A gastric band company to me put weight ON!

I'm really sorry to say this (and it has to be different from the UK to the US) but at a 29 BMI you're hardly overweight, if at all (I HATE the BMI scale). Here you have to have a BMI of 40 or be 100+lbs overweight or have serious complications because of weight to be considered for the surgery. Also, if you REALLY want to have wl surgery, PLEASE do not consider the BG. It has BY FAR the most complications and it only works about 1/3 of the time.

What, because you discovered (essentially) that you could lose the weight on your own, and the company said you didn't need them unless you gained to the point of obesity, you find them unethical?

I started out a BMI of 33, currently a BMI of 26.3 after 6-ish months of work. Definitely prefer that to having invasive surgery and forcibly altering my life forever, not allowing me any leeway on holidays and so forth! I urge you to continue whatever you've been doing to lose 16 pounds healthily and see where it takes you.

Have you considered seeing someone who specializes in eating disorders? At BMI 29 you aren't dangerously overweight. But binge eating is a sign that there are other problems going on in your life.

Isn't it preferable to cure your problem without surgery? Try talking to someone about curing your eating disorder without all the pain and risk of surgery (and one that doesn't even work, at that).

Rosie: PLEASE do the Overeaters group! And get some help from your doctor. WLS is a very serious thing, not to be messed with lightly. And if you seriously think you have a binging disorder, it could kill you. Please consider everything before you commit to WLS. Please.

You do realize the binging is a mental thing and even after the band you are going to have to deal with your binging addiction....

^This. OP, you do understand that even if you were to get the band, you'd still have to learn to stop binging and change your habits, right? The band isn't a magical device that ensures success and maintaining of the success. There is a large fail percentage because people thought this was so.

You need to reteach yourself how to eat properly and that starts with seeing a doctor and having them help you into a healthy relationship with food and then assisting you in making good decisions when it comes to daily diet for overall health.

Please see a doctor and also consult with a registered dietician that has a full degree and possibly a masters to ensure they have the education to help you.

It is really difficult for me because I have NEVER had a healthy relationship with food. From an early age my mum called me a fat cow leading me to be anorexic for years. Suddenly the anorexia stopped and the bingeing started. I really need psychological help. Am thinking of going to overeaters anonymous.

I think you nailed it on that one. You don't need a band, you need psychological help. Get that straightened out first. A band isn't going to stop you from binge eating.

Surgery won't fix your mental issues. You obviously have an addictive personality and being deprived of the availability of your current addiction will just lead to you finding a new one. Deal with your longstanding mental issues before deciding on a quick fix of the symptom.

a band won't fix the eating disorder, so it won't fix your weight problems- you are trying to do it all backwards, you need to fix those underlying issues first because getting the band when they are not fixed will result in your overeating after surgery which will make you in pain, sick, miserable, and in time you will end up overweight again-- your eating is psychologically driven, not hunger driven so a band won't help in the long term-- good luck with your journey

I'm a binge eater too although not as severe as my binges would only last a trip to the drive thru. i've learned that for me i cant buy and i don't buy foods that i binge with. i keep them out of my house. i still struggle with wanting to binge daily but with only healthy foods around my house its less tempting, i don't want to binge on broccoli, green beans, or rice that takes 30 minutes to cook. i think you should really seek some help for your binge eating. also, finding an alternative when you want to binge will help too, such as going on a walk or even just writing down what you are feeling may help the urge to subside to a manageable level.

OK I reread the op and have something else:
WLS is NOT for people with binge eating disorders!!! You could burst your stomach open or make your GB move (one of the complications...).
I'm no doctor but I'd suggest a psychiatrist before WLS

I'm not a doctor, either, but I am a WLS patient and I TOTALLY agree with this. If you are a binge/emotional eater, WLS isn't going to fix the problem. I know this for sure and for certain and live with it every day. WLS is not a forever fix if you're not prepared to make forever changes.

Weight loss is supposed to be slow if it's going to be permanent, and yo-yoing is worse than just strictly being overweight.

I have to agree with the band company and say you don't need a band. If anything, until you can control your binging, you shouldn't have the surgeries anyway. If you have the band and you continue to binge, it could push you into bulimia or cause complications with the band, making it slip or stretch the top part of your stomach out even more, which is counterproductive to the entire idea of the surgery.

It sounds like your problem isn't one that would be solved by surgery, but maybe therapy (which you said is difficult to obtain), and telling your family that it's time to get healthy, and that if your husband wants alcohol and cake and whatnot, that he'll have to eat them when he's out with his friends because right now you're trying to make choices that will make you and them healthier, and you need to not be exposing yourself to that type of food if you cannot handle being around it and not eating it.

I've heard a lot of people get told to write a diary when they're trying to stop binge eating. Perhaps try writing a diary before, during and after you binge that you write what you're thinking and feeling in those times so you can examine it and work on changing those thoughts instead of going further down a path of self-destruction or trying to get someone else to give you something that will attempt to make decisions for you.

difficult =/= impossible

You will continue to binge eat with the GB. You need to find out why your binging and fix that problem. Having surgery isn't going to fix the emotions and stress that are causing your binging.