Ok....after getting some feed-back I still would like to have something explained to me about the difference between banding & bypassing. What is the model patient as far as their eating habits for the band compared for the model patient as far as their eating habits for the gastric bypass?........meaing....,who NEEDS the extra help of the more extreme operation?....like the gastric bypass not only restricts the food you eat,it ABSORBES it.Also......on the other hand,the way I understand it is the band ONLY RESTRICTS how MUCH you eat without ABSORBUTION.What Im trying to say is....I have been eating very healthy TRYING to lose weight.Im sure my portions should of been SMALLER,BUT...it was a start.ALL protien...grilled chicken breast with lemon,steak,grilled Tuna,Trout,Kashi ceral or egg beaters for breakfeast, & I stick to it pretty good.My trouble seems to be at night.When Im laying in bed,I start to get real hungry, nibbel on rice cakes....the next thing you know I have 10 of then....then the diet ice-cream...Ill have 2 of them,then a protien bar with peanut-butter,then Ill have 2 more of them....then choclate milk....then I finallly fall asleep. WITH THIS TYPE OF EATING HABITS will the lap-band help me NOT be hungry or are peoples oppinions think I need the absorutioin that you get with a bypass to help me lose the weight?With these type of unhealthy habits...what popular oppinion for what type of surgury I should get?The Lap-band or the bypass?I just want to make sure if I got the band...I WILL lose weight!I dont want to get the wrong operation for my eating habits or life style. I also go to the gym 4x a week for! Im 85 to 100 lbs over weight.my BMI is 43.Im 5'9'' & weigh 295. ANY INPUT WOULD BE DEEPLEY APPREACITED!!!!

Check out this site

http://www.thelapband.com/

For me it was safety, that was my #1 reason for it. The band is doing just what it should be doing, I am staying full for 4 - 5 hours. On a lot less food then I use to eat. I do still eat a peice a cake if I am at a party, it's my reward but now one small peice is more then enough for me. The most important thing to remember is the band is 100% different for everyone. I have several friends who have gained weight back after their by-pass, granted they are all post op by a year or more. But it might not happen for you since it seems you are eating well now...

Good luck on your decision it can be tough but loosing the weight is the most important thing.

If you want to get SKINNY the band may not be your best option.

If you eat when you are full the band may not be your best option.

On the other hand if you can eat a lean quisen size portion and not eat after that.(You are not hungry)

You feel you can change your eating and exercise habits.

You drink eight glasses of Water a day.

You leard the diffrence between head hunger and real hunger.

The band is a great TOOL. It is a tool I can over eat if I want. I may PB or I may not.I know I will not get down to a size 5 but I am very happy at a size 14 and I feel better than I have ever remembered feeling in my life.I want to exercise and I want to be here to see my grandchilren grow up.As with any weight loss surgey it is up to YOU. I felt a lot better with the lapband risk vs the gastric bypass.One in 200 I do not like those odds. I was terrified of the gastric bypass surgery. I was taking 70 units of insulin and four pills a day. This band has to work. I was losing my eyes my health was going. I was so tired and sick.

I feel great and my blood suger is 6.8.That is not perfect but it is a number I can LIVE with. Good luck to you.

my best advice for you, would be to find a doctor who does the band and talk to him/her and see if they think you are a good candidate. The band will help you with overeating, You can only eat so much before you vomit. However there are foods (like ice cream) that will go straight through the band and you can eat and eat and eat. You have to decide if you have the willpower not to buy it and bring it into you home and if you have the willpower to only eat one small bowl if you do decide to eat something that will slide through the bad.

Find a doctor who does BOTH surgeries. If you go to a doc who does only one type he'll recommend that you have the surgery he does. A doctor who does both surgeries see's the difference in the two procedures and - if he's been doing both types of surgeries for any length of time - will know which patient is a better candidate for each surgery. Don't go with one type of WLS over another on random recommendations. Figure out what you're willing to do to lose the weight and be honest with yourself. If you're not willing to make good food choices every day and follow the band rules - the band is not the surgery for you. If you can't tolerate sugar dumping and some of the other challenges involved with RNY then you should avoid that surgery. You're the only one who can answer these questions, but a good, impartial doctor will be able to help you figure out the best path for you.

Thanks for all of your responses!I have a lot of thinking to do!

Yes, lots of thinking and research to do! I suggest to write down the pros and cons of each procedure on paper. That way you can see it written.

Each procedure has it pros and cons. Bypass can have some very serious complications. Most folks initially can't eat the surgary foods (dumping) After a bit, they sometimes develop a "tolerance" for sweets over time.

Bandsters can eat whatever they want, "if" they can tolerate the food item to pass their stoma. The junk can go by really easy for many of us.

This is what I have found about myself, the "sweet" eater:

1) My quantities of food have been limited. Even the sweets. I didn't want those for 6 months. Now, I do.

2) I no longer eat breads, as I don't tolerate them well. Same with eggs.

That was a huge portion of my calories.

3) I count calories, using fitday.com, to make sure I am staying within my range and nutrition requirements. This has helped me stay on track during my losing stage.

4) I get support, where I can find it! Yeah, Lapbandtalk.

Just my two cents. Good luck on your decision. Shawn