I am going back and forth about having the surgery - some seem to have real problems. Are there foods that you can never eat again - can you eat at restaurants - ever able to eat dessert? I don't know if I have the discipline for this once I spend the money (no insurance coverage) Don't want to sound like a whiner but I hope I can learn the truth about what to expect.

Edited June 7, 200818 yr by lin2
spelling error

Hi There Lin2-

I had this response completed once and I did something to delete it!

A bit of history on me...38 year old female, starting weight 343 pounds, starting size tight 30, 5 feet 2 inches, School District Administrator, surgery on 9/21/07 for $17,000 self pay, current weight 256, current size 22 on my way to 20, no exercise (not proud of this one).

I will answer your questions in order.

1. I can't eat any type of bread (a previous bread junkie!), haven't tried soda (they say it can stretch your pouch) {I used to drink 2 diet cokes in the morning before I did anything else}, haven't tried rice, haven't tried steak.

2. I love to eat out.

3. I love dessert and in fact have become more of a sweet addict since the surgery.

4. Discipline isn't an option. You get sick!

I have a lot to say on this topic.

It's the BEST decision I have ever made in my life. I was on a fast track to death. You might think I was lazy, but the fact of the matter is I have a 12 hour a day job and don't have time to be lazy. Which also means I don't have time to take care of me.

I am not going to say it has always been a breeze. If I don't chew well enough, I PB. If I eat too fast, I PB. Sometimes chicken does it to me.

I have had NO major issues, other than self inflicted.

Good Luck with getting answers to your questions.

Thanks Time4Me - I am also a professor/administrator and I too work really long hours. I appreciate your input - I haven't yet made my final decision.

Hello Lin my name Sharie Rosales and I had the surgery on April 1st of this year. I have lost 40 lbs so far. I still eat out at restaurants but I can't eat alot so I'm usually sitting there talking with my husband and kids while they finish off their meals and deserts. I think you can have desert in moderation but I am always too full to eat it. I haven't found that there are foods that I don't want anymore other than beef because it makes me go really bad! I know that this is a big decision for you to make so take your time and make the best decision for you. I'm really happy with my band and I'm looking forward to more weight loss.

I was banded 3 weeks ago and I was also self-pay. It's a big decision on several levels, and it deserves a lot of thought. I haven't even had my first fill yet so I am hardly the voice of experience, but from everything I've read (and I've read LOTS over the last few months), you have to want this. You have to be absolutely ready to take control and get in shape and change your life. We have to be at a point where, if it means we can't have bread or Pasta, well, we'll miss it but if that's the price we have to pay to get healthy and come out from under the dark cloud of fat we've been living under, we're ready to do it. We have to be ready to confront the fact that all that bread and pasta and eating out is what got us to the miserable state we're in now.

All of that being said.... I've talked to plenty of banded people who are able to eat bread and pasta in small, controlled amounts... and yet by some miracle, they don't seem to want it. And I've also talked to plenty of them who go out to eat, but they eat much smaller portions than they used to eat.

I think it just comes down to choices. Is being able to eat whatever we want, in whatever quantity we want.... as we've been doing for years, and that's what got us where we are now... more important to us than gaining control, getting healthy, looking good, feeling good, cute clothes, getting off blood pressure meds, getting rid of painful joints, etc. etc. etc....

Hi Lin! It's great that you are thinking through all of this. I considered the surgery about 3 years ago, but ultimately I wasn't ready for it yet. I even had a surgery date and backed out. But, over time, I came to realize that it was more important to me to be healthy than to continue my habits. I finally decided that it was worth it to me to give up certain things (bread, diet soda, etc.).

I was banded 3/10/08, and I have not regretted my decision even once. I have not tried bread again, but I do eat some crackers. I also haven't tried Desserts, partly b/c it just doesn't fit with my new healthier lifestyle. That doesn't mean I won't ever try them or have them occasionally, but I just haven't felt the need. I find that fresh foods now just explode with flavor when I eat them. My tastes have definitely changed. I have not had a problem with anything I've eaten. Yes, I go to restaurants. Last night I went to a really nice restaurant and ate half of a wedge salad with blue cheese dressing and 3 sea scallops. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it was delicious and I was completely satisfied.

Take your time making your decision. Decide what's important to you. If you decide to move forward with the surgery, I encourage you to not think about what you are giving up but what you are gaining (or losing!).

its been hard and i dont feel full it hurts when u eat the wrong things and i just thought i would feel full but im still hungry all the time maybe it head hunger ..ive only lost 10lbs since feb..its sucks and im working out and trying to eat right im not giving up i was self pay and it was 10,000

anyways i just thought i would say its been a hard 10lbs...

I agree with all that you say - just don't know if I can DO it. I am usually very disciplined for a while and then start slipping....thnaks for your response.

Ohhh - I am sorry for you Northwest Nance but appreciate your honesty- I hope it starts going better for you since you HAVE already paid - I am trying to decide. I need to lose about 50-60 pounds.

For me I am very happy with my decision. As for foods you cannot eat anymore I think that really is very individual. What works for some does not work for others, but I have found that over time I don't even WANT the foods I thought I would miss so bad. In many cases it's not that I can't eat these items as I no longer have the desire. What an empowering feeling not to be draw to something yummy just because it's sitting there.

Good-Luck to you!

I was banded on 3/6/08 and it was the best decision I've ever made. I will admit it hasn't always been easy but I'm 40 pounds lighter and physically and mentally feeling better. I'm also self pay.

There are some things I can't eat. Steak is out. Other meats can be difficult if dry (chicken, turkey). I can eat bread but must eat it very slowly. I don't seem to have a problem with seafood, though. I've eaten snacks/desserts without any problem. Hmm, interesting I don't have a problem with the food I should be eating the least of.

I have thrown up a few times if I've eaten too fast or too much. Absolutely not a fun thing. Thought I was going to die.

I agree with the others. Each person is different. What some can eat, others may not be able to. The main point is that you are willing to make the necessary changes in life to make the surgery successful. The fact is, the band is just a tool. The tool won't work if you don't use it right.

Good luck in your decision.

I agree with all that you say - just don't know if I can DO it. I am usually very disciplined for a while and then start slipping....thnaks for your response.

Because of the restriction you can get to with the band when you do slip up as everyone can do sometimes as long as you don't let it go on to long. Will be way less destructive with the band. No more whole bags/boxes/whatever of chips/cookies etc. Or eating every hour. I think this one of the bigger benifits of the band if you do slip up and eat something you shouldnt of like a piece of chocolate turtle fudge cake syrupy something or whatever food. It won't make you sick, you can't eat as much as pre band if you got decent restriction going on.

Ohhh - I am sorry for you Northwest Nance but appreciate your honesty- I hope it starts going better for you since you HAVE already paid - I am trying to decide. I need to lose about 50-60 pounds.

I'm not sure why you feel sorry for me.... maybe I didn't express myself very well. I am SO EXCITED about this journey I'm on. I've lost 30 pounds since April 13th and life is good. Much better than any Pasta or bread I ever ate! I was just trying to respond to your question and express that you have to be ready, you have to want it. Just think about it carefully and figure out if you're ready and if you want it. If you are ready, and if you do want it.... it's worth it!

But I wonder, if you only need to lose 50-60 pounds, whether you really need the band for that? Most people need to lose 100+ pounds. Not that I'd deny the benefits of the band to anyone, but is your BMI high enough to qualify for the surgery?

Edited June 7, 200818 yr by Northwest_Nance

I totally agree with you Northwest Nance - you have to really want it. I enjoyed reading your original post above and thought it was right on the money. I was banded 4/30 as a self-pay and I am determined to do what makes this work for me. It is a constant reminder to me before I shove anything in my mouth and the weight loss thus far has been fairly easy. The unexpected energy I have since receiving the band is such a great addition to my life. No more being sluggish and tired and disgusted with the outlook of my future. No longer fixated on food every day. Such a tremendous blessing.

It's different for everyone but I am one of those who has had no problem with bread, rice, Pasta, steak, etc. I avoid carbonated drinks as the few times I've tried it, the fizz gave me terrible heartburn, even when left to go flat. If you take your time eating, chew well and don't try to have restriction tighter than a mouse's ear, you probably won't have many issues. I have small, well balanced meals of meat, veges and good carbs and almost always have a tiny dessert to satisfy the sweet tooth. The difference is all in portion size, e.g. a piece of cheesecake 2" x 1" instead of a whole wedge, but I haven't had to give anything up. My weightloss isn't as fast as some, but it is steady at around 8lb a month and I am exactly where I planned on being at 6 months out.

Good luck in your journey!

There are foods I choose not to eat becuase they are quite hard work or danger foods (high likelihood of causing discomfort, sliming and vomiting) - I avoid those in public if I have a choice, just because I'd rather not deal with it. But I am completely confident I can turn up to any event where the meal is catered and I dont have a choice and do OK. I wont be able to eat the whole meal, I wont eat the bread beforehand and I might choose just a couple of spoonfuls of Soup, a few mouthfuls of the main and a taste of the dessert. I have NEVER been questioned or had comments directed to me regarding how much I have eaten.

I live a completely normal life, I just eat much less.

Most times when I go out though, I will by choice have a salad or something healthy, and avoid dessert. I dont have to be talked into a glass of wine though.

I agree with Northwest Nance, you must be prepared that you may not be able to eat certain foods. But complete comfort with that comes after you've been banded, the importance of food diminishes a lot.

Edited June 7, 200818 yr by Jachut