Pre-op, wondering if I need this?

[happygirl65 5]

Hi all!

I have been obese for 16 yrs and morbidly obese for 10 of those. I have like many other tried everything under the sun to lose and always gained it back.

So I fianlly decided Lap Band was the way to go for me, met with a surgeon who I like and have started the paperwork for my insurance.

So here is my dilema...In the last 3-4 months I have lost 17 pounds. I have done it by cutting out processed flour and sugar, no HFCS especially and working out. I walk...or rather did until a couple of weeks ago when something got in the way of my schedule and I just stopped going to the gym.

So for a month I was on a plateau still eating well, and kept bouncing up and down about 2 pounds over and over again and could never bust down past the 254 mark and was at 256 more often then not. Got discouraged and rationalized some junk food...:wink5: Started eating potato chips (thinking there's no white flour or sugar in them) and a bit of ice cream which I quickly stopped doing because I realized it was too dangerous.

Got back on track with what I was eating but stopped logging the foods.

THEN I decided on surgery and suddenly started making even better choices and tracking my calories again and I am down to 253. :thumbup:

Part of me (the scared part) says I don't need surgery that I can do it on my own.

The other part says...yeah, you can do it on your own but in a few weeks or months when you decide that you can't stand it anymore and want to "take a break" and pig out on junk food and fast food what is to stop you from gaining it all back?

I am fighting cravings from time to time but I can handle it until that time of the month when I just can't eat enough chocolate. I am realistic and know that it is just something I have allowed myself to do, not that I need it but I do crave more when the hormones hit.

So I am confused...should I just look at this as already practicing the new foods etc that I will be eating post band? Should I just see it as a jump start to my new life? Perhaps I wont even have to do liquids to lose for surgery if I am already losing on my own....and the band will just help me keep at it and not give up and return to the same old habits.

I want to know what you guys/gals think!

Thanks!

[Jennifer Hathaway 12]

I think it is a decision that you ultimately have to make. But for me the band is a lifesaver. I have been very successful at losing weight in the past but I was always hungry and as soon as I lost the weight I returned to bad habits ballooning up even farther than I originally started. This time is for keeps. I know when I get a craving now I bcan satisfy it with a taste and move on. I had surgery may 25, 2010 and I am down 80 pounds with only 12 left to goal. I could have done it without the band but I would be starving with how little I actually consume. Once you get adjusted it helps with the hunger and the head games. This time when I see a number on the scale I say goodbye forever and move down. Good luck in your decision. This has been the best and easiest decision I have ever made!

[happygirl65 5]

Good point... I think the fear of a foreign object in my body is what is holding me back...the what if's but I do have to remind myself that there is no certainties in anything. All we can do is the best we can with what we've got right?

[Jennifer Hathaway 12]

I found myself fearing the object in my body as well. But I have my stomach intact. And if anything happens to the band I am sure it is fixable or replaceable. I really only find myself fearing something could happen and I would lose it because I love it so much.

[honk 780]

Happygirl, you need to make the right decision for you. In regards to a having a "foreign object"; if you needed a hip replacement or you would be in a wheel chair would you decline the surgery? Or a pacemaker, or heart stents? My mother put off for years having hip replacement and when it was done said why did I wait this long?

Personally, I can loose weight. My issue is keeping if off. When I was thirty I lost over a hundred pounds. My work situation got stressful, then I got laid off. Everything fell apart and ten years later I had gained about 200 pounds. At 39 I had a ministroke. One of my doctors said 'have you considered weight loss surgery?"

For me the end game is to not just loose weight but keep if off. Reading your post it sounds like you (like me) can focus and commit to self denial and will power for streches of time and then things start to cave in. While the band won't make decisions for you (I have a weekness for crunchy peanut butter) it will help you eat less.

I am single with no kids so I do have more me time. Making exercising a non negotiable thing is important.

[happygirl65 5]

Happygirl, you need to make the right decision for you. In regards to a having a "foreign object"; if you needed a hip replacement or you would be in a wheel chair would you decline the surgery? Or a pacemaker, or heart stents? My mother put off for years having hip replacement and when it was done said why did I wait this long?

Personally, I can loose weight. My issue is keeping if off. When I was thirty I lost over a hundred pounds. My work situation got stressful, then I got laid off. Everything fell apart and ten years later I had gained about 200 pounds. At 39 I had a ministroke. One of my doctors said 'have you considered weight loss surgery?"

For me the end game is to not just loose weight but keep if off. Reading your post it sounds like you (like me) can focus and commit to self denial and will power for streches of time and then things start to cave in. While the band won't make decisions for you (I have a weekness for crunchy peanut butter) it will help you eat less.

I am single with no kids so I do have more me time. Making exercising a non negotiable thing is important.

Wow...you are so right! I wouldn't question it if it wasn't something that I am pursuing on my own. :thumbup: It is funny that I was so sure about my decision until it started to become more real and I have financing all lined out and just waiting on the docs to get all the info to my surgeons office. I just have to keep my eye on the prize and not let the self doubt creep in and sabotage me like it has so many times before.

[Kalipso2 25]

i was always skinny as a kid and teen. it wasn't until i was in my early 20's that my eating got out of control. i was a binge eater... well, i guess i still am one. i tried every diet known to man and they worked... while i was on them.

i was tired of being fat and miserable so i decided to make a big change. i researched the lapband because its non-evasive and reversible. the downtime and cost were a lot lower too (since i was self pay).

i'm going to be honest... it's been 2.5 years and every day is still a struggle for me. yes, i've lost a lot of weight but that's the EASY part.

being a binge eater, it's risky having the lapband. i had my band so tight for a few months because i wanted to lose weight fast. and i did lose weight fast but i also vomitted a lot and had a wicked case of acid reflex where i would wake up in the middle of the night choking on the stomach acid.

i finally gave in and got my band lossened when i learned i was close to having my band slip... the top of my stomach was folding over the band because i was over eating.

don't get me wrong... the band does work when used properly. i just have a hard time stopping once i start eating. it gets to the point where my stomach says STOP but my brain says KEEP EATING. you have to learn to listen to the band.

do i exercise? no. should i? absolutely! have i lost 60% of my weight? yes! have i gone from a size 16 to a size 8? yes! do i have an occasional potato chip? yes. do i eat healthy more than i eat junk? yes.

it's hard... this has been the hardest journey EVER but also the most rewarding because i'm finally happy with myself!

[happygirl65 5]

Thanks for all the candid replies.

I guess one of the things I need to work on is the idea of absolutes...all or nothing...it's that kind of thinking that lets me go off the deep end instead of having one little treat in moderation.:eek:

In the end I will still be me...still be human...still make mistakes, but if the band can help me (as it seems to have helped you all) not have the cravings and take some of the focus of my life OFF of food that would be absolute bliss. It is hard when you have to be so diligent about every single calorie that it takes control of your entire life. That is where I am at now...so I guess the question I have to ask myself is do I want to live this way forever...weight loss or not, just obsessing about everything I eat all the time, watching the clock, starving myself if it's not "time to eat" again yet and just being basically miserable about it? NO, I don't, and whats more I don't want to pass that affliction on to my kids who WILL learn from me no matter what I do. They will learn far more by my example than by my words. I deserve better...and so does my family!

I LOVE the support here on LBT. Thanks for listening and caring...time I start caring as much about myself as I do about everyone else! :rolleyes2:

[bwhitty 1]

I had the same thoughts as everyone else here. Made my mind up to do it, because I can lose weight on my own but I can't keep it off. food always gets the best of me. I need this tool to manage myself. I went to the seminar on Sept. 29th, did all the testing in a month and am having my surgery next week!

I'm very excited to get my life back. Its going to be a long journey but I'm willing to take it.

[melzie_99 22]

It's a decision I've been struggling with myself; having to wait a long time to see my dr for the referral is just giving me more time to second guess myself. On my own I'm always able to lose 10-20 lbs but no more than that and end up gaining back more; time to break the cycle! I've been chatting with the surgeon's office and they are confident I met my insurance company's requirements; thought I'm scared of the thought of going through with this I'm more afraid of what might happen if I don't. Can't wait for the day when I no longer need my CPAP and blood pressure meds! No matter what you decide, I wish you well on your journey...

[happygirl65 5]

The support is SO GREAT! I appreciate it. I DO NEED to do this and I do WANT to do this so I will keep moving forward. I think I would even self pay if the insurance says no...it's time to change my life....for good.

I have made some really positive changes in the last few months which you can see have resulted in a loss of 18 pounds now (yeah for me).

I believe the band will help me stick to my new way of eating without the monster cravings that I get at times. And I also believe it will help me stay off the dreaded processed food including flour and sugar which I have had a love/hate relationship with for a very long time. As long as I stay away/limit them I will do very good.

Since some people have a problem with them post band I am just trying to convince myself never to TRY them after...it maybe a total mind fake but whatever works!:rolleyes2:

[misery4499 0]

The thing you need to remember is the band is not a cure all but merely a tool. You will still have cravings, those never go away. You just need to make the decision and say I am not going to eat that. I have had my band for a month now and have lost 29 lbs WOOT! but still my band has not been adjusted yet, just there. For me there is no restriction (YET) but just simply knowing it it there is a major help. My first fill is after Thanksgiving so will let you know how it goes. Good luck in your decision you will make the right choice for yourself cause only you can!

[happygirl65 5]

Good point. I think for me getting SUPER hungry is when I make bad choices so not letting myself get that hungry will help. I do worry about the learning curve but I know that will work itself out eventually and I will learn what works and doesn't.

I am going to try and not over analyze this too much. I tend to do that...get obsessive. I need to just be patient and let it all happen in it's own time. sigh...just excited to start my new life and keep going on my weight loss.

[Cocoabean 430]

Thanks for all the candid replies.

I guess one of the things I need to work on is the idea of absolutes...all or nothing...it's that kind of thinking that lets me go off the deep end instead of having one little treat in moderation.:eek:

In the end I will still be me...still be human...still make mistakes, but if the band can help me (as it seems to have helped you all) not have the cravings and take some of the focus of my life OFF of food that would be absolute bliss. It is hard when you have to be so diligent about every single calorie that it takes control of your entire life. That is where I am at now...so I guess the question I have to ask myself is do I want to live this way forever...weight loss or not, just obsessing about everything I eat all the time, watching the clock, starving myself if it's not "time to eat" again yet and just being basically miserable about it? NO, I don't, and whats more I don't want to pass that affliction on to my kids who WILL learn from me no matter what I do. They will learn far more by my example than by my words. I deserve better...and so does my family!

I LOVE the support here on LBT. Thanks for listening and caring...time I start caring as much about myself as I do about everyone else! :rolleyes2:

Howdy. Only you can make the decision for yourself. But for me, the band has done just what you are talking about. It has taken away the obsession with food. Yes, I still fight the desire to eat the junk, and it still tastes just as yummy. But with my physical appetite under control, it is a battle on only one front. It is much easier to fight and win that way.

In my band life, I do not weigh and measure my food. I do not count calories. I do not obsess over a poor choice from time to time.

I could lose weight in the past, but when I got sick of the obsession it took to keep it up, the weight came back. Maintaining a loss? Yeah, THAT never happened, unless the obsession continued. My weight has been stable now since around last April when I lost a few more pounds. But basically I've been wearing the same size pants for over a year. I am not talking about elastic waisted pants, but real slacks and jeans. I am actually wearing clothing out now. THAT had never happened to me before.

As to the foreign object? Yes, I am concerned about it. But I see my surgeon annually (just had an upper GI--all is well) and my primary care doctor follows me as well. He checks my bloodwork including Vitamin levels. If the band causes me problems, I'll deal with it if it happens. For me, it was a better choice than the malabsorptive issues of bypass, the only other option when I made my decision.

Best wishes to you!

[maxi2010 0]

Hi all!

I have been obese for 16 yrs and morbidly obese for 10 of those. I have like many other tried everything under the sun to lose and always gained it back.

So I fianlly decided LAP-BAND®®® was the way to go for me, met with a surgeon who I like and have started the paperwork for my insurance.

So here is my dilema...In the last 3-4 months I have lost 17 pounds. I have done it by cutting out processed flour and sugar, no HFCS especially and working out. I walk...or rather did until a couple of weeks ago when something got in the way of my schedule and I just stopped going to the gym.

So for a month I was on a plateau still eating well, and kept bouncing up and down about 2 pounds over and over again and could never bust down past the 254 mark and was at 256 more often then not. Got discouraged and rationalized some junk food...:eek: Started eating potato chips (thinking there's no white flour or sugar in them) and a bit of ice cream which I quickly stopped doing because I realized it was too dangerous.

Got back on track with what I was eating but stopped logging the foods.

THEN I decided on surgery and suddenly started making even better choices and tracking my calories again and I am down to 253. :rolleyes2:

Part of me (the scared part) says I don't need surgery that I can do it on my own.

The other part says...yeah, you can do it on your own but in a few weeks or months when you decide that you can't stand it anymore and want to "take a break" and pig out on junk food and fast food what is to stop you from gaining it all back?

I am fighting cravings from time to time but I can handle it until that time of the month when I just can't eat enough chocolate. I am realistic and know that it is just something I have allowed myself to do, not that I need it but I do crave more when the hormones hit.

So I am confused...should I just look at this as already practicing the new foods etc that I will be eating post band? Should I just see it as a jump start to my new life? Perhaps I wont even have to do liquids to lose for surgery if I am already losing on my own....and the band will just help me keep at it and not give up and return to the same old habits.

I want to know what you guys/gals think!

Thanks!

Hi Happygirl.

You sound A LOT LIKE ME although we don't have the exact same story. The bottom line is I'M GLAD I HAD THE SURGERY AND WISH I HAD DONE IT SOONER.

For years I tried to lose weight. Sometimes I even did lose a ton of weight but, inevitably, I would always gain it back. It took my 2 years to make up my mind about having LAP-BAND®® surgery. I went to a LAP-BAND® orientation but still could not make up my mind. I kept rationalizing that I did not need the surgery and that I could do it on my own. I finally came to realization that losing weight and keeping it off was just a pipe dream that I would never be able to do. Yes, I could lose weight but I could not keep the weight off. My weight kept going up and down like a yoyo, which is not good for you.

I finally made the decision to have surgery and then my insurance denied my surgery. I seemed to meet all their requirements so their decision surprised both my doctor's office and me. It's funny how something like a denial can make you want something even more. My doctor's office and medical division of my insurance had a peer-to-peer medical review based on my appeal. My denial was overturned and my insurance for LAP-BAND® surgery was approved.

I had LAP-BAND®® surgery on 9/17/10. At my highest weight, I weighed 220 lb. I weighed 206 lb on the day of my surgery due to the restricted liquid diet I was placed on by my surgeon (to shrink my liver) before surgery. I have - to date- lost 24 lbs. That is not as great a weight loss as many other LBT members. However, I am thrilled with this weight loss because it has been a steady decline in weight every week.

I had my 1st fill last month and still find the LAP-BAND®® liveable. I eat smaller portions and feel satisfied much sooner than before. For the first time in my life, I believe I will lose this weight permanently. For the first time, I am throwing out my large size clothes (I usually save them for when I will reach that size again). I know I will never again fit in these clothes and I am thrilled. I am also permanently under 200 lbs, which is also a thrill. I have not been that small for about 10 years.

I made significant changes in my life to get healthier beside having my LAP-BAND® surgery. I choose to eat healthier foods and smaller portions and select to eat healthier and lower calorie foods. I carefully count the calories when I eat "empty" calories, like pretzels and have not yet eaten anything in extreme. I also added exercise into my life 5 days a week.

What I found out was that LAP-BAND®® surgery does not cause you to lose weight like most people think. It is a tool to help you feel full sooner so you have a chance to lose weight. I definitely need all the help I can in losing weight. This time, I am in it to win it. I don't care how long it takes me to lose enough weight that I am no longer fat as long as I reach it and stay there eventually.

If you do not choose LAP-BAND®® at this point in your life you will probably choose it at another point when you are sicker from your excess weight. That is what happened to me. I feel I must lose weight to get back my health. The last time I saw my doctor, my blood pressure pill was cut in half as my blood pressure was on the low side of normal. I had lost 18 lbs at that point. My doctor thinks I will be completely off my blood pressure pill the next time she sees me.

I hope you chose the smarter option - having the LAP-BAND® surgery when you are younger and healthier.

Having LAP-BAND® surgery was the best decision I ever made.

Good luck with whatever decision you make.

Maxi