Hi All,

I am still in the process of deciding if the lap-band is right for me. I have received mixed views from friends and family. Right now I am waiting to get approval from my insurance and a procedure date from my surgeon. I don't know that I can live with the restrictions that come with the lap-band. Any advise?

Like a lot of people this is MY OPINION..but the Choice to get The Lap Band procedure was the best decision I've ever made..I finally have control over my weight..I have the tool that I need to become healthier and more active. But the decision is different for everyone. If the benefits out way the risks than I would seriously consider doing it If I were you. My whole process was wonderful and I feel great and I am only 17 lbs down and 3 weeks out from my surgery..Good luck in whatever decision you make!

Hi, Im Bob. Im being banded on March 3rd. I researched different methods and decided on lapband. I liked the fact that its a lot less invasive, in most facilities its outpatient. I have 3 friends who had bypass, all had no problems. My one friend is actually putting on weight again after about 8 years. He has to rely on willpower to lose weight again. I like the band because when you lose weight your going to hit plateaus and the band can be adjusted. The hard part for most people isnt losing, its keeping it off, hitting plateaus and losing interest,( i think this is whats happening to my friend, but like i said he cant adjust, he has to use his will power to get back on track).

Lets face it if we had will power we wouldnt be posting here. If you get to a point down the road where your at goal and you get a little undisciplined you can adjust to get on track again. And i believe the stats on weight loss are similar after 3 years. They say you lose faster on bypass but you see people on lapband losing 100 plus pounds in under a year. It was a no brainer for me but everyone is different. Do your research and choose whats right for you, also choose experienced dr. with good after program. I believe this is one of the most important step to success, Know what to expect before you go into it. Good luck on your choice.

I had the band done on December 21 of last year. For me, it was the right decision for several reasons. One, I liked that it was minimally invasive. Two, I liked that it was adjustable. With the sleeve and the bypass, you are stuck with whatever size stomach they give you. Too big? Oh well. Too little? Oh well. The band is adjustable. I plan on expanding my family down the road, and I know that if need be, I can have my band deflated to adjust for that. Three, I actually liked that the projected weight loss is 1-2 pounds a week. I want to try and avoid loose skin that plague you when you drop a lot of weight, and this is worse when you drop it quickly. And fourth, I still wanted to be able to eat anything, just in small amounts. I'm not a huge sweets fan, but I like having a slice of cake on birthdays. Right now, I'm still getting adjustments to figure out where is a good place to be, but I'm fairly happy where I'm at. I can eat anything, have been lucky enough not to get stuck on anything (yet), and am satisfied on 1200 calories a day, which is enough for me to lose 1-3 pounds a week. I still think I need a smidge more in my band (I have 5cc in a 10cc band), but I'll get there. Now my husband is planning on having the bypass done in a few months. He chose the bypass because a) he is a huge sweet eater, and with having an 80% chance of dumping syndrome post bypass, it'll be a lot easier to say no to that piece of chocolate. Plus, he knows himself well enough to know that if he had the band, he wouldn't force himself to go in for adjustments when he was eating too much. Instead of saying "oh, I need a fill", he'd be saying "hey, let's go out to dinner". And that's okay too. I think you need to know what exactly you are hoping to achieve with surgery and what you are and are not willing to do in order to reach those goals. Good luck to you no matter what you decide!

I don't know that I can live with the restrictions that come with the lap-band®. Any advise?

What restrictions do you think you can't live with?

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Hi Ayana:

I the lap band but wish I had gotten the sleeve. Many people do very well on the lap band as you have probably read. I think it is a great procedure but personally I would have gotten the sleeve. The band is high maintenance with fills, etc. With the sleeve you are at restriction after surgery. I have had four fills since September and I am still not at restriction. I am still dieting and getting tired on doing it. Just one persons opinion.

Good luck in what ever you choose.

Do NOT do it until/unless you are sure it is for you. You are young and the band is not going anywhere.

Take your time and keep researching. Read about the pros and the cons, the successes and the failures.

I "think" the insurance approval is good for a year. So, you can do everything needed all the way up to surgery and then postpone if you need more time to soul search.

I totally agree. That is very good advice.

This is my personal opinion.

If you eat a lot of food. I mean a lot, and cutting down on quantity will cause you to lose weight than a Lap Band may be a good choice. My friend is doing great with hers, she was a BIG eater.

If your problem is junk and sweets, than a Lap Band is not a good choice. These foods are high calorie for small portions, and they still go down just fine with a Lap Band. If you can't stop eating sweets, the Lap Band will not work.

Yup, yup, what they all said above...the band is great but a lot of work. I am 2 months post op and at this point able to eat virtually anything, whether I should or not, just in much smaller portions than the old me would have. I don't have great restriction yet but I've only had 1 fill and assume/hope this will continue to improve with each fill. For me to be healthy I needed to learn to slow down and eat quality food instead of worrying about quantity. When I used to look at a menu, I'd automatically exclude something if it didn't sound like a huge amount of food, I no longer think like that, now I look for what sounds good, really really good, and won't be too bad for me and I savor every bite (that I can take)...I used to think I loved food, now I think I used to love eating... and am now learning to truly appreciate good food but not be obsessed about it, it's pretty cool!

The band is an amazing thing, but a huge commitment. Don't go into it unless you are totally ready to make it work, or else it won't, and you will have under gone the physical strain of major surgery (it seems minor and is easy to get over but it's still major) plus the financial aspect. I won't say the sleeve and bypass are bad things...if that's what you need to get your weight down to a healthy level then do it, but for me the band has been the right choice.

Good luck in your decision, I applaud you for questioning it and not just jumping in blindly expecting a quick fix!!!

Good luck!

Great point. Thats exactly what my dr. told me. If you eat large portions the band will work. If you "graze" all day, bypass is better. Now that i think about it, i wonder why that is, they both restrict how much you eat but neither restricts how many times you eat a day. Anyhow, im not going to argue with bariatric surgeon, i think she knows better than me.

It's because you still we be able to graze all day with a band. If you're a 3 square meal person, your 3 meals will be a lot smaller.

Gastric bypass is not just restrictive. It also doesn't allow the body to absorb many of the calories you consume. If you are a sugar addict, gastric bypass also may stop that, because of dumping. You get sick with sugar.

I will say this though, I was a grazer in that I would want to eat multiple times a day. Not only has the band cut that out, my tastes have changed.

I prefer much more flavorful foods now. And am just not interested in chips, french fries, chocolate, etc. And these were all YUMMY to me before.

Just my observation.

What restrictions do you think you can't live with?

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My family is from Trinidad. So I grew up with eating a lot of rice and other starchy foods. I just can't imagine a meal without rice. Matter of fact it is not a meal if it doesn't have rice. I don't mind cutting down or switching to brown rice when possible, but I need my rice!

I also eat a lot of whole-grain cereals and breads. Again, I don't mind reducing my intake, but I don't want to eliminate it from my diet.

I do want to thank everyone who responded to my post. Your feedback is very helpful. Thank you so much!!!

I would check with some people who are banded long term and have moved on to maintenance. I am not sure if they are able to eat rice or not. If you could go through the weight loss stage without rice and then add it back in later that might work for you. There are several people that I have seen on this site who have maintained long term weight loss, I would look through the blogs and contact a few of them and ask if this is possible.

By the way, I LOVE micro brew beer, however I decided that I would give it up (as in never drink it again) if I got the band. I decided that it was a good trade. I know beer and rice are not the same but I understand what you are saying.