I am 25 year old male and weigh 246 pounds, 5'11 tall. My BMI is only 34.5. I don't know what to do. My insurance doesn't cover ANY weight loss procedures. I am getting fatter and fatter and am sure by this time next year I will be 260 pounds, however, I don't want to get that fat.

I have thought about the Lapband for a long time and believe it would give me the freedom from food that I have needed for so long. At only 25, I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. What do I do?

You sound like me in my "earlier days"

I am 5'11" and would first recommend a healthy diet and workout regimen. I ONLY say that cause your not far off from where you need to be, and if you have no insurance your option if considering the Lap Band is "self pay"

That means you pick up the tab completely.

Only you know yourself, and more importantly how your mind works. If your mind/life won't allow a healthier lifestyle you should consider the self pay.

Remember though, the lap band should be coupled with a healthy lifestyle to be 100% effective.

Good luck man!

I am 25 year old male and weigh 246 pounds, 5'11 tall. My BMI is only 34.5. I don't know what to do. My insurance doesn't cover ANY weight loss procedures. I am getting fatter and fatter and am sure by this time next year I will be 260 pounds, however, I don't want to get that fat.

I have thought about the Lapband for a long time and believe it would give me the freedom from food that I have needed for so long. At only 25, I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. What do I do?

Sounds like you do have some health problems that would normally be considered, but since you don't have any coverage for WLS and your BMI is low, you may want to consider self-pay. Is that an option for you?

I had to borrow against my 401k to pay for my surgery.

Like the other person said, you will have to follow a strict diet and exercise plan to be successful, but it is much easier with the band. I am not going to say you don't need the band, because I know all too well how frustrating it is to be considered "not so big" and getting bigger all the time, until one day you wake up unhealthy and fatter than you've ever been and wondering how you got there.

I hope you find the way to finance your surgery if you decide to have it done. Just make sure you are READY. Lap-band surgery, unlike everything else, is not something you just try. You have to be committed for it to work.

Best Wishes,

Stephanie

Lap band is only a tool, you still need exercise and diet. Its possible to eat snickers bars and potato chips all day long even with the lap band. I don't know of any doctor that will do lapband surgery - even self pay, with that low a BMI.

Sorry, but you need a lifestyle change, not a lap band. You are still relativly small (I was 457# when I got my lapband) and young (I am 52) , so unless you have something physically stopping you from exercising, you must start - Exercise is a must even with the lapband as is eating correctly. There is no magic fix to weight loss.

I do wish you well.

Edited July 23, 200818 yr by mnn2501

Hi:

I would recommend that you spend alot less money and go to a gym and hire a personal trainer, and join weight watchers. Once the personal trainer helps you to find a physical routine that will work for you, keep it up. If you exercise daily and follow a lower calorie diet you should probably be able to lose alot of your excess weight. If you continue with a daily routine of exercising you should be able to maintain your weight loss.

I had a bmi of 50.7 (324 pounds at 5'7") when I started, so I was in much worse shape than you. Now I'm 25 pounds from goal and feel like I'm 20 years younger. I work out for 1 1/2 to 2 hours per day (split into 4 different sessions). I walk alot, but I love going out on my trikke. Look up trikke online and see if that's something you would enjoy doing for exercise. I think that finding an exercise that you really enjoy will work better than one that is "just exercise". Good music on my mp3 player helps when exercising too.

If you try what I mentioned above and give it six months to work, and if it doesn't, then you can consider a lap band. You might find that you can do it without the band, and you could save yourself alot of money.

Best wishes to you, and congratulations for trying to take care of your weight problem before it gets totally out of hand.

Take care.

Sue

I appreciate all the advice given. YOu all make excellent points. For me, controlling what I eat (either through diets and programs) has failed. I really feel like I need something will make it more difficult to overeat and I hope that the lapband is the answer. My weight may be low compared to others, but given the rate of weight gain, I may be up there with them in no time. It is really hard to accept that someone feels that all I need is a lifestyle change. Hell, we all need that, but some require the lapband as a tool to help achieve a more healthy lifestyle. Trust me, if it was as easy as just eating better, I would't in this mess. Instead, all I am doing is slowly watching my weight increase. Ive gone from 180 - 200 - 220 - 240ish. Where does it stop?

Dkearby :-)

I wish you well man, I'll tell you what.. and I hope you got this from my post.. I Only meant you could try to lose the weight first as a POSITIVE man :-)

I'll toss this out there, if YOU feel this is the answer then by all means give it a try.

You are correct, I can attest to putting on weight RAPIDLY so get a grip on all this and take control before you are over the top like some of us others who have posted.

In no way did I personally mean that was the answer, I think only you know what is best for you and if that means a lapband so be it.

Never question a fat man, that is the number one rule...

Some of the posts even sound "matter of factly".... like they know you and your whole situation! Strange.

Cause they don't!

You hang in, and keep in touch. I agree you could be at 300 lbs in months and then what? Exactly....

Get this taken care of via the lapband, it'll give you what you give back and I think you'll give back just find with food off your mind!

This is such a hard choice to make but I have failed at all other attempts. Even with taking drugs such as meridia and phentermine, I haven't lost. If my stomach would hold it, i'd eat it.

There are days when I feel as though I am doomed to live in a fat body for the rest of my life. Obviously, that isn't what I want but maybe its my lot in life.

hi dkearby,

i know exactly how you feel. i have been trying to lose weight for 20 years since the birth of my first son. i am 5 ft 8 in and 262lbs which is apparently 102lbs overweight. because of my height people, including my family, say i can carry it off because i'm tall. hell, how does being tall help me walk my dogs without getting out of breathe, help me sleep, help me wear nice clothes, or even help me go shopping for them in the outsize department? I've chosen to speak to my GP re banding as my last resort. i've tried the healthy eating and exercising, only to lose and then gain some and more. its been a vicious circle and one i hope my GP will notice and refer me. my bmi is 39.5 bordering on what is classed as viable. i do not look enormous, but that's because i cover myself well in the clothes i have painstakingly bought with my size in mind. keep replying on this forum and let us know how you get on. keep your spirits up, knowing there are others here sharing the same dilemmas!

You are for sure on the right track by realizing now, before it's so far out of control, that this is a problem you can't defeat on your own. I let my weight creep up on me and kept saying, yeah I know I'm fat, one of these days I'll stop being lazy and do something about it, and now I've reached a point where it's impossible for me to tackle it myself and it's going to take my health if I don't get rid of it. Have you seen a specialist yet? Maybe one of the weight loss medications would work for you, it's certainly worth a try before spending so much money on the surgery. I'm self pay also and I feel it's well worth it, but only after exhausting all other options. If you are there, that might be the way to go for you also. It's a lot of money, but I'm looking at it as buying more years added to my life.

Edited July 24, 200818 yr by ShrinkyDink

I am on the Weight Watchers core program and love it. I eat high protein, fruit and vegies. I get 2800-3k extra calories a week for alcohol or whatever. I lost 5 lbs my first week. I am 15-30 lbs from goal. You should try it. It works.

dkearby,

Hang in there. Don't let a few comments upset you or frustrate you. There is no reason why you need to wait until you are pushing 400 to get the band. I am 5'2" and weighed 206 before getting my surgery. Like another person said, I didn't look all that big either. When I told a few people I was thinking about getting it done, they said, I wouldn't qualify to get it done even self-pay, but I did and just hadn't told them. I saw where my life was headed because of my constant weight gain and family health history. I was not on any meds nor did I really have any problems, but I didn't want to wait until I had problems either. My surgeon said I was smart to take control early on because of my family's health history. I just wish I would have done it sooner.

If WW, Atkins, South Beach diet, NutriSystem, and so on were the answers to our problems, I don't think hardly any of us would be here. I know, personally, I have tried all the ones I mentioned and then some. I have also tried many exercise programs and accupuncture. All were temporary because I didn't mentally change my relationship with food. Now that I don't need food to satisfy me all the time, I am a happier person.

Just make sure this is something you are ready to commit to. Yes it will be hard and at times you may feel very hungry til you reach your sweet spot with fills, but in the end will be well worth it. I don't necessarily speak from a lot of experience with the band, since I haven't been banded long and haven't had a fill yet, but I know how I have felt and what others have told me. I am in my 5th week and still don't get hungry. I pretty much have to make myself eat something and when I do, I am so full on very little. I tell you, if I didn't keep a food journal, I would think I was eating like a pig, LOL!!!!

Best wishes to you,

Stephanie

Hi,

Had the appointment with my GP. Unfortunately, as I envisaged would happen, she said I would not be viable for banding. I know I will be viable if I pay for the op myself, but finances will not allow. I approached my GP to have the op performed under the NHS so obviously their PCT was not going to entertain the idea. My GP said I was not the usual subject for such an op looking me up and down. Obviously my "LOOK" was not "enormous" enough for them to operate.

My GP prescribed me Reductil. I have taken Xenical before and it did not work for me. I have researched Reductil in the past, but my GP at the time would not prescribe it as he felt I would do better dieting!!! Yeah right, was he even listening to me when I told him I'd been on countless diets and lost weight and then gained as soon as I stopped the diet? I think not.

I took my first Reductil today after a couple of slices of toast and coffee. I can honestly say that it worked for me in that I didn't even think of food until around 4 pm this afternoon when I discussed with my sons what we should have to eat for dinner. It wasn't until then I realised I hadn't eaten all day and hadn't even grazed! I had Pasta with a tomato/herb sauce this evening and couldn't even finish the portion I would have normally eaten.

I am hopeful that maybe I this time I will lose weight and keep it off. I was determined to go ahead with banding if that was my only option, but help was definitely at hand with my GP. She understood my dilemma perfectly and hopefully has provided the lifeline I need. I will stay with the forum as I feel Enlightened by everyone losing weight by whatever method and find great comfort from conversing with likeminded people.

Let's keep up the good work, together! Thank you all so much for being there. It means so much.:thumbup:

so glad this is working for you! i am just curious as to why your dr told you that you would not be eligible? do you not meet the weight requirements? i know you should be 100lbs overweight to be considered by most surgeons. whatevr happens, good luck!

My BMI was also on the lower side. One of the things that was taken into account was my family history. Both my mother and grandfather had heart disease - requiring by-pass surgery. I also explained that as far as weight goes, I was on the smaller size of the women in my family (but creeping up there) so morbid obesity is a family pattern. My knee and hip pain were also factors taken into consideration. Additionally, I had tried diets, lost weight and gained it all back (plus some).

Maybe you have some family history that will help your doctor make a different decision (?)

i am definitely 100 lbs overweight and have a bmi of 39.5. I can appreciate the PCT not funding the banding as they have to take into account where their funding is being spent throughout the year, but for the GP to actually tell me that I wasn't eligible for such surgery is in itself contradictory as everywhere tells you that if you are 100 lbs overweight or less if other factors regarding health is involved you are eligible! Still I will continue with Reductil and see how things go.