Frustrated after consult...help!

[CandyE 0]

I have no delusions that the LapBand will get me to 110lbs, but I'm 5'3" and currently 224. The doctor set my goal weight at 175 and said that average weight loss is 50% of your excess (ie. I'm 100 pounds over my ideal weight so I can expect to lose 50 lbs). She also does gastric bypass which she says you can expect to lose 80-90% of excess weight. I'm paying alot of money, time and pain just to become less fat? I want to be a healthy weight. Is she just trying to sway me towards the bypass? I need some band veterans to tell me the real deal before I give up.

[MELISSA35BANDED 0]

I have a doctor who believes I can get to any weight that I want. He said it is my determination that will get me there! Do what you feel is the best procedure for you and your lifestyle.

[andielmt 0]

i had the same thing happen to me. i went for my consult 2 weeks ago and was told that i need to lose 140lbs and that i would only lose 40 with the lapband, he is trying to get me to do the bypass instead saying that there isnt much success with the band. its a hard decision on which one to do, you have to really look at the pros and cons of both, i have been for 1 year now focusing on the band now my friends( one just had bypass 4 months ago) are trying to get me to do the bypass. yes you will lose weight really fast with the bypass but will you be able to keep it off once your appetite comes back? the band is slower but if you look at success stories here on this website some have lost just as much weight. feel free to write to me anytime because i am going through the same dilema.

andrea

[TulipStar 2]

Just look at a lot of people on here.. plenty have lost 90%. You can do it with the lapband.

Sometimes I think that they just push the bypass bc they make more money. My Dad did the bypass 6 years ago and he has gained most of it back and stretched out his stomach.

[hungryforchange 0]

Also, the death rate is higher with GB than with the band. The last thing I read said it is 1/100 with GB and 1/2000 with the band.

[Chickie 15]

I have no delusions that the LapBand will get me to 110lbs, but I'm 5'3" and currently 224.

No? I started at 297, and am now at 107lbs. It can be done.

The doctor set my goal weight at 175 and said that average weight loss is 50% of your excess (ie. I'm 100 pounds over my ideal weight so I can expect to lose 50 lbs).

I lost over 110% of my excess weight. Don't give up before you have even started!!

She also does gastric bypass which she says you can expect to lose 80-90% of excess weight. I'm paying alot of money, time and pain just to become less fat? I want to be a healthy weight. Is she just trying to sway me towards the bypass? I need some band veterans to tell me the real deal before I give up.

I have seen plenty of people lose 90% or more of their weight with banding.

[kacee 3]

ll you need to do is look around at the success stories of the band and see that many, if not MOST of us are what you'd call "Results not typical"...in other words...we WAY surpassed the 50% estimated mark of weight loss. They say you are expected to lose 50% of your weight loss in the firt 2 years. Hmmmm. Nobody told that to my body. I have lost oVER 50% in 4 months and I am within 18 pounds of my doctor's goal (not the same as my goal). The results they are quoting are statistics from studies. It is an "average". Anyone who has ever done a "bell curve" knows that you can have a bunch of folks over in one end of the scale and all it takes is one or two at the far OTHER end to screw up the whole bell curve and completely change your stats. The given is...you will lose slower on the band. You will lose faster on the bypass. However, within about 5 years the end results of both equal out. Bypass people tend to regain weight down the road as they stretch out their pouch. Lapbanders are still slowly losing. They all eventually catch up. The big nagative to Bypasss for me is the extremely fast weight loss just about guarantees you are going to have to invest in plastic surgery to clean up the debris field down the road.

[juliegeraci 7]

candy, I am down about 65% of my excess weight since June of last years. I have about 40 more lbs to go.

[IndioGirl55 32]

I have no delusions that the LapBand will get me to 110lbs, but I'm 5'3" and currently 224. The doctor set my goal weight at 175 and said that average weight loss is 50% of your excess (ie. I'm 100 pounds over my ideal weight so I can expect to lose 50 lbs). She also does gastric bypass which she says you can expect to lose 80-90% of excess weight. I'm paying alot of money, time and pain just to become less fat? I want to be a healthy weight. Is she just trying to sway me towards the bypass? I need some band veterans to tell me the real deal before I give up.

candy

What the doc is telling you that this is what they have seen with a controlled group of people - there are many here who have gotten to goal weight 120's etc. It's up to you on how much you lose,,

[andielmt 0]

this is great feedback. i know that i didnt post this site but i am going through the same thing. my doctor is actually going to call me to talk about the lapband vs the bypass. he is defitenly for the bypass so i am a little nervous on how much he will pust me. andrea

[mandi78 3]

I have a friend who had lapband surgery in April 2006. She started at 356 and set her own goal weight to 180. Her dr told her it should be more like 160. She is down about 125 lbs in 1.5 years which is about 65% of her excess weight. Sure the loss has slowed but I have no doubt she will reach her goal. It just depends on your doc and what their preference is but like the others stated, how much you lose is up to you. </p> <p> </p> <p>Another thing to keep in mind is that when you do lose the weight whether it is 30% or 150% of your excess weight, the band will help you maintain the loss and you won't be yo-yoing with your weight for the rest of your life like so many of us do before surgery. And, even if you did only lose 50% of your excess weight, that is 50 lbs and it reduces your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.

[Telecia 1]

oh gosh I cant help but comment cause In my own family there have been 5 people who have had bypass surgerys and none yet (Im waiting to get approved) with the band and all of them are not what could be called success stories.

My mom lost her first 100lbs and never really lost anymore, has major stomach issues now and malnutrition. Still overweight and struggling with it. My uncle ended up being huge (400+)despite 2-3 WLSurgerys and passed away in his 50's.

2 aunts who did a bit better lost most of their weight but still do the diet yoyo 4-5 years later.

One cousin who had it done and hasn't reached her goals yet. And over the 2 years i've known her hasn't lost or gained a whole lot. Is still at least 50lbs overweight

When it comes to so called *Statistics* In our age of computers and internet you can find *Statistics* to back up just about anything you can imagine within reason.

And that many a time the people in the studies often times only participate for the money or chance for free health care during the study. So they aren't always serious about about what ever it is the study involves. The facts from *Real* people on this site for me holds WAY more truth in my eyes. Then any so called study.

And if you read enough of the forum you'll see for yourself that IT IS POSSIBLE. To lose ALL the weight you want to.

But its YOU who has to make it happen.

If the band is what you want don't let your doctor talk you out of it. If he/she cant accept that you've made a decision then find another doctor. Get a second opinion if you need to. its ghastly to me that so many doctors try to push bypass instead of the band. Cause at least the band is removable If to many problems occur. Bypass isn't they can't put back what they took out.

I look at my mom with missing teeth and sunken eyes from the malnutrition she has been fighting for years and wish I could strangle whoever came up with the idea of the bypass.

[Carolk1 0]

This is such a great thread. I had my first consult with a surgeon last week and couldn't wait. I made the appt over 6 weeks ago and kept reminding myself everyday of the big consult. Well, my date with the surgeon came and it was so disappointing. I waited 1 1/2 hrs to meet with him and then when I finally met him he answered his phone 3 times and walked out of the office twice to speak with his office staff about the lunch he ordered and wanted to make sure he paid for. He should have been selling used cars, not consulting on one of the biggest decisions an overweight person can make in their life. I finally left the office and the staff was shocked when I told them I didn't want to make any follow up appts. He was standing there waiting (counting his dollars) to see if he sold another one. Well, I went home and felt so deflated over the whole event. After a week I'm finally starting to get a little bit excited again because I have an appt. with another surgeon. Everyone on the board loves this second surgeon, so I'm hoping my experience the time around will be better then the first. If not, I'm just going to forget about the whole thing. The used car salesman "surgeon" turned me off that much....

[hazeleyegrl1 0]

with proper diet AND EXERCISE i believe you can lose as much as you want no matter what route you take or even if you take weightloss surgery or not. my problem was i never could STICK with anything long enough and even when i did, the weight ALWAYS came back plus some!

i'm only 4 days post op and i eat when i'm hungry and stop when i'm full...granted i'm on the "mushies" diet right now...but i was surprised today to learn that i've already lost 6.9 lbs!!! in only 4days!!! the lapband ROCKS!

my dr. tried to convince me for the gastric bypass but i simply told him, i'm not looking to get skinny, i'm comfortable being fat bc fat is all i know. i just want to know how much do i need to lose to lose the co-morbidities that i have (sleep apnea, diabetes, hypothyroid) and he said then go for the lapband. now that being said, i have full intention of losing more then just the co-morbidities....for $13,500 plus interest its only worth it to me to get my monies worth and that means doing everything the right way and working hard at it. i haven't been able to do much of the exercise part yet bc i'm still healing, but i've already begun to walk daily. i just walk as much as i can down the street and back and then i drive it in my car to see how far i walked.

i also log EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth and ALL the walking i do. buy yourself a journal and keep track of it.

mine looks something like this:

@ 8am 6oz carnation instant bkfst

@ 11am 1.5oz banana

@ 2:45pm 1/2 SugarFree Popsicle

@ 6pm 2oz green Beans

3.5oz scalloped potatoes

@ 9:30pm 2oz SugarFree Jello

[hazeleyegrl1 0]

oh yea, and i also log the exercise. like:

walked 6/10 mi - neighborhood

walked 1/2mi - mall, target, etc.

you could do it in minutes or in length.

definitely invest in a journal to log EVERYTHING. you'd be amazed how often you eat but how lil of an amount you eat. i'd suggest doing this even BEFORE surgery....i didn't, but i wished i would've just so i could see the changes in my daily diet.