Hello, Bewildered here... Thinking about the lap band as a tool to help me loose weight. At the point of being tired of having too many aches and pains everyday. I admit I am not as active as I once was and that is no ones fault but my own. However over a 20 year marriage I have been progressivly gaining weight. An aproximate 110 pounds ( not happy or proud about it). But as I research the lap band one thing is common among all the stories... Diet and exercise. At what point does diet and exercise stop working to cause someone to seek out surgical means of weight loss? Agian my name says it all, but I am still Bewildered if this is a good choice. Any advice?

I too was having some physical problems that never seemed to be healed enough for me to exercise and try and do something about my weight. I have had ongoing joint pains resulting from extreme sports as a teen and injuries from way back when. Not being able to exercise I piled on the weight and went from 140 to 260 in a period of 15 years. My moment of enlightenment came later last year - I had knee replacement surgery in January 2011, and I thought that would be a fix. When it came to August and I was well enough to walk a decent distance and join a gym, I started on a diet and exercise program. That's when I got extreme achilles tendonitis and the pain in both legs was excruciating. I ended up in Physical Therapy for 6 months because over the years my tendons had developed a lot of scar tissue, my arches in my feet had fallen and generally speaking I was a physical mess from the knees down. That's when I realized that I would not be able to conquor my weight without additional help - I couldn't exercise because of my weight, and coudln't lose weight because of my recurring injuries. So this decision for lap band surgery was made to kick start the weight loss process, and as I said I have embarked on this journey with a lot of physical therapy and preparation to be physically able to move more.

I have no intention of being 60 and in a wheelchair. I have a 13 year old daughter that needs me around and to do things with her - I owe her and I especially owe myself a better life, and that's why I made the decision to have lapband surgery. I have always been very active and I fully intend to get my life back, it just needs effort from me, and the assistance of the lap band to control portion intake. I feel I am lucky in that I don't have much issue with emotional over eating - I like steak and potatoes and can eat way too much at one time. That will change from this point on!

Good luck with your decision - only you can know if you want this and if it's a tool that will work with you!

Rachel

It seems that most can lose weight, but maintaining that weight loss or the strict diet required to lose weight without the band is not realistic. I have lost weight many times, but whenever I come off whatever diet I was on, I gain all plus more back.

In the beginning if you want to lose weight, you have to diet. Some do not diet and wait until they hit the green zone and then the band kicks in and helps.

I have always been able to lose weight, but never (obviously) able to keep it off. I just kind of gave up at the losing part since it didn't stay off, what's the point? I finally decided that I would use the lapband to not only assist with the weight loss, but to help assure I would keep it off. Of course, I know full well I can gain it back if I'm not careful or don't stay on top of my fills, etc. I am totally committed and know that this tool will help me achieve my goals long-term. I have been doing really well- almost 70 lbs in 6 months- and still going.

Diet and exercise are the key, but the lapband is an overall tool to help with success.

Nicki

• 
  I've been in a similar war with myself since I decided I was going to start doing research on the lap band. I’m 34, I’ve been married for 9 years, and at 285 Ibs I’m at the heaviest I’ve ever been. I've come to a few conclusions that I hope might help you.
  
  1. I lost a lot of weight over the years with diet and exercise, but put it back on again. Further impacting my self esteem and self confidence. I don't want to do this anymore to myself. This led me into looking at surgery; I think the lap band would be a great tool to help me.
     
  1. I’m unhappy. The weight is not only hard on my joints, bones and body, but it’s hard on my marriage and my self image. I recently went to Great America, and couldn’t get on a ride because I was too big. EMBARRESSING!!!! Again this led me to look into other alternatives.
     
  1. At the beginning of the summer I was doing a walk/run 2.8 miles every day. Eating right and Exercise. One day I just stopped. No particular reason, I just stopped. I need something to say “Hey, get back on the wagon and get moving again” I feel the lap band will be that “insurance policy” if I don’t eat right or correctly (too fast) then it will be there to just give me a little nudge.
     
  1. Even when I was losing weight with diet and exercise I was hungry all the time. My appetite can be ferocious. I eat FAST! This “quality” about myself led me to research the lap band.
     
  1. I have to lose over 100 Ibs and I don’t want to put it back on so again I think the lap band would be good “insurance.” At least for me, maintaining was as hard as losing.
     

  I haven’t had the surgery yet. I first started at the informational seminar and have a consultation appointment in August, but I’m about 95% sure that I will be going through with it at this point. I go back and forth a lot. “Is this something that I want to do to my body it’s been through enough?” “I can’t believe I’m considering this. Why can’t you just lose it with diet and exercise?”…etc..etc.. It’s been a huge process and one that I haven’t taken lightly by any means. I have been grappling with this decision for awhile now and I feel I’ve come to a point where I’m ready. At least…I think I am. [*]

  I hope this helps you understand my decision for researching and considering surgery vs. just exercise and diet alone.

  [*]

  Good luck to you.

Diet and exercise are crucial for weight loss by any means, surgical or not.

After a lifetime of yo-yo dieting, I finally decided I needed to get out the big guns. I was sick of dieting to lose weight, only to gain it back again plus more, over and over and over. My band worked very well for me because it made portion control so much easier. So the weight loss was easier, and the weight loss made the exercise easier.

I had planned on having my band for the rest of my life but sadly, it didn't turn out that way, so I'm revising to the sleeve because almost 5 years into my weight loss surgery journey, I have learned one thing for absolute certain sure: I need a long-term tool for long-term weight maintenance. Bariatric surgery is the tool for me.

Diet and exercise are crucial for weight loss by any means' date=' surgical or not.

After a lifetime of yo-yo dieting, I finally decided I needed to get out the big guns. I was sick of dieting to lose weight, only to gain it back again plus more, over and over and over. My band worked very well for me because it made portion control so much easier. So the weight loss was easier, and the weight loss made the exercise easier.

I had planned on having my band for the rest of my life but sadly, it didn't turn out that way, so I'm revising to the sleeve because almost 5 years into my weight loss surgery journey, I have learned one thing for absolute certain sure: I need a long-term tool for long-term weight maintenance. Bariatric surgery is the tool for me.[/quote']

What happened after 5 years that u need to ditch the band and go to sleeve ( hope u don't mind me asking) I was just banned yesterday and plan to work this tool the rest of my life

Like others, I've always been able to lose weight, but the only time I was successful at keeping it off was when I was taking Phen-Fen. For over 20 years, I have faithfully walked at least 5 miles daily. Realistically, I knew I physically wouldn't be able to be as active as I aged, witnessing my mother's increased struggles with weight as her ability to exercise as much has diminished. I knew I needed something to help reduce my hunger, and that's when I began researching weight loss surgery.

I would encourage you to do a lot of research.

Best wishes.

What happened after 5 years that u need to ditch the band and go to sleeve ( hope u don't mind me asking) I was just banned yesterday and plan to work this tool the rest of my life

No, I don't mind you asking, but it's a long story, so I'm going to make it short. Early this year I learned I had a badly dilated esophagus and signs of a esophageal motility disorder call achalasia. All that resolved when we removed all the fill from my band, but my surgeon felt that adding fill back in would be asking for trouble and strongly recommended removing my band. I decided to revise to the sleeve because there is no way I could manage my weight for the rest of my life without some kind of surgical tool. After my surgeon removed my band, she couldn't do the sleeve revision because of a stricture we didn't know I had. I went to a new gastro doc who said I don't have achalasia; that my problem is stenosis (thickening of the tissues) caused by longterm "silent" reflux that I've probably had for 25+ years. He dilated the stricture, and in August we're going to do the sleeve procedure.

I hate, hate, hate that I lost my band. I think the sleeve is going to be OK, but I can't expect it to work the way my band did. I'm just trying to make the best of the circumstances. Life is like that.

So sorry for the problems u have had, sounds like u r taking control and not just being a victim (that is awesome)....wishing u the best of luck!!