Made my decision? HELP!

[caffyphu 0]

Hi,

I'm in my 3rd month of the 6 month program required by my Dr. & Insurance co. My Dr. also requires I loose 10% prior to surgery. I've been getting very nervous and scared, as I was preparing for RNY gastric bypass. Tonight I've been reading the posts and wow! You folks have motivated me. I've decided I'm going with the band. I know I can go through with the band surgery. I'm scared to death of the other. My biggest problem right now is my emotional relationship with food. I need to loose 25 lbs. in the next 3 months. And I'm eating like I've never eaten before. I think it is like "last supper syndrome". Dr said I may have to start a liquid diet next month if I'm not on track. And the thought of that is causing me to eat more. I need to take control but I seem to have no will power. You'll be hearing from me more often, now since I've decided Lapband is the way to go. I'll need all your help and support to get me through.

Thanks, looking forward to hearing from you.

[Fluffy_Gurl 3]

Welcome! I am new also ...I have not yet been banded and am in the begining of my journey. I have found this site very helpful and everyone very supportive! Good Luck on your Journey to a new you!

[plain 12]

Hi,

I'm in my 3rd month of the 6 month program required by my Dr. & Insurance co. My Dr. also requires I loose 10% prior to surgery. I've been getting very nervous and scared, as I was preparing for RNY gastric bypass. Tonight I've been reading the posts and wow! You folks have motivated me. I've decided I'm going with the band. I know I can go through with the band surgery. I'm scared to death of the other. My biggest problem right now is my emotional relationship with food. I need to loose 25 lbs. in the next 3 months. And I'm eating like I've never eaten before. I think it is like "last supper syndrome". Dr said I may have to start a liquid diet next month if I'm not on track. And the thought of that is causing me to eat more. I need to take control but I seem to have no will power. You'll be hearing from me more often, now since I've decided Lapband is the way to go. I'll need all your help and support to get me through.

Thanks, looking forward to hearing from you.

Ok, caffyphu....this is probably going to seem a little weird coming from a happy bandster, but.....you might want to think things through a little more. It sounds (and I could be way off on this) like you came to a decision to go with the band pretty suddenly. Snap judgements are never a good thing when deciding which weightloss surgery to go with. I'm not trying to dissuade you....I'm just urging you to maybe think it over very carefully, do more homework, and then make a decision.

Also, the band really doesn't do a whole lot for emotional eaters. Again, I'm not saying that emotional eaters can't have success with the band.....but's something that needs to be considered. Whatever you decide to go with, I wish you very good luck!!

[RestlessMonkey 7]

I think Plain made some really good points; my surgeon emphasized over and over that if you are a grazer or a snacker, the band will fail unless you can curb that. I personally did a year of behavioral therapy before I got the band (just on my own) to try to figure out why and when I overate, and how to stop it. If you are a person who eats when you aren't hungry, the band may not help you. I love my band and realize that only you will know if it is right for you or not. I don't want to sound sanctimonious either; I didn't get to 405 just by having an extra serving at dinner. For my band to work I must essentially quit grazing.

Having said that, once you have restriction (and I finally do, YAY!) it is easier, most times, to not snack.

I'm sure whichever you decide will be the right choice for you. I toyed with the idea of RNY bypass because in some ways it seemed easier but in the end, they both require work, dedication, commitment. They both are just tools, not miracle cures. Neither choice is easy, but the results can change your life.

[HeatherO 7]

The band may be a great choice for you but it depends on what your eating style is. If you are constantly grazing or eat tons of sweets/junk food it may not be as helpful for you. It is an excellent option for chronic overeating. In my case I was an overeater and it has fixed my problem completely.

I am more concerned that you are sabotaging yourself 3 months into a 6 month diet. This may be a strong indication that you are not ready for either surgical option. You need to start thinking about the reasons why you are not allowing yourself to succeed and maybe get some counseling or support to get through this phase.

At the very least, break up your diet into chunks. Follow it for a week and don't allow yourself to cheat . . . and then take one day as a free day. Then you can go back on again and go a little longer. If you go every day thinking it is a "last supper" you will not be able to meet your goals.

One thing you need to look at if you choose banding is that you don't need a last supper. You can eat after banding, just less of it. You don't have to grieve that you will never have another _ _ _ for the rest of your life.

Do you really want surgery . . . if so, you need to make a choice to follow through with the pre-op diet. Going on liquids for a couple of months is not going to be an easy option, and you don't want to allow the thought that you can save yourself later with this option to prevent you from following the diet plan.

Good luck. It may seem difficult now but it gets so much easier down the road. We have all been there and understand what you are going through, you are not alone.

[heidib 15]

Hi Caffy! I too am a emotional eater FOR SURE! I mean..REALLY... who isn't an emotional eater???? There's got to be some kind of feeling in a person that will make them eat till they feel sick or whatever your case. Just my opinion. I got my band 9-25-08 & it was the best thing I have EVER done!!!! I have lost 33 lbs so far! So, don't feel like the band will not work for you. The band is only a tool. You will need willpower as well. It is not going to happen on it's own. I went for the band because the other ws to invasive for me too. If you need anything we are all here to help you. You can PM me if you need to. GOOD LUCK!!!!

[kiz 1]

I just want to add to the above very informative posts, about being a grazer. I was not an emotional eater, although there were times I found myself eating out of boredom, or a big volume eater. I ate pretty normal sized portions, but I also had this hunger thing in my head all the time. I would eat junk between meals, and added to that bowl of ice cream or some other junky snack at night. I'd buy the "lite" ice cream, but I was just kidding myself. I was eating far too many calories every day, but on the other hand, I also have very bad genetics working against me. When I was in my twenties and younger, my bmi stayed around 20, and I ate very little in those days. Really, not a whole lot more than I'm eating with the band, but I wasn't denying myself food, I just didn't need a lot to keep myself going, and I didn't have this constant hunger thing going in my head.

So, my main vice was grazing, coupled with a genetic predisposition to need less food to maintain a healthy weight. The band has put a stop to that for me, for one main reason, and that is, I'm not hungry between meals, and I'm fully satisfied on very little portions. For the first time in many years, I feel NORMAL.

Everyone has given great advice, but I just wanted to point out that what RestlessMonkey said about getting additional help from a therapist to help with the emotional eating would be very beneficial to you. It could be, as an emotional eater, that you would sabotage any efforts to lose weight, whether you end up with a band or with bypass.

Please keep posting, because there's a many people who will be in your corner here, which ever surgery you end up choosing. Best of luck to you!!

[babycakes68 0]

I'm very happy for you on your decision. kuddos for u!:bananalama: I do wish you the best. I read your message and I wanted to ask you, what type of 6 month weight loss program are you in? The reason I ask is that, I have met all my requirements with my Insurance, however I still need to complete my 6 month weight loss program. My BMI is 36.5 and I'm afraid that if i loose too much weight, the insurance would denied me.

My problem is that all my life I can loose the weight but i can keep it off. I have also develop Health issues with my overweight. :present:

I feel so overwhelmed if I'm not be able to get the surgery.:cheers2:. Can you please give some advice?

[kiz 1]

"My BMI is 36.5 and I'm afraid that if i loose too much weight, the insurance would denied me."

Babycakes, check with your doctor and insurance about that. In the seminars I attended, that question came up, and presenters said that it's the original weight that is used to determine eligibility. But, needless to say, it's very important that you check with your own policy and doctor.

[lola0806 0]

Like many people on this site, I had to have a 6 month supervised diet/visits with my PCP in order for my insurance to approve the surgery. The reason for my decision to have the lapband was because of my medical issues, which gave me a huge scare and it was enough to help me to stop eating the way I was and to finally make a change. During my 6 month diet (which I don't call a diet but a lifestyle change) I was able to lose about 60 lbs and I was still approved by my insurance. Having the lapband is not an instant miracle. You have to work at it, it's just a tool to help you get to where you need to go. I still need to make wise choices when I'm planning a meal, I still need to exercise. I also ate out of boredom, the food was there, I had nothing else to do, so why not eat, and there are days that I just want to eat whatever and not think about it. This is a struggle that will take time to get over, not overnight. Now I make sure that I don't have any type of food at home that I would binge on so I don't have that temptation, but I also don't want to go back to the person I was before. I try to take it day by day, and if I have a set back, I look forward and I try not to forget how far I've come. Being on this site and being able to read all of these posts is always an inspiration to me. You see the struggle and accomplishments that everyone has gone through and I know I can make it too. Good luck to all of you on your journey.

[caffyphu 0]

Thanks everyone for your posts