Am I Crazy To Get Banded?? Only 25-30 Lbs To Lose.

[janleefran 9]

I'm a fit and active 41 year old, 5'7 weighing 175 lbs.

150 lbs is where I felt great, but that was many years, a couple of kids and one major knee surgery ago. I've never been able to lose more than 2 or 3 lbs, I do crossfit three times a week and eat fairly well - not a big fan of junk food - I just eat more than necessary and as I get older I see the pounds slowly creeping on.

So I'm scheduled for surgery on Oct 19, and my BMI is 27.7.

My question is.... am I crazy for doing this? I can afford it, I'm happily married and my husband is supportive. I have no health concerns, so truly this is vanity driven only. I just don't want to make a huge mistake..... but I'd really, really like to be slimmer.

Thanks for any input.

[honk 780]

I'm going to get flamed for this but, No. If you want to loose weight than you need to exercise more. I do 1-2.5 hours of cardio daily. So exercising 3 days a week does not sound like enough for me. You would loose weight if you exercised more. By the way my surgeon wants a commitment from his patients of at least 30 minutes 7 days a week.

The band is not meant to stop you from eating. It helps you feel satiation faster but it is not mean to be a hard stop when eating. Some people keep their bands WAY to tight in order to get that effect. Many of them end up having a band slip which is very bad because of this.

I would say buy yourself a food scale and start weighing your Protein. Serve yourself 3-4 oz of low fat/cal Protein. No seconds. Then eat low fat/cal veggies until full. Trust me no one gorges on plain carrots.

Also, most bandsters loose their last 30 pounds VERY slowly. So you would probably loose 5 pounds at the start and then loose the last 25 very slowly. It is not going to be fast. When you read of people loosing 3-4 pounds a week it's because they are 100+ pounds over weight.

[wildrose1966 396]

$16,000 for 25lbs seems like alot, I am surprised he would even do surgery on a low bmi. I don't know you or everything you have tried, but to me I would dream of 175lbs. Seems like a money grab to me.

[Toddy 758]

I wouldn't do it for 25 - 30 pounds. Living with a band is life-changing. You have to completely change the way you eat as well as what you eat. There are some things you may not be able to eat at all. Then, what if you have complications down the road and have to have your band removed. I've heard/read that if you lose your band, you will actually gain weight faster because your body has gotten used to such a tiny amount of food. Don't know how scientific that research is, but since I had to have all of my Fluid removed last week, I can believe it!

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

There's no way I'd recommend the band for only 25-30 pounds. It's simply not worth the risk of surgery and the life changes for such a small amount of weight. Quite honestly, I think it would be a complete waste of money.

[Kime-lou 648]

I am with the group. For what you have to go through forever, it is not worth it for no more weight than that. Like others have said I am shocked any reputable doctor would consider doing the surgery with that BMI. I would talk to your primary care and get some other opinions before make a HUGE life decision.

Good luck.

[Maddysgram 6,159]

I'm with the group also. What I would suggest is start utilizing some LB rules like-

Eat on a smaller plate

Take small bites

Wait 1 min between bites

Stop after 20 mins whether done or not

Start with Protein first 15-20gr per meal

Drink a lot of Water

Continue exercising

I'm not banded yet (Oct15) but I have adopted these into my life and have lost 34lbs. The only reason for going through with surgery is b/c I have a problem keeping it off.

[janleefran 9]

As I said, I'm a fit and active person, which means I hike, bike, swim, jog, take the stairs, play recreational sports, etc. I ALSO do crossfit 3x week. Suggesting that I start doing 2.5 hours of cardio a day is ridiculous.... not only is there not enough hours in a day, I assure you that I burn plenty of calories.... which is part of the reason I have a large appetite.

What I eat also isn't that big of an issue.... my problem is that I have bad eating habits, I wolf my food and look for the full feeling. Trust me, I have spent my entire life battling this and I have always used a smaller plate, ate Protein first, limited refined carbohydrates, drank Water..... but I still wolf my food down and get up to get seconds.

If this is just an issue of having enough willpower..... why would ANYONE get the surgery? Why doesn't everyone start eating properly and start excercising 2.5 hours a day (ha - I'm being facetious)?

I can tell you why.... it's because it's not that easy. It's easy to say it, but it's not that easy to do it. So why is it ok for someone with 100 lbs or 50 lbs to get the surgery to give them a hand, but not for me at 25 lbs?

I understand what everyone is trying to say.... but I'd like to know WHY it's ok for you, but not ok for me. Why do I have to rely on excercise and willpower alone (which has been a complete failure my entire life)?

[Kime-lou 648]

Janlee- it is totally up to you. Your situation seem more psychological than anything. For me I have been 100 lbs over weight since I was in 6th grade. I would get hungry quick. For me the band helps me stay full longer and that is why I am losing. Yes, just like a diet I have to make good choices.

Losing still isn't easy with the band. It is still HARD!!! You have to make the best decision for you. With that said I think we all want you to realize the possible problems you could be getting yourself into.

I was 100 lbs over weight the possible side effects of that are worse than the possible problems of surgery. The pros of surgery out weight the cons. You have look at it that way to - does the effects of being 25-30 lbs over weight out weight the risk of surgery and possible life long issues?

If you do it good luck, just go in informed.

[Toddy 758]

You asked, we're answering. You are obviously a very fit and presumably healthy person if you are doing this only for cosmetic reasons. Most of us that are willing to go through this surgery and live with this band are doing it for health reasons.

I only(?) had 70 pounds to lose, but I had high blood pressure which was not easily controlled with meds; I also have/had chronic back problems from a back injury years ago.

Many people think being banded is "taking the easy way out" for weight loss. All of us bandsters know better. If you weigh the life changes, the surgical risks, the risk of complications down the road with the band, most of us don't see it as being worth a 20 - 30 pound loss. However, it's your decision, and if you think it's worth it, go for it. But I, too, would question a doctor that would preform major surgery on someone with a normal BMI and no co-morbidities. Just my opinion.

[janleefran 9]

I do appreciate the feedback..... but like anyone, I get a bit defensive and angry when i'm told, YET AGAIN, to just start excercising and eating less. I think we all know it's not that easy, especially when a person already excercises more than the average and eats well.

Just because I have less weight to lose doesn't mean I feel less miserable about my inability to lose weight. However, that doesn't mean that I'm not reading what is being said and taking it to heart. Thank you all.

[hippychick74 22]

I have to say I do agree with the others. I'm assuming you are self pay. Not sure if your Doctor has had you consult with a psyhcologist. I know it is required for us to do this before we can have surgery. It is also required by the insurance companys that pay for it. Maybe if you talk to some you may be able to sort this out.

I sure most everyone on this post has lost and gained weight a thousand times. If we where as fortunate as you and had willpower then we wouldn't be having this conversation today.

Start living like you have already been banded. 3 meals aday, no more than a cup of food with each meal and no drinking for an hour. After you are banded if you don't chew very well and eat very slow, let me tell you that discomfort is no fun.

I would think long and hard and do your research. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. But since you have money if you don't like it you can have it taken out. Right!!

[hippychick74 22]

janleefran,

I didn't mean to sound rude but, You probably won't get a lot of sympathy on this site. FYI....you will probably regret posting. I have a feeling this will be answered by many people. But good luck anyway.

[meyouus 415]

First of all, I'm glad you came to this board for information, good for you for asking for advice. Unfortunately, I don't think this is the kind of advice you wanted. I agree with the above poster's. But something stood out in your second post. It says,

"...my problem is that I have bad eating habits. I wolf my food and look for the full feeling....but I still wolf my food down and get up to get up for seconds." Well, yes, you do have a problem. If you had the band put in, you would NOT be able to wolf down your food anymore. Period. There are consequences to your actions. And the consequences are high if you are banded. Familiarize yourself with what the complications are if you get banded. If you were to continue to wolf down your foods, and go for seconds, the results would be very dangerous.

So, you want to go from 175 to 150, and you're 5'7". And you're having LapBand surgery to lose 25 pounds? And you admitted that this was all in vanity. My input, that you requested, would be to stop gorging yourself on food. Stop going for second's. HippyChick said it well, "Eat as if you were banded." Don't drink before your meal, or an hour after, otherwise, the food you ate would go straight down to the bottom of your stomach and you would never feel full. In an unbanded stomach, the food has to work from the bottom of the stomach and go up to the top of your stomach to feel full. That's alot of food! Drinking with and after meals flushes food through to the small intestines. You don't get that full feeling, the very thing that you said you were looking for.

You're healthy already, no health concerns, you have children, you have the support of a husband. You don't need a life and bodychanging surgery to lose 25 pounds. You want it. You'll do what you feel is best for you, I just hope you know what you are getting into.

A lifestyle change is in order, not a body altering change.

I wish you the best of luck in your choice.

[newme37 16]

Everyone is just trying to save you from yourself.

I questioned whether or not to have the surgery for the 50-60 lbs I need to lose, I'm 3 days post op and I couldn't imagine putting myself through this for 25lbs. Do what ya want and good luck !