What if I did not do pre-op diet very well....

If I did not do the pre-op diet very well should I postpone the surgery? Also I wonder after reading other's comments is the Lap Band really going to help?

I think if you didn't stick to the pre-op diet then you need to be honest with the surgeon and let him decided if it needs to be postponed. The preop diet is important for shrinking the liver and making surgery easier.

Lap-band does work for many however it is hard and you really have to have your mind in it. In my opinion it is like being on a diet for the rest of your life. Most people are allowed to eat 1/2 a cup to 1 cup of food per meal and maybe a snack or two. Right know I eat a half a cup three times a day and 2 protein shakes. The part that makes it workable for me is that I am not hungry. If you are not sure you should postpone.

I only lost 6lbs pre-op... and I didnt do a strict liquid diet. I just modified what I ate, and dedicated myself to the gym consistantly. As far as answering your 2nd question about the band I cant yet... I was just banded on thursday... and other than burping every other second I have no major complaints

You are the only one who can decide if you are ready for surgery.  The pre-op diet is hard, but it's a jump start on the changes that you will need to make post surgery to be successful.  You will hear on this site over and over that the lapband is a tool, not a miracle.  That means that, barring some complication, it will work as well as you let it.  Lapband may control the volume you can eat at one time, but that doesn't necessarily mean you will lose weight.  Especially since people learn how to "eat around" the band all the time.  My journey has been hard, not because of any complications, but because I'm not sure I was ready for this process.  I still struggle with food choices and exercising like I should.  However, I'm glad I had my surgery.  I was limited on my choice of surgery by my insurance, but I don't regret my surgery.

My doctor didnt even tell me I had to do a pre-op diet. However I had only seen him one time and when my insurance was approved I was getting operated on 3 days later. I have been banded for a year and have onlly lost 40 pounds. Like others said you have ways of cheating around the band. I dont think I was ready or prepared or really knew what I was in store for. I thought of it more as my mirace then a tool and I have been dissapointed. Just make sure you know all the details because unfortunately I did not. My aunt got gastric bypass the same week I got my surgery and has lost 200lbs. I am having a hard time right now with regrets. Im going to see my Dr. next week for a fill (my 3rd) and I bought a tredmill this week. I really want this to work for me but right now Im feeling really discouraged.

Discuss whether or not you should postpone with your surgeon.

I had no pre-op diet at all.  Not all doctors require them.

The lap-band does just that.. helps.  But it doesn't make the correct food choices.. it doesn't drag you out of bed to go walk or to the gym.  The band doesn't slap your hand away when it wants to reach for ice cream instead of a string cheese stick.

All the band does is to help make you satisfied on smaller portions of food.  The rest is up to YOU.

I went into banding knowing it wasn't magic.. that it was only an aide.. a helper.. a tool.  And it has worked for me.  Will it work for you?  Probably.  If you're ready to really work at it.  Nothing is 100%.

If you're not sure, you may want to postpone a while and make sure you are ready.  I think I've done so well because I was ready physically, mentally and emotionally.  It was Game ON for me.  Make sure it's that way for you too.

Lisa,

Gave you really great advice.

If you think the band is going to make you stop eating you are wrong.  It dont matter what kind of restriction you have you can and will eat around the band if you want to .  I can sit down and eat a whole bag of chips or a whole tub of ice cream if I want to.  

Like Lisa  said, it still has to be you that makes the correct food choices, it has to be you that gets up and exercise . The band dont do them things for you .

I was like Lisa I went into this surgery knowing that the band helps with portion control and getting full a little faster that was it nothing more nothing else.

And like I have told others the band isn't in us to restrict us from the foods we love , the band is in us to teach us portion control .  I still eat all the same foods as I did before but once again like Lisa said I'm making better choices of food .  I eat healthy about 80% of the time . I have my days that I just plain eat unhealthy all day .   The thing though that I love about my band is I dont sit down and eat tons of food like I use to .  I get the guilt's if I eat to much of something it bothers me .

Just make sure you go into this surgery that the band is a tool only if you expect more from it then you will be in for a huge disappointment and you will probably fail at this .  In fact any WLS you consider is a tool only you can fail at any of them if you dont put your best effort into them.  You get what you put into :o)

Good Luck

Now this is just my personal opinion but I feel that if you can't/won't follow a pre-op diet how are you going to make the eating changes required by the band itself?I had a heck of a pre-op and for the most part I followed it to the T but it was a killer, 30 days of only skim milk for "meals" and all the calorie free fluids I could get down. I cheated 3 days by having a slice of cheese on those days. So while I didn't totally follow it, it was an extremely stringent diet. Also I wouldn't suggest the band to anyone after the issues I and many others have endured. So you might want to take a little more time to make a more informed decision. Good luck to you!