Good morning! This is my first post here. Just a short background that might help you understand my predicament. I am 27 years old and currently weigh 339 lbs. I have Insulin Resistant PCOS but otherwise am fairly healthy besides my weight.

I decided in May that I wanted to get banded. I went into my PCP to discuss it with her and she suggested I give weight loss one more hard shot before going under the knife. I agreed and gave myself 4 months to lose weight.

I have lost 29 lbs since the end of May and reduced my BMI to 55.1. (I started at 368 with a BMI of 55.9) I have been seeing a dietician, cut out all soda and sugars and am trying to follow a diabetic diet (because of the PCOS). I just recently added 3 days a week at the gym with a personal trainer. The weight is coming off SLOW... but it is coming off. I still have a LONG way to go... I want to lose another 162lbs.

So now my dilemma is, do I forget about the band because of my recent success? I still feel like it will help me, specially since I have SO much to lose. I have hunger issues throughout the night that I fight with Water or a small 100 calorie snack. I feel like the band would help reduce the between meal hunger.... problem is I am not sure if that reason is enough anymore?

I also feel like the band will help get my PCOS in control, and eventually my husband and I could have a child. (previous attempts have failed due to the PCOS and weight) This is a HUGE reason for me.

Also in the back of my mind I keep expecting myself to fail. I have never been this successful with weigh loss before. Usually I struggle to lose a few pounds and give up easily. I think this time it stuck a little better because I was determined to give it my all before surgery.

So I am really not sure what to do. I have been thinking about WLS for a long time, when I heard about the band I knew this was my answer.... now I am not sure anymore. :straight Can anyone relate? Give me some advise? If anything I KNOW I can live the post-op life. I have been for 5 months.

I went to an informational seminar required by my surgeon... but I doubt I will get an honest answer from them. They want to make $$ off of me so I know they will of course tell me I should have it. :straight

I lost major amounts of weight 4 other times in my life (60lbs, 80lbs, 60 lbs, 120 lbs). Each time, I gained the weight all back (except the last time I never got back 30 of the 120 I lost... thank goodness). Given my past history, getting the band was a "no brainer" for me. I knew I was capable of losing the weight; it was just the maintenance that was seemingly impossible for me.

The band has now made maintenance of a healthy weight almost effortless for me. That's been my experience. Also, weight loss always resolved my PCOS symptoms (I am now having regular menses--something I've never had in my life). My PCOS never got as far as insulin resistance, though...my main symptoms were lack of periods and infertility.

There is no easy answer to your question. You've just got to make the decision for yourself based upon what you know about the band and how it might help you with weight loss & weight maintenance in the long run. Congratulations on your weight loss thus far!

Thanks Itsy... I know no one can answer it for me. I appreciate your insight. I have never had regular menses my entire life either. If I could resolve that and reduce or get rid of my PCOS symptoms it would be worth it.

I just want to be healthy. I am so tired of being fat. I have been my entire life.

Great job losing weight and staying on track for so long! That's a huge accomplishment, and it definitely shows that you are ready for a lifestyle change.

My instinct is to tell you to go ahead and get the band. It will help you so much with the hunger. And, even if you do decide to splurge, the band will keep it in check so that it doesn't turn into a binge. One thing I've noticed is that even if I have a few bad days, I maintain my weight. It's almost like it has taken the upswing out of the yo-yo diet.

It shouldn't have to be hard to lose weight, and for me (so far at least) it seems almost effortless. I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune when I have less to lose, but that's okay! And, it's totally compatible with getting pregnant, so you can just get an unfill when you get pregnant and then start losing again after you have a baby.

I know it's a tough decision. You've been reading this board, so you know there are complications and frustrations. It's no magic bullet, but I think it could be a great tool to help you reach your goal. Good luck with your decision!

In the year before I was banded I lost 30 lbs "on my own." The losing of it wasn't really that hard, since having made the decision to be banded I had all sorts of new motivation to stick to a program. But it never made me waver in my decision to get banded, because for me the goal is to KEEP it off. I'd been over 300 lbs for more than 10 years and getting under that number seemed hard enough, but STAYING below 300 was the impossible dream.

The band has given life to that dream, and I'd do it again in a minute.

HI

Congratulations on the weightloss.If you look on this site and others you will see that you have actually lost at exactly the same pace as they recommend bansters must lose weight.

Have the new way of eating (diabetic diet) changed any of your eating habits?Is it starting to get easier at all?

See, I'm asking these questions because even though the band helps you to lose weight and it really helps one to keep losing when you feel you are going to fail any minute now.....long term I still think the only way is to change one's habits.Replace it with better ones.Exercise.....do all the things thin people do all the time.......

There is a lot of problems with bands and more noticible now that the procedure have been done for quite a few years.........

I am a person with complications and my band will have to be removed at some point so I am the other side of the coin........

It is by no means easier for me than what is was before the operation.I am succeeding because I am to embarrased to fail.A concept many people dont get but my pride is making me lose weight at the moment.I told everyone I know I was having this operation and now I have to lose weight.......I atkins every day and when I cheat I gain like usual.....

Having said that a lot of people are very happy with their bands and wouldnt change it for anything in the world....

Good luck making a decision.Keep doing what you are doing to lose the weight in the meantime.It is always better to be lighter when one goes for the operation.....

Hi:

I really understand! I hadn't been able to lose any weight for about 10 years on my own. Then with Fen Phen, lost about a 100 lbs, only to gain it back plus some. I lost all hope after that.

I went to the seminar about the Lap Band and met with the surgeon who wouldn't even consider setting a date for surgery for me without me losing some weight on my own. Somehow I managed to lose about 20 lbs. and then things started rolling. After I lost another 10 lbs. on the pre surgery liquid diet he required I too started thinking, well if I can do this on my own, why go through the surgery? But what I came to realize though was that the only reason I was able to lose ANY weight was because of the feeling of hope I now had because of the oncoming surgery, if that makes any sense!!

Now, 2 weeks after having been banded, and feeling great, I have lost another 10 lbs. and continue with that feeling of "there's hope". I hear myself thinking about things I haven't thought about for years, like: "maybe should rent a cabin on a lake for a week next summer", or "maybe we should plan a trip to CanCun next winter" or "I think I'm going to go on a major cleaning spree", or "just sitting on this couch watching TV is boring-I need to get up and do something" or "maybe I should go for a walk". I am starting to have some excitement for life again!!

I think knowing I have a tool to help me in this process is what has given me a new outlook on my life and I encourage you to go for it!! Take your time with the decision but know that it's normal to second guess yourself too. Good luck!!

Excellent job with the weight loss...we all know it is not easy!!!

There are hundreds of things to consider when thinking about getting the band and hundreds of questions to ask your doctor and yourself....with that said, I would like to ask you a question:

Since you have lost 29 pounds and as you continue to lose, do you feel confident enough to take all your "too big now" clothes and give them to Goodwill (or any other charity) OR do you worry that you might need them again?

As a bandster, I, for the first time in my life, feel confident enough to bring all my "too big now" clothes to Goodwill since I KNOW I WILL NEVER NEED THEM AGAIN.....that's the difference for me....the fear of re-gaining the weight is gone. And without that heavy burden it is easier to "allow" myself to lose weight and enjoy the outcome of losing....

Hope this helps and hope it makes sense....if not, feel free to PM me and we can talk!!!

I too have lost great amounts of weight - only to fail at maintaining the loss. That's why I chose to get the band. I needed something that would give me the lifelong edge to fight the ineveitable creep back of weight that I always would experience.

I don't feel bad about that decision - I feel like I have admitted to myself that even though I am great at losing if I try - my body has a sneaky way of grabbing back at every ounce I lose. Not all my fault - long line of survivor genes in this family. Ha Ha.

Is this the first time you have attempted to lose weight and have succeeded? If not - looking back at your own history could tell you what you might expect.

Good Luck.

Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone. I am going to continue to research some more, and maybe I will just start the insurance process. Not sure.

Have the new way of eating (diabetic diet) changed any of your eating habits? Is it starting to get easier at all?

Yes it is getting easier, but I still have my moments where I want to wolf down something fatty and fill my gut. I did cave once where I ate 4 hotdogs and a bunch of ice cream bars. I felt horrible after. I got back on track the next day.

Exercise is also becoming something I enjoy which is totally odd for me. I make it to the gym at least 3 times a week for an hour and a half.

So I know I could stick to the post op diet. I would like to think I can stick to it now, without being banded... but I am not sure. This is the longest I have ever been able to maintain a diet.

Since you have lost 29 pounds and as you continue to lose, do you feel confident enough to take all your "too big now" clothes and give them to Goodwill (or any other charity) OR do you worry that you might need them again?

I would probably hang onto them for a little bit, till I was definitely down a size. Actually I would probably crate them in the basement... just in case. :straight I see your point.

Is this the first time you have attempted to lose weight and have succeeded? If not - looking back at your own history could tell you what you might expect.

No, I tried WW last year for about a month and a half and I followed the plan to the T and I GAINED 1 lb. I gave up after they couldn't answer why I wasn't losing. I am now at the weight I was back then.

I also lost 70lbs my freshman year in college, but I wasn't dieting. It was the combination of walking everywhere and eating in the dorm cafeteria at regular times that attributed to it I am sure. I didn't realize I lost that much until I had already gained it back and I saw it on my Dr's chart. Talk about depressing. :(

I'm still in debate mode, but here's my situation.

I don't want this surgery to lose the weight. I can lose the weight on my own. I've done it 4 times already. I want the lapband because I see it as a tool to help me keep the weight off for the rest of my life. Heading into 2004 I was 102# lighter than where I am now, having just lost about 130# with a rigorous low-carb diet. I can't keep losing and gaining the weight. Health issues aside, it's mentally destructive.

I have PCOS also and I am looking into getting banded I have been unable to really lose weight but you are doing great Especially with pcos. But I still think the band is a great tool for PCOS b/c of the insulin resistance making it so hard to lose and keep weight off. You need to drop ALOT of weight (so do I-- I am not being rude) and I do believe that the band can be a great tool. I think you will do better than alot of people though b/c you have willpower and you have already made some big lifestyle changes. Keep researching and see if it is for you! Good luck! Jill

L.A., I just wanted to let you know that we are rockin' in the same boat. I also have pcos, which has caused me infertility problems as well as difficulty with losing and keeping weight off. I have been doing slimfast to lose my pre-surgery weight, and I began to wonder if I could do it on my own, without surgery. However, I started to realize that I have lost large amounts of weight in the past, only to regain it. I feel that the band will be my tool (along with a few other cards up my sleeve such as OA and therapy) to finally and successfully win my weight loss battle by aiding me in maintaining the weight that I lose. I think that it is great that you have had such willpower to lose the weight that you have lost. That truly encourages me. Do you feel that there is no chance at all, a small chance, or a great chance that the weight that you are losing will eventually return? This is just one of the many questions that I had to HONESTLY ask myself. Please do not think that I am tryig to be negative, because I am not. I just feel that for some of us, we now have a tool that might possibly help us to finally get to where we want and need to be (and stay there). If you feel that you can truly do this on your own, you might want to reconsider having surgery. However, if there is any doubt in your mind that you might succumb to old habits, you might want to proceed in having surgery. Of course, choosing surgery is a personal decision. Just know that whatever decision you DO make, you will not have to go it alone; we are all here to support you. Take care:)