am I making the right decision

Hi gang,
I have my lapband surgery booked for July 15.  Just had a huge blow out with my sister who thinks I'm taking the 'easy' way out.  She seems to think 85% of lap banders do not lose the weight, and cannot follow the restrictions.  She thinks she can 'cure' me with her diet and exercise program ... I was so ready for this surgery, I had such good hopes, but now I'm feeling so despondent.  Maybe its the meditrim fasting making me so sensitive, but I could really use some support ... any takers?

Wendy

Wendy,

This is your journey, not your sisters. People who have not walked in our shoes do not fully understand. There are people that have WLS believing that it is an easy way out and they fail. Only you know why you are taking this path. Are you ready to make this commitment to yourself, do the hard work, and "cure" yourself? Don't let anyone else answer these questions for you. Is this helpful at all?

Carrie

Wendy,

Your sister sorry to be rude is full of **** ! Let me tell you this is NOT the easy way out.  I have had my band since Nov of 2010.

If I dont eat right, if I dont drink my water, if I dont exercise especially the exercise part I will not lose weight.

You can overeat with the band,  you can eat unhealthy foods with the band,  the band dont make you exercise,

I have to work for every pound I lose , but then I dont have no fill in my band either and that is my choice as to keep it that way . 

I can eat all the right foods every week but if I dont get off my butt and exercise then I wont lose a single pound.  My body is just like that no exercise no weight loss.

Sometimes I lose fast for a couple of weeks and then I will turn around and not lose a single pound for a week to six weeks.

You just have to remember the band is the slowest WLS out there, you still have to work , you still have to have self control and will power for you to lose weight.

The band is a tool only it helps curb your hunger that is it the rest is up to you .

I use my band just as a reminder not to over eat so that is why I dont have fills .  That is all I needed from the band because I was never a snacker, I was never a sweets person , I just didn't know how to control my portions so the band just reminds I dont need to overeat.

My weight loss might be slower because I dont get fills but that is okay for me also because in the long run I'm learning alot of things about nutrition and how to eat healthy which is what I wanted

I have lost 60 pounds and around 34 inches in seven months I'm happy with that and let me tell you again it's not the easy way out .

I could've "dieted" and exercised until the cows came home.. but it took having the band to DIM my appetite to successfully get the weight off and keep it off.

No WLS is a magic cure and none of them are an "easy way out".  And even if it was.. what's the big deal?  If your house was on fire, would you run upstairs and jump out a window because running out the front door was too easy?

You could consider asking your sister if she would still help you after you get banded by assisting with good food choices and appropriate exercises.  Tell her you would love her support in those areas, but the band is something you have decided is right for you. 

If your sister isn't obese or has never been obese, she may love you very much, but doesn't have first hand knowledge of what we go through.  Hang in there.

First of all, the easy way out point always seems daft to me. What is wrong with an easier way ? It isn't actually easy anyway, but even if it were, is there anything inherently wrong with it?

It is easier for me to control my blood pressure by taking daily meds than it is to have high blood pressure and die!

If I could could control my bp by diet alone, I would. But I cant. If I could control my weight by diet alone, I would. But I couldn't.

The easy way? No, it is easier but not easy! All the band does is tell you when it is sensible to stop eating. It doesn't necessarily stop you, just tells you it would be a good idea! If that isn't enough for you, the band is not the right wls.

Whether you lose weight with the band depends on you. I lost all my excess weight in 15 months. And have more or less kept it off for over three years. Many do. But many find the band is not enough.

Please also be aware that, as with any surgery, there can be complications.

Kate

Your sister is wrong about your taking the easy way out...if any WLS provides an "easy way out" it sure as heck isn't the lap band, but she is right that the lap band has the poorest stats on excessive weight loss.

Do your research on all procedures available and then you'll feel so confident in your decision that it won't matter what your sister or any of us on this forum have to say about it.

Lindsey

Dear Wendy,
My heart really went out to you while reading your post.
I am 12 days post-op (after surgery).
I spent more than 7.5 months making my decision. Even up till the night before I was a bit scared how it might work out.
I know that people quote that the lap band has the worst stats, but there's also research that it's not that far behind bypass at 5 years out.
I have been beyond THRILLED in the past 12 days. I have rarely felt hungry, and I'm very careful to measure so I don't over eat. I'm full with such a little! I tried to do this for the past 2 years, and until the past 12 days, I was not successful. (sadly, we don't all have the same experiences).
My sister is a self proclaimed "health nut" and loves putting that label on herself. She has tried to "help" me for quite a while. We've had several "whip lin into shape" phases over the years. Finally, after this past 7 months, she agreed with me that I should get the band.
I don't mean any harm, but your sister is uninformed if she thinks this is the easy way out. Maybe she should attend a support group for WLS patients. She can join OH too (although I don't think I'd encourage her to do that). Maybe she could talk with your surgeon's nurse or PA or some staff person for more info.
There is definitely a risk that you won't lose all of your excess weight. The stat that 85% do not lose weight is not quite an accurate picture and I'm not sure it's true. I haven't seen that stat. I'm aware of the risk of not losing all of the weight, but will do everything in *my* power to not be one of the people who don't lose it. (not blaming anyone) I am not going through all of this to not reach goal. Although one of the benefits of the band is that I can have another surgery if I can't lose the weight with the band (there are some caveats: some insurances only cover one lifetime WLS; you still have to meet the medical requirements to require another surgery).Also, I've known people with bypass and vsg who have gained back the weight too. I was really disappointed when I found out that WLS wasn't a guarantee of turning into a supermodel. (I know, but seriously, I really was). It is so important to follow the restrictions, but the other WLS's have restrictions too.
You are the only one who has to live with you for the rest of your life. You have to decide for yourself what is the best thing for you. You are the expert on you, not your sister.
I'm sorry this is so long, I feel passionate about this because I spent so much time and anguish making my decision. Yours might be different than mine, and that's ok because we are different.
I wish you the best. My prayers are with you!
~ Lin

Lin, do you know what research shows that it is "not that far behind the bypass at 5 years out"?

According to Suter et al., 2006 (n=317), the success rate of the lap band patients (with success defined as losing 50% of excess weight) peaked at 2 years out with 54% of patients successful. This declined to 43% at 7 years. 

The mean EWL at 5 years for those patients who still had the bands still in place was 58.5%.

I am not very educated on the RNY, but is it really that low?

Lindsey

HI Linsey!
My doc told me that if I had RNY, at about 2 years I could expect to lose about 70-80% (which would put me at about 196 lbs); he said with lap band, I could expect 60-70%, which put me at about 204 lbs when we did the numbers.

I also saw those figures elsewhere. I have to see if I can find it, but I thought it was NIH. I'll have to look around and get back to you.

My doc's office enters every patient into their study (if you agree). They are trying to look at what factors make some people more successful than others. I wish I knew!!!!!   I can guess at a few things! 

~ Lin

Hi Wendy,
I am new on here but all the people that have responded to you have said all of the things I would have wanted to tell you.  I have thought about the band for years and finally this past winter I met someone in real life that had it.  She shared with me all the great things that were said on here and made it clear to me that this is just a tool. 
The other sugeries show drastically quicker results.  When looking at the band vs gastric 6 yrs out the differences are minimal. 
I chose to tell everyone that I was being banded.  In order to get the band I had to jump through some hoops to qualify.  It became a challenge and a reality that this was probably going to be my last chance to succeed.  I have tried joining gyms, Jenny Craig, diet pills, Medifast, starving ....you name it and I tried it.  I was always successful for a while....then something would happen and I would lose my momentum.  I am a person who needs to have consequences.  Yes.  If my mom wasn't looking I would do it.  I decided the band was the best choice for me. 
It does have some complications but they are not typically life threatening and it would make me sick if I overate. 
I don't have a fill since I am still new.  I can tell you that if I want to overeat right now I can and not get sick.  I remind myself everyday that I need to make the right choices for this to work.  I will tell you that it is awesome to eat a small amount of protein when my stomache growls and it satisfies me:-)  I am down 32 lbs and go for my first fill next week.  I need to say no to bad choices and drink my water to lose weight.  The band just makes it a lot easier for me to say no.
Good luck with your choice.  I know that I had to be ready for this and not care what others thought.  I did this for ME!!!!
Best Wishes
Cindy