The Start of a LONG Journey {Gastric Bypass, Lapband, etc.}

Hi all....I had gastric bypass 3.5 years ago. The smallest size I dropped down to was a size 6 jeans. (not for long). I stabilized at a size 8 and now comfortably sit at a size 10. I have not religiously followed the plan..., the reason I gained some weight back, I am not happy with the weight gain, and I need to get back on track. My goal is to feel comfortable at a size 8 jeans. A few girls from my Bunco team have started a weight loss jourmey. I want to get back on track so I can start feeling better about myself. My problem is that I started to reintroduce unhealthy eating to my daily diet....snacking and carbohydrates. I need to refocus my efforts on drinking more water, eating protein and vegetables first, carboihydrates last.

Now that I know where I should focus on my efforts on, I hope to religiously track my foods and continue to exercise so I can lose the weight I have gained back. Thanks for yor support.

Hello-- I have a lapband. I got it last January (15 months ago)
I have lost 70 pounds. From 269 to 198. I have not been in the hundreds for quite a while.
:bigsmile:
I chose the lap band because
1- it is the only one that is reversibel.
2- it does not reroute my insides.
3- it is adjustable (hence the name "Adjustable Gastric Band")
4- I can eat whatever food I want. I do not have to worry about 'dumping'
5- I do not have to worry about malabsorption. I get all my nutrients.

Remember this...All weight loss surgeries are TOOLS to help you lose and all require work.
My lapband - with proper restriction- lets me know when I have had enough.
I could have lost a whole bunch more but I did eat stuff I probably should not have and had not really taken to exercising.
Now that I have lost the weight I lost, I have more energy and am finding it easier to move and do some exercising..
There are other options besides just the bypass and lapband. There is vsg (vertical sleeve gastrectomy), ds (duodenal switch), gastric plication...
There is a site called Obesity Help. They have information about all the different options.

Another point is with your insurance.. Some only cover certain surgeries and many needs a long prep time preop
-I had to have a 6 month monitored diet with nutritionist.

I hope this info helps :smooched: Oh and btw-- I am very very happy with my choice. Other routes might have been faster, but I know with the band that if (for example, I wnated to get pregnant) I could have the band loosened for baby sake..

I am pre-op for the gastric-sleeve. I have to wait 6 months too for nutrition classes, etc. I have been researching this for about two years. At first I thought I wanted the lap band before I discovered the sleeve. My concerns were leaving a foreign object in my body for the rest of my life and what problems that might entail. I really didn't want the re-routing of my intestines and all the problems with nutrition deficiency. The only problems I have now is knee problems because of the excess weight. I have only been getting bigger over the past year with my lack of exercise.

When I was 26 I lost over a hundred pounds and kept it off for over 5 years but now at 47 I need some help to get me jump started because of knee problems. It sounds like Laura needs that help like I do because she has quite a bit to lose eventhough she is young. But Laura weigh all your choices and choose what is right for you.

Laura

I had Gastric Bypass in July of 09. I've lost 165 lbs reached my goal and have maintained that weight loss. Here are things I've figured out on my own journey:

The first year is the "Honeymoon Period and you can't stop your body from dropping weight rapidly.

Respect the tool, you don't have this surgery done without consequences. Follow your Doctors instructions to the letter during the Honeymoon period.

Seek out a therapist and find a support group in your area, this is an emotional roller-coaster.

Take all your vitamins, get your Protein in first, and drink at least 64 ounces of liquid a day!

Keep a food and exercise diary...it keeps you accountable.

Now that I'm at my goal weight I have learned the tricks...they are the same as "normal" people. If you gain a few pounds over the holidays or on vacation you need to double up your exercise or cut out carbs to lose that weight again.

i work with two gals who have had weight loss surgery... the one who had gastric bypass lost a ton of weight, but had medical issues because she could no longer absorb the nutrients her body needed. she actually died about 5 years ago, although i don't believe it was related to the surgery. the other girl had the lap band surgery about two years ago -- still eats way more than she should and is still very overweight.

i had considered weight loss surgery myself because i felt like i couldn't do it on my own and i really wanted a magic fix. what i learned from these two is... there is no such thing as an easy, magical fix for losing weight. i wish you the best in whatever you choose.

Hi everyone,

I've had my lap-band since March 2010. Although, it can be challenging, I do not regret it for a second. It really is just a tool to help me lose the weight, but what a great tool it has been for me.

I have had the band, and I have had it for about 6 years now. I lost 75lbs. In the last 2 years I have gained some back, like some said earlier you can still cheat with the band. This was my thoughts going in for the band, I didn't want change the anatomy of my body plain and simple. I did not want anything cut out or re routed. I felt that if later in my life I have other complications I don't want to be restricted help due to already having altered my anatomy. Now I do not regret the band one bit and I will tell you that EVERYONE will have thier own experience. You cannot judge your surgery based on OTHERS experiences. You have to make the choice if you are going to do what you are suppose to do regardless of what surgery you get. I have a friend that did bypass and is now bigger than she was before because she lost it all quickly, got comfortable, and stretched out that tummy again. So like I said do not use those stories to judge, it was her bad choices that did that to her. For me, I found ways to eat things, like instead of saying ok im full, i feel full, i would just sit in front of my food for 15min with friends talking. Let the food go down for a bit and then get a few more bites in. Of course im going to gain, i have just defeated the entire purpose of my band, again my bad choices.

Plain and simple, regardless of what surgery you choose you have to make good choices and change the person you are. You have to choose to eat healthier, you have th choose to excercise regularly. These 2 things have to be done with surgery as well. Surgery is only a tool to help you loose. If you abuse the tool then it is not a positive tool. It all comes down to your choices. If you can loose 40lbs prior to getting a surgery then I would say you have proven to yourself that you can do it without surgery. I would do the band again in a heart beat if I had to do it again, but if I did have to do it again then I would have made those eating habits and excercise habits a choice earlier than now. Good luck to you and your husband, its always a hard road to go down in regards to weight loose but you can do it if you want to, and MFP, the community, and constant reminder to do good here will help you!!