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does anyone regret having the surgery over losing weight on there own?



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ok so i was just wondering if anyone regret's having the surgery and just wishes they lost the weight on there own . i have my consultation tomorrow and im researching as much as possible :thumbup:

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I think we all wish we could have lost the weight on our own. But for most of us we couldn't or we could lose it and not keep it off.

I certainly don't regret getting banded and wish I had it done years ago.

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now do you mean the weight wouldn't come off or you couldnt stick to the diet ? thank you for your reply :)

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Well I've lost weight previously. The last time I was successful was with the help of Reductil approx 5 years ago. Unfortunately once I stopped taking them the weight started to creep back up.

Since then I have made many attempts to diet. I found them very hard to stick to as I WAS ALWAYS HUNGRY.Even when I was trying my best the weight did not seem to be shifting and I would give up.I have tried reductil since then and it did absolutely nothing for me , Xenical the same.

I think as you get older it also gets harder and harder to shift the weight. I'm not menopausal yet but being in your 40s weight is a lot harder to shift than in your teens and twenties.As women I think our hormones are against us.

With the band i have been able to cut the amount of food I eat without always feeling hungry. For me this is what has made the big difference.

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ok so i was just wondering if anyone regret's having the surgery and just wishes they lost the weight on there own . i have my consultation tomorrow and im researching as much as possible :)

I have been on every diet that you can imagine. I have lost several pounds, only to gain them back because I couldn't stick with the diet. The lap band was my last resort. I have no regrets at all about getting banded. This is the tool that will help me reach my goal weight and be able to keep it off. Of course it won't be easy and it does take work, but I plan on working hard at it and this time, I REFUSE to give up.

If I had to do the lap band over again, I would do it in a heartbeat. Good luck on your journey. You are doing the right thing by researching and asking questions.

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I totally agree with what the others have said, especially Elcee, as it seems I have a lot in common with what she posted.

I have some regrets: I'd rather have my $13,500 in the bank (self-payer). having surgery (I had no complications, but still, I'd rather not have had it). and most importantly, I regret having gotten obese in the first place. I hazard to guess that almost nobody would be obese if they could keep the weight off on their own. Many of us can lose the excess weight, or at least lose a some portion of it, but keeping it off longterm, while fighting hunger, is a whole other battle.

So, while I may wish for a lot of things, I'm grounded in reality. I absolutely LOVE my band, and I am thankful every day that I have this amazing tool (not an exaggeration...thank you band gods..lol). Rather than being 55 lbs lighter after being banded for a year, without my band, and at the alarming rate I was gaining, I would have been five or ten pounds heavier.

So, in a nutshell, my regret was being obese. But regret having the band?...heck, no.

Edited by kiz

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:thumbup:no way would do it again in a minute!

and i had to pay out of pocket around 19,500 bcbs would

not pay for it

banded 12-19-2008 lost 84 lbs so far! goal is 170

i go to curves 3 days a week and the gym 4 days

its still a battle every day to eat right and exercise

but the band is a wonderful tool to help with the eating

good luck in what ever you decide:thumbup:

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No i love having the band yes its hard to except the fact i couldn't do it on my own. But for the first time in my life i have control. I have never been thin i have been very obese since i was a kid i weight 200lbs when i was 10. So for me i knew that i needed help because i was never raised to eat just one piece of pizza or just one plate of food my whole life has been about food and it feels great for food not to run my life anymore.

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no regrets here. I knew if I didn't do some something I would continue the pattern of gaining 10 or more pounds per year. I'm 5'2" and weighed 265. I was miserable. I'm down 38# since the day before surgery, 8 weeks post op. Tons of energy and some positive attention from friends and family. Good luck with your decision

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I don't have any regrets . . . I didn't jump into banding lightly. I had already tried to lose the weight on my own and had moderate success but kept going back to where I was before eventually.

The difference with banding - I lost the weight and almost two years later I haven't regained. Every day is not a complete struggle with food. My successes with dieting in the past were always connected with feelings of deprivation and a feast or famine mindset.

Now, I eat when I am hungry, accept cravings for what they are when I am not truly hungry and move on. I still occasionally struggle, but my weight is no longer the bane of my existence nor is food my primary driving force. There is no comparison between banding and dieting for me.

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I have been on every diet imaginable. I'd lose weight, feel great and then allow myself to gain it all back plus more. It was a never ending yo yo process. I knew my last resort was surgery. I also knew I didn't want gastric bypass because of various issues. I chose lap band and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I have lost 60# and have kept it off, going up and down a few pounds. I know my tool is there to always remind me what I can and can't eat. I don't fear regaining everything and can not recommend it highly enough to those that have tried everything without success.

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Ditto to what the others have said. I have no regrets but I won't sugarcoat things, either. The band is not magic. While it is a tool, I have to make the choices about what goes in my mouth, how much I exercise, and how much Water to drink every day. If I choose not to work the band rule, then the band will not work.

So, no regrets about the band. Instead, glad for new perspective in which food does not rule my life any more.

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I hope to keep my band for life. Take care of it and hopefully it will take care of me. I never want to be fat again ever. I have imagined how I would be feeling right now with the holidays coming up because it was the same way last year. We have loads of family coming in and last year, I avoided all the picture taking, pretended not to be hungry when I was, embarassed if I took one bite of anything sweet and embarassed standing next to my 120 pound sister in law in the one picture I was forced into by everbody. This year, I am so looking forward to everyone coming and I will not have those problems. I am not at goal but I am close enough that I not be shying away from my life just because it is the holidays.

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All of these posts were very important and personal and I honor all of you.

I have no regrets, either, and would do it again if necessary. I regret ever getting obese, but I did and it was getting worse by the year. I was about to turn into a recluse except for working. My journey has not always been smooth, but it has been worth everything to have this tool. Soon I will go on maintenance and really find out what true changes the band and I have made.

Best wishes,

Mimi

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