Really confused!!! Helpppp!!!

[dhawkins 0]

Ok I have been lurking around here for sometime now. I really enjoy reading post from everyone. I think that everyone is so helpful and encouraging to each other. I have not yet been banded I had my first consultation the other day. I am so excited but I am also confused. I am not sure if the lap band is for me. I am looking to loose @ least 100 pounds and it seems almost impossible to loose that much. It just seems like after a while everyone has a hard time. So I am almost thinking about getting the gastric bypass. That seems like it is the best for the amount of weight I want to loose. So my question is..... Is anyone having a hard time loosing or had a hard time loosin and if so what did you do? Also is everyone happy with their choice to get the lap band? Please be real honest. Thanks very confused and discouraged!

[Astrasmom 1]

Ok I have been lurking around here for sometime now. I really enjoy reading post from everyone. I think that everyone is so helpful and encouraging to each other. I have not yet been banded I had my first consultation the other day. I am so excited but I am also confused. I am not sure if the LAP-BAND® is for me. I am looking to loose @ least 100 pounds and it seems almost impossible to loose that much. It just seems like after a while everyone has a hard time. So I am almost thinking about getting the gastric bypass. That seems like it is the best for the amount of weight I want to loose. So my question is..... Is anyone having a hard time loosing or had a hard time loosin and if so what did you do? Also is everyone happy with their choice to get the LAP-BAND®? Please be real honest. Thanks very confused and discouraged!

First let me tell you that it's not impossible to lose 100lbs. I've already lost 101lbs. It all depends how much you put into it. Everyone looses at different paces too. The reason that I chose lapband over Gastric Bypass is for several reasons.

1> The band is safer. I knew someone that almost died from the gastric bypass.

2> Dumping Syndrome - Eat too much sugar on the Gastric Bypass and you will be in the bathroom.

3> Lapband is less invasive and quicker recovery time.

4> I have heard that gastric bypass will stop working after 2 years because it can not be adjusted anymore.

5> You will need to take many more Vitamins then you do with bypass.

6> If there is an emergency the Lapband can be removed.

7> Losing weight faster is better for you. It gives your body time to heal.

I researched all the options myself before I decided on the lapband. I have no regrets at all except that I wish I had it done sooner. Before surgery I was borderling everything and had sleep apnea (used a CPAP machine for 5 years). Now my blood work is normal and I no longer have sleep apnea. I've went from a size 26 to a 14. I've went from a BMI of 49 to a 32. I am 19lbs away from goal. I haven't been this weight since 1987. I feel awesome. My self esteem is no longer in the crapper. I feel good about myself which hasn't been possible for many years.

Needless to say with all of that said, you need to decide what is best for you. This is only my opions. I wish you luck in whatever you decide.

[Kelleigh710 0]

I can understand your confusion, but let me also say, that the gastric bypass is not the end all, be all of WLS. I had a bypass in June 2000, lost my 120 pounds, and gained it all back within a 10 year span. I just recently had a band placed over my gastric bypass and I'm already down 25 pounds and feeling great. The person that posted above me is right, you get what you put into it and you need to make the lifestyle change in order to be successful. Good luck on your decision!!!

~Kel :thumbup:

[dhawkins 0]

WOW Astramom I am convinced. I cant believe you lost 101 pounds in 8 months. so how much do you excersise? I am a 26/28 now. and i would love to be a 14. That would be my highschool size. YEAHHH!!! I really thank you for replying. You have made my decision allot easier. :thumbup:

[Astrasmom 1]

WOW Astramom I am convinced. I cant believe you lost 101 pounds in 8 months. so how much do you excersise? I am a 26/28 now. and i would love to be a 14. That would be my highschool size. YEAHHH!!! I really thank you for replying. You have made my decision allot easier. :thumbup:

Hah glad I could help. Yes I have lost 101lbs. It's called determination. I have been heavy for most of my adult life. I was getting sick of carrying around all of that extra weight and not being able to move around. Not being able to walk without losing my breath. It was horrible.

As for exercise I am not a fanatic. I walk as much as I can. I use my Wii Fit at home. I use my hand weights and resistance bands and exercise ball. But I don't do it every night. I do measure everything that I eat. It's all in the mind. It's a lifestyle change and if you decide from the start that you are going to do it no matter what, then it will work. I thing having my cardiologist tell me that if I didn't lose the weight I was going to die was my wake up call. After I started losing the weight I realized that I could do it. Especialy after trying all of those so called Yo-Yo diets. They worked for me BUT I gained it all back and then some. I also reward myself once and awhile. I enjoy the finer things in life once and awhile. Everything in moderation. Your mind has to be convinced that this is not a diet. Diets fail because they are boring. And everyone has to understand that the lapband is a tool to help you lose the weight and keep it off. It's not a miracle cure all. Your band habits continue to haunt you. The band won't cure that. You just have to learn to deal with those issues in a different way. You will also gain weight at times. SO WHAT. You get back on the path and try harder next time. For me, it's the last restort. There is nothing after the lapband (I refuse to get a gastric bypass). I went through all of this to get where I am now, I am definately giving up now.

Good luck to you.

[iwokeupfat 0]

I had the LAP-BAND® for basically the same reasons as Astrasmom.... I'm glad I had it done. I have 100 pounds to lose, too. I expect it will take me at least 2 years to lose it. I didn't gain it overnight... I don't expect to lose it overnight. Bypass was too scary... I've heard of too many deaths and problems. Plus.. I know a few people who have gained their weight back. I'm only two months out of surgery... I'm learning to eat healthy and control my portions. :thumbup: So far... so good. Good luck to you in whatever decision you make.

[btrieger 21]

Welcome and keep reading. There is no rush.

Read the good and the bad. The Lapband isn't for everyone. Those that refuse to follow rules have little or no luck. You have to be ready to make some minor lifestyle changes and not expect miracles to happen over night.

If you plan on having insurance pay for it then go ahead and sign up now. You'll have a waiting period where you can do some research and soul-searching. Any time up until you're on the operating table, you can pull out if you aren't comfortable.

Astrasmom did a good job at giving reason not to get bypass. I wouldn't dream of it myself but if you are interested, you should probably read those boards at ObesityHelp - Gastric Bypass, LAP-BAND also.

Good luck and be patient, you have the rest of your life to decide what is right for you.

[Blaze21 5]

I have had my band for almost 2 years. I have lost 113 lbs and have about 25 to go. I went from a size 18 to a size 4 now. The band isn't perfect and neither am I but it was worth it.

[goldngrll 9]

hello,

I have only been banded for a few days, but I have been researching this for a long time....a few thoughts....

The lap band will give you the more normal lifestyle, while still losing weight. if you are not willing to make the lifestyle changes required for the band, then how will you do it for the bipass?? there are even more restrictions with that...in addition to the dumping syndrome, there are huge issues with malapsorption, as your intestinal track is re routed..

I cant imagine not ever being able to make Cookies at christmas with the kids, or sharing an ice cream cone...what the band does is help me with some normalcy...a bite or 2 instead of a dozen cookies....know what I mean?? again, as already stated , if you work it, it will work for you!!

what I found interesting, is that when they did studies of banders and bipassers 3 yrs and 5 yrs out from surgery..the weight loss was about the same...a lot of bipassers gain the weight back, and banders lose slower and steadier...and SAFER! losing weight too quickly is not safe...I lost 180 lbs in a yr at one point, and ended up with huge gall bladder problems!!

once you gain your weight back with a bipass, what more can be done for you??

I love it that the band can always be adjusted, and removed if necessary.....and I've always wondered what happens to that other half of your stomach you dont use if you have a bipass?? it just hangs out there and????

I am totally confident in my decision to get banded....but again..it is only a tool, and if your not serious about it, then perhaps neither surgery would be a good option at this time.....

take care!!

[adagray 1]

If you hang around here more, you will bump into many many bandsters who have lost 100+. My mom has lost over 100 w/her band and I've lost just over 50 in 6 months. My goals is 100 and there's no way I'm not makin it! I think if you have your mind made up and you follow the rules, there's no way you can't succeed w/the band.

My weightloss did start to slow dramatically about two months ago. I did some soul searching and decided I didn't have surgery just to get halfway to my goal. So, I gave up alcohol and increased my exercise A LOT! Yes, there are challenges for everyone and everyone's challenges are different. But, if you have your mind made up that you are gonna get to goal and this great tool to help you, you will achieve your goal. Best of luck to you!

[lauragshsu 6]

I haven't hit the 100lb mark yet, but I'm more than half way there. I started off with 144lbs to lose. I never even considered bypass. I have a friend who was in a coma for two weeks after a problem with her bypass. She has huge scars over her chest from tubes and needles. She lost about 50lbs. A year later, she had lapband.

[SoccerMomma73 1,867]

FYI I went into this with a goal of losing 134 pounds, looking for 75 the first year. I'm 7 months in and have lost almost 80 and still losing steadily, there's no way I won't hit the 100 pound mark and likely hit it in less than a year. As said above, you get out of this what you put into it. I have patients who have done excellent with bypass or banding. I have patient who have failed with bypass and banding....it is definitely not a cure all but it sure as heck helps make it easier!

Good luck with your decision!!!

[RaSCal 0]

My wife had the bypass 5 or 6 years ago and lost a lot of weight. I have seen her struggles at time with the bypass. I will say that she got pregnant since then and had a completely trouble free pregnancy. We now have healthy 8 month old baby boy.

I personally decided on the lap band because it can be removed. An additional factor was the death rate from the bypass. I couldn't justify taking a 1/200 risk when I was losing weight so that I would be around for my son.

[Miss Lisa 0]

I love it that the band can always be adjusted, and removed if necessary.....and I've always wondered what happens to that other half of your stomach you dont use if you have a bipass?? it just hangs out there and????..GldnGrl you exactly hit the nail on the head I've been wondering this same thing!!!

[bbailey 0]

I was banded March 10, 2010 and I have already lost 66.7lbs. It is not impossible, but you have to realize the Lap Band is a tool; not a miracle!