seriously considering the lab band

i'm 27 years old and feel like i've come to a decision about my life. i've determined that after 20+ years of being overweight, mostly obese, that i never want to be this way again. all past diets and programs have been moderately successful, but the results are never lasting. i lost 10-15 pounds on weight watchers, but gained it all back plus 40. in college i shed 40 pounds and got myself to a much healthier 170 pounds (felt great), but gained it steadily back over 5 years or so. i find myself at the heaviest i've ever been (260 pounds, 38 BMI) and ready to make a lasting change.

my wife has alot of concerns, citing complications with surgery and the permanence of change. she has never been more than 10 - 20 pounds overweight (she is now the heaviest she has been too). i feel that someone who has not lived their life as an obese person cannot truly grasp the humiliation of not being able to fit into the clothes you bought the week before, spending money on silly OTC remedies like "hot rox" or whatever the fat burner pill du jour is, or tearing through a huge plate of food and still being hungry. she is being as supportive as possible, and i know she wants me to be as thin and healthy as i want to be, but she keeps saying that i could accomplish the same thing with diet and exercise. i look at the success that people have with this and can think only of the good things... the way you'll feel after your first 20 pounds, hitting the halfway mark, fitting into old clothes you never thought you could again. am i romanticizing it? i could lose 100 pounds and be at a healthy 160 for my 5'9" stature. i can't even imagine what my life might be like.

just some thoughts... has anyone's relationship suffered complications from this decision and/or the results from it? what are your stories? after the initial discomfort, is your life restricted in any ways other than food and beverage intake? i am also a vegatarian and am concerned about how that plays in... any other vegetarians on here? i would imagine i am a rare case of an obese vegetarian...

thanks so much for whatever opinions you bring.