I figured I'd start 1 thread instead of 5, so if there's one subject you just wanna talk about you can ignore the rest or visa versa.

I have some very strong opinions on certain subjects in relation to obesity. I'd really like to hear your thoughts on the following topics:

- This forum and what it's used for

- People who struggle with adjusting to the band

- Lack of nutrients with the band

- The importance of willpower

- Fast food (high calorie food) advertising.

Some thoughts on this forum and why the band may look bad:

If you’re looking at an area for people who are looking for support in regards to a certain issue then OF COURSE it’s going to look bad. If you go looking for problems, you’re more than likely to find them.

The band was disappointing at first, but I gave it a go and it worked:

I was one of those people that regretted getting the band. Why? Because I wasn’t losing as much weight as I thought I would. I was hungry all the time and I had some serious depression because I was unable to self medicate myself with food. This is temporary and you’ll probably find that a majority of people grow out of the phase.

After my first fill, my appetite became increasingly suppressed. A lot of people find the band useless until their first fill. These people come here for advice on these issues which are why it looks like there are a lot of problems with the band. This is an advice forum, not a praise forum. Occasionally things go wrong as they do with every surgery. This is rare. It is less of a risk than actual obesity which is the leading killer in a lot of major countries across the globe. The biggest risk could be argued that the band doesn’t suppress your appetite.

Lack of nutrients:

Malabsorbtion often doesn’t occur unless you’re not eating properly, or you have a serious problem with your stomach absorbing nutrients. It occurs occasionally with a lap band and that’s usually because people are used to eating more food in order to get their nutrients. Changing your eating habits is hard, but you eventually get used to it.

In regards to willpower:

With the band it still takes a huge amount of willpower to lose weight. The band does ¼ of the work. It’s a tool that is used to help you with your weight loss journey, not to do the work for you.

Junk food advertising (I don't expect everyone to agree with me on this):

High calorie addiction has been proven recently to be a real thing. Sometimes people can actually experience ‘highs’ from eating high caloric foods such as fast food. They describe it as the same chemical reaction as someone using heroine, but not as intense.

If someone were to be addicted to Heroin it would be hard for them to just stop cold turkey...It’s similar as it is with us, though obviously not the same thing. There is more support out there for heroin addicts than what there is for obese people. That support is free and often a detox program can be free too (though I’m going to assume this is different in other countries). I’m not saying they’re the same thing, but an addiction is an addiction.

Obesity is the leading killer in a lot of countries and yet nicotine advertising is banned, and advertising drugs (obviously because they’re illegal) is banned, but we have food waved in our faces all day every day, so it could be argued that it’s quite hard for us. Imagine waving a bottle of liquor in front of an alcoholic or some poker chips in front of an obsessive gambler and dropping him off at the front door of a casino. This is stuff we have to deal with all day everyday and when you have an addiction to food, it’s ok to advertise the product that’s slowly killing us, even if it’s the biggest killer in our country.

I just thought I’d share my thoughts with you. I know sometimes I can come across as argumentative, but it’s mostly because I get very offended when people assume we don’t have to work hard to lose weight.

Will wonders never cease. We agree.

It does still take willpower and I want to smack those who believe we did this because we 'lack' willpower. Ditto on the food ads. I rarely watch tv in the evening anymore because I find that the constant food ads make me hungry.

As with anything, people will have both good and bad experiences. To give weight to one side more than the other is foolish, but it should all be taken into account in deciding whether or not to band.

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I agree with the idea of food addiction. I have several addiction issues, and consider food one of them. Luckily I have tivo so I can pretty much avoid the food comercials.

I disagree that this site is not a praise site. I think it's great when people post there accomplishements, especially when it doesn't have to do with the number on the scale.

This site is a support site. So people come to complain just as much as people come to acknowledge their results. I think this is super important to understand that this site, like any other community is going to have those who agree and disagree. There is going to be positive and negative commentary on the band.

As far as food addiction, there is an emotional aspect to that as well and people need to learn to deal with that emotional connection to food. As well as the fast food life style.

I can see how lack of nutrients can become a problem, same with lack of fluids. I imagine once I get my fill, trying to balance out when I can eat and making sure I get enough Protein in me is going to be a challenge at first, but like any new thing it gets easier.

I agree with much of what you've posted. I, however, was not disappointed by my band at first because my experience (the typical being hungry/feeling like I was dieting/feeling as though I didn't have a band) was something I had been well-prepared for. I expected it, and expected it to be time-limited.

Obesity occurs for many different reasons, and food addiction is only one of them. I do come from a family of alcoholics and addicts, however. Those who have successfully achieved sobriety accept the prevalence of their drug(s) of choice in society, and accept personal responsibility for their sobriety. It is difficult---but they do it.

I understand your stance about advertising, but the fact of the matter is that food addicts, like other addicts, must take responsibility for their choices.

Cigarette advertising was banned because the risks of smoking became incontrovertible, and there are absolutely NO benefits. Food is required for life; banning its advertisement simply will not occur. Yes, obesity is an enormous public health issue. The key isn't removing food advertisements from television. The key is education---teaching children, from a very young age, how to properly nourish their bodies. Teaching them that advertising, in general, is not geared toward their best interests, but simply to sell things they don't need.

Re-educating ourselves and taking back our power, in the form of personal responsibility, is crucial for those of us who've lost our way.

For those of us who've already fallen prey to obesity, personal responsibility is key. Would I like to see HFCS removed from foods? Absolutely. Since that's not happening, I don't purchase foods that contain them. I don't purchase foods that contain transfats. I cook from scratch. When I eat out, I order very carefully.

Personal choice and personal responsibility are priceless. Yes, food addiction is a problem for many. And commercials really do stimulate appetite---there are evil geniuses who know exactly what buttons to push. But they don't put the car keys into anyone's hand, or drive them through the drive-through.

Food addiction differs in one very crucial way from other addictions: the physical component of the addiction is just completely different. The body does not require the crap in order to function, as occurs with alcoholism or drug addiction. A carton of yogurt is as apt to produce physical satisfaction as a Big Mac.

So the responsibility lies with the individual to make the right choices.

Regarding malnutrition related to the band, this too is largely a matter of personal choice and responsibility. A properly adjusted band permits adequate nutrition, if the person who is banded makes appropriate food choices and, as good measure, takes a Multivitamin. We don't experience the malabsorption characteristic of other surgeries---in the absence of band complication, we have the ability to make choices that properly nourish our bodies.

Edited November 17, 201015 yr by BetsyB

I am glad that I found this site because it has really helped me! I was in a slump this summer and lacked motivation to workout and eat healthier foods. When I got on here I was inspired by so many different people! I love the NSV and the SV! It's awesome that a site like this can help so many people. It's to bad some people use it to be negative. I must say that I am tired of all the articles comparing food to drugs. It seems as though they are trying to come up with excuses to why so many people are obese. I know that they are also trying to come up with treatments. Not all fat people are addicted to food just like all of us don't have thyroid problems. People take things like this and run with it. For so many years obese people used the excuse of the thyroid but in all actually how many times a week did they exercise or choose to eat healthy? I was on thyroid medications in high school and I lost a few pounds but I must admit I didn't eat right or exercise at all. I love to shop but everytime I see a Wal-Mart commercial I don't jump in my car and go to Wal-Mart. I hope people just realize that it's all about personal choices and taking responsibility.

You know it's funny more than half off the food ads on TV actually gross me out. Even presurgery when I would read a menu that said " smothered in sauce/gravy/whatever" it really grossed me out. Especially when fod advertisers want to sound homesy or folksey the wording they use just does'nt make the food sound appealing.

One thing to consider is if you see a food ad from a chain restaurant most of them list the nutritional values on their websites. I looked up Chili's Burger Bites with Fries meal and it has 1,000 cal wit 90 g of fat. I never ate them again (and this was preband). So if you see an ad check out the calorie content that will probably heal you of wanting to eat it.

I take everything I read on this forum with a grain of salt. Because in the end, you are getting each individual's experience with the lapband, and it seems after being on this forum for around 18 months, each journey is unique in some aspects. I can't tell whether or not somebody has had trouble with their band due to their eating habits (volume, type of food, how often they eat), how tight their band is in relation to mine, and whether mitigating factors are playing a part in their succes or lack thereof (diabetes, GERD, hypothyroidism). I try to pick out the commonalities of what works for many people and go with that as well as what works for me specifically.

As far as willpower goes, yes I think you do have to have some willpower, but the band seems to make it much much easier. Research seems to show that the average weight loss with the band is 50% of excess weight. But there are many reasons for that number. Maybe some lose 100%, some lose none, or some lose by varying degrees depending on whether they adjust their eating habits and not just the volume of food, or whether they incorporate exercise into their everyday life. But do I think you can lose it all by the band doing it for you? Maybe only in a very select few. From my own personal experience, it wouldn't have happened just by controlling the volume of food, I had to make dietary changes to see results and exercise. But that's just me.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

Betsy, I'll get back to you on that one in a couple of days if that's ok...I have a lot of opinions on the subject and at the moment I don't really have time to write an essay (it'll be a long one hehe). I'll get back to you though. <3

Thanks everyone else for replying. Keep them coming if you want :-) I'm interested to know what your opinions are.