New member trying to figure what to do

Hello,
I am a new member and am excited that I found this website. I am competing on the Lap-Band surgery and am doing my homework. I plan to attend a Bariatric Seminar later this month and know that I will get a lot of information but I want to see what I can find out for myself. I have been overweight all my life had tried every diet in the world with some success but the weight crept back on. Now, I think I am ready for a major change. My questions are general but I would like to see what you all have to say:          1-How long was your recovery? Numbers of days in the hospital, what did you come home with and how long where you out of work.          2-Was it hard to follow the new diet, did you have those moments that you wanted to go back and eat like you did before.          3-How did you re-program your brain to follow the new diet and new way of life. 4-How much weight have you lost since your surgery. As you can see I have a lot of questions. I have two friends who had the Lap-Band and Gastric By-pass surgeries with great success. My friend who had the Gastric by-pass drop about 100 pounds since her surgery in the winter of last year and my friend who had the Lap-band surgery weight loss was done two years again and her weight loss of 100 pounds was much slower. Sorry for the long note but I want to find the in and outs of the surgery and the afterlife…. Thanks again, lindyva

Many of your questions will be answered once you attend the seminar so I'll answer the ones they will not cover.

I lost 109 lbs in 9 months with the lap band which is much faster than average.  However, I will tell you that I was VERY strict and regimented for the first 9 months.  I stuck to my Surgeons recommended 800 calories a day, ate only 3 meals and once snack, exercised moderately and cut simple carbs out of my diet completely. 

After the first year I started to slack off to allow more flexibility and some treats and have maintained my initial weight loss but haven't lost any more.  (I'm still 30 lbs from my personal goal.)  I know what to do to lose the last bit of weight but so far am not willing to do the exercise it will take for me to get there!

To me, "Reprogramming your brain" is one of the greatest challenges long term and I chose to seek help through therapy with an eating disorder, compulsive overeating specialist.  It has helped a lot though I still struggle with emotional eating, i.e. head hunger.  But it's a lot better and I have some new awarenesses and some tools to help when I want to use food for comfort.  Changing our emotional connection to food is one of the hardest things to change and I think therapy is essential, at least for me it is.

The band is generally a slower weight loss and requires consistent maintenence over time, (getting fills and unfills to adjust the tightness of the band.)  For me it's been worth it and I'm happy, but if my insurance would have covered the Sleeve I would have seriously considered it.

Go to the seminar, do your research.  You're going to hear a lot of good and bad about all of the proceedures but ultimately weight loss surgery can save your life and increase it's quality dramatically.  At some point we all had to pick which surgery we felt was best for us as individuals.  There is no perfect tool

If you're prepared to do your part by choosing healthier foods 90% of the time, exercise regularly and work to deal with the negative behavioral side of obesity you'll do well no matter which surgery you choose. 

Keep asking questions!  That's how we learn.

Best~
Lisa O.

Well maybe I can answer some of your questions......I did not have a presurgery diet, because I was self-pay! I think you can adapt easily right out of the gate with your new tummy! I did spend the night in the hospital, and that was covered by my Dr.......In a couple of days of rest I was fine. I am 5'9" 50 female was 262 at day of surgery and today 1 year later I weigh 199 having lost 63 pounds with 37 to go (maybe a little more, but will climb that mountian when I get there). Yes it kinda is like buying a yugo compared to a lexus, and you really have to work hard! I think maybe the reward is greater, and you deffinetly learn better eating habits, and exercise, that carry on past the one year miracle time for by-pass people! I am super thrilled with my experience so far and can't wait to see what next year brings! Good luck on your decision!

I had a band 4 years ago so I'll try to remember. I had some swelling and couldn't get much down post-op so I stayed a little longer - think it was 3 days. Not much pain, the worst part is the next few weeks. The liquids and mushies - just missed chewing! I didn't do well with the band, trying to revise it to a DS now, but that doesn't mean you won't. Lots of people do well, it just wasn't the right thing for me.

I was out of work 6 weeks but not because I had to be, I just had really good STD insurance so I took advantage of it (full pay!). I was up and around in a few days.

The hardest thing for me at first was not drinking with my meals. Now, 4 years later, the thought of drinking with my meal is unappealing. Plus, I take tiny bites and chew, chew, chew. I'm always the last one at the dinner table because it takes me forever to eat. You just get in the habit.

The caveat is this: foods that are good for you will be hard to get down. For me, it was bacon, chicken and salad. For my mother in law (also banded) it was bread and pasta. BUT cookies slide right down. As does ice cream or cake. SO if you have a problem with the sugar monster, talk to your doctor first. Maybe another option might be better, although none of them restrict carb absorption.

You really do have to work HARD to get your weight down, BUT the tool will help you get there. I got down to 191 and kept it off before I started to regain. If you get your fills and follow the diet, it could very well be life changing for you.

Just research ALL your options and ask yourself honestly if it's the right thing. For me, I was terrified of the RNY - just seemed so drastic - but I need an malabsorption component. I was a lightweight (245HW, 225 SW) so I thought the restriction would be enough. For me, it wasn't, but there are people, like the ladies here who do really well. Just research, research, research, and make sure you have a great doctor.

Lindyva please research ALL of your options. I wouldn't recommend the band to my worst enemy! There are 4 WLS's. 3 of them work well. You might want to read on the revision forum to see what most ppl are revising FROM! Also i would suggest you reading about all the Lap-Band failures on the failed band group!

The band works for some.............but it's very much a crap shoot! Doesn't matter how compliant you are............IT JUST DOESN'T WORK FOR SOME (MANY) PPL!!!

I was like Lisa O.  I lost 100 lbs in 7 months.  Not the average rate of loss with the band at all.  But I went from a horrible eating plan, to one that was lean, green and mainly clean.  I also started moving my body more.. at first it was only walking...a little further every day.


1) I was home the same day as surgery.  It took about 2 or 3 weeks for me to feel good again, but I wasn't prescribed adequate pain meds for recovery.  If I had been given something stronger than Darvocet (now off the market), I think I would've had an easier time.

2)  There's a period of mourning over the foods I used to eat.  And some items even though I know better than to eat them.. if I want to lose.. I still cannot keep in the house.

3) I kept thinking " You did not go through this surgery and discomfort just to blow it.  Hang in there"  and I allowed myself "one (tiny) bite" of something.. for example, my kids would have ice cream.  I'd get a spoon and get a small taste.  and then leave the room while they finished it.  We don't keep chips in the house (my weakness).. now if I could just get the family weaned off of saltines........

4) Next Month (sept.) I will be 2.5 years banded and I'm 200 + lbs down.   I'm still losing, but at a much slower rate.

1-How long was your recovery? Numbers of days in the hospital, what did you come home with and how long where you out of work.

I had a extremely easy recovery to be honest. If it wasn't for the scars I would have never known I had surgery .  I had no gas pains, no major port pain and was back to sleeping on my stomach about 8 days out of surgery.  The only thing I noticed and it wasn't pain is my upper stomach felt like I did a million and one sit ups but I never had the pain that I had to take my pain meds for .  I had surgery at 1 pm and I was home sitting in my lazy boy chair by 7:30 that night .  I do not work so I didn't have to worry about that .

Was it hard to follow the new diet, did you have those moments that you wanted to go back and eat like you did before.

No, to be honest it wasn't. I was self pay and my husband drained our bank account and my parents put up half of the money for this surgery and I wasn't go to blow 20,000 dollars because I didn't take this serious enough or I refused to not have self control and will power . 
I was never a sweets eater, a carb eater before the surgery.  I just didn't know how to control my portion sizes that was all.  Plus I was a fast food junkie those two things was my downfall with my weight and to be honest I was a lazy ass that didn't want to get off my butt to exercise . 

4-How much weight have you lost since your surgery

I have lost 64 pounds or so and over 30 inch's and I have done this without a fill in my band and I had my surgery 8 months ago.  Could it be faster with a fill probably , but there is a few reasons why I dont get fills.   

All I needed for me was a reminder that  I dont need to sit down and make a pig of myself when I sit down to eat my meals.  I can still eat my pizza but eat two slices instead of half of a pizza and large sub .  I have not given up one single piece of food since I got my band , I  have learned how often to eat them foods, and how much of them foods to eat. 

Me personally and I told my doc first off before I even  had the surgery that I will not give  up this or that on foods   That is not why I wanted the band.  I wanted the band to teach me portion control , and to eat healthier that is what I wanted from the band and that is how I am working my band.   

I truly believe if you dont learn the lessons ie changing eating habits, learning portion control, learning to love exercise then that person will never be successful in keeping the weight off , and losing the weight.  

All the band is suppose to do is dim your hunger, and help with portion control that is it.   It dont stop you from eating ice cream, it dont stop  you from eating a bag of chips, and trust me it dont matter how much restriction you have you can always eat around the band and it dont get you off your butt to exercise everyday. All these things must be done by YOU and YOU alone not the band .

You must have self control and will power also to make all this work , if you rely on the band to do all the work and use fills as a crutch to lose this weight then you will not be successful in the long run . Short term yes but long run no.  I have seen many many people use the fills as  a crutch to lose weight( making themselves so tight that they only eat  1/4 cup of food  and I think that is just as unhealthy as eating to much food ) and not learn anything in the process and to me that is very sad .  If I did that , then I would feel like this surgery was a complete waste of time because in the long run I did not learn the lessons that the band is suppose to teach us .  That is how I feel though and how I do my band.

This is my one and only WLS .  I will not have another one . In the 8 months I have had this surgery I have learned so much.

1. I am much stronger person then I really realized
2. I am learning I can still eat my bad girl foods but I have learned how to eat them foods in moderation, and how often to eat them foods.
3.  I am more conscious of what I am eating
4.  Making better decisions.
5.  I will not die if my belly growls before meal time, just because it growls dont mean I need to run to the fridge and stuff my face
6. I love to exercise.

To me learning these six things is going to make successful with the band and sad to say if the band has to come out , I will continue to be successful because I am learning to do things the right way and I am changing myself as a person :o)