Should I Or Shouldnt I Get Banded

[chaya 5]

Hi, I am new to this forum and I am so confused! I have a bmi of 32 and need to lose about 50-60lbs. My biggest problem is my addiction to sugar. I dont eat a whole lot during the day, but come evening, I sit infront of the T.V and I eat candy.....I will then move to salty Snacks, then back to sugar. I have tried to follow every diet out there and nothing sticks becasue I am the type of person that wants what I am told I cant have.

My sister made a good point when she said that I am not the biggest overeater of food, but that my problem is the candy, and you can fit alot of little candies in a cup! I know that I do overeat real food too, but I am scared to do this and then come to realize that it doesnt help with my problem.

My husband (who has never had a weight issue in his life) is not very supportive, as he thinks this will just be another thing I try and fail at (and this costs alot, as in Canada it is self-pay for everyone). I lost alot of weight a few years ago, it was spinning that did it for me. I started at 225 and went down to 160. I had to spin 7 days a week to get the weight off, as i wasnt willing to give up my food......I kept the weight off for 1 1/2yrs and thought there was no way that I would ever gain it back. As with everything else, I did wind up gaining most of it back once I cut back on the excersise (the hot spin instructor quit, and that was it for me)!!

Also, how long would it realistically take to lose the 60lbs? What are the statistics of long term success?

Any help would be great..........

[1shauna1 129]

Hi! I'm in Canada so I was self-pay too. As you say, the band won't stop you from eating candy and chips (in fact they are still very easy to eat when banded; they are called "sliders" because they just go right through). It helps with Portion Control but I can easily eat a bag of chips still. So, I don't know; I would suggest meeting with a band doctor and talking with them. Maybe you just need to stop buying that stuff and keeping it in your house? I know, easier said than done....

[NWgirl 574]

You raise a lot of interesting points. I would definitely talk to a professional about the food issue, being that most say they could eat vast amounts of candies/chips. You need to be prepared to follow the eating guidelines and will probably need to exercise too.

Have you tried to portion out your sweets? Maybe if you did that, then you could do fine. I know ziploc makes tiny 100 calorie bags (although candy can have a lot of calories in a little amount).

I hope you find the answers you're looking for.

[#MagicWithinme 173]

Even with the band you can continue to have health problems if you keep eating candy which will soon be known as sliders.

A friend of mine has had her band for 3 years, and just couldn't eat, so she would suck on candies all the time, and drink shakes and not the Protein ones, the whip cream and cherry on the top kind. She even had her 10cc band filled to 9cc in an extreme moment to jump start the weight lose and all she could do was shakes again not the Protein ones.

She was recently diagnosed with diabetes and poor leg circulation due to the diabetes. The first few times I had talked to her she was so negative about the band, she couldn't recommend and all she's lost was 20 lbs. But she now acknowledges that it was her fault that she tried to get out of her part of working at the lapband and just blamed it on the lapband.

It is a BIG committment and there are foods we have to give up for our health. I don't think you will have a problem after you have lapband. The urges you have now, pretty much dissappear. And the lapband will tell you when you've eaten too fast, too big a bite, or just too much. You learn to read your body signals instead of food impulses. I know I sneak a cheat now and then but nothing that I feel is going to jepardize my weight loss.

I wish you the best in your decision!

[Toddy 758]

You need to take care of your food issues before you consider getting banded. I ended up banded because I was researching it for my daughter, but her head wasn't in the right place foodwise, so I got banded instead and it's working beautifully!! You absolutely have to be willing to give up certain things or it won't work.

[lellow 1,713]

I have a friend who is a lot like you. She got banded when she saw the success I had. But when she and I go out together, I pretty much know why, one year on, she hasn't lost any weight.

We get to a restaurant. I order a salmon and some arancini (I don't avoid carbs) and I'll eat 1/2 of the salmon and 2 pieces of arancini. She'll eat 1/3 of the salmon and nothing else. Then we walk out of the restaurant and she'll stop and buy truffles. Then 10 mins later, she'll get an ice cream cone. She saves her 'band space' for sweets. Then wonders why she isn't losing. She exercises every day but will eat a bag of chips after her 'dinner' of steamed vegetables every night. What is in one bag of chips is equal to your entire calorie intake for the WHOLE DAY. No wonder she isn't losing.

So only you can answer this: if you could only eat a small amount, would you use that small amount to eat the sweets and candy that you shouldn't? Coz the band will control your physical hunger but it will never control your head hunger.

Lots of people fail with the band because you can eat around it. Do you want to be one of those people?

[AlienBandit 10]

I am Canadian too and I wanted the band so bad for years before I got it (researched for 8 years). When I asked some docs it was 20-25,000!!

I have a sweet tooth too, but I could usually control it. I was overweight because of my portion sizes and not so much cuz I ate sweets non-stop.

Doctors usually suggest that if you are a sweets kind of person the band is not the best idea because sweets are sliders. That is when they more suggest the sleeve for people because it makes the over all stomach smaller and not just giving you a pouch.

Maybe see a doc and see what he suggests but the sleeve might be a good idea too. If you are freaked out by the whole cutting your stomach there is sleeve plication where they just stitch the stomach smaller.

Either way, even if you talk to docs in Canada I would look into places like Mexico too because it is way cheaper. I got banded in Korea because I have lived here for some years now and the price was so much more affordable.

[Cindysmom (Ilene) 130]

Everyone has given you such good advise. Regarding sweets. Did you know that they are carbs? Carbs make you want to eat more carbs. It is a cycle you are going thru. How are your teeth? Do you have cavities? You need Protein. Protein keeps you full. Helps you lose weight.

For the Lapband surgery, They want people to agree for FOLLOW the rules.

These are some of the rules. They do not include eating candy.< /p>

1. Eat only 3 small meals a day. Chew chew chew.

2. Protein first

3. Do not drink while eating. (30 min before and 1 hour after) No carbonated drinks.

4. Take Viamins.

5. Drink at leawst 64 oz of Water a day.

6. Exercise daily.

Most of the people that have the lapband surgery have about 100lbs to lose. Lots of them have hundreds. Your carb habit will hold you back with a lapband....Best of luck to you and your choice.

[elcee 3,340]

Actually if you are a big sweet/candy eater then a bypass rather than the band or sleeve is probably the best option. One of the side effects that many people with a bypass have is dumping syndrome. What happens is that the sugar hits them so quickly that they feel awful. Sweaty, faint, nauseous or the runs are some of the ways it can affect you. Unfortunately you won't know before the op if you are one of the people that this will happen 2. I also believe that it is not permanent - that after a year or 2 sweets no longer have this effect.

I would think very seriously before getting the band though. As the others have said it will not affect your ability to eat sweets. You need to do that yourself. if you are unable or unwilling to do your part then it might end up being a very costly mistake.

[xavier 153]

The band keeps me from eating too much regular food. I just have my own willpower because sweets go right through...sleeve would be the same. Gastric bypass (in my opinion) is for someone who is so obese they are basically going to die anyway and yes the dumping syndrome does wear off and then you could eat sweets again.

[journey4me 23]

You will find with this surgery you yourself will have to have your head in the game. It is both an emotional and physical journey.I'd say you need a better support system. You need someone who is going to have positive feedback. I love coming here for support because it is the here and now, you can bet that someone here has experience what you are going through. Good luck!

[journey4me 23]

You will find with this surgery you yourself will have to have your head in the game. It is both an emotional and physical journey.I'd say you need a better support system. You need someone who is going to have positive feedback. I love coming here for support because it is the here and now, you can bet that someone here has experience what you are going through. Good luck!

[annagom@msn.com 2]

Well I have been banded for one month I just got me first fill it has alot to do with yourself and wanting to do it the band will help but it will not do it all so thee again if you will not make changes it is not going to work I lost 31 pounds before I got the first fill, I wanted to make a change and I so watch everything I eat. Before you pay all that money mskesure you are willing to drop all the sweets and get out move around.

[chaya 5]

Thank you, you have all been so helpful. I definatly have alot to think about before taking this huge step. I guess it would be wise of me to see if I can give up the sweets before I actually get the band.....it will be interesting to see if I can try and replace the sweets with real food. If I can do that but cant control my portions, well then the band might be the answer at that point.

Thank you again for all your advise, this is a great place to come to for support!

[Toddy 758]

Thank you, you have all been so helpful. I definatly have alot to think about before taking this huge step. I guess it would be wise of me to see if I can give up the sweets before I actually get the band.....it will be interesting to see if I can try and replace the sweets with real food. If I can do that but cant control my portions, well then the band might be the answer at that point.

Thank you again for all your advise, this is a great place to come to for support!

Keep in mind what an earlier poster said about sweets and carbs. Eating sweets will only make you crave them even more. I used to have a big sweet tooth, but have actually now lost my taste for a lot of the sweet junk. Try doing the Atkins diet for a couple of weeks -- Atkins didn't really work for me for weight loss, but it was the first time I was able to say I didn't crave anything sweet at all!