I am offically getting my band next week and I have appreciated all the comments I have read. I have a question that I want to put out to all you "seasoned" banders. I understand that the first months/year there are adjustments both phyically and mentally that take place. As I look past the surgery and recovery time...I was wondering if anyone has attended a weight loss group (such as Weight Watchers) to help keep on track? I am so afraid of slipping back into the habits that got me to this point in the first place...and I remember when I attended a WW meeting several years ago a comment was made that people with the band have used the plan to further their weight loss and to learn the life skills that WW teaches.

there is a thread somewhere on here for people who practice weight watchers.

edit: the name of the forum is "Weight Watchers Online: Support Thread" for some reason my touchpad isn't letting me copy the url so just use the search feature to find it.

thanks I will look that one up

I think joining WW will provide some great support. First is meeting support. If you find a good, supportive leader, the info provided from the weekly meetings is excellent in providing motivation, and behavior modification info, provided you stay for the meetings. If you don't or can't, you might do better with just the support forum like this one, or a web site such as Sparkpeople. The emphasis on getting a balance of healthy eating exercise is what makes the program. Second is the benefit of accountability from the weekly weigh-in, and tracking your weight. Getting rewards by meeting certain targets for weight loss also helps. Your rewards give you tangible evidence of your accomplishment, and can serve as an anchor to get you over the rough spots. I use the monthly pass, and the convenience of WW e-tools that comes with it.

That said, there are some things that you will need to think about as you begin the program. Most of your points are going to have to be used for Protein - lean meat, low fat cheese, yogurt, etc., and you may not be able to get in your targeted number of points. You will also likely not be able to eat the quantities of food a non-banded person can, and you may not be able to get the servings of fruits and veggies you are supposed to eat under the good health guidelines, especially in the post-op period. Those will need to be added gradually as you can tolerate them, and likely never in quantities that are considered "normal" portions, such as an entire cup of strawberries, etc. You will likely also need to steer away from Pasta dishes, rice, etc. and foods that are more likely to get "stuck", at least for a while. At the same time, making those adjustments is worth the trade-off of behavior changes.

Hope this helps.

thank you so much joyb1only...that was just the kind of information I was looking for. I have been on weight watchers on and off for years and really like the program...and was wondering if it was doable the the band. Thanks for your insight. I appreicate your help.

Having a support group is great. Developing a new relationship with food is required to be succesful with the band. The band will never stop you from eating a shake from McDonalds or a Snicker bar. I have heard that some leaders at WW are anti band. Sooooo you might want to think about whether to tell them about the band.