Like many people on this site, I had to have a 6 month supervised diet/visits with my PCP in order for my insurance to approve the surgery. The reason for my decision to have the lapband was because of my medical issues, which gave me a huge scare and it was enough to help me to stop eating the way I was and to finally make a change. During my 6 month diet (which I don't call a diet but a lifestyle change) I was able to lose about 60 lbs and I was still approved by my insurance. Having the lapband is not an instant miracle. You have to work at it, it's just a tool to help you get to where you need to go. I still need to make wise choices when I'm planning a meal, I still need to exercise. I also ate out of boredom, the food was there, I had nothing else to do, so why not eat, and there are days that I just want to eat whatever and not think about it. This is a struggle that will take time to get over, not overnight. Now I make sure that I don't have any type of food at home that I would binge on so I don't have that temptation, but I also don't want to go back to the person I was before. I try to take it day by day, and if I have a set back, I look forward and I try not to forget how far I've come. Being on this site and being able to read all of these posts is always an inspiration to me. You see the struggle and accomplishments that everyone has gone through and I know I can make it too. Good luck to all of you on your journey.