I just responded to someone trying to decide which wls to get, and while I think this is a very personal decision, I thought I'd share that response here. It was a good way for me to remember and reflect on my thought process.

Hello there,

I completely understand where you are coming from with weighing your options here. Ultimately I went with the sleeve because from everything I read about the band I KNEW it wouldn't fit my lifestyle. Yes, I understood that this surgery provided a tool, not magic :-) and we must work it, but I wanted a tool that would be as maintenance free as possible. I read lapbandtalk.com quite a bit and also asked my surgeon (well my husband did) about fills and unfills and finding that "sweet" spot. The surgeon basically said that the majority of people would be at a good restriction with the band by their 4th-6th fill. When my husband asked what about the others and the percentage who are not, the surgeon stated that in his experience some people (about 20 % of his patients) take 8 + months to find the right restriction. Like everyone else, I wanted this weight gone yesterday, and didn't want to find myself in the camp still not at a proper restriction a year out.

The reason we were questioning the surgeon re: band fill/maintenance was because both my husband and myself had similar fears as you. We were concerned with the permanent removal of so much of my stomach with the sleeve, although by that point I wasn't too concerned, but he was. I'd seen written many times on message boards...I want this weight loss to be permanent, so I want a permanent tool and that made sense to me. I read about many people, who had stomach cancer, living just fine with smaller stomachs for decades and that coupled with my own "laziness" and worry about never getting the proper restriction had me switch directions towards the sleeve. Another thing that pushed me were the stories I read of people needing to have the band removed due to erosion and scarring, nothing they could even control. I did not like that possibility at all!

Now on to the sleeve. IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS I HAVE EVER MADE! As you know I am a little over 4 months out. I am down 62 pounds since the day of surgery and 78 pounds since beginning my pre-op diet (modified Atkins) on July 6 (so 5 months ago). I am definitely eating regular foods and in the last 2 months have not had any trouble getting anything down, sometimes I "slime" or choke from eating/drinking too fast, but I can drink water pretty quickly now without choking. Unfortunately the last month I've let some "bad" foods slip back in and started snacking quite a bit, which has lead to a slow down in my weight loss and caused some mini-stalls. But a couple of days ago I recommitted myself to getting to goal and this morning I was finally down another 1/2 pound. I know that I am not the fastest loser, but I'm happy with the success I've had so far. Below you will find some of the things I attribute my success to besides this great tool:

*Consistent exercise: I do Jazzercise 4 days per week, tap dance once per week, and the first 3 months walked 2-3 times per week (hurt my foot last month and haven't made it to the doctor...it comes and goes, but I'm afraid the doctor will make me stop exercising for a while, I'd rather just limp 2-3 days per week).

*Only drink water for the most part (and protein shakes when I can make myself)

*Visit the message boards and post when I can...this really helps me stay accountable, although the last couple of weeks even that didn't seem like enough

*Attended all of my post-op appointments...another accountability thing

*Desire to get pregnant...my surgeon said that once I was at a healthy weight for a couple of months that I could start trying; I actually have some other woman issues that might hinder this process and want to begin trying as soon as possible to see if I will need more help

*Allowing myself to eat anything I want, but in moderation...I added carbs back in pretty early and am trying to lose the rest of my weight the way I plan to maintain, so I feel as "normal" as possible

Sorry about the book, but I wanted to give you as clear of picture as possible regarding my decision making and thought processes. For all that I stated above, I think the band might be a good surgery for some, but I just decided it wasn't best for me. Please let me know if you have any further questions or just want to chat. I wish you luck with your decision! What a great way to start the new year.

Dee Dee