hey everyone.

at the end of may, i'm having my band removed. becuz i heard there are lots of complications about it and i don't want to have any. plus i can eat just fine with it. and the doctor suggested gastric bypass as the next logical step. however, after reading the nutrition after gastric bypass, i am just horrified. i can't imagine a life without sweets or milk. i love food and i love cooking, and i am not morbidly obese, and i never was. so i want to be able to eat, only less. and i'm really scared of gaining weight again after removing it. what is the deal with the gastric sleeve? is it similar to lap band? or gastric bypass, does it really mean no sweets forever and no milk? please help!

thanks..

Neverland, I'm sorry to hear about your complications. I do want to say, that nobody has bariatric surgery, either lap band/rny/etc. unless they have been classified as obese, morbidly or otherwise. Having the bypass is a life time of comittment and vigilance. If you don't think you can make the lifestyle change, do not have the surgery!! Good Luck!!

I'm in a similar situation... I currently have the band, but haven't lost the weight I wanted to. Doc suggests bypass, but I'm slightly freaked out by another surgery. The only think I can tell you is that I know 3 people that have had the bypass. My mother had the bypass in the summer of 2006 and she can eat whatever she wants, but in very limited quantities. She does often get stomach aches, and she probably wouldn't if she had a better diet. She eats chips, ice cream, candy, everything. She's also 10 pounds under her original goal weight.

I know two other people that are 1+ year out from surgery and they have to follow a very strict diet after bypass. Protein shake in the morning because they can't tolerate food until noon, protein and veggie lunch, with a protein and veggie dinner. Their still losing...

I think the whole thing is very individual. There are so many people on this site that have lost so much weight with the band, and its great. But I haven't lost 1/3 of what I wanted after 2 years. Each person is different...

Hope that helps. And good luck if you do go through with the bypass...