Lap Band - Mesquite,TX

My step dad had it done , has not kept up with his weight and gained much of it back because he did not follow a diet and exercise program.
It's a total life style change or it won't work.

as others have said, weight loss surgery comes with changing your lifestyle. some doctors (i wish more) have you change your lifestyle for 6-8 months before the surgery. guess what happens usually if you stick to a new exercise program and eat healthy for those 8 months? you don't need the surgery. speak with a nutritionist and your doctor about changing your lifestyle. i know a small percentage of people have more difficulty getting in better shape. challenge yourself and do everything you can before the surgery.

good luck!

My mother in law and her sister both had the procedure done. They actually went to an american hospital in mexico bc it was cheaper and they didn't have insurance. They have had great results and absolutely love it!! It has been about 3-4 years since they had it done. Originally my mil was in size 14 and aunt was in size 22-24 they are both now in sizes 4! It worked great for them. They did have to have plastic surgery to remove the loose skin from losing so much but they do not regret it at all. They didn't even have to go on a special diet before the surgery. You do have to be determined to make a life style change though. You have to be willing to eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full instead of eating bc your bored or its time to eat and finishing your plate. You wont be able to eat much just a bite here and there but you also will feel full all the time. If you think they mentally you can make those changes then I say go for it!!

I know several people who did this years ago. Both lost weight, but only one kept it off and that was because she works out regularly and is really careful about what you eat. It only works long term if you change your eating habits. If you go back to not exercising and eating poorly your stomach will just stretch back out and the weight will come back.
That being said, it's a great intervention to help you shed the pounds you just have to remember that it needs to come with a lot of other changes. Good luck

A lady I work with did this 4.5 years ago. She is larger than she started out. Her health has deteriorated. I am not sure if the health issues are from the surgery or from the poor diet. One week she is trying and is eating soup and the next week she is eating a recees peanut butter cup and drinking a frozen pepsi. She is in such bad condition, her knees are beginning to give out. She uses an electric cart to get from the parking lot to the office because her knees will not support the weight.

May I suggest a personal friend of mine who has kept his weight off for 3.5 years now. He has written a book and is now a certified personal trainer. As well he does seminars and webinars. You may contact him through his website at www.keithahrens.com. The pictures in his website are real, as we used go on bike runs together. He recently provided a new image of himself on his motorcycle and his new size makes the bike look huge! Anyway, he did this with no surgery and understands the struggles of keeping the weight off and bad habits.

Wishing you the best.

I too am thinking of having it done next year. I have known several women who have done it and they all had great results. The band will last for about 10 years, then you will have to have it removed/replaced. Ideally, by then you have established healthy eating and exercise routines and will no longer need it. As long as you keep up with the lifestyle (as you would on any other weight loss plan) the weight should stay off.
Good luck.

Hi A.---I would like to reiterate what others have said. Eating habits and lifestyle changes must happen or you will be right back where you began. And, you will have spent time, money and taking risks because of surgery that wouldn't be necessary.

If you change your eating habits and exercise regularly, the end result will be the same, although it will take a bit longer to lose the weight. If you really think about it, it took awhile to get to where you are, it will take time and patience to get to where you want to be.

Think of everything you eat in terms of supporting optimal health. If you must count something, count grams of fiber. Eating fiber rich foods will fill you up faster. You couldn't possibly eat enough calories to maintain your current weight. Aim for at least 50 grams per day. For every 12 grams of fiber you add to your diet, you will eat about 250 fewer calories.

Your diet should consist primarily, 90% of calories, of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes (beans), nuts and seeds. Minimize animal protein as it contains mostly calories and fat. The bulk of the nutrients needed for optimal health come from plants. Use meat as a flavoring for soups or stews.

I have a ton of other ideas. I've been taking a series of wellness classes taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in Nutrition. So I feel pretty qualifies to offer some help. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Just think how this lifestyle change will impact the long-term health of you AND your family. The eating habits you learn through this process will reduce your risk of disease later in life.

I wish you much luck and I look forward to hearing from you. In health, D.

A., your focus on long term results is the way to go. I know five people who have had lap band surgery and none of them would do it again if they had a choice. All have had various problems (one now has bowel incontinence!) and all have gained their weight back. At my doctor's suggestion I opted to have a gastric bypass instead of lap band because of fewer long term complications, no need for follow up surgery after 10 or so years, and better overall weight loss results. I have lost a huge amount weight and kept it off for five years now. My overall health has steadily improved and is now excellent. I do try to eat healthy (well, most of the time) and I exercise at least 3 days a week which is key to ALL weight loss methods, surgery included. Gastric sleeve was not available when I had my surgery or I might have opted for that--don't know enough about it to say for sure. A lady at my church had the sleeve surgery a few months ago and is keeping me posted as to her progress. Her weight loss hasn't been as fast as mine was, but again, long term results are the important thing. I suggest you keep researching all your options keeping in mind that no surgery short of having your entire stomach removed is a permanent "magic bullet". Good luck with whatever you do!!

I had it done 4 years ago and I lost 140 lbs. Then the band slipped which made me very ill (took awhile for me to realize that's what had happened). They removed all the fluid from the band, thus taking away all the restriction I felt. I gained back about 80 lbs. Fortunately removing the fluid did the trick and my band went back in place without surgery. The fluid has been replaced but I've never quite felt the restriction I did initially. I've lost back 40 of the lbs I'd gained, but seem to be stuck here. So I have very mixed opinion about it. I'm 100 lbs lighter than I was 4 years ago and definitely feel better and have more energy, however I still have another 100 to go and just can't seem to get there with the band.

Have you heard of the newest thing called the gastric sleeve, my GP doctor seems to feel it's much better than the band. He's asked me to consider having the band removed and having the sleeve instead. I'm thinking about it.

As far as the surgery itself, it was a breeze. I went in at 8 and was home by 12. You're sore for a few days but nothing major.

Good luck with your decision. If you have in questions feel free to private message me. There's also a yahoo group called DFW Bandsters which is good reading.

L.