I had lap band surgery in Jan of this year. Since the surgery I have lost about 30lbs. And I think I lost about 20 of that in the first month and a half. The first months after the surgery are probably the hardest because you don’t have much restriction and really need to pay attention to what you eat. I had my 4th fill last Friday. My band is now half full. I am starting to really feel the restriction. There are things that I can no longer eat AT ALL – like bread, bananas, and pasta. For some reason pasta just doesn’t agree with me and it comes right back up. Which is a blessing cause I don’t need the carbs anyway…lol.

Even though the weight loss has been relatively slow, I am glad I went with the band over bypass. As you loose weight, you can adjust the band to work for you. I take comfort in knowing that I can control the band, and not have it control me. As for being able to cheat – there are ways around everything, if you are motivated enough to find them. If you think that there is a surgery out there that will prevent you from having that milkshake or that bag of chips, forget it. Even with gastric bypass you can cheat.

Also, if you get the band and for some reason it doesn’t work for you (which is highly unlikely) you can always go in for a revision and have the bypass. You cannot however go from bypass to lap band. =)

I am already following you on twitter. https://twitter.com/Tara_Bell Feel free to follow me back. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have.

I am so glad you are investigating all of this more. I know people struggling with both things. Are these the only options-I thought something new had come out. Also if you drink alcohol, this really adds to the struggle. Did you look into the brain surgery thing? In the meantime hang in there -it sounds like whatever you are doing now is working. I’m praying for you.

I have not had the surgery but I do know 2 people who have had the lap band surgery and both have different views. One did great lost all the weight and has kept it off however she hardly eats and feels sick to her stomach a lot. The other didn’t lose anything as he kept eating the same way he did before the surgery.

I got a Lap Band in January and have lost 46 pounds. It’s going very well, and I love the fact that it’s totally adjustable to my needs. I eat about 1/3 of the size meals that I used to eat. Yes I can still eat chocolate and desserts, and high fat foods, but that wasnt my problem…I ate HUGE meals…so for me the LapBand was the best solution. BTW…studies are starting to show that the LapBand patients are catching up with the Gastric Bypass patients, but within 2-3 years. LabBand is still very new in North America, so the data is not as old. Also, I have alot of Gastric Bypass friends who have no problem eating sugar and fat…which shocked me!. also, it seems that after some time their bodies can adapt as well, and the weight loss slows down or stops. With the Lap band, I can always go back in for a fill, and even a tiny one could make a difference. I have alot of trouble eating lettuce, raw green peppers, veggies with skins, and scramble eggs, oh and anything vinagery…like pickles or cole slaw. I can’t eat any sandwiches or burgers (which is a good thing) but has forced me to rethink my diet. It’s not easy but has been sooo worth it. Plus as the other comment said, if it doesnt work, I can always change and get it taken out and have a GB…I can’t do the opposite.

good luck!

My husband had lap-band surgery about 3 weeks ago. He’s lost about 20 or so pounds in the last 3 weeks. He lost about 7 pounds in the week leading up to the surgery, when he was on a liquid diet. He has at least another 150 pounds to lose. My advice is to think of lap-band as a tool to help you lose weight and get healthy. Follow the diet given to you by the doctors and you will lose weight. Exercise and you will lose weight more quickly. Good Luck!

I had the lapband six months ago and I have lost 60 pds. I can’t say it is easy but it is so worth it. I used to wear a size 22 clothing and they were getting tight and I’m now wearing a size 16. I hope to continue with the loss and yes it has slowed down but I can’t say that I’m sorry that I had it done. I also cannot eat sandwiches and some other foods but I’m still grateful that I had the procedure done. As mentioned in earlier posts you can always have it removed and go with the gastric bypass or something else as newer options become available. Good luck with whatever you decide. If I can be of further assistance please feel free to email me.

I haven’t had WLS, but I did look into it before I started losing weight pretty extensively.

Obviously, you’re the one who needs to make this decision in the end, but a few points to ponder:
- You are significantly overweight. Chances are, no matter HOW you lose the weight, you are going to deal with loose skin. I lost 92 lbs over two years and am still losing. My arms and legs are pretty good, my boobs are okay, but my stomach is a mess. I did weight train and do cardio for most of the time I was losing weight. I think it did help some, but genetically, I just don’t have elastic skin. I think a lot of whether or not you have loose skin will depend on your personal genetics. New boyfriend calls it “my trophy”. I am sure hubby would rather see you happy and healthy with a bit of loose skin.
- Your stomach secrets a hormone called Grehlin. Grehlin is the hormone that signals hunger. With Gastric bypass, part of your stomach is removed, so you will secrete less Grehlin and thus, feel less hungry. This doesn’t really help with emotional eating though.
- You mention all the things you want to do when you lose weight. I personally know 2 people who had GB, lost weight quickly, then were not able to take in enough calories and nutrients to function properly. One of them literally sits on the couch most of his waking hours, unable to do much more than just watch TV. It would be incredibly sad to go through all of this and still be unable to do everything you wanted. They are the minority, but still, something to think about with the non-reversibleness of GB.

I had bariatric surgery on June 2nd and 2 days after sugery I no longer needed 90% of my blood pressure medicine. I am still amazed that stapling a stomach can have that much affect on blood pressure – needless to say I am thrilled with this outcome. I researched weight loss sugery for 4 years, attended different seminars and found a good doctor. I have lost 35 pounds to date. I can eat very little at this point and my body wants to sleep a lot which I found out that this is normal. So in answer to your question ask yourself how much weight do you need to lose? If it is 60 lbs or so then lap-band may be the solution. I have a lot of weight (over 100 lbs) to lose and wanted to resolve medical issues like high blood pressure and diabetes so I knew that weight loss bariatric sugery was the right solution for me.

I got the lapband at the end of last yearand I am still morbidly obese. And am getting bigger as we speak. I’m depressed and don’t know what else to do. On top of that, my husband beats me,severly. I want to die!