I made a video for you post ops, my questions are real and I'd like real answers from you before I do this.... watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8EF33bGXrY

Real talk here. I'm just gonna give you my honest opinion. Most people here will try to tell you, "oh yeah get the lapband. It will help you."

First I've been banded sine sept 2 and I haven't had any digestive issues at all. Do your research. The lap band can be removed compared to gastric bypass and the like. I am 35, I'm married and want to have another baby next year. So rearranging my intestines wasn't for me. I can technically eat anything I want. I do get ful quicker and I don't have hunger in the normal sense. I eat a health diet. I've never heard about any lasting issues regarding long term banded patients. There have been people who had band erosion and the like but those people are like one percent.

As for the emotional eating. I cannot relate. I'm not a social person and don't associate food with emotion or social well being. Those are issues you have to sort out. If you are gonna morn the loss of certain foods then you don't want to be thin or should I say health bad enough. The band is just a tool. A over glorified appetite suppressant. It won't select food for you. You can eat great food that is good for you!! You have to change how you see food. To me good is sustenance no more no less.

I personally have never been thin. So the notion of being sexy means a wide range of things. However, I've never not had a boyfriend or fun or let my weight stop me. Maybe when I was a teen and younger, but as an adult? No. I stop caring about what people thought of me. Yeah I have my days. I'm hard on me but won't let others treat me badly cause I'm fat.

As for dating. There is plenty to do besides restaurant hop!!! Get out of the eatery and see some sites or do a physical activity.

I do regret the lapband but only because my weight loss has slowed to nothing. I do not recommend the lap band for you at this time. Have you tried any other weight loss programs?? I would use surgery as a last resort. You will have to work at it with the band!! Good luck momma! And may I say I think you are attractive!! Don't dump on yourself.

I'll have to agree that you probably aren't ready for any weight loss surgery if you

really feel that way. One thing to consider though, you probably don't have too much

time before health problems begin, and you're young enough now that your skin

may shrink back to it's original size if you lose weight soon. Granted your

life style will definitely have to change. You probably should do as much research

as you can, there's a lot of information available and try to make as informed a

decision as you can and I hope you find what you want and best of luck to you.

I agree. You need to do a lot of research. In the first place, lapband will not alter your digestive system. Most of the other surgeries will. In the second place, you need to be ready to give up certain foods. It really is easy. Those foods you are so attached to are the foods that caused you to gain 100 pounds. They are not your friends! If you have the surgery, you will find that you don't even want to eat some of your former favorite things. If you do still want them the key is moderation! I was a pizza junky. I can still eat a couple pieces if it's thin crust or I just eat the toppings off of the thicker crust. There are a couple toppings I avoid but if I really want it I eat it. But honestly, most of the time I don't want it. Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels!

I love the idea of the video. That was great. And also you are a pretty woman and look younger than 27. Okay that being said I also agree that you may not be ready for WLS. The lap band will not help your depression and will probably increase yor depression after the surgery. I learned this from my surgeon and also during my psych eval. I suffer from depression and PTSD but was fortunate not to have had increased symptoms after surgery. I was diligent about taking my meds. The increased depression is usually the result of the loss and mourning of food. I was excited after surgery and did well at first but then my old habits came back. I missed my favorite foods and so I tried them with my band and guess what? I was fine! It has been over a month since I lost any weight though and that depresses me. I am fortunate to have seen an a great eating behavioralist before surgery (orders from my psych eval) and am now seeing her again to work through my issues with food. She recently taught a seminar and it went through everything I am going through with food right now, so I know she can help me.

Okay on the health thing. I have not heard of many health issues as long as you keep up Protein intake and a good multi Vitamin. It is important to pay attention to what you put in your body and think quality not quantity. Quantity will come from the restriction that your band will provide.

Being vain is not always a bad thing. I am the first to say that one of the reasons I had the band is for looks in the end. I think about next year when I will have a rockin' body. I also did it for any future health issues I may have and for a better life with my children. But I love wearing smaller and cuter clothes and I have only lost 20 lbs since surgery.

Really reasearch more on the band but even more on yourself before you make any life altering decisions.

You are very attractive as you are and the lap band will not change your inner soul. Eating for me was also social....." Where are we going for breakfast......Where are we going for dinner...." With any procedure there are many hoops to jump through, many personal changes have to be made........ and remember...... The band is only a tool. I am still the same person inside my wife married 31 years ago only now I weight 300+ lbs. and have lost my hair........ I did it because ( I ) want to live longer...much longer....... you may be healthy now, but what about 5 years down the road? The band may prevent bad medical issues. The decision is yours......... MARKW6

I do not think you are ready for this surgery. It is for people who are at their wit's end, IMO. You're not there. You still enjoy being obese.

I don't think you would be cleared by the Psych Eval.

I am NOT enjoying being obese I am totally miserable. But I am attached to food, isn't that why anyone becomes obese? I am asking how it feels to detach from food emotionally, is it hard on people to the point where they regret it... that is what I fear and want to know from others. But I am ready to start a life, I have literally pressed pause on my life since I gained this weight, I am stuck and its getting worse every year.

Honey, you can still have lost your crab legs and cake! You may not eat as much of it. You my have to eat your crablegs and wait 2 hours then have your cake. Have you tried weight watchers? I think that would be great for you. If you eat healthy you can still reward yourself once a week or however often but the band will keep you from pigging out. If you have a meal you are really enjoying and you get full you can put it down and come back to it in a few hours. Im on my 7th day post op and sure iv craved cheese steaks and cheese cakes but iv lost 16 pounds! As far as you not having the health issues honey they are literally around the corner. I am 33. At 27 I said the same thing. Within the last year bam! Diabetes, high blood pressure and chronic back pain. Lap band may not be right for you, weight watchers is. Most restaurants now days have a few selections on their menus that support that diet. My mom did it over 20a yrs ago and went from 220 to 140 and has been that ever since! I hope it works out for you.

Not everyone becomes obese cause they are emotionally attached to food. Some people like me are naturally lazy, poor metabolism and an unhealthy love of all things sweet!!!! I love love bad food. I hate to work out. One sugary confection can derail me. I can eat a whole pie if I wanted to. But I don't. I would feel extremely guilty if I ate a whole pie and working out has become apart of my routine.

Life doesn't have to stop cause you are overweight either. If you want it bad enough then nothing will stop you from losing the weight.

You don't have to totally cut out certain foods with the lap band. Right now after 2 fills I can eat anything but a lot less of it.

I also had the band for vanity reasons. The only real problem I had prior to surgery was a hurt knee from busting my butt in the gym trying to get the weight off. Most of my life I havent had a weight problem but once I gained I slipped into this hole and could not keep it off. I felt like this was my last resort. I am 14 months out and at my goal weight.

However..... Yes I do regret it! I had never been hospitalized (other than to give birth) before surgery. Now I have problems with my digestive tract. Acid reflux had me in the hospital in June and I am having issues currently. I spent all day friday having tests and monday I go in to have a scope put down my throat to see whats causing the severe pain I'm having. I want to feel like myself again! Being thin and sick SUCKS! I was much happier with my health. I am going to have the band removed as soon as I heal from this episode. It has been a VERY expensive lesson for me as I was self pay.

Everyone has their own experience. I personally know 3 people who are also banded and only one has not had complications.

As far as the food addiction goes, you will be in mourning for a while after surgery. You will be giving up your best friend. Keep this in mind...you need to be emotionally ready to let food go. But also let me say that after being banded a bit you will figure out that you can eat almost anything if you chew well enough and then the weight loss will stop and once again you will feel down on yourself. I also agree with everyone else that you are not ready for surgery. I wish you the best with whatever you decide!!

Wow shelly sorry! Sounds like a pain in the butt. I hope you get it removed soon.

I was thinking about what the OP said. I wonder if it's worse being thin then getting fat then to never have been thin ever. I wonder how would I feel to look at old pictures of me a size 6 and now I'm a size 18. I think it would drive me nuts! I look at my high school pictures and see a 340 pound dork who was miserable. I decided at 18 to lose weight and it took 2 years but I got down to 265. The smallest I've ever been was a size 14.

I'm still a dork but as I got older I've went from an huge ugly duckling to a fat swan!

I agree. You need to do a lot of research. In the first place, lapband will not alter your digestive system. Most of the other surgeries will. In the second place, you need to be ready to give up certain foods. It really is easy. Those foods you are so attached to are the foods that caused you to gain 100 pounds. They are not your friends! If you have the surgery, you will find that you don't even want to eat some of your former favorite things. If you do still want them the key is moderation! I was a pizza junky. I can still eat a couple pieces if it's thin crust or I just eat the toppings off of the thicker crust. There are a couple toppings I avoid but if I really want it I eat it. But honestly, most of the time I don't want it. Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels!

Sorry, maybe the Lions? 5-0!

Hi Licilu,

Great video. Even though I am almost 30 years older than you, I think many of us could relate to your pain. I also went the anti depressant route, hoping it would give me enough of a lift to pull out of the weight related depression. But it didn't. Food compulsion is an emotional, physical, and spiritual addiction. ( I learned that from a few years in OA, though didn't lose much weight). I have also experienced normal weight. I was a slim bride 25 years ago, and stayed fairly normal until my hysterectomy at age 44. From there, I ballooned up. Have done Weight Watchers, Jenny CrAig, nutrisystem, overeaters anonymous, phen-fen pills. You name it, I was there. My health became an issue this past summer when I needed knee surgery for a torn cartilage. While in there, he found a ton of arthritis under my knee cap which he cleaned up as best he could. I just had an aha moment of thinking: "om my god, what is next? My heart, diabetes? My hair dresser and I were talking and she mentioned a client of hers' who had lap band three years ago, lost 100 lbs and was happy. Long story short, this woman met me at the food court( no I didn't eat lol). She was so happy with her decision. She felt great, looked young and healthy ( she is 56). I went to an info session and got the ball rolling. I had my lap band placed on 10/12 so I am still recovering. I have lost 18 lbs since my first visit with the surgeon on 8/17. Most of that has been since starting the two week full liquid dietnon 9/28 and I am still on that diet till I see him for my first post op this coming Thursday. So, even though I am much older tha you, I have the same issues. I love food, but I want to be healthy and be the mom with the rocking body. I want my husband to be able to buy me clothes again, not a scarf, jewelry, candle. I guess I reached a point whereni want those things more than I want to keep over eating. Food isn't your friend if it makes you miserable. And you sound very unhappy. I would also recommend reading a book by dr. Robert sewell. It's all about lap band, A-z. Very informative. I look forward to eating again,b ut being satisfied

With smaller amounts! Good luck on your journey !

Arlene from MA

To answer a question you have, yes, I am happy I have the lapband and I wish I had gotten it years ago. However, it took me a long time and a lot of thought to get to the place of actually having WLS. I weighed pros and cons and decided that the pros were more important to me than the cons. Perhaps you need to think about this a bit more and continue to investigate and weigh what is really more important to you, losing weight or food. And one thing I will underline from some posters above, you will have health problems due to your weight eventually. It happens to us all.