I personally can't wait to get mine, but I am curious to see how many

of you are glad you were banded.

It was one of the best decisions that i have ever made. I just wish i had it done earlier. Now i want my sister and my friend to get it done!

I'm still wishy washy on this as I am not yet at my 'sweet spot'. After almost 4.5 months post-op, I am still hungry and am not very restricted. The most difficult part of the banding process is getting the fill adjustments calibrated to suit your individual body needs. I am scheduled for another visit on August 16th and will probably get another fill.

Some people say this is an easy process - no hunger, etc. I am beginning to think I should have chosen bypass instead of band because I am a typical 'binge' eater who craves sweets and the band does not do anything to control this urge. It takes every ounce of behavior modification to resist the daily urge to eat sugar. I know with bypass, you don't crave these things anymore and most patients don't even have an appetite.

If you had chosen the gastric bypass you would still have to change your whole frame of mind. You have to retrain your mind and body. It is not an easy task, believe me. If it was I wouldn't of had to have surgery. Gastric bypass is not an automatic fix either. I know so many people that have had bypass and wish they would have had the band.

I'm still wishy washy on this as I am not yet at my 'sweet spot'. After almost 4.5 months post-op, I am still hungry and am not very restricted. The most difficult part of the banding process is getting the fill adjustments calibrated to suit your individual body needs. I am scheduled for another visit on August 16th and will probably get another fill.

Some people say this is an easy process - no hunger, etc. I am beginning to think I should have chosen bypass instead of band because I am a typical 'binge' eater who craves sweets and the band does not do anything to control this urge. It takes every ounce of behavior modification to resist the daily urge to eat sugar. I know with bypass, you don't crave these things anymore and most patients don't even have an appetite.

I am banded 7/17 and have found that it has really helped with my food intake.. I still crave sweets, fats etc.... And NEITHER the bypass or lap band is going to take away your CRAVINGS. It is a tool to help you control your portions - with bypass you dump when you eat sweets - your body does not absourb the calories. BUT, eventually you will gain your weight back with either if you don't change your habits.

Niether of these wls are a quick fix to our problems, we still have to work on our behaivors and old habits. There is no miracial out there to fix your eating habit - the only person who can do that is you. Diet and exercise... With the band I feel i have better control over my appetie as i eat considerably less and i am exercising too. I want a heathier life.

be it lap band or bypass - Lap band was my choice and i would do it again..

So not true...I have many friends who had bypass and they are barely hungry at all and NEVER crave any of the things they did before surgery (sweets, etc.)....

So not true...I have many friends who had bypass and they are barely hungry at all and NEVER crave any of the things they did before surgery (sweets, etc.)....

There are two people here at my office who did the bypass and they are gaining weight like you wouldn't believe. And, they eat all the things they were not supposed to be eating, even though they end up sick - so I have a different opinion about this (from what I have seen first hand)

I can't speak for others, but I know I am hungrier and less restricted than I hoped to be. I've only had 2 fills and I'm hoping to find my sweet spot really soon, otherwise I will be even more frustrated and discouraged than I am now

Best of luck to everyone...

I love my band!! I have had my first fill last week. I eat very little before I am just stuffed. I get ravenously hungry but then eat 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food. I generally only eat my 3 meals a day. Every so often I will have one cracker w/ Peanut Butter as a snack inbetween if I know it's going to be a late dinner/lunch. (I can be full for 2 hours on that cracker).

Zengirl - I was concerned about not getting enough restriction. I have to drive 5 hours to see my doctor so I let them know that I wasn't about to turn around next week and come back if they didn't get it right. They gave me an omnipack(Sp?). They didn't use the usual saline because it can leak out. The other stuff was much thicker and so far is working great. I did have to sign some form to get it though. Good luck on getting your next fill!

misnilsa keep us posted! My paperwork is pending approval, I am scared and excited.

I'm three months out and 44 lbs down. I know that if I had not done this, I would be going up instead of down. It takes getting used to - I sometime think this band has a mind of it's own - lol - but I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's so nice to pull out the clothes I haven't worn for quite awhile. I am already able to see some changes in how I bend down without feeling like I'm going to pass out, I take the stairs instead of elevators, have more energy. This is just with this loss - can't wait to see all the things I'll be able to do down the road.

For years I said I'd never take such a drastic measure - mainly talking about the gastric bypass, and even when a friend suggested I look into the lapband - actually got mad at her for suggesting I might be 100 lbs overweight (boy, was I fooling myself) - thought, no way. Now, I just wish I had done this sooner. The relief you feel from a lot of the aches and pains, blood pressure down, blood sugar down.

It takes getting used to, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

You might be interested to see this poll I posted a few months ago: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/would-you-do-again-30418/

Zen Girl: Have you tried eating only protein or cutting down on carbs. When I do the Atkins diet I couldn't care less about sweets. If there not in the house it's harder to eat them too. If I buy sweets for the "kids" ...I end up eating more than they do. I must not bring anything sweet in the house except for yogart. Can you eat fat freee yogart on the band? Can you eat fat free sugar free pudding? I notice esp. at this age I crave sugar more esp. around that time in the month. Doesn't the band help with bindge eating....I'm a bidnger too and I thought you just couldn't eat that much???

Just banded on 7/25 and I would do it again. In a heartbeat. I'm doing really well so far and will be going to my one week post-op appt. I am so glad that I started this journey!

I went on my first diet when I was 10 years old. I've lost the same 20-40 pounds about a dozen times and each time was a fight to the death with me ultimately swan diving into a cake or something equally fattening and ending up bigger than I was during the last diet battle. Twenty-six years later at 260 pounds I got the band and now I'm losing almost without effort. The band doesn't stop the cravings by itself but for me it's that one missing tool that will separate success from failure. And for the first time I feel successful. A whole new life is starting for me and I feel great. And I would do it again if I had to choose.

The only problemwith the poll was that there was only yes or no---I needed a YES!!!!!! I love my band!

Yes it can be more fickle to find the sweet spot, but just as we each react differently with our bands, so do bypassers, and some still crave sweets, others apparently do not. When I got good restriction, my desire for any food, as well as most of my cravings went away too.

My friend Pam had bypass, and has been highly successful, but it has been hard work fighting the cravings for her, and being around sweets, with the dumping, and ironically she and her DH own an ice cream shop! She has some health issues with the malabsorption that she controls with supplements.

Zen girls, I hope you find good restriction, because with it, the band is a whole new ball game. Without hunger, cravings are not a big deal. Work with your Dr. sometimes it takes several fills to perfect....but it is sooo worth it!!!

Kat