I am a very healthy eater. My two big vices are popcorn and ice cream (which I know are both no-nos on a bandster diet). Other than that, I can turn away junk like chips, candybars, processed food, etc. I've been following a primal/paleo/natural lifestyle for a couple of years now.

So what I need to know is will the band (or any wls surgery) really help me to lose weight? I am hoping for restriction of hunger, and thus better portion control. But I'm not sure if this is going to be enough? Anyone else have a similar experience?

Hello. i know ALOT of us here eat pop corn and ice cream in moderation is fine.... my band has helped me lose 70 plus lbs since dec 2011 get off all rx's and go from not as happy to over joyed !!!! this is the best thing I have ever done for myself !!!

i wish you the best of luck. i looked into this for 2 years and met with 5 dr's before i found *mr right*

Amy

I understand what you mean completely. I love healthy food. When I met with my nutritionist before surgery she was shocked at how well I ate. She said I was definitely not the norm. But I did have some bad habits... I wasn't a Breakfast eater, therefor my metabolism gets a late start, and I was a late night eater for sure. Also the surgery helps with portion control, obviously.

I'm only two weeks post op so I don't have this amazing story to say "oh yes! You'll lose a hundred pounds like me!!" haha because I'm not there yet. But, I have lost a total of 35 lbs since my pre-op diet began til now(20 before surgery- 15 since). I'm down from a size 24-26 in pants to a lose 20. So yes, I believe lap band will definitely help you.

And think, you're ahead of the game. You don't have to learn how to fall in love with healthy food... Because you already are! But the band will help with your portion size and also exercise makes all the difference :-)

Best of luck to you! Let me know what you decide.

The band is best at controlling hunger, but you need to be aware now that it likely won't make you feel FULL- it'll help you to feel satisfied quicker after eating a smaller meal than you eat now. Satisfied versus full is a hard one for a lot of us because we're used to that full feeling. Satisfied speaks with a much quieter voice!

I believe it's people like us (I too am a healthy eater) that the band really works for. (no offense to those who were not healthy eaters prior to surgery please!)We already have the basics under control, just need to tweak it. My problem is/was portion control. I ate chicken and fish, no Pasta, little bread, mostly eggs for breakfast, and the occassional junk food. Now I pretty much eat the same, just smaller portions. i'm still trying to find my "sweet spot". I had surgery at the end of may, and have lost 30 pounds since then. I know my fill is not adequate because I can still stomach the occassional sandwich (with white bread). However, I no longer eat seconds and my portions, while not at 1/2 cup to a cup at a meal, or drastically reduced from pre-surgery.

I hope this helps. Remember... they do surgery on your stomach, not your brain!

I was a "healty eater" too before surgery and it certainly helped me. But you need to be honest with yourself. If your eating habits were completely healthy, you wouldnt be in the position of needing weight loss surgery. You can indeed get fat on healthy foods, if you overeat and a lot of healthy food is also high in fat and calories - weight loss surgery will help you to eat a lot less AND you will also have to really look honestly at your diet and trim the fat, carbs etc. You will also need to look at your exercise habits.

I notice now too that the difference between what I eat and what some of my more "normal" but overweight friends eat, its only very slight. Very small bad habits can lead to big weight problems, but unfortunately, just elininating a few small bad habits, doesnt really lead to appreciable weight loss in reasonable time, you have to go oin with guns blazing. Unfair but there it is.

So........ I think though many of us never spent our time binging all day, sitting on the couch, wallowing in ice cream, if we really want to lose weight, we do need to work honestly on ourselves and not just say "but I already eat healthy". That may be so, but there must be room for improvement or you would already be normal weight - and that means that weight loss surgery CAN indeed help you!