I'm not sure I want to go through with this. I do not want to take a sleep apnea test. I certainly do not want to be cut into, as in the operation. I'm having a hard time writing down what I eat. There's the Lose It! app for the iphone, but there's a lot of food that I normally eat that is unaccountable for as to calories, such as at restaurants. The surgery only cuts down on food intake. I can technically do that myself, and there's Full Bar, which does that. I feel that I would lose time if I don't do it now, though. What if there is new technology that makes the lap band obsolete? I don't want anything inside me. I know I'll wake up, and wish it were removed. I hope to have a job that makes this all impossible and that I'll relearn how to work out again.

Sounds like you're doing a great job talking yourself out of this. If you really feel that way then you probably shouldn't do it. I feel like you really need to want this to make it work. JMHO. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Here's what decided it for me. Do you think that anything will change if you DON'T get the surgery? If you do then by all means pursue other options. If not...

I spent years telling myself I didn't want surgery because it would be like admitting I was a failure, that I had given up. Then last week I was in another forum that I go to and someone was telling a story about how she needed to lose over 100lbs, had always been overweight, and was hitting menopause and was considering bariatric surgery.

It got me to thinking. I'm about 12 years from the big "change" myself. Everytime I diet or join a weight loss program I get really jazzed and tell myself this time it'll be different. This time I'll do it. And I never do. It's like trying to learn to ride a bike and ALWAYS falling. I realized that nothing was goign ito change. 12 years from now I"d still be as overweight if not more so and I really REALLY do not want to waste another year wishing and hoping as I grow ever larger.

Banding isn't a magic fix. At best it's training wheels. I'll stil have to do the work. But it may give me the ability to make it to the finish without falling. It's not a failure. it's nothing to be ashamed of.

Where do you think YOU will be in 12 years? Do you really think it will be different? Then get out there and God bless you. If not...

I'd never be one to try and talk someone into having surgery. But I'd also never try to talk someone out of it, if it was something they felt would help them. Sometimes people just need to come to terms with their own reality.

To the OP, all I can suggest is you take a step back and look at your life up to this point. How long have you been overweight? Are you morbidly obese? Do you have any comorbidities? Is your weight affecting your quality of life? Do you want it to be different? What exactly are you doing to change that? Every person on these forums has been down the "I promise I'll do better" road a thousand times. We're experts at fooling ourselves into thinking "This time it'll be different!" But it never is. We diet and diet and diet till we can recite the popular-diet-dujour litany verbatim, yet when the fuss is over, we're still standing there fat as ever (or MORE fat than ever) with nothing to show for the effort but less money in our pockets, lower self esteem, and another diet failure to feel badly about. When will you have had enough of that kind of failure to finally make a REAL difference in your life?

As to your fears, face them:

A sleep apnea test is nothing more than sleeping in a hospital bed while wearing a series of wires that monitor how good or bad your sleep is. It's painless. And it could save your life.

Being "cut into, as in the operation" is almost a non-event. Most lap band surgeries leave five or six small puncture-type scars, and one about two inches long. There are even lap band procedures that go in through a single incision near the belly button, for those who don't want multiple incision sites. The days of wide-open zipper-scar surgeries are long gone. Things are done laparascopically now.

You're "having a hard time writing down" what you eat. A food journal is easy to maintain, unless you're embarrassed to have a written record of your food intake. Using a phone app is fine, but there are limits, as you've seen. Websites like caloriecounter.com or livestrong.com can help you find the caloric amounts in restaurant foods, and even let you calculate your own recipes, so you can get a pretty good idea of what you're eating.

If the "surgery only cuts down on food intake" and you can do that yourself, why haven't you? If dieting that results in long-term weight loss is SO easy, why isn't everyone skinny? Simple: Because as soon as the diet is over, or the person goes off that diet, the weight comes flooding right back.

As for a "new technology that makes lap band obsolete," what's stopping you? Lap band surgery is removable and reversible. If something new and better comes along, you can have the band removed. But chances are you'll be pleased enough with it that you wouldn't want to, even if something else came along. And BTW, diet and exercise ARE the technologies that will make a lap band obsolete. If you get off your couch and exercise, then eat properly, you'll lose weight. But you haven't done that very well so far, or you wouldn't be here. Not judging, just saying.

If you don't want anything inside you, all I can tell you is the band doesn't have a pulse, it doesn't weigh anything, and only rarely do I feel it. If anything, I feel the port, which is where they add or remove saline to adjust the band. But the band being there isn't being felt. I don't know your gender, but if you happen to be female, and if you have menstrual cycles and use tampons or birth control devices, I'd wager you've had something a lot more troublesome inside you. The band is a non-issue.

My bottom line: After decades of fooling myself into thinking "This time it'll be different," I finally stood up to myself and made the decision to have surgery. I'm losing an easy average of about ten pounds a month so far. And I feel awesome. I look and feel years younger, I have tons of energy, I sleep better, I'm better at my job, and I'm delighted to feel this way after all these years. My only regret is that I wasted all those years lying to myself. I wish I had done this years ago.

So those are my comments. I don't mean any of them to sound mean, only to give you some food for thought. Keep reading, keep researching whether banding is the right answer for you, and I sincerely hope you come to the decision that's right for you. There are other weight loss options, all of which require cutting and removing body parts. Banding is by far the least invasive.

Wishing you the best of luck with your decision.

Dave

I'm not sure I want to go through with this. I do not want to take a sleep apnea test. I certainly do not want to be cut into, as in the operation. I'm having a hard time writing down what I eat. There's the Lose It! app for the iphone, but there's a lot of food that I normally eat that is unaccountable for as to calories, such as at restaurants. The surgery only cuts down on food intake. I can technically do that myself, and there's Full Bar, which does that. I feel that I would lose time if I don't do it now, though. What if there is new technology that makes the lap band obsolete? I don't want anything inside me. I know I'll wake up, and wish it were removed. I hope to have a job that makes this all impossible and that I'll relearn how to work out again.

I was a little confused by your post because you seem to know what you want, or rather what you don't want: lap band surgery. But after reading the responses of Dave, Dawn and Rainydayz, I was able to see your post from a different perspective. You are asking people to give you reasons to have the surgery, yes? Well, Dawn and Dave wrote truly kind and thoughtful responses. I don't think that I could say it any better. And Raindayz, well, her response was closer to what I was thinking, and she said it gently and to the point. I hope the information here helps you with your decision. Good luck to you whatever you choose to do.

Don't do it...you aren't ready for the commitment...

I'm not sure I want to go through with this. I do not want to take a sleep apnea test. I certainly do not want to be cut into, as in the operation. I'm having a hard time writing down what I eat. There's the Lose It! app for the iphone, but there's a lot of food that I normally eat that is unaccountable for as to calories, such as at restaurants. The surgery only cuts down on food intake. I can technically do that myself, and there's Full Bar, which does that. I feel that I would lose time if I don't do it now, though. What if there is new technology that makes the lap band obsolete? I don't want anything inside me. I know I'll wake up, and wish it were removed. I hope to have a job that makes this all impossible and that I'll relearn how to work out again.

If you're not sure, then don't. There is a lot of work involved in having the band and it does take commitment for it to work. The band does not cut down on food intake for everyone. What it does is remove the hunger so that *you* can choose not to overeat...but if you still choose to, if you're like many of us, you can still overeat.

I used to make handmade soap and sell it at craft shows. I had a sign on my booth that said, "Yes...but will you?" that got a laugh (and sales) out of people because they knew exactly what I was referring to. People would go by my booth and say "$3 for a bar of soap...I can make that." Sure they can...but will they...or did they? Nope.

It's the same here. You're saying you can do this without WLS, but really...will you...or have you done so far? If you can, then more power to you. If you can and haven't...why not? On the same side of the coin...if it's because you don't want to make the commitment involved in dieting...don't get the band because you'll need the same commitment there. It only works if you work it.

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Your not bubbling with joy that this band is gonna help you get your life together.. Because you believe you can do it your self. Maybe you can! Why not take a year, record your calories along with Protein. Stay under 1200 calories a day. You will definitely loose weight... As far as counting calories from restaurants, you can go on line Amazon.com might have it. There are books for calorie counting in Restaurants. some are purse size. I have 1, and I have 1 from Dr. Phil "not a fan" but a great book to own. Also google calorie counter and click on CALORIE KING. You will type in what you ate, get the calories, and the protein written down under 2 separate categories ON EVERYTHING YOU EAT! stay under 1200 in calories, and 60 grams of protein. (THIS CALCULATION IS FOR WOMEN ONLY) Men are more! You will be sure to loose weight... Invest in some Protein shakes, they are good for you, and you don't want to start loosing your hair. aLso get a kitchen scale, it measures by ounces. This will go hand in hand with your books, or Calorie King.

Do this for 1 year, and see how much you will loose. Then if you are not happy,,, you know you can't do it without assistance. That's when you can start thinking about what method you want to use to help you loose weight. Tip!!! ONLY WEIGH YOURSELF 1X A MONTH. Otherwise it can get under your skin. Of course any kind of exercise helps! Even walking.

I give myself a window of 900 - 1200 calories a day, and I don't own a scale.... Only weighed when I see the Dr... She is just as Happy as I am.

This is a good technique, it comes from my Bariatric surgeon. We all follow the same plan. Now it has been shared with you!

Good Luck!

Shirley

10/31/2006

Dr. Jeffrey Genaw

Henry Ford Hospital "Center of Excellence"

Michigan.

Do NOT proceed with any bariatric surgery procedure unless you are sure. Without total commitment to what you are doing, you will regret it. Learn as much as you can. Keep asking questions. Having a band or any bariatric surgery is a huge change. If you are not committed to it, then any time you have a problem will seem insurmountable rather than just a speed bump along the way.

As a note, I do not journal my food. I have kept a journal for 3 days since being banded. That was just for curiosity's sake to see how much I was consuming while maintaining my current weight. I lost all my excess weight without journaling.

The band does help me cut down on my portions. I can no longer eat the quantity of food in one sitting that I used to eat. This isn't true for everyone. It also keeps me satisfied between meals, so that I am less likely to snack. Does that mean I am not tempted to? No. Does it mean that I am unable to eat between meals? No, there is room to eat foods between meals. But the fact that I am satisfied makes the battle easier to win.

I agree with the others that you are not ready to have this surgery. In order to be sucessful with the band, you have to do your part - if you are not 100% on board with changing your lifestyle then you are just setting yourself up for disappointment. This is elective surgery...no one is making you do this...if you aren't ready to make the sacrifices of having the tests necessary to get approved for the surgery then you aren't ready to have it...