Well put mmbell . . .you have a decison to make and the way you feel describes the way a lot of us felt before surgery. I can only share with you my own experience and it has been great. I have no regrets. I was banded 7/15/10 and have been losing consistenly. I have not had any problems except one bout of acid reflux which I believe was caused by stress at work over a week and 1/2 period of time. I've gone down 2 sizes in my clothes. My energy is so much higher than before when I had that "slug" feeling . . . I know what you are talking about. Weigh your options carefully and make the best decision for YOU. Best wishes and keep us posted!

I would only recommend having a good support system at home too. With two young children, you are going to be out of commission for a couple of days and then still be recovering for a couple of weeks. My kids are now 7 & 9 so they are more self sufficient when they need something. With that being said, I don't regret for one minute having the surgery done! Like you, other diets have worked but not for the long term. I'm so happy to have found Lapband!

It took me a year before I made my choice to have my LB done. I should have not waited. I am HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY did I say Happy? With my weight lose with my LB. It is a tool that I can work with. I was banded June 29, 2009, I am now over a year and have maintained 110 pounds of weight loss. I wear a size 10/12 and people call me skinny. I feel great and have had an amazing journey. Best thing I ever did for myself. Best wishes on your journey. imaluckydog

I have not been this happy in years. I am down from a 26 to a pant size of 18-20 and top size of XL. I can walk without gasping for air or stopping every 10 feet. People have noticed how good I am looking and have made comments about it. My husband did not have surgery and is working hard to lose weight, but with the band I am doing better than he is. Remember, the band is just a tool so if you are not prepared to follow your doctor's diet and exercise plan, you should reconsider not having the surgery. But if you are willing to work hard at it, you will have success. I love my lap-band and am so happy I had it done. Good luck to you.

I was on the fence with WLS for awhile...thinking I could do it by myself, but I wasn't comfortable with the risk of gastric bypass. And, insurance would not cover the sleeve. Looking more and more at the LapBand, I decided it was the perfect option for me. I was banded on Sept 30th and have just seen the scale drop....It's a wonderful feeling and you won't be sorry. Plus, with being a mommy, like myself, you won't be down hardly at all with the surgery! Good luck!

After reading everyone's comments and others blogs...I am full force ready to do this...on board 110% but VERY frustrated right now. Finally got a return phone call from the insurance director at the wt loss center and NOW I do not have the 2 co-mordities to go along with what my insurance requires and my BMI is under 40. Its frustrating as last year they called me when I did a consult and said that I was approved by my insurance but until they built their acute care facility they would not pay. The WLSC has built & opened the facility just a couple months ago and NOW they tell me this info.......get my hopes up & pull the rug out from under me. I did tell the person she ok'ed me last year and I did ask this question last year "so my insurance will cover my surgery? they approved me?" and was told yes so they are looking in to it again. Please keep your fingers crossed for me and say a little prayer too....just awaiting a return call to say if I'm approved through my insurance or NOT!