I am in the still deciding and gatherin information phase of the lap band.

I am curious what else people have tried to do to lose weight, such as weight watchers, pills, doctors, nutritionists, etc. etc.

What kind of success have people had with those other methods and what finally led you to decide on the lap band?

I appreciate anyone's input

J~

I bombed at weight watchers 3tx. I dont have time to do all that computing stuff. I did 10 yrs on phentermine. I did phen phen which was AWESOME. I lost tons of weight and kept it off for a few years. Too bad it is off the market. The phentermine helped for a long time to keep me at the weight i was at 215-230 but i was completely addicted to it. If i didnt have it daily i felt like i was walking thru mud. Getting off it was aweful, i slept for weeks, and then gained 30lbs immediately.

In order to get the meds i met with a nutrionist monthly. I was banded in hopes to go off the meds. It was making me stuuppiidd. and i felt like a junky when i would drive hours back home to get the meds before the Brain mud sunk in.

PM me if you want any more info.

J,

I'll be the one to write this, but almost every bandster can say the same thing, I'll bet. I have tried WW (numerous times), Atkins, low fat, no fat, grapefruit --whatever diets. All are successful -- that is I always drop some weight, up to 30 lbs. once. In each and every instance the weight came right back and brought some friends too -- 5-10 lbs. Keep doing this over the years and the scale numbers can only go higher and higher.

So, the issue is not taking off the pounds, it is for preventing their return. The lap band helps me by helping me to realize I need a lot less food to survive on than my brain was telling me before. Also, pre band, most diets involved giving up the things you liked and then whenever you stopped, the impulse is to rush right out and get some of those things you were deprived of. My intention with the lap band is to lose the weight by managing my portion size and not to give up whole categories of foods. I don't want a life of constant dieting and I don't want a life of obsessing about when and what I get to eat next!

Hope this helps and congratulations to you for checking in with this group as you make your way through the decision process. We'll help in anyway we can.

Jo Ann

1. Weight Watchers ( at least 5 times.)<O:p</O:p
   
2. Diet from my Doctor.<O:p</O:p
   
3. <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comDiet</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType></ST1:p<O:p</O:p
   
4. Slimfast (at least 3 trys)<O:p</O:p
   
5. Nutritionist(referred by Dr.)<O:p</O:p
   
6. Sancor(local plan)<O:p</O:p
   
7. Prism<O:p</O:p
   
8. Weight Down workshop<O:p</O:p
   
9. Curves diet and Curves workout.<O:p</O:p
   
10. My own tries.(counting calories or Carbs using things like Fitday.com)<O:p</O:p
    
11. Atkins

And on all of them, I lost weight. Up to 70 pounds. And ALWAYS gained it back. I got tired of working so hard, only to eventually give up and regain it all and then some. That's why I decided to get the band.

Mainly weight watchers and home delivered diet meals. Many many times.

But if I'd tried running regularly like I am now, I'm pretty sure I would have seen success. I find it ironic that the band doesnt make me exercise and yet that's been the biggest success factor for me. Because I still eat a LOT for a bandster and can still eat anything and like to keep my band loose as a reminder not to overeat, not something that literally FORCES me to stop. I like to stop eating by myself. I dont claim I could have done it without the band by a long shot, but I sure think I wouldnt ever have gotten so fat if I'd just exercised like I do now.

My first diet was the Stillman Water Diet, at age 13. I lost 40 lbs., but gained it back within a year. Since then, I've done the Cambridge Diet (Protein powder), various over-the-counter diet aids, Weight Watchers twice, once to 1/4 lb. of goal. After my first child, I went on Physicians Weight Loss Diet. I lost 70 lbs. in 4 months, but of course, it started creeping back on as soon as I went off of it. After my second child, I was in a clinical trial for Orlistat (Xenical), and lost 90 lbs. in a year. I really must have skewed the results, though, because I found out two years later that I had been on a placebo the whole time. Since that regain, I've been on LA Weight Loss twice, both times losing about 30 lbs. LAWL sucks you in, takes your $$, then requires you to come in 3 times a week for additional high pressure sales tactics for their over-priced products. And I did Atkins for several months, losing 40-50 lbs. I've joined probably a dozen gyms and exercise programs over the past 25 years. I've bought thousands of dollars worth of diet books and exercise equipment. I wonder how much money I've wasted trying to lose weight. I'm sure it's more than the $14,000 I paid for lap-band.

Tami

Just look up diet and/or weight loss on the internet. Chances are I have tried just about all of them....twice. Unless, of course we are talking about weight watchers, I have been on it at least 7 times.

The beauty of my band is I no longer diet and I love that. I don't count points, carbs, calories or anything. I just quit eating when I am no longer hungry and make healthier choices. I love, love, LOVE my band!

You name it, I've probably tried it.

Weight Watchers - about 5 times / Jenny Craig - twice / Atkins / Xenical / One of the Phen Fen's / Low Fat / Low Cal / Herbalife

With all of them, I would lose 30 or 40 pounds and gain it all back - except Atkins, with it I lost 60 (and gained 80 back).

I think it's good that you are asking and researching your options. I have been researching for years.

I researched the RNY and couldn't bring myself to do it. Especially after a friend had it done and while she lost a lot of weight, she simply looked unhealthy. Her hair was falling out, and her gums receeded, and she just looked sickly.

Then I saw in an interview somewhere that Sharon Osbourne had a "band" so I went all over the internet to find it. I researched it and decided that was the option for me. It would help me, but it would also force me to change my lifestyle so that I was eating healthier and taking better care of myself. (As a side note, I find it humorous that just as I am about to get the band, Sharon Osbourne is talking about removing hers!)

In June, one of the gals in my office went in and had lap band surgery. I watched her very closely to see how she recovered, and how well she did and if she was hungry. Prior to surgery she lost 20 pounds, and since surgery she has lost over 40 (in 4 months!).

So, I was finally comfortable that her Dr. would be great and I go in on Monday to get banded!

Best of luck to you in making your decision. Bottom line, this is about you and what you feel will be best for you.

I've tried Weight Watchers 4 times, all liquid diets 2 times, counting calories numerous times, giving up whole groups of trigger foods numerous times, PhenFen for a few months, and herbal fiber diet pills. I could lose but I could never maintain my weight loss.

1. Doctor prescribed diet (1,200 calories a day; I was 10 years old)

2. Jennny Craig

3. Nutrisystem (twice)

4. Weight Watchers (5 times joined in person plus twice online)

5. Slim Fast

6. Susan Powter (low fat/fat free;did not lose one ounce)

7. Xenical

8. Herbalife

9. Chitosan (supplement that absorbs fat; gave me an impacted bowel)

10. Atkins

11. South Beach

12. Sugar Busters

13. Suzanne Somers

14. Eat Right 4 your Type

15. The grapefruit diet

16. The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet (this one made me gain weight)

17. Iodine supplements

18. The apple cider vinegar diet

19. Fit for Life

20. The Zone (This made me feel like I was going to pass out from starvation all the time)

21. Fasting

22. The diabetic diet

23. Scarsdale

24. Calorie counting on my own (whenever I wasn't on a particular plan)

25. The Hollywood juice Diet

I'm sure there are others, but that's all I can come up with for now. I have been on a diet almost every day of my life, and as a result shot up to nearly 300 pounds. So far, I've lost more with the band than I have ever lost on any diet in my life: 58 pounds!

Outlined by age:

8 Mother put me on a diet. No candy, lots of vegetables and fruits.

9-11 Don’t remember…

12 Richard Simmons diet with my Mother. Remember the cassette tapes and book.

13 Macrobiotic diet with Mother and Aunt for about 6 months. Lots of brown rice.

14 Jenny Craig with Mother, I did the program with her even though I was not enrolled. Listened to motivational tapes, exercised, etc.

15 Richard Simmons again. Sweating to the Oldies tapes.

16 Optifast for a month and a half, stopped due to expense. (Oprah did it!) Richard Simmons again.

17 Cabbage Diet that was recommended for heart patients. Grapefruit diet. Richard Simmons again.

18 Herbalife Thermogenic formula shakes and vitamins, even bought a distributorship to get discounted product.

19 Staple in my ear, diet vitamins. Hypnosis with Grandmother: bought self help tapes and listened to them. Richard Simmons Deal a Meal and tapes. Attended OA meetings for about a month.

20 LA Weight Loss for three months, Basically low cal/low fat diet stopped due to expense.

21 Richard Simmons Deal a Meal, Farewell to fat program.

22 Saw Nutritionist told me to eat breakfast. Followed Food Pyramid Diet for a while.

23 Phen Phen with Dr. Pratemerat, Greenville, TX for two months, Richard Simmons again. Tony Little tapes.

24 Susan Powter Stop the Insanity Diet, Richard Simmons

25 Pregnant/Low sodium/Low sugar diet

26 Low Sodium. Did not really diet was nursing mother.

27 DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)

28 Richard Simmons and DASH diet. SAM-e Diet. Nikken diet products.

29 Kashi Go-Lean Diet Shakes, bars, cereal, etc

30 Dr/OBGYN put me on Low carb diet/Tried Atkins, Zone: Whey Protein Shakes, bars, cereal, etc. Fat Fast- Atkins

31 Low Carb Diet/Atkins, South Beach, Thin for good diet (Dr. Pescatore) Shakes, bars, cereal, etc*

32Low Carb Diet/Atkins/Slimfast/South Beach. Shakes, bars, cereal, etc, ADA diet,

33 6 week body makeover (for four days…too few calories.) *

33 continued: Lap band.

everyone of you sound like my diet history. so we are not alone. the band is the best by far that I have ever did for myself... I just wish everyone that needs it like I did, could get it without all the insurance hassle... after all it saved my life...

Probably all of the above over the past 50 years (except mother never put me on a diet....she just fed me). I think the only one I've tried that I don't see above is injections of the urine of pregant women. Didn't work, by the way...LOL!! Most of the others did work.....for a few weeks/months.

I have mainly done Weight Watchers for most of my life. It has been successful with respects to paying attention to labels. I got the lapband to help me understand what full feels like. I do plan to incorporate weight watchers with my lapband as I need the support and it will hold me accountable weekly. I think that Weight Watchers has alot of great ideas on how to deal with those moments when we feel weak.

I mostly relied on diet and exercise. I tried Meridia pill for a few months. I dropped 40 lbs.

I was very ill on this pill and seemed to feel my heart flutter a few times with elevated blood pressure.

Not for me. The I seen the Phen-phen thing. Money grubbing drug companies with the FDA in the pocket hurting people.

My ex had the band and lost her other fat self, walla I'm banded with my ins. companies blessing. Couple years later Im at my handsome self....There you go!:clap2:

Like many others, I've done just about all of it. Started with Jenny Craig when I was a teenager. My most successful period was in 1999 when I lost 95 lbs in 11 months. Most of it was the right timing, the right ephedra-based supplement and alot of exercise..oh and stress going through a divorce.

I've always been able to lose weight. It's keeping it off that's tough.

I discovered the lapband online in 2002. I joined a couple of forums and started researching. I put it off until 2005 thinking that I didn't want to subject my teenage sons to a change in my lifestyle. When the scale crept up over 320 I decided there was no way I was going back to 350 and decided the waiting was silly. I got my consult and was banded 8 days later.

Beth