Tyger'sMom

I've been contemplating the lap band. I'm 4'11' and 185. I have a BMI of 38. I went to an informational meeting tonight and I was not impressed. She had zero bedside manner and was condescending at times telling us if you're eating even the food they give you in a restaurant you're eating too much. The surgeon seemed to push the gastric bypas and gastric sleeve. She said with the lap band you have to chew way too much and eat so slowly it's barely possible for people in our society because we take enourmous bites when we should take a bite the size of a pea. Of course, she added, you have to eat slowly with the bypass and sleeve too just not as much. As someone on the other side of this process, what can you tell me, anything? I do not want half my stomach cut out!

Hiddn, I can also do my fitness pal from the computer so I wonder if you can sign up with it without having a smart phone. Check it out. I know they have Panera in NJ, where I'm originally from, but they are not on every corner here in southern CA. They are sort of scattered around.

Here's the scoop on my fitness pal - it's a free app (I have an iphone) and you set a goal like I want to lose one pound a week or in my case I set a goal of 2 lbs a week. It gave me 1200 cal to eat a day. I put in the food I eat at each meal and it has a data base of foods you can search or even scan the bar code and it adds the food for you. You say how many servings you ate and it calculates the calories. You can also log in your activity and Water. If you have the iphone 5s (I have a 5c) then it will even count your steps like a pedometer. I know people with the fit bit and they are not getting any thinner. I went out to panera for lunch and made sure to check the calories before I ordered a half salad and sandwich. It's holding me accountable and it's free. I am at a point where I refuse to count weight watchers points or eat Jenny Craig food. I think it's well worth a try.

Thank you all so much for the recent replies to this post. Right now, I have decided to try out the app called my fitness pal where you log in all your food and activity. I've lost ten pounds. I am now at that point of finding the whole weight loss journey depressing. I've been here so many times. I am one of those 'on the border' of needing surgery people so that's why I decided to try this app. I figure my insurance won't approve a surgery and there is absolutely no way I can pay for it myself. My thought on the lap band is that if I know I have that thing inside me, I will have zero choice but to comply with all the restrictions. Plus, I figure all the joy will be removed from food. At this point my sugar cravings have subsided. My other worry at this point is that I'm a teacher and off for the summer so all this change is easy, it's when I go back to work that I have a hard time making it stick. Hiddnstar are you gaining weight now that the band is out? That surgeon said that's what happens and I don't doubt it. This is one of my fears also - failure yet again - either due to the device that my body doesn't like or my own bad self. Thank you all again. I find this to be the most supportive group of people.

I just can not bring myself to do weight watchers again. The counting made me nuts - I became obsessive about it and then if I didn't lose weight I'd just totally go off and eat doughnuts. I'm trying my fitness pal and am logging my food. I am just tired of this all.

You folks are all so wonderful! Thanks so much for your thoughtful replies to my concerns. Since I'm in the 'severely obese' category with a BMI of 38 I'm trying, yet again, to cut the sugar and calories from my life. I am obsessed with food and am now wondering if the Lap Band will take away that feeling of wanting to eat crap whenever I want or am I just doomed since I just read sugar is 8x more addicting than crack!

Let me add one more thing. The surgical practice has a very comprehensive approach with support groups after. I do like that but this surgeon, who's the head of the bariatric dept at the hospital turned me off.

Thank you so much for your opinions. There are other surgeons in the practice but I walked away feeling like I have to do all the same work (diet, exercise, etc) so why would I get the lap band. I ask myself, shouldn't I be able to do that anyway? But I have lost and gained the same 20-30 pounds about seven times now. I just can't do it again. Fail, that is. And that 30lbs isn't enough. At my height I really need to get down to 110 which means I need to lose 70 lbs. Heres the real kicker folks, I have a masters in health and fitness. Yep. I do. I KNOW what to do but somehow I can't. I fail. I've been a teacher for the past 17 yrs and that poses it's own challenges.