confused

Dieting is hard. Keeping weight off is even harder. For many (most) that get the band, they find that it does not work the way it was advertised to work! For some that it did work as advertised..........they later find that it's very short lived. Most people get the band b/c they fall for the "least invasive" and want to get full sooner and stay full longer as advertised and many want reversable wieght loss surgery (although why they would want something that 's not permanent, I don't know!).  Well for many of us that NEVER happens! And "least invasive"? Well that kind of goes out the door when you start counting in all those band complications and 2nd and 3rd surgeries! Now as far as the reversable..........it's removable, NOT reversable..............but a ton of bands are  removed by 5 years, so I guess many bandsters are happy that that part kind of worked out for them lol!

Diet: You will have to diet with the band. You may also be just as hungry as you were before the band. So my advise would be to have a DIFFERENT WLS...........or just diet since you'll be doing that anyway.

Only you can decide if you should have the surgery....... I had tried everything over the years including numerous liquid diets including Optifast (of course when Oprah had done it lol)...I went crazy after a few weeks 3 was the most I could stick to an all liquid diet (although with the optifast you could microwave it into a brownie)....nothing worked for long (of course I am an emotional eater) and I had a hard time keeping it off.

With the band you will have to diet and exercise the band will not make you loose the weight you will have to do most of the work.... what the band did for me was to limit the amount of solid protein (everything else I can eat tons of and nothing no matter how tight I was it all went down lol) I could have and dimmed my hunger.
 
Seems like I never get that signal to the brain that I have had enough and need to stop eating, instead the band gives me a soft stop....either a deep sigh or my nose starts to water...that is when I stop.

I lost 80 the first year and lost max 90 pounds....kept it off for almost 3 years till I had to have a unfill (my first and they now believe my first bad stuck episode) which just happened to be before the Holidays in November so it was on....and I gained 17 pounds from November till end of January when I started to get fills again.......never did get to the level I was before and the weight is harder coming off..............

In conclusion I didn't realize how much the band really helped me until I had the unfill and gained some of the weight back (of course I didn't work out during that time either due to a groin pull)....I would be where I am today without it.
 
I learned a valuable lesson (from the weight gain) and know I never want to be without my band again so I am now keeping it on the loose side, mainly to "preserve" it and allow me to keep the band as long as possible. 

I will be 4 years in June and hope to be back at my lowest weight (with the band) by then....my insurance now only allows one weight loss surgery per lifetime and my surgeon would not revise me even if I wanted to go self pay without band failure (I do have the best surgeon and his extensive testing prior to the band I believe has had a lot to do with my not having any major complications).......so I am going to rock it for as long as I can and live the life I now have thanks to a lot of hard work and the band for support (in my opinion it is just a tool and support).

Good luck in whatever you decide to do and only you can make the decision!!!!!

Michele
 

Thank you Michelle. I will let you know how it goes.

It is a personal decision that only you can make based on what you think will be best for you. Every surgery has potential complications. I found the band to be best for me. I am still new, but am very happy so far. I would be glad to answer any questions you have since it if still fresh in my mind!


Do a lot of research and ask a lot of question, then talk to your PCP and your surgeon to determine what will be best for you. Remember, not all PCPs are pro WLS. Mine is so it helped and I found a group that I really like for WLS. I went to several locations to talk to all of them before I selected the surgery and group.

Remember, its your body, your money and your life.

If you can find some support groups of WLS go to them. I went to meetings for six months before I went with this surgery .

 , hear their stories so you can ask questions that is what I did.  I talked to everybody from RNY, lapband, and sleeve.  (ds is not done in my area and I didn't want to have that kind of surgery anyways ).

You will hear the good, the bad and the ugly at these meetings.  

every surgery there is complications, no surgery will cure stress eating, emotional eating and so forth, and every surgery you can regain all your weight back , and every surgery you can find ways to eat around it.   (ie weight gain)

I have seen from every surgery out there people that has gained their weight back or struggling  .

Do what is best for you , you are the one that has to live with this decision :o) 

Good Luck

I understand each person is different, and everyone results are too. With that said, the band worked perfectly for ME and has done everything it’s suppose to do. Any (all) weight gain I had was because I WAS NOT FOLLOWING THE RULES. It had nothing to do with the band.

My Doctor was honest with me from the start, and explained the band is just a tool but I would need to do all the work. I am 4+ years out, and close to 210 pounds lighter and couldn’t be happier.

With this said, know none of these operations are 100% successful, nor is any one procedure higher with failures. Your results and experiences will be different. Be in constant contact with your Doctor concerning your procedure and results.

Good luck, and know we’re here for you!!