Should I or shouldn't I

[Squishymummy 0]

Hi all

I have been struggling with my weight fluctuating from just obese to morbidly obese for the last 11 years. I enjoy exercising and healthy food but have been unable to sustain a healthy weight. Exercise is difficult on all my joints even though I enjoy exercise it is painful. I'm not in denial I know I'm doing it to myself. I have 3 wonderful daughters who are slim trim and pretty stunning (of course I'd say that ;0). I learnt my bad food relationship habbits from my Mum (all to do with stress etc) and am teriffied I'm doing the same, as I was a healthy fit kid too. I am currently 74 pounds away from entering a healthy weight range. I am aware this is possibly not considered enough to warrent a lap band proceedure but I worry that I will just continue on the obesity path. I know two people who have had similar proceedures and one says she wishes she didn't wait till her 40's; the other says it is really the very last resort. I have not discussed this with anyone and am not keen to face all the fit people in my life and their reactions. I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome; family history of heart disease and short life spans! I just turned 36, here come MY 40's. To band or not to band??? :0/

[Sistersue 12]

What is your BMI? We see lots of people on here with relatively little to lose who choose the lap band not only to lose weight but to keep it off.

[Kay Adams 0]

Your bmi will determine if insurance will cover the procedure. However, I agree with both ur friends--it is a last resort and it will add years to ur life and joints. I have two artificial knees and a hip. Had this been available sooner, I might have been spared all this pain and agony. Do it for yourself and ur girls. They need u.

[vlp1968 83]

Although I was successful in getting to my goal, the lapband was not as helpfull as I hoped it would be. I had months here and there when I was in a really good place. However, I spent more time either hungry or getting sick than I would have liked. I think I was just finally ready to "give up the food". I have other addictions and I think food was simply the last one. I was in thereapy for a while, helped me learn to deal with my feelings in a healthier way. Part of me wishes I had given it one more shot before I got the band. I hadn't tried on my own in in about 5 years. All that being said, the bottom line is I lost the weight. My advice would be to try one more time to do it on your own, especially if you haven't in a while. I highly reccomend you start excersising if your not already, it has so many benefits, just one being weight loss. Also, I think everyone can benefit from some therapy, it's great to get an outside, proffessional opinion on things. Good luck!

[spoiltmom 44]

First what's your BMI?

I'm glad I got my band and I wish I would have done it sooner. It's been awesome for me!

[jennifer1 180]

in addition to getting opinions here...this is something you should discuss with your doctor. i do agree that this is a last resort

[bentonhuey 1]

Although I am significantly more overweight than you and have never been at a healthy weight, I say that researching your options well in advance will help you make the right decision.

I am 38 years old and have been successful losing 90 plus pounds in the past before lapband, but it was keeping it off that was my trouble. I made my decision to have the lapband because I knew the likelihood of me losing 100 plus pounds again was little to none, and, if so, the maintenance of that loss would be impossible. Old habits die hard with me, and I knew the band was the right choice for me after speaking with several people, researching, and talking with my general physician.

As I said, read the good & the bad about lapband and speak with your doctor(s). For me, it was the best decision and I am so glad I made it. Good luck to you and your decision.

[options123 3]

It has not been easy I was a bmi of 33 at 5'7 1/2 I needed to loose 60 and definately no more than 70 pounds I am 23 pounds down. I am self pay. I have struggled my entire life and was at my highest at 210 and early 40 s with no other health issues but chose to make sure I didn't have to deal with health issues due to weight.

[Rachel412 116]

My advice is, if you're a person who has a hard time dieting, this might not be the surgery for you. The band helps, but you still have to do all of the hard work- i.e. choosing what to put in your mouth every day. Seems to me like lots of people are not aware of this before surgery and are disappointed that the band doesn't magically make them lose weight.

That said, plenty of people do get the band even when they're not super overweight, and often they do pretty well with it.

[Squishymummy 0]

Thanks everyone for the comments, this site is fanastic.

My BMI is 37.5. I last lost weight this time last year (approx 24.5 pounds) and every time I lose I gain back again quickly + some. I can do very well when dieting and when at an easier weight I love to excersise. Problem is the minute I stop the weight just piles back on! I can see the future being a constent struggle and yoyoing all the time which is not healthy either. Don't you just want to wake up in the morning and although you know you need to eat right your waiting and stressing about when the swich will flick and it all starts to come back on again? I live in New Zealand and the proceedure doesn't seem to be done as much over here. Unfortunatley I think medical proffessionals want to wait and see just how bad it actually gets?! I will talk to Hubby and discuss with my Dr. I will let you know.

I know I'm not alone; i want to have other things to think about rather than "no I can't eat" or "stuff it what does it matter anyway". Life is full of much happier things! xx :0)

[roziecakes 20]

In my case, I started losing weight without the aid of the band first; and I'm like you, I love to exercise, but if I stop for whatever reason the weight piles back on. I have had a hard time exercising as much as I would like due to a very bad back. After losing a fairly good amount of weight, but not enough to really make a difference to my back, I thought long and hard about what solutions there were for me; and I knew that the weight loss had to happen faster to prevent back surgery.

I will definitely take a lap band over back surgery any ol' day.

So what I would say to you is, really think about the goals that you have, and take a good inventory of your current habits, and see how much you can do before you consider surgery.

I didn't decide to get surgery until I had exhausted all other options, and for me, I believe this surgery was exactly the perfect thing for me, because at this point I'm fairly disciplined. It's true what everyone says about this being hard work. It is, and it's only day 3 for me! Amazing.

Bottom line is, it's all about a true lifestyle change, whether we find that through surgery or not; that's what will help you ultimately, is being able to stop doing the things that aren't working for you, and finding the most efficient and best way for you personally to find health.

best of luck to you!