Am I a good candidate if...

suzie-ny · May 15, 2008

I am signed up for orientation in mid June. I have been successful in losing weight (up to 80 lbs.) at a time, but I continually gain it back., even after I tell myself, I'll never get there again. I then have an extreme hard time getting onto a diet again. I am hoping that this time after the band, when I lose it, it won't regain like I did before I had the band. Will I be refused if I have been a long time yo-yo dieter. I continually end up going back to bad and over eating habits.

I am also wondering what kinds of things they look at at the psych eval.:confused2:

Angel_P · May 15, 2008

Hi Suzie...I think that being a yoyo dieter is kinda common with those who have had WLS, one of the main reasons for many people having it is not that they cannot lose weight, but cant keep it off. As far as the psych eval, I just had mine yesterday. I was surprised at some of the stuff that came up. We talked about past dieting and dieting attempts, how long I kept the weight off, how much lost and regained. Also we talked about what would be different with the surgery, what I expect the band to do for me etc. Some personal past stuff that I was not expecting did come up, but in retrospect I guess that those emotional things would tie into my compulsive overeating and stuffing my feelings with food. Good luck on everything!

plain · May 15, 2008

Hi Suzie. I think you're a good candidate for the band if you know how it works.

The band is a wonderful tool to help you feel more full with less food. Perfect for a somebody like me, whose problem was the amount of food I would eat.

However, there are limitations. The band isn't that great for what we call "head hunger" (When your stomach is not really hungry, but you want to eat out of boredom / emotion / whatever reason besides being hungry). Also, you have to be ready to eat healthier foods. There are ways to "cheat" the band, if you aren't really committed to losing weight (An occasional splurge is ok, IMO)

In short, the band is a great tool, but only a tool. You have to do your part as well. Do the research, attend a seminar, ask questions. The band has been a Godsend for me, but it's not right for everybody.

thinlike86 · May 16, 2008

I got hung up in the psych eval when the guy asked me if I had an eating disorder. Being somewhat of a smartxxx, I said "well, what do you think?" turns out, he documented that he thought I did. I thought that was a stupid question, because obviously if I am morbidly obese, I have SOME kind of eating problem. Apparently I did not understand the definition of eating disorder, so I had to make another visit to a counselor to let them see that I DO NOT have an eating disorder by definition, I simply overeat. I guess my advice would be just be careful how you answer their questions. :biggrin: