ElizabethAnne

Thank you for the good advice, journey4me!

Why not?

Ok, here is a question for everyone.

IF the band restricts HOW MUCH you can eat -stops you from overheating.

And

IF the band takes away your hunger, appetite to where you don't feel like eating most of the time.

(above is the definition of "Green Zone")

What else is there everyone says they must do to make it work?

I know the answer, (or think i do) but I'm curious what everyone else thinks they have to do to be successful.

I hope I am doing the above "quote" right:

I will be eager to read the responses to this question. Thanks for asking it. I am assuming exercise will be a key component since the material I have read indicates one needs to exercise moderately for 30 minutes a day.

I do appreciate the positive perspective here. As a newbie who hasn't yet had the band placed, I am mostscared it will be yet another failure. The innumberable diets I have tried have initially been successful, but though I am an avid walker, I always end up gaining the weight back again because I eat way too much. As most of us know, one CAN become obese on healthy food choices if that individual eats incessantly. I am realistic and don't expect the band to zap the pounds away; I just want something that will help curb my hunger so that I can do my part. Thank you all for giving me hope that the band can indeed help me!

I am new to the forum and am here to learn as much as I possibly can to determine if I really want to pursue surgery to lose weight.

Looking back at old photos, I wonder how it escaped me, but I truly didn't know I was fat until I was in the first grade. This realization came about when my pediatrician told my mom that she needed to put me on a diet. I remember that day like it was yesterday. My life was never the same.

My story is similar to others. As an adult, my weight has ranged from a low of 118 (during the short time period in my life when I had absolutely no hunger because my doctor prescribed Phen-Fen) to a high of 219. Like most obese adults, I have tried many weight loss programs over the years and have had brief periods of success when I have lost 20-70+ pounds. I am good at following weight loss programs, particularly the rigid medically-supervised fasts. However, though I have been committed to walking 5 miles almost every day for 20+ years, I always gain back the pounds I have lost. I make healthy food choices, for the most part, but I am always hungry. Consequently, I eat way too much.

In 2009, I reached the point of desperation, realizing that with the excess weight I possessed, I would unlikely be able to be as physically active as I age. This realization led to a plan to seek lap band surgery. Unfortunately, my insurance company required that my medical record show failure to sustain weight loss within the two years preceding surgery and documentation of my progress toward a goal of weight loss. I didn't possess the needed medical documentation. Thus, I have continued to struggle the last two years.

This past week, as I entered my surgeon's waiting area at the end of the day, I felt tremendous excitement. However, the surgeon was running very late and as the minutes ticked by, numerous negative thoughts began invading my mind. I am typically an optimist by nature, so these thoughts were definitely confusing. I simultaneously felt: defeated because I was considering resorting to surgery to lose weight; scared that lap band surgery would be yet another failure in an series of lifelong attempts to maintain a healthy weight; worried about the possible complications associated with surgery; anxious about whether my insurance company would approve the procedure this time; embarrassed that I had allowed my weight to spiral this far out of control once again. When it was finally my turn to meet with the surgeon, I calmed down and eagerly asked all of the questions on my list. Though he answered all of my questions, I left his office feeling somewhat discouraged because there were no clear-cut answers to my questions. Now, I am uncertain about whether lap band surgery is the best option for me, so yet again, I am trying to gather more information.

During the short time I have been here, I have been able to acquire a wealth of information. I am inspired by others' stories of success and appreciate everyone who generously shares their knowledge and experiences. I hope that I will, too, be able to contribute someday.

I received one negative response to my first post. However, I want to make the best decision possible for me and am here to learn about much as I possibly can about the pro's and con's of the band. I expected some of the information posted at this site to be negative because some people tend to be pessimistic. With anything, most people have less-than-perfect experiences, and it then becomes a matter of one's perception. Some see the glass half-full, while others see it half-empty. This site is invaluable to me because I have been able to collect a wealth of good information in a relatively short time period. It's fairly easy for newbies like me to differentiate those who are here to help from those who aren't.

And who knows, perhaps the positive majority here will eventually inspire change in those who are stuck in a negative rut.

Thanks again for the helpful replies. Could someone please tell Mickey how to move his post to create a new topic? I am new and lack the know-how to help him.

Thank you all for your replies, which help a lot!

I discovered this website last night and literally spent hours reading about the lap band. I am trying to become as educated as possible about weight loss surgery options and appreciate all the helpful information posted here. Until I read it here, I didn't realize there were different lap band sizes. Can anyone tell me what determines which size is used? Does one offer advantages (or disadvantages) over another?