Hi im a 16 year old sophomore more in need of some advice on losing weight. I have tried eating hethy playing sports and exercising but nothing seems to work im am currently 6 foot even amd weigh 330 pounds i am having thoughts of trying to get a LAP-BAND surgery done. Any advise would help thanks!

HI!

I had the same problem in high school.

You will need a surgeon that specializes in adolescents/pediatric patients. Not all bariatric surgeons operate on teens as they are still considered pediatric.

Why are you considering lapband?  I am afraid with the considerable amount of weight that you need to lose, lap band may not be aggressive enough and that you will have gone through a surgery to remain "obese". Yes, you would likely weigh less but you will not be in the "normal" range.  

Look into gastric bypass (i.e. RNY), VSG (i.e. the sleeve) and DS (i.e. duodenal switch). Do the results obtained by these surgeries match YOUR desired outcomes?

Best of luck

L

Who started her weight loss journey between 270-285 lbs and ended it at 139 lbs post op.

I second the LapBand dismissal!  There are far too many problems occurring with the band.  Start learning all you can about the mainstream procedures now and learn how to keep your body healthy with them.  

I agree that the lapband is bad news. Way too many complications. But, I also think you are a little young to be considering surgery. When I was your age, I just had no idea what eating healthy meant, so here is my advice for you:

1) Start tracking what you eat in myfitnesspal. It is an app for your phone, and there is also a website.

2) Learn how to read nutrition labels. Food companies are experts at making you think something is healthy when the nutrition label tells a very different story.

3) Start choosing to eat more protein. Protein will keep you full longer for fewer calories. I would aim for 80 to 100 protein per day to start, adjust if needed.

4) Stop eating highly processed foods that are high in carbohydrates. Refined carbs such as white flour and white sugar will leave you feeling hungry and will cause you to crave them. You are probably addicted to these foods, and you will need to break that addiction. Reduce your carbs to less than 50 per day for a couple of weeks if you are able to break the addiction. Check out the Atkins diet if you need help, but avoid their highly processed diet foods.

5) Stop drinking your calories. Drinking soda, energy drinks, and frappes is the easiest way to sabotage your weight loss. I was addicted to soda for a very long time, and quitting is hard. But you can try sparkling water (I love La Croix) or diet soda if you must (but some people find that just makes them want the real thing). Always check nutrition labels and pick beverages with zero calories (Starbucks and other restaurants post their nutrition facts on their website).

6) Practice portion control. Never eat out of a large bag or box of food, and always measure out a serving and put the rest away. I use a kitchen scale for accuracy, but you can start with measuring cups.

7) Once you have tracked what you eat for a while, start trying to reduce your total calories. For example, start trying to keep your total calories to 2000 per day. Once you get used to that, go to 1800, and keep adjusting down as you get used to where you are.

Most important: don't be to hard on yourself. Just try to a little better each day. Change doesn't happen overnight, so even if you can implement one of these habits at a time, you will be better off. We are all works in progress, and it took me a lot of years to adopt all of these behaviors. But I highly recommend that you start on this now and don't give up because you will need to learn all of these habits if you want to have surgery. These are habits that make us successful after surgery, and they are ones that you can work on now.

Lap Band is not done much any more -- too many complications.  Learn as much as you can about Weight Loss Surgery (WLS).  Click on "Resources" on the blue bar at the top of the page.  You could also go to an orientation program at a hospital that does Bariatric Surgery.  The Weight Center at my hospital offered to different programs -- one surgical, and one non-surgical.  Also, read up about "Intermittent Eating"  

Think about what your eating habits are.....are you a fast food junkie?  Are sweets your "thing"?  Are you a "carbaholic"?  Track your food, using myfitnesspal.  Perhaps you could see a nutritionist.  It boils down to eating healthy.  Eating fresh foods, as opposed to "processed" foods.

WLS is a major step and not to be considered lightly.  It has helped me tremendously -- but first, give yourself a chance at losing the weight on your own, without surgery.  Make a plan first, of what "eating style" is best for you..and try to find a plan that suits you.  Give it an honest effort. 

If everything fails, then look to WLS -- but at your age, doctors may say you're too young.  Does your mother try to help you with your efforts?  Does she understand your struggles?  Maybe sit down and have a talk with her....she may be able to help you.

I wish you the best of luck.  I was overweight all my life - my teen years were miserable.  I hope you find a path that will be successful.  Always remember, you are a special person and deserve happiness....and the resolution to our problems is within ourselves....no one can solve our problems but ourselves.

Mary

Hello

I have had Band surgery 6+ years ago and have great success.  Like you I was over 300lbs.  It does take a lot of dedication.  Lapband may help you with portion control but it won't help you decide what to eat.  So you can still eat all the wrong foods and not lose weight.  I exercised and kept active to lose and maintain my weight.   

Also...many of my fellow Lapbanders have had complications and/or failure (no matter how much they tried they could not lose lots of weight).  The Band is a tough road to take.  Not to mention you are so young and to expect have this device in your body for your whole life is a long shot.  So you would most definitely have a surgery to remove this at some point and then have to worry about regain.   

And...again I am success story.  I have lost 190lbs and have maintained.  I have gone relatively issue free.  But if I were your mother I would urge you to reconsider and research a different surgery.  Good luck.   

Good for you for making the decision to get healthier so young... I waited and it definitely took it's toll on my body.

Here's a few great resources:

The Your Weight Matters Challenge (sends you great tips via email) www.yourweightmatters.org

A great guide to all the different science-based weight loss methods out there: http://www.obesityaction.org/educational-resources/brochures -and-guides/understanding-your-weight-loss-options-brochure 

Info about one of the latest studies published about bariatric surgery in teens: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/854133

Another great resource http://www.choosemyplate.gov/  Exercise is great, keep doing it but generally weight loss is more about what you eat. 

Best wishes to you! ~Shelly

Carlos, yes you are getting great advice in this thread and being obese as a teen is really hard. 

There are MANY MANY MANY prerequisites to qualify for surgery - and your primary care doc will be the one to start talking with you about what this would involve. I agree that lap band may not be a terrific choice but the ultimate recommendation comes from a surgeon.

It is a lengthy process, and a lifetime change, and you may indeed have trouble finding a dr. who will even entertain the idea at your age. 

Best wishes to you!

My PCP has a story that he tells about a guy who wanted to get surgery, but his insurance wouldn't cover it and he couldn't afford it on his own, so my doc explained to him what it's like to eat after surgery (starting out eating only 2 ounces or so of food and gradually getting up to a cup of food per meal at the end of a year). The guy went home and started living like that. He followed the post-op diet plan just as if he had had the surgery and he lost a lot of weight. (I don't know exact numbers.)

Anyway, my point is: Why don't you try that? Do what the others are saying as far as eating protein first, then vegetables, then fruit, and (very rarely) carbs, but try to limit your intake to a cup of food per meal. Track everything you eat (even that one hershey's kiss that you don't think should count) and try to live like you actually had the surgery.

(I should note that I am no doctor and you should talk to your doctor before you begin any diet plan, especially one like this.)

Whatever you choose to do, good luck on your journey. I wish you happiness and good health.