I have a question. I have submitted my paperwork and am going to talk to the surgeon this week about the lap band but as I read the comments I would like to ask all of you a question. I have NO doubt that everyone on here has been on a million "diets", what is it about this procedure that makes it work for you. Trust me I understand this is not a miracle cure but how is lap band any diferent than any other diet plan.....I am trying to understand that piece of it. Can you guys help me understand? Will it/does it keep you in check? Does it make you uncomfortable so you can't eat? Does it take away your hunger?

Thank you.

The lapband works for me because it allows me to eat small amounts of food and feel satisfied.

I have always been a good dieter and I always lost weight, but all that deprivation didn't work well long term. I would always fall off the wagon and gain back all the weight I lost and then some. With the band, I don't diet. What I always wanted from the band is to live a normal life. I'm not controlled by food or a diet. I eat like a normal person. Sometimes I overeat, but the the band really doesn't allow me to eat too much. It's like a leash on my stomach. I can only wander so far from my normal diet. It gives me the variety and freedom that I need to be successful.

There are others who are successful in a much more regimented way. Years of dieting taught me that I do not respond well to that approach.

Cindy

The band works by restricting your caloric intake and hopefully makes you feel full or satisfied with relatively little food. My success has been much longer and much slower than most because my metabolism was very slow to start with and I was already fully functioning (without weight loss) on a low calorie intake. The biggest surprise for me was that I went into this thinking I would lose weight just eating a healthy balanced diet but I actually still have to pay very strict attention to what I eat in order to lose weight.

The difference between the lap band and other diets is primarily because of the restriction. You physically can't eat certain foods without getting sick. Everyone is different with what they can tolerate, though, some folks can't eat bread, I can. I can't eat chicken AT ALL. And getting food stuck is one of the most painful experiences ever so you don't want to repeat whatever triggered it!

Hope that helps. It's not picture perfect and everyone is a little different but I wish you much success! Congrats on making your decision to get healthy and take the next step.