I am 53 years old, 5'1" tall, and weigh 163 pounds with a BMI of around 31. I have always been overweight, sometimes 10 to 15 pounds, sometimes more, but always overweight. I have struggled my whole life with my weight and it has a substantial impact on my self concept. I think in many ways it has held me back socially and professionally. I am happily married with 2 children and am reasonably successful. Here's my dilema. One side of me would really like to have the lap band surgery. I see it as a tool to keep me in line with food. I tend to use food for comfort when I am mad, bad, sad...you name it, I overeat. The lap band would be like a watchdog, reminding me not to do that.

Here are my concerns and questions:

1. Since I have always relied on food for comfort, am I going to have emotional issues with the lap band because my comfort blanket will be gone?

2. Is lap band surgery an extreme measure that I shouldn't be using when I am probably only 35 to 40 pounds overweight?

3. I suffer from migraines, would I have problems taking medication for my headaches, such as Excedrin, if I have the surgery done?

I have a million more questions, but these 3 are at the top of my list.

This is not just a little band around the stomach.When a person needs constant medical supervision it means they have a medical condition that warrants it.If you have no specific weight related co morbids (and I dont think migraine is directly related....but may be food related..) then why create a "condition"?

Excellent thought to consider. Well said, desertmom! I wish I had thought of that one pre-op. Still would have done the surgery, but that is a VERY important consideration.

Mexico will band almost anyone who wants it I think. I know people who got the band with a BMI of 28 and 29. I think that the band isn't so much weight loss surgery more than it is a TOOL just like Jenny Craig, TrimSpa, Weight Watchers, etc.

I think your comment about the band being "your watchdog" is dead on! Its a great way to think about it.

I think the band causes weight loss options for those that are severely morbidly obese but I also think it is a good option for those that need to lose less and keep it off. I think the BMI requirements in the US are a complete joke. I personally think it is more about insurance carriers than what works. Our society thrives off of fat people and since our country is FULL of overweight people they (insurance carriers) had to put limits because of over excessive filing and costs. I don't think it really had anything to do with the BMI. It was an excuse to make a cut off for claims.

So if I may come right out and say it.... yes, I think that if you want to lose the weight and keep it off and you have the money to spend on it, YES I think you should get it. But it is a very personal choice. But I know that I was in a similar situation and i got it. You can keep spending your money on nutritionists, trainers, loss programs but more than likely it will come back. Go for the permanant tool. Yes, it is like a used car and will be paid for within 2 years with minimal payments.

Good luck in your decision!

My reason would be this. The band is for life, forever, always, forever and ever Amen. I was forced to get a band because I had gone from a 113 lb teen to a 250 lb adult and was moving continuously upward. Not only was I visually unacceptable in today's society, but I had moved into the realm of cardiac risk, diabetes risks, a history of blood clots with certain death moving in fast. I could no longer walk enough to get the weight off, my self esteem had become such that the only comfort I found was in food and my life was caught in a vicious cycle heading straight down the drain. For a formerly vivacious 43 yr old the future was looking dim.

If you were 60, 70, 100 lbs overweight already and climbing steadily, I'd say yes, the band may be for you, but if you are only 35-40lbs overweight as a result of the general aging process, childbirth and a general lack of exercise and toning, I really don't think that is serious enough reason to take the risk of surgery and change your life forever.

I certainly empathize with your feelings about your excess weight, but the sad truth is, the lower your BMI, the slower your weight loss EVEN with the band. Eating enough to maintain a weight of 163lbs is a far cry different than eating enough to maintain the weight of 200-250-300 lbs. The band helps with volume only. The rest is head work. This head work involves resolving to forever and ever NOT eat ALL that you may want. It involves virtually cutting out foods like soft breads, tortillas, rice, pastas and potatoes, forever. Of course there are exceptions. These foods can still be eaten by some but for many of us one spoonful of rice expands and becomes pretty painful inside our throat/esophagus. This is not always a temporary thing, this is a daily thing. It can become very frustrating and feel like punishment at times, unfortunately. There are many many other aspects to being banded that to me, just are not warranted unless you need to seriously/medically lose weight.

Are you willing to have this thing inside you forever? Are you willing to take the risk of slippage or erosion of your stomach, possible multiple surgeries to maintain it? Some people have lost parts of their stomachs due to necrosis from slippage. That's a pretty serious risk to take, in my opinion, for 30-40lbs. Especially when that last 30-40lbs is what takes those of us who ARE banded the longest (if ever) to lose.

In my humble opinion, this is not an elective device (or should not be), this is a last ditch effort, short of gastric bypass, to save someone from crippling obesity and obesity related/aggravated diseases.

If you feel you are out of control and are gaining at a rate that is uncontrollable?? Maybe...

If you are setting at a weight you have maintained for years and just wished you could wear a smaller size? I'd say there are much safer options that don't you put you at risk. Also, consider this, once you have the lapband, insurers do not all cover it. They may even exclude anything related to the lapband. Private companies may even deny you insurance - medical or life. All things to consider.

If I had it to do over, would I? You betcha! So my point is not that the band is not worth it, but the criteria for needing it is definitely debatable.

Paula, Just to clarify, I in no way meant to imply you shouldn't get the band. I just meant that if you hadn't looked at all your options other than the band first. If I implied you didn't deserve the band because or your low bmi then I apologize. Everyone is different in the way they carry their weight.

If you have done your research and tried everything known to man to lose the excess weight then go for the band.

THanks Jenna for posting the other thread.

HUGS PAULA