To band, or not to band

[Tar Heel Don 0]

My BMI is 43.9 and I have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and severe sleep apnea. I am considering lap-band but everyone keeps telling me to just eat less and exercise more. Am I stupid to spend the money, deal with the pain, and be forced into a life changing situation? I am so confused reading all these posts. Does your physician take care of the insurance red tape? How many different doctors do you have to see before they will clear you for the banding?

[sfeiner 2]

it's all different Depending on where you go, but it does seem like they all require a seminar first so I would find one of those first. You will get your questions answered there. As far as doing it on your own without the band.....wouldn't you have done that already if you could?

[IndioGirl55 32]

My BMI is 43.9 and I have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and severe sleep apnea. I am considering lap-band but everyone keeps telling me to just eat less and exercise more. Am I stupid to spend the money, deal with the pain, and be forced into a life changing situation? I am so confused reading all these posts. Does your physician take care of the insurance red tape? How many different doctors do you have to see before they will clear you for the banding?

Don

Yes my doc took care of all the insurance red tape - but I made sure that it was covered before I went. I had to have tons of test cuz i never go to the doc - if you have already been tested for sleep apnea you might not have to do the study - I had that - cardio - breathing - shrink - girl stuff -colon - but I only had slight sleep apnea and hb - it took me six weeks between first visit and surgery - 5/31 to 7/17 - would have had it on the 10th but didn't have all my test done

I love my band - once you get to your sweet spot - you can eat just not as much - for everyone it's diff - some can eat rice some can't some can eat chick some can't -

Eating healthy is a lifttime change - this isn't a diet it's a lifetime lifestyle change - the band is only a tool - you can eat around it - 75% of the work is up to you and the band does the other 25% Portion Control.< /p>

Is it worth it - hell ya if you want to live with out all the health problems you have now and will most likely get worse if you don't lose weight

This is an individual choice only you can make it - but for me it has been worth the little pain that it has cause - I eat healthy I exercise - I have 100% more energy - and hope to be able to see some great grandkid in my life time - I hope I have extended my yrs by losing weight -

Have you ever tried to eat healthy before - what's your experience on eating plans - why are you overweight to being with .

Good Luck on your journey...

[Tar Heel Don 0]

Thanks Indiogirl55!!! I have done Weight Watchers and Nutri System. I lost weight on both diets, and then gained every bit of it back (plus some more). I have terrible Portion Control problems and I never feel full unless I eat an absurd amount of food. I REALLY want to do this but I am afraid I am not thinking with my head. My wife tells me all the time I need to lose weight so I can be here for our son. He is 22, about to get his MBA, engaged to a wonderful girl, and hopefully headed to law school next year. My wife is a metastatic breast cancer patient and we don't know what her future holds for her. I want to be sure I am here for her, but I would also like to be here to see our grand children.

I WANT THIS TO WORK!!!!!

[IndioGirl55 32]

Thanks Indiogirl55!!! I have done Weight Watchers and Nutri System. I lost weight on both diets, and then gained every bit of it back (plus some more). I have terrible Portion Control problems and I never feel full unless I eat an absurd amount of food. I REALLY want to do this but I am afraid I am not thinking with my head. My wife tells me all the time I need to lose weight so I can be here for our son. He is 22, about to get his MBA, engaged to a wonderful girl, and hopefully headed to law school next year. My wife is a metastatic breast cancer patient and we don't know what her future holds for her. I want to be sure I am here for her, but I would also like to be here to see our grand children.

I WANT THIS TO WORK!!!!!

Don

It's not the magic cure to your food issues - we eat to comfort ourselves - there is a lot of head work to be done - OK you have dieted - you have learned things from WW - The reason we all gain our weight back plus more is cuz we go back to eating "normal"- which is why/how we got fat in the first place - this is not a diet - you can't think of it as a diet - it's a lifetime lifestyle change.

I am sorry about your wife's cancer will say a little prayer - and yes you need to be there for her and your Son - and future grandkids (i have 3 -17/13/4)

I follow my weight watcher eating plan and the band helps the portion part - but there are times I miss pigging out - it's just like a drug addict misses their drugs - food is our drug of choice - so this is a lifetime battle for us.

even with the band - it's not guarentteed to work - but if you are willing to do your job (eating healthy & exercising) it will do it's job once you get proper restriction - which can take a while for some..

I think you are thinking with your head - but you are falling into - this is the easy way out - this is not easy - it has it's own learning cruve - I have succeed cuz I have choosen to eat very healthy 98% of the time and allow myself 2% wiggle room - my bday is this week - my daughter in law (DIL) is making me cupcake instead of a whole cake - I get my sweets but not the whole damn cake (like in the past) it's not that one piece of cake that makes you fat - it's all the ones that follow...

Go look at the before and after pictures - read the life at or near goal - these are all the positives - yes complications do happen but as you well know there is no rythme or reason why bad things happen it's just the way life plays out -

We now have a tool available to help us - research - got to a seminar - read here - go ck out the guys room (men's room)- there are other men here who are banded talk to them see what their experience has been - there are a few in our age bracket there - I posted once by accident - but they do allow up ladies in :wink2: sometimes...

This site is great for info and support -

[Tar Heel Don 0]

I really am afraid I am looking at this to be the easy answer to my food problems. Does the band help make you feel full faster? Can you still over eat? I really don't eat bad stuff, I just eat too much and I never feel full. Since I am diabetic I don't eat sweets and I limit my carbs but I could do better. Why does the band help if you can still over eat?

[shortgal 5]

There are many threads on the forum about "how the band works" and it would be worthwhile to read through them to get a better understanding of how the band helps us to eat less.

No weight loss surgery is "fool" proof and any addict is a "fool". Since liquids flow right through the band, we can overeat on high calorie drinks or foods that easily pass through the band like ice cream.

If we follow the band rules of Protein first, veggies second and carbs last and not drinking for about an hour after meals, we will have greater success, but we have to help our bands, help us. It will not necessarily do it by itself and neither will other methods of weight loss surgery.

Men seem to have great success with WLS becasue men lose weight in general easier than women. You have more muscle mass and that helps and in general you're taller than women, so your ideal weight might be higher.

It is NOT an easy fix, but so far I have found it a lot better than not having a band. I tried to lose weight without one for too many years and now I am five pounds away from weighing the least I have in over 20 years.

I also believe in tracking calories and Protein daily. If you are not currently doing that, then starting the habit now could help you be successful if you get the band.

Many of the people with good weight loss on the forum, track their calories and protein.

[IndioGirl55 32]

I really am afraid I am looking at this to be the easy answer to my food problems. Does the band help make you feel full faster? Can you still over eat? I really don't eat bad stuff, I just eat too much and I never feel full. Since I am diabetic I don't eat sweets and I limit my carbs but I could do better. Why does the band help if you can still over eat?

Don if you over eat you will pb (productive burp) so you could use the band as a way to be bulimic :eek: Yes I do feel full faster - but the problem is that you know that you only ate 1 cup of food and you still will want more (head hunger) - It's a learning process it really is. A big part of it if you are to be sucessful is changing your whole mindset about food - it doesn't become your 1st and last thought every day... Since you are diabetic you have the foundation of how to eat healthy - the band will stop you from over eating once you get proper restriction - Just keep reading - truly think about it - we all to a degree think this is the easy way and most people do to. But once you are banded you find it's not the easy way - but a tool to help with your protion control - Keep reading do some soul searching you will find your answers.

Best of Luck to you..

[musicsongs27 0]

hello I have been thinking of the lapband but i'm a little nervuos i have read some really good things about it as well as not so good my weight is 229 and a bmi of 44.7 should i talk this risk? my meeting is on feb 7th lots of info would be great thank you, jenn in mass

[shortgal 5]

I asked myself where I would be weight wise in another 5 /10 years if I didn't do something and the answers were not good. Walking uphill or walking up mulitple flights of stairs took my breath away and I already had surgery on one knee.

I was lucky I had dodged the high blood pressure or diabetes bullet so far, but when would my luck run out?

I wasn't getting any younger and I knew I had made real honest attempts to lose and keep off my weight and was failing. I knew I needed the help that modern medicine could offer. Would I refuse help if I had a different medical disease like cancer or diabetes? NO. So why not take the help of weight loss surgery.

Just like modern medicine can help diabetics get better control, the band can help me get better control of my weight, but in both cases we have to work with the medicine and or surgery to help ourselves.

It has not been easy, but I feel I made the right decision.

[annielkd 0]

I used to be a good dieter... I could lose weight, but then I would gain it right back. I have lost 80 pounds so far... I would NEVER have been able to do this without the lapband. I would have given up. I think I would have ended up being 300 pounds if I tried again (I was 280). I'm thrilled. It takes a while for the band to work... months. BUT, if you are like me, and a good dieter, you can do it at first... and then when it would come to the time you would give up... the band starts to work. It does limit your hunger. If you are like me, and you over eat... it's a WONDERFUL tool. Yes, I can still eat sweets... but, I'm not as hungry, so I can control myself (for the most part). I highly recommend it!