Considering gastric band...feedback?

I don't know what country you are in, and whether that differs, but in the UK the protocol is that you will need to be on a milk only diet plus go for therapy for a while before they will actually do the surgery. Many people lose enough weight in those few months that they see they don't really need the surgery anymore, just need to keep focussed.
Remember that it is not an easy option... For the rest of your life you will have to ensure that the small amount of food you are eating is very nutritious as one of the major issues is malnutrition post surgery.

I could go on about this for ages, but are you sure you have tried every other option? Have you tried counting calories? exercising? doing a group weigh in type thing etc.

There are so many risks involved in this surgery that I would try every venture possible prior to going under the knife....

That's my pennies worth anyway...

Being told you are a good candidate translates to "we like your money".

Have you tried losing weight the good old fashioned way. 200 pounds is not that bad. You probably only have 70 pounds to lose, right? You can do that with diet and exercise, especially using all these MFP tools.

Gastric bands still require a drastic diet change. I would really try to do it on your own before turning to surgery.

There is a Bariatric group here which you might find helpful.

"Good candidate" does not translate in to "we want your money" in countries with public health care.

I had the bypass and it was a life saver. I am transformed. The clinic here (Canada) now only does the revision and the bypass I believe because the band often requires too much adjustment later including further surgery.

But from what I hear the band is still the preferred option in the UK. Perhaps because it is viewed as being less invasive?

Hi OP -

First ask yourself - "Are you ready for this commitment"? "Do you see it as a 'tool' rather than a once package fix?" "Can you see yourself feeling at peace at being restricted food wise indefinitely and coping with possible pain etc that comes from banding?"

Most importantly have you thought about giving MFP and yourself alone a chance to succeed losing the weight.

By using a kitchen scale going by verified USDA info. and logging everything you eat accurately and diligently it is more than likely that you can succeed in getting to goal without the need for surgery and therefore facing the possible problem side effects that are known to happen.

If you use the Search button here there are quite a number of threads that have been made by people who were in similar situations such as yourself, overweight and offered the band, rather than going down this path they chose to give it a go alone and they have done so well. Certainly many of them have expressed relief that they didn't have surgery as they have seen the negative side of the outcome that sometimes never go away.

On the other hand there is probably an equal amount of very successful WLS members here who have been just as happy with their results too and don't regret a single day since having the operation.

I personally haven't had surgery but was offered it many years ago - I was a great deal heavier than yourself.....after careful consideration and dealing with my own feelings of uncertainty as well as downright fear I AM very glad I did not follow through.

I hope these tit-bits help and I wish you all the best.

PS: No matter which road you take MFP is still a very valuable tool for tracking calories which you will need to do after surgery just like the banding it is a tool that can be VERY effective in helping you as long as you are ready to think of the banding in the same way.

All the best.

Such surgeries only treat the symptom, Not the cause. Best to work on mental causes of why you can't control your eating.

Just to give you perspective - I'm 5'5' and was up to 267 lbs. 10 months of counting calories and exercise and this morning I weighed 198.5. 200 being your starting weight means you can totally lose what you need to in less than a year. Years ago when I looked into WLS what really stuck with me was this: You will have to change how you eat for the rest of your life if you have the band - so why not do that any way without it! Good luck!

pstegman888 wrote: »

You don't have that much to lose to get to a healthy weight for your height. Plug your stats into MFP, select a reasonable loss rate, and start today. Read the stickies and ask for advice. You only need to modify your intake and food selections slightly to get very good results. You can easily develop good lifelong eating habits to stay at a good weight without deprivation by following MFP and logging accurately. You can do this!!!

BEST ANSWER. They should really have a "Like" option for comments haha...

OP, i know you can do this! Don't risk any complications. Eat healthy, have a couple cheats days a month, exercise (speed-walking is gr8 with your ipod) and be persistent. You'll be down to 150-160lbs before u know it (assuming that's where you're aiming at this time). A lot of times, BMI is inaccurate too--because it doesn't take in account our body frame/how we carry our weight. What's really important is making sure your blood work, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. is in the normal range.
I was 230ish at my highest (I'm 5'10'') and am at a normal weight now--one of the best things that helped was not keeping any unhealthy foods/drinks in the house. I definitely drank a lot of coke zero and black coffee with splenda though. Sugar-free pudding/jello also helped. Anything unhealthy like pizza and brownies were reserved for my cheat days. Also, drink a lot of water and pay attention to your body more so than your mind. You'll know when it's full. A lot of over-eating is mental. We crave the wrongs foods/drinks and eat them and they make us want even more (because they are designed that way). Try distracting yourself with other activities that make you happy (listening to music, going for a walk with your pet, taking a drive, visiting a museum, watching your fave show, spending time on mfp, pm-ing people you come across here, etc.) Also, try your best not to overeat at night. It'll take some getting used to/practice but believe in yourself, be consistent and find the right support. You CAN do this. I promise you. Good luck!

OP I got up to about your weight and honest, WLS never even occurred to me at that size. I always thought of WLS as a last ditch option, where your current situation was so dangerous as to warrant the risks associated with surgery and permanently altering your body and lifestyle. My vote is a definite no in this case! It's going to be hard work either way, but I recommend you do it without surgery

I'm 5'5 and I got to 220 ish. It never, not once, crossed my mind that surgery would be something I'd consider. It boggles my mind a bit that at 200lbs, which in the grand scheme of things isn't that large, would need to consider it. It boggles even more now that I have heard from those who have had it or know those who have had it in the last few months by using these forums. It just seems like a whole lot of sacrifice for very little reward when you could achieve the same, if not better results doing it the old fashioned way in quite a short period of time in the context of the rest of your life.

I had seriously considered a band at one point, had a consult with the surgeon, set a date for surgery got sent away with a package of material to read. In that package was a book called 'The lap-band solution - A partnership for weight loss' by Paul O'Brien MD. It's an Australian book written from the Australian perspective but if you can get your hands on it, I would recommend you read it.

It was quite a stark book which among a lot of information set out in detail what a lap-bander could expect after the band had been inserted. I read the book twice and I cancelled my surgery. I knew that there was no way I would be able to live with a band.

Obviously, many people didn't feel the way I did - the surgeon is quite busy doing bands, but at least people were going in with their eyes open knowing what to expect for the surgery and how they were expected to eat and drink after the surgery, assuming they read the book and other material that is!

Lap-banding is a valid option for weight loss particularly those who have made many genuine and sustained efforts to lose weight without success.

I have to be honest, I hadn't always considered the surgery as being a valid option, and would always recommend against it (even though I actually knew nothing about it) but my perspective has changed over time. I recommend you do has much research as possible, make sure you know all the pros and cons, particularly the cons and if pros far outweigh the cons for you, then the surgery could well be for you.

As an RN, I have taken care of far too many patients who have complications 5, 10 years after gastric surgery for weight loss. I would avoid it at all costs.

I have a several relatives and one close friend who have have various surgeries for weight loss over the past 10 years all of them are still obese. One of my relatives, who had the bypass, almost died from complications. My close friend had the surgery over 2 and 1/2 years ago. I started my weight loss through diet and exercise last March. I lost as much weight in 5 months as she did in 2 and 1/2 years. I never vomited once and can eat a variety of healthy foods and occasional treats, she still vomits occasionally and can no longer tolerate a variety of foods. She developed a post surgical blood clot and has lost a significant amount of strength and stamina. I feel stronger, can walk farther and longer than when I started. If I put my mind to it I could always lose weight when I really tried, she says she could not. In interest of full disclosure, I am still obese but I am only about 10 pounds away from moving down from obese to overweight.