I am just beginning to seriously consider lapband and I have soooooo many questions for people that have been there, done that. Particularly if anyone in the Dallas area would reccommend their surgeon.

Ask your questions. We're happy to provide answers, or point you to where the question has already been answered. :tongue:

Are you self-pay or do you think your insurance might pay for it? I used Dr. Wade Barker in Dallas. I have nothing but good things to say about him and his staff. Plus, he was $5,500 cheaper than some of the other surgeons I considered in Dallas.

Great! Here they come...

1) Is it true you are on a liquid diet for 2 weeks prior to surgery?

2) I am private pay so this is a huge investment. I am concerned about cravings, etc for 'forbidden' foods after the surgery. Is this an issue for everyone or does the nausea curb your cravings?

3) I am getting conflicting reports that say avg weight loss is only 30-50% of excess weight. From your experience is that true?

Every Dr.'s diet plan differs. I was only on liquids for 1 week pre-op, and 1 week post-op. Now I am on soft foods for 3 weeks. From my experience, the lap-band is a great tool to restrict what you eat, however, it does not restrict everything. Obviously, if you love ice cream, the band is not going to do much to restrict the amount of ice cream you eat, since it will just slide right through. Personally, I have not experienced any nausea, so I cannot say as to whether that effects what you can or cannot eat. The important thing to remember is the band is just a tool, not a magic wand. To lose weight it still takes will power, too. The total percentage of weight loss depends on each person and their will power. I think the 30%-50% is just an average. Obviously, it will vary from person to person. You can only expect to get out of this investment what you are willing to put in.

Here's my experience:

1. I was not on a liquid diet for 2 weeks prior. I find that this varies by doctor/program, so once you start investigating a doc, you will want to ask how their program handles pre-op.

2. Once I reached the solid food stage (3 weeks post op), there are only three things my doc's program restricts: rice, Pasta and bread. I avoid potatoes just because of their carb content. Otherwise, I can have most anything - what I'm learning is to prioritize what I eat - most important is Protein, then veggies and fruits. As others have said on this forum - think protein and produce. When I have other items, portions are very small.

3. I'm only 90 days post op, so I can only relay my weight loss, but reading through the posts on this web site, I don't find that to be true. My doc reports that over a period of 2-3 years, people who have been banded and those having gastric bypass reach the same amount of weight loss. It is just a slower proces with the lap bad. I chose the band for several reasons: the surgery is less traumatic to my system, it's not a permanant reconfigure of my digestive system, it doesn't involve the malabsorption issues that bypass does, I didn't NEED a quick weight loss. What I wanted to was to be healthier, get off some of the meds I was taking and to learn to have a healthier relationship with food. Each person needs to hear about all WLS options and make the decision that is right for them.

I'm happy I had the surgery. I am still learning and working on developing that healthy relationship with food. It's a daily process, but as I've learned in recovery from other addictions, I'm best off working at it one day at a time.

Good luck to you in whatever you decide. This forum is a wealth of information, so take whatever time you can to investigate the different areas out here.

Cynthia

299/285/257/?

highes/surgery/now/goal

Banded 12/6/07

My surgeon required 5% body weight loss presurgery. He gave several options on how to do that, from Atkins to a short term liquid diet. I had to lose 11 lb and ended up losing 19 by doing a modified Atkins for about two months before surgery.

I had to do a liquid diet for three weeks after surgery. It produced some desires for "real" food but really wasn't that hard, simply because I knew it was for a limited time. I have now had two fill adjustments and food cravings are limited. I was tight enough after the second fill that I had a lot of difficulty eating anything solid for about 4 weeks. That has pretty much cured me of feelings that food is the ultimate pleasure in my life, even though I can eat most things now.

I had 80 lb to lose from the time I started the pre op diet. I have lost 61. I have been banded five months. I expect to lose the remainder by the summer, based on past progress. Can't speak to "average" only to myself. My daughter was banded 10/06 and had a total of 168 to lose. She has lost 125 so far. So both of us are quite a bit above the 30-50% figure.

1) Is it true you are on a liquid diet for 2 weeks prior to surgery?

Depends on your surgeon. I was on a 2-day pre-op diet, so it's not true for me. :tongue:

2) I am private pay so this is a huge investment. I am concerned about cravings, etc for 'forbidden' foods after the surgery. Is this an issue for everyone or does the nausea curb your cravings?

There isn't nausea typically associated with the band. The band is a restrictive procedure, not malabsorptive. Malabsorptive procedures are the ones where yu typically associated eating particular kinds of food to feelings of nausea/sickness. My cravings have continued, but the nice thing about it is -- I can eat a small amount of what I'm craving and be satisfied, I no longer eat the entire package or container.

3) I am getting conflicting reports that say avg weight loss is only 30-50% of excess weight. From your experience is that true?

Well, I'm currently at about 80% of my weight lost and I'm still losing. So from my experience it is not true. Here's the deal...

The band itself will not dictate how much weight you will lose. That's up to you. The band, when used properly, will help you get there. Look into the reasons why someone may only lose 50% of their weight, and you'll see a lot of behavioral and motivational aspects there -- you will often find people slacking off and slipping into old behaviors, or not doing their part with the exercise, or not seeking aftercare the way they should.

There's nothing inherent to a band that says once you have this in place, it's physically impossible for you to lose more than 50% of your weight.

1) Is it true you are on a liquid diet for 2 weeks prior to surgery?

I was on Optifast for 30 days prior to my surgery. It was not nearly as bad as I expected. They say the pre-op diets are to help make your liver smaller and easier to work with during the surgery. Also, the more lose prior to surgery, the less you have to lose later :-) I lost 16 lbs pre-op.

2) I am private pay so this is a huge investment. I am concerned about cravings, etc for 'forbidden' foods after the surgery. Is this an issue for everyone or does the nausea curb your cravings?

I was just banded a week ago. So far no major cravings. I think the pre-op diet helped that a lot. Also, the Dr helps guide you on the right foods to eat. Low carbs help to keep those cravings down somewhat, but I'm sure we will still need to make good choices and not give into all of the cravings.

3) I am getting conflicting reports that say avg weight loss is only 30-50% of excess weight. From your experience is that true? My Dr's office claims 60-75% of excess weight is lost. I started out weighing 229 lbs and told my doc that my goal is to weigh 150 (BMI charts list me as needing to be 136 to not be considered overweight). He said this was absolutely reachable, but I will need to be committed and follow an exercise plan too. He advises that the band is a tool to make the weight loss job easier, but reminds me that I have to work at it too.

Good luck with whatever path you choose to take.