lap band or bypass?

[hope2bhealthy 2]

*I posted this on the general discussion board also, so if you read that one, it's the same thing.*

I'm on the fence about whether I would like to have a lap band or a bypass, and I wanted to know how others made this decission, and how it has worked out for people in a similar situation to me.

I have a BMI of 43, and weigh 287. Technically my ideal weight is probably 150 according to the charts, but I would be more than perfectly happy at 175, even 200. I am healthy otherwise, and I'm only 27, so the risk with either surgery is not high for me, and is about the same for either surgery (according to my doctor).

I think I would prefer the lapband over the bypass simply because it is less drastic. But I am not sure if the lapband would work well for me, and I'm afraid I'd be one of the ones that would lose about have my excess weight, but not most of it. I have always been chubby or fat, and I have never been successful dieting. The most I ever lost dieting was 12 lbs. I have a big problem with willpower, and with sticking to things. I also have a major sweet tooth. I know I'll have restriction and won't be able to each much, but I'm afraid I'll fill my stomach up with chocolate instead of chicken, and that I won't have the willpower to stay away from the bad foods.

I'm interested in hearing from others who have similar backgrounds, to see if the lapband worked for them, and if they've been able to conquer cravings with the band, or if it just makes them eat less of what they crave.

I have about 4 months to go before my 6 months are up, so I have some time to make an informed decision.

Also, I would like to know how long it was before you were able to move around well. I am a grad student and I teach 1 class a week. Should I be able to go back in for a few hours a day to go to class or teach after one week, or is it likely to take 2?

Thanks for your help,

Tracy

[make33 2]

Have you attended an informational seminar yet? I would suggest that you do because they certainly don't leave anything out and you have the opportunity to ask questions of professionals.

You are young and they've conquered the initial long-term problems with the gastric bypass they had with some of the original surgeries (failing livers).

Lap Band isn't for everyone--it is a tool, but it has rules that each person MUST follow. And we will not reach our goal as quickly as bypass patients (3 years for us, one year for them).

Mostly, I say read, read, read everything you can find on the Internet, in forums.

It's great that you have four more months in which to come to your decision. We all had to make the decision ourselves...

[hope2bhealthy 2]

yes, i've read a ton already, and i'm well informed. but the more i've learned, the less decided i am.

i've been to 2 seminars already, and i've picked my surgeon. he says that with my stats, i could go either way, and i just have to decided which surgery is best for me because i know myself. The problem is that I do know myself, and i'm afraid that the i won't have the results i want with the lap band. but the bypass has side effects that i don't really want either.

so the dilemma is whether or not to take a chance on the band, or to live with the consequences of the bypass. i just want to talk to as many people as possible about their actual experiences to determine whether my hunch about the lap band not working very well is a good one.

[make33 2]

Two weeks before surgery my surgeon suggested I switch to gastric bypass, telling me my acid reflux would be intensified by the band. He said I would lose 100 # with bypass without even wanting to! But at my age, I'm better safe than sorry.

You are fortunate to be so young--a very good friend's son and daughter had bypass (Jan 2006 and Feb 2007) and both are doing very very well. His daughter has gone from 275 down to 147 (Jan 2006) and he says his son (Feb 2007) is looking very thin, but has stopped losing weight.

BTW, many people have gone back to work within a week--I opted for longer and found that at 2 weeks and one day, I felt absolutely terrific and was 90% pain free.

Good luck with your decision...

[Chickie 15]

so the dilemma is whether or not to take a chance on the band, or to live with the consequences of the bypass. i just want to talk to as many people as possible about their actual experiences to determine whether my hunch about the lap band not working very well is a good one.

I was banded knowing that if it didn't work (for whatever reason) I could be revised to a DS, RNY or VSG.

In my humble opinion, if you are committed to a healthy lifestyle (including a balanced diet and consistent exercise) it is a good choice.

Out of interest, why do you have a hunch that the band doesn't work very well?

[hope2bhealthy 2]

Out of interest, why do you have a hunch that the band doesn't work very well?

I meant that I have a hunch it won't work well for me. Which is why I'm trying to find out about how it has worked for other people that are similar to me.

It seems to me that the lap band works best for those people that put their whole selves into losing weight and who are able to and do stick to the eating plan. The sort of people that can stick to something, but just needed that extra push to keep them going and to make the diet work better.

Unfortunately, I am not that way. (I'm not making excuses and doubting myself before I even start. I am being honest with myself and with my failings.) I am not a sticker. I stick to a diet for about 2 weeks, then fall off, whether or not I've lost weight. I can lose 10 pounds in those 2 weeks, and I still can't stick. I have no willpower when it comes to food. I'm not really an emotional eater, or a binge eater, or anything else like that. I just like the taste of good food, and I get bored with chicken and salad and veggies. And I have a major sweet tooth. I crave chocolate, and I have a hard time ignoring my sweet tooth.

So, I guess I want to know if the lap band is going to be right for me, considering I don't have a lot of will to resist temptation. My little stomach would be able to eat a lindt chocolate as easily as a piece of chicken. So will I still lose significant weight if I'm a cheater, or would I be better off going with the bypass that will keep me from cheating? I just want to make the best choice for me, because I don't want to have one surgery with the option to revise it to another. I just want to get it done.

[Alfie 58]

Hi, I'm not banded yet but the main reason that I don't like the bypass is because of the mal absorption. You have to be very mindful of eating correctly with the bypass also.

[Chickie 15]

I meant that I have a hunch it won't work well for me. Which is why I'm trying to find out about how it has worked for other people that are similar to me.

What sort of people? Overweight people?

I think everyone who goes into WLS does so because they have some sort of problem with food. Be it portion size, or sweets, or fatty foods. We all have to make a choice, to continue to enjoy the things that made us overweight to start with, or to give them up, and live a healthier, happier life.

I think you will find that true for whatever surgery you end up with.

It seems to me that the lap band works best for those people that put their whole selves into losing weight and who are able to and do stick to the eating plan. The sort of people that can stick to something, but just needed that extra push to keep them going and to make the diet work better.

Unfortunately, I am not that way. (I'm not making excuses and doubting myself before I even start. I am being honest with myself and with my failings.) I am not a sticker. I stick to a diet for about 2 weeks, then fall off, whether or not I've lost weight. I can lose 10 pounds in those 2 weeks, and I still can't stick. I have no willpower when it comes to food. I'm not really an emotional eater, or a binge eater, or anything else like that. I just like the taste of good food, and I get bored with chicken and salad and veggies. And I have a major sweet tooth. I crave chocolate, and I have a hard time ignoring my sweet tooth.

I didn't put my whole self into losing weight. I changed my lifestyle. I intend to live a long healthy life, and to do so, I need to eat well, and exercise regularly. I wasn't about going on a diet for 17 months and getting to goal, then going back to the crap that made me obese to start with, it was abut making life long changes that bettered my health.

So, I guess I want to know if the lap band is going to be right for me, considering I don't have a lot of will to resist temptation. My little stomach would be able to eat a lindt chocolate as easily as a piece of chicken. So will I still lose significant weight if I'm a cheater, or would I be better off going with the bypass that will keep me from cheating? I just want to make the best choice for me, because I don't want to have one surgery with the option to revise it to another. I just want to get it done.

You could eat more chocolate than chicken. If you want to.

Will you want to with the band? Maybe. Will you be able to yup. Is it a good idea for anyone to eat massive amount of chocolate? No.

Will you want to after RNY? Maybe. Will you be able to yup. Is it a good idea for anyone to eat massive amount of chocolate? No.

The bypass will NOT keep you from cheating. It will make you dump if you do, but it can't put a gun to your head and stop you.

Only YOU can make the choice to eat better foods and exercise daily. No surgery in the world will do that for you. And with out a good healthy lifestyle, it doesn't actually matter what surgery you have, because the end result will be the same.

[amy633 0]

I think you should go with bypass because like you said you can't control or stick with a diet. I choose band because the only sucessful time i've ever lost weight is while I was preg. (all 4 times) because the baby was laying on my stomach. and now that I'am older and wiser after I lose the weight this time. I will keep it off. good luck with your decision

[insubordination 0]

Obviously, we are biased because we all have the band. Maybe you came here because you're leaning that way.

I'm not keen on having most of my stomach cut out or intestines tinkered with. I would only do it if the band had to be removed and I was going to die from obesity.

I don't like the idea that the lapband is not good for people who like sweets. The vast majority of people love sweets. Are none of them good candidates?

Your appetite changes somewhat. I still want chocolate all the time but am happy with a row or two usually. Not from self-discipline either. Sometimes, I just don't feel like more.

I know you're scared of not succeeding. There are some people don't succeed with either surgery because their demons won't let them. Whichever route you choose, you probably need to see a good psychologist to find out why you have these problems you've identified.

There will always be support on internet boards for you. I hope you come to a decision soon.

I have all the problems you mentioned but I have also found a lil fighter inside of me that believes that I can succeed and claim the life I want.

[hope2bhealthy 2]

insubordiation -

thank you very much for your reply. i think this is what i was looking for. it's good to know that your tastes change some, because i never heard that from anyone. and it's good to know that a little chocolate won't kill me. i think i just needed reassurance that the band is working for people that didn't become exercisaholics or obsessed with eating healthy (nobody flame me for writing that). you can look on this website and so many of these people are such inspirations because they've lost so much weight and have made it down to goal. but who knows what kind of lifestyle they lead? whether they became marathon runners or they just walk 45 minutes a day? whether they obsessively count their calories, or if they just make an effort to eat healthfully most of the time, and the band does the rest (by rest I mean keeps them from pigging out. don't flame me.). the truth is, the statistics don't lie, and the average person loses about half of their excess weight and that's it. so the question is, is there a commonality between the people that the band REALLY works for, or between the ones that it just sort of works for? i would think i would be commitment level to diet and exercise, but i don't know what that level is. the other truth is, if you go on the messageboards for weightwatchers or jenny craig, you find just as many inspiring people who lost 100 or 200 or more lbs, and you think, if that 400 lb woman was able to lose 250 lbs on weightwatchers, then i should be able to do this too. but obviously, WW didn't work for me either, since I'm looking at the band. and before i spend my money on the band, i just want to find out from people what their commitment has been, and what their results have been, so that I go into it with my eyes open about what is needed. That's all I was looking for.

[Chickie 15]

Oh, so you wanted to know what the people who are at goal did to get there?

Personally, I am a fairly strict Vegetarian, eat organic and unprocessed foods as often as I can, walk everywhere I can, run 5km a day and do strength training 3 days a week.

Sorry if I misunderstood your question!

[TracyinKS 7]

I'm torn on what to say to you, because afterall its YOUR journey to take. I will tell you this. With the band and proper restriction you will be full faster... so maybe a small candy bar would satisfy your sweet tooth rather than a whole bowl of halloween treats.

One of my dear RL friends who had the RNY.... (she has gained back about 70% of the 120lbs she lost) She told me that she still ate things that made her feel like crap, but that sometimes it was worth it...... she didn't keep up with her bariatric Vitamins, she gained, she went into a depression, she has tried to commit suicide, she has been hospitalized twice,and now she is not returning calls.... She had talked about getting banded over her stretched out pouch but now she says she is done with losing weight....... I'm not saying this to scare you, but I wanted you to know the other side of what has happened to effect me and my decision to get banded.... and also.. her journey is different than yours... but I truly think the long term effects of the malabsorbtion factor have really yet to be determined. I love this woman as a sister and I have watched her change into a shell.

[insubordination 0]

I was reading a lapband book the other day and it said, "Why crack a nut with a sledge hammer when you have a nutcracker?"

[sherrie1_us 0]

I feel you on this I have a lot of the same problems as you. I was going around in circle trying to figure out which one to have well I decided on the lap-band why after really looking into and talking to a lot of other people tht i know tht had it seamed to be the safest one the recovery time is less and from what i hear less pain, well i will find out i have my on Nov 2 this friday i will let you know how it goes. all i same talk to yor family and really think about it hope it works out for you.

nona