destynee1

Cassandra James is not a health care professional and knows nothing about the lap band. She's one of those typical naysayers who will call you lazy(it's in her article) for using surgery to lose weight. I'm glad you posted this because this is an illustration of the ignorance of people who know nothing about the struggles the obese must suffer.
Virtually nothing in this articlel is true. Do you think for one second that surgeons would use this technique if 60% of the patients would fail. The malpractice insurance to cover so many claims would be overwhelming.
tmf

Can you post the link to this "research"? There are some disparaging studies around that only use patients/cases from the mid 90's when the band was first introduced. Many revisions to the band have taken place over the last decade. I've also done much research and I've never seen any studies that suggested the band is only good for 10 years?
But, if it is only good for 10 years or even less, I'm good with that. Better to be healthy for 10 years than die in less than that time.
tmf

did you discuss this (research) with your doctor?
nothing is guaranteed in life..but i accept this..i expect my band to be with me forever...wasting time worrying about something that may or may not happen is just silly..embrace this tool and think of how much healthier you are about to be this year.
things do happen...complications arise...that is what life does..so you can either take the risk or put it off and get bigger....i chose to take the risk and am down 101 pounds....

only you can decide if it is the right choice. my bmi was 62...i was as wide as i am tall...i really didnt give a flyinfg f**k if anyone thought it was stupid...they were not the ones who was beginning to have trouble wiping their butt.
if you do this, do it 100%
if you dont, the only one it hurts is you.

I have to agree. Who knows what my weight would balloon up to in 10 years....or what my insulin meds would be....or my blood pressure numbers. Or would I even see the next 10 years at a heavier weight.
I will take my chances with the "tool" of the band and the lifestyle changes I am making. I will cross the "shelf life" when I get there. Hopefully...when I get there...I will be thinner and healthier for whatever is thrown my way.
Good luck on your journey!

Della, I'm getting banded on the 6th also.
The way I look at it is my weight is putting my life in danger not to mention all the fun I'm missing out on because of the extra poundage.
I Live for today for now for this second, tomorrow I might get hit by a bus, who knows.
I'll deal with the band issues as they arrive.
Worrying about ten years from now just seems pointless to me.
What will you do if someone said, "yes they breakdown and bla bla bla..."
Are you going to postpone your surgery?
If the answer is yes then you might want to rethink the whole thing.
I'm not trying to be an @ss here just trying to help.

the first line of your post said this:
" several people who've had adjustable gastric bands or lap bands fitted, looking for a 'quick fix' weight loss program"
in my opinion, the ones who complain the loudest against are the ones who divert away from the band lifstyle. however things do happen. any surgery has complications. its a chance one takes. if i did not have this surgery, i would be over 400 pounds by now....

I'm sure you're looking at the old study of the Allergan band from 94-97 and only includes 82 patients from the very beginning of it's inception. Here's a much more recent study that includes nearly 3000 patients using newer bands with better technology.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00464-009-0858-8

Please post a link to this research you speak of?
tmf

I've been banded a year and I still catch myself cooking too much food. I also take left overs for lunch or I feed the left overs to my chickens, they love it when this happens. lol

I find this the most difficult! I'm wasting so much money on left overs that are just going bad in the fridge..
Anyone else had/have this issue?

Mine is jillstelter - I'm getting banded tomorrow so I'll be using it more.

It's funny how we do that- I catch myself doing that too!
In fact, just a couple weeks ago I was at a restaurant with my family. I ordered a cup of Soup and chef salad. But then, I saw they had coleslaw so I ordered that too. My daughter literally started laughing at me "Ummmm mom? You won't even eat 1/3 of all that". I watched the waitress bring our food, took one look at the Soup, and realized I'd be lucky to even finish all of that let alone a huge chef salad AND coleslaw too.
...there was so much leftovers, I ate chef salad for lunch the next 2 days in a row!
Old habits die hard for sure!

Everytime I make bacon and eggs (about 2x a week), I cook myself 2 pcs - even tho for the past 3 yrs I've only been ever able to eat 1 pc. Always give it to my dog (I know, I know, she really doesn't need it either!). My eyes are ALWAYS bigger than my stomach. Thank goodness I have a husband that likes my leftovers!
Marci

awesome hun!! keep up the good work!! you're making a lifechanging decision to take back control and freedom of your life!

awesome hun!! keep up the good work!! you're making a lifechanging decision to take back control and freedom of your life!

Gosh damn Terry that sounds Yummy!! lol.. New item for me! I love omelets~

Well today is my 2 week bandiversary and I had my official weigh in... I lost 20lbs total!! I'm so excited!!! Weight loss has slowed down since I'm on shakes but I know it will pick up once I eat food and start exercising! YES!!!

2 eggs, 2 ounces of ham, 1 ounce of mozzarella, 1 cup spinach, made into an omelet

being able to eat more is totally normal. you dont have any Fluid in your band yet. call your doc if youre nervous, but you should be OK. good luck!

Two things help me
1) Keeping myself busy. A) This helps take my mind off the stress that often makes me crave awful foods B ) keeps me busy enough to not think about food all day
2) DO NOT BUY AND CRAP FOODS! Out of site=out of mind
If there is nothing bad sitting around teasing you, you will be less agonized. It is torture to be miserable and depressed and have to avoid the junk food in your house at 2 AM

If I might ask, why only one fill in that time?

I take in about 1200 calories with anywhere from 60-80 grams of Protein.< /p>
I use the app My Fitness Pal to journal everything so it keeps track of all the important numbers for me.

The truth is, if you honestly don't feel you can change your eating habits and make good food choices for a lifetime, then maybe the band isn't the right choice for you.
The band can't stop you from eating anything. It can't make you choose a Greek yogurt instead of ice cream. It can't make you stay within band sized portions nor can it stop you from eating around it. Then there's the fact most junk foods are slider foods. chips, ice cream, Cookies, and other processed stuff pretty much liquify when you eat it so it slides right through- which means you can eat a ton of it without physical discomfort.
The band is just a tool not a magic cure for fat. Nobody wants to diet, but the truth is, if you want to lose weight you have to change the way you're eating. That means restricting portions and calories. Some people do alright without counting calories but they are the exception not the rule. But even those that don't count calories still have to significantly reduce their calorie consumption and eat healthy. Otherwise, you won't lose.
What the band can and will do for you is help you to feel satisfied on less food for longer periods of time. But it will forever be up to you to eat healthy, small portions.
I'm not saying this to be harsh, I'm just trying to give you an honest answer. The band goes around your stomach not your brain. It can only help control your hunger not the decisions you make about what you eat.
Best wishes with whatever you decide.

It is not a diet it is a lifestyle change. If you are not willing to change how and what you eat then no amount of WLS is going to work. Even if you lose weight at first you will gain it back if you continue eating as you do today. I would say think long and hard about what is important to you before you have lap band or anything else. I have not changed much of what I eat I have changed how much I eat and how I prepare some things. I also eat much slower and smaller bites. I am down 15 pounds in 21 days.