i had my first appt wednesday and met with the bariatrics nurse practitioner. i was asking her if they've seen a decline in bands thanks to sleeve. she said yes and went on to tell me that the surgeons there don't like bands because they arent seeing results like with the other two options of rny and sleeve. she was telling me that she wants to make sure i understand i wont be losing 100lbs with the band. huh? i have heard of several people losing a good deal of weight (100+) by really working the band. i'm frustrated at the attitudes people seem to have toward lapband. should i go ahead and get over it? does anyone have a positive attitude toward the band?

Is the band more work then some other surgeries? Yes. My experience is that I have to put a lot of effort into this process. Some people get the band and then don't want to put forth any effort. I would do some soul searching and decide whether you are willing to make significant changes to your eating habits: baked chicken instead of fried, low fat veggies instead of fries; and setting exercise goals (I work out 7 days a week). I don't mind eating healty and after 4 years of exercising daily (I had started before banding) I actually LIKE exercising. I'm not trying to be a downer. Some bandsters loose weight much faster than I; and some of them even eat unhealthy food and don't exercise. I am very happy with my decision to be banded.

you're exactly right. i was just discussing this with my husband. i did ask the np if the people who fail are just not trying. she did say that with some of them yes, she suspected that was the problem. i cant see risking my life in any surgery and then not using a tool i'm being blessed with.

I totally agree with Honk, most of the time the success of the lapband is based on the individual, their support network and their ability to make the changes necessary. I do see the benefits of sleeve and bypass if u are willing to take more risks both surgically and post op complications .. if u arent the band is there chugging away like a slow but faithful car, it will still get you there if u drive carefully but if u want speed then choose another surgery if u are willing to take the higher risks

you will find a lot of us here experienced the same things with our surgeons (trying to talk us out of the band). My mind was made up before my first surgeon appt. the ONLY surgery i was getting was the band - period. I have lost almost 120 pounds in 10 months. I am seeing the same results as if i had gotten gastric and my surgery was so much safer than gastric. I think i have quite a bit of discipline on eating though - my problem before was portion control and the band has cured that problem. Best of luck with whatever you decide!!!

My dr. was great! He sat me down went over all the different kinds of procedures and discussed the pros and cons of each. He never lead me to one over the other.. He told me after 5 yrs the all come out to average the same wt loss, so losing wasn't really the issue because they all come out to about the same.. He and my P.A said the biggest mistake ppl make with the band is they rely to much on it, think they get the band and the wt will fall off. It doesn't work that way, not even with the other surguries either. You have to work with it. The band will not make you excercise, it will not make you eat the rt foods, it won't even make you use portion control ( because some ppl with eat even when they are full ) you have to do those things and if you are not committed to it, it's not going to work.. It truly is a life change