from a blood clot, known as a deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Most DVT happen during the operation. During the operation a patient is still, which can cause their blood to pool in the legs or the pelvis, and surgery tends to make blood coagulate more easily. This can be a good thing, but if it coagulates while in the blood vessel, it can develop into DVT. There is a classic triad, named after the famous Dr. Virchow, called Virchow’s triad. It states that DVT will occur when there is stasis, injury to the vessel, and hypercoagulability. Well, these two occur during every operation.

Surgery causes a hypercoagulable state—that is, a state where blood tends to clot more. Some medical conditions cause patients’ blood tends to clot. These include Leiden’s disease, low levels of protein C or protein S, and some other conditions.

Surgeons do two things that greatly decrease the risk of DVT. First, they give you an injection of either heparin or a low-molecular weight heparin to keep the blood a bit on the “thin” side. If it is too thin it won’t clot, and during surgery you want your blood to clot some. You will also wear some sequential compression stockings on your legs. These stockings have little air activated pumps which pump up like a roller. You will probably wear these stockings after surgery while you are resting. These stockings work in two ways. The first is obvious— they keep the blood from pooling too much. However, they really work by a more complicated mechanism, one that keeps the blood a bit thin.

Some Things That Can Go Wrong With Weight Loss Surgery

Pulmonary embolus

The main risk of death from bariatric surgery is the same as with every other abdominal surgery—pulmonary embolus (PE). This is a blood clot which breaks loose and travels from the legs or the pelvis to the lung and lodges there. Once there a part of that lung is unable to transfer oxygen to the blood.

This all starts from a blood clot, known as a deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Most DVT happen during the operation. During the operation a patient is still, which can cause their blood to pool in the legs or the pelvis, and surgery tends to make blood coagulate more easily. This can be a good thing, but if it coagulates while in the blood vessel, it can develop into DVT. There is a classic triad, named after the famous Dr. Virchow, called Virchow’s triad. It states that DVT will occur when there is stasis, injury to the vessel, and hypercoagulability. Well, these two occur during every operation.

Surgery causes a hypercoagulable state—that is, a state where blood tends to clot more. Some medical conditions cause patients’ blood tends to clot. These include Leiden’s disease, low levels of protein C or protein S, and some other conditions.

Surgeons do two things that greatly decrease the risk of DVT. First, they give you an injection of either heparin or a low-molecular weight heparin to keep the blood a bit on the “thin” side. If it is too thin it won’t clot, and during surgery you want your blood to clot some. You will also wear some sequential compression stockings on your legs. These stockings have little air activated pumps which pump up like a roller. You will probably wear these stockings after surgery while you are resting. These stockings work in two ways. The first is obvious— they keep the blood from pooling too much. However, they really work by a more complicated mechanism, one that keeps the blood a bit thin.

flying planes, being a truck driver, professional gamer, medical student (cant move for effing hours), any desk job, all have DVT risks

why not do both - nothing wrong with the lap bad as a tool for weight loss, but without learning to control your portions and make some lifestyle changes the chances of overriding the band are gonna be much higher.

I think the band is a great tool though for sure, most people on here will disagree with me (I have no personal experience with the band - just clarifying)

Agree, the lap band is not a magic wand, you will still have to watch what you eat(even more so at first) nothing easy about it. either way you need to log. Surgery should never be entered into lightly and most weight loss surgeries come with counseling first which is Very Important.

I admit, I don't quite get why people get the lap band. Why not just gastric bypass? It seems less annoying/likely to mess up.

much more invasive - not done as much anymore

My mother got gastric bypass two years ago and she was told by her doctor that gastric bypass can be safer because they've had a lot more practice doing it (it's been around a lot longer) and that people can have the band slip/move pretty often. Either way they have to cut you open. Also don't you have to go back in to have the band tightened regularly or something? That really sounds too time consuming.

You can TOTALLY do this! I believe you really can. I've lost over 130 pounds and still dropping by eating better and moving more. Calories in and calories out, really. You can do it, trust us.

I can't speak to whether you should or shouldn't get weight-loss surgery, though for me, it would be a very last resort, and only under a real medical need to lose weight. That said, you should be doing MFP either way. Many people here do and have been wonderfully successful. Learning all the habits that go with healthy weight loss is just as crucial with weight loss surgery as without. Maybe try it and see how it goes for you. Certainly, I have found the ability to do things here that I thought were impossible for me. Good luck with whatever you choose!

Why does it have to be an either/or... I had VSG surgery AND I use MFP. Having the surgery just helps me be able to stick under my calories better... but if I'm not conscious of what I'm eating, I can still go over calories even WITH bariatric surgery so I use MFP to keep me on my toes and also to help me make sure I'm getting all my protein in.

As for whether you actually NEED the surgery or not.. only you know the answer to that question.

If you do go through with the lap band, MFP is going to be a great asset to help you succeed. Everyone here who talks about people gaining weight, etc. only know people who did not create new habits geared for success. WLS can be a great TOOL, but it's just that, a tool not a cure. I personally feel that lap bands have too many complications for me to justify getting one, but I also know they can work very well for people who actually change their habits. If you are a compulsive binge eater, having your appetite physically curbed can be a wonderful thing. But, if you don't change your lifestyle you'll become another failure statistic, sorry to be blunt but it's true. You'll still have to find a system for eating healthy and exercising that works for you, and if that's MFP, great!

And no, WLS is not a "workaround." If you put in the work and the effort, you lose weight and keep it off. If you keep eating cheeseburgers and drinking milkshakes, you either don't lose or you put it all back on. This is proven fact.

My friend's cousin had gotten the lap band surgery, lost a good amount of weight....had a baby, and gained it all back....last year, she underwent gastric bypass....had a whole heap of complications behind it....only to really lose the same amount she did I feel had she just exercised and ate better anyway. She still doesn't like herself very much...and I don't think that she moves.


One of my motivations for staying on MFP is because my doctor was threatening me with gastric bypass....funny because I entertained getting it about 8-10 years ago!!!! But at this age, I am scared. Even if you do get lap band...you would still have to change up your eating habits and exercise. But ultimately, you have to do what is best for you and there is never a quick fix I am learning.

I really hate that phrase "If I can do it you can." I AM NOT YOU! You don't know my story, my struggles, none of that...I just wish people would quit using themselves as the barometer for weight loss. You did it-great. You did it your way...let me do it my way. /end rant

Calm down! All I was saying is that I was in a very bad place health wise (like many here), I went through a large amount of struggle to lose weight (like many here) and that through perseverance, hard work, and determination I am proving to myself that I can succeed (like many here). It takes gumption and gusto to do big things. I would hope that most here will develop that and be able to accomplish their goals.

I really hate that phrase "If I can do it you can." I AM NOT YOU! You don't know my story, my struggles, none of that...I just wish people would quit using themselves as the barometer for weight loss. You did it-great. You did it your way...let me do it my way. /end rant

so why are you on here then? alot of people are doing it "this way"

I would assume you have researched all the WLS options and that between you and your doctor, Lap Band is what you both decided was best. I had gastric bypass in Jan 2013 and use MFP to log my foods to make sure I am getting the necessary protein and water I need daily. WLS is simply another tool to help you in losing weight. You have to make lots of changes in your life to adjust to using this tool, BUT it is possible to work around it and regain. I talked to lots of people in my search for info on WLS. I wanted to know the good, bad, and ugly so I was prepared.