Hello, I have been investigating the lap band process but have not convinced myself that it is right for me yet. I am giving diet and exercise a serious try. I have to prove to myself that I can't do it with traditional methods before going into a surgery option. I am going through the 6 month evaluation process that is required by my insurance company just in case I decide that this option is right for me. This process started in April 2008. Any thoughts regarding my approach would be appreciated. Are others out there trying diet and exercise first?

If you have never truly tried dieting in the past then I agree with your approach otherwise you won't know for sure whether this tool will work for you.

But if you have tried losing weight in the past have lost but have never been able to keep it up then I say just move forward with the requirements of the surgery.

i'm in the same boat as you. i'm not sure if i'm going to go through with the surgery. i have about 6 weeks until my consult appointment and i'm going to try my best to seriously lose this weight on my own. Good luck to you!

I am glad to see that someone else has reservations about the surgery option also. I am following through with the six month process but what I have found is that the preparation process has made me more conscious of my diet and the need for exercise. I use my monthly weigh in at the doctor's office to track my progress. I think I have been doing really well. My wife has decided to have the surgery as soon as she is through the insurance hoop requirements.