Gastric bypass vs. Lap band

[starsmom]

I have friend who weighs approx. 450 pounds. He is 31,otherwise in good health besides the weight. He has tried to lose the weight and is really feeling hopeless about the situation. Now,you know and I know,eat less + move more = weight loss. So,because for whatever his reasons are,he feels this is the route to go. Have any of you had either of these surgeries,or known someone who has? He keeps hearign postive things about the Lap band,however I feel he should do the G.B. To me it seems more effective and faster.

 

[Ladybug76]

I have friend who weighs approx. 450 pounds. He is 31,otherwise in good health besides the weight. He has tried to lose the weight and is really feeling hopeless about the situation. Now,you know and I know,eat less + move more = weight loss. So,because for whatever his reasons are,he feels this is the route to go. Have any of you had either of these surgeries,or known someone who has? He keeps hearign postive things about the Lap band,however I feel he should do the G.B. To me it seems more effective and faster.

Best wishes to your friend and his decision. I know there will be the people who have horrible things to say, but I have a family member who is struggling with the same choice. It's painful to watch someone essentially kill himself with food. For people like this, it's not simply a matter of eating less and exercising. People don't get to this point with simply a lack of will power.

I think that the Lap Band is less invasive. The problem with the gastric bypass is that they can essentially "undo" it if they continue poor eating habits and do not eat the small portions that are required.

Incidentally, I saw a support group listed on this website for people who have had the procedure. Again, best wishes! I hope things work out for him.

 

[united]

I have friend who weighs approx. 450 pounds. He is 31,otherwise in good health besides the weight. He has tried to lose the weight and is really feeling hopeless about the situation. Now,you know and I know,eat less + move more = weight loss. So,because for whatever his reasons are,he feels this is the route to go. Have any of you had either of these surgeries,or known someone who has? He keeps hearign postive things about the Lap band,however I feel he should do the G.B. To me it seems more effective and faster.

Going the GB would be faster than the lap band, both of my parents have had the GB and lost weight, my father has had no problems with his, but he is not doing what he is supposed to do and so he has gained some weight back, my mother has had a couple with her's, because of surgon error but she is still happy with it. A friend of mine has also had the lap band done and she did really well, she followed the diet and exercised and lost the weight pretty quick. her mom on the other hand is not loosing as fast but is loosing. His reason for wanting to have the surgery is probably because it forces you to make a life change and is easier than doing it on your own. Check out the support groups i understand they are very helpful and i read earlier today they are having one in lex.pk. sorry this is so winded.

 

[da6bearz]

I had the GB surgery about 2 1/2 years ago. I started at 257 size 22/24 and now I am 140 and a size 6/8. At first I'm thinking what the H--- have I done I can't eat anything. But now I know I made the right choice and would do it all over again. I've been holding this weight since I was 1 year out!! If you have any questions I'd love to help you anyway I can.

Tracy

 

[bcp]

I have friend who weighs approx. 450 pounds. He is 31,otherwise in good health besides the weight. He has tried to lose the weight and is really feeling hopeless about the situation. Now,you know and I know,eat less + move more = weight loss. So,because for whatever his reasons are,he feels this is the route to go. Have any of you had either of these surgeries,or known someone who has? He keeps hearign postive things about the Lap band,however I feel he should do the G.B. To me it seems more effective and faster.

I have known a couple that had the bypass and it worked wonders for them.
I know one right now that just had the band put on about a month ago, so far I dont see that much difference, but Im not going to tell them that and bring them down.

 

[HeavyChevy75]

Gastric bypas is a huge step to be taken. Yes the weight does come off but if the underlying food issues are not resolved the weight will come back on. The surgeons can glorify it all they want but the fact of the matter is just like when you lose weight the old fashioned way. IF you don't make that life change it will not stay off.

I have a few family members that have taken the weight off by surgery, and gained it back because they did not change why they were eating.

 

[backagain39]

Just make sure whatever way they want to proceed that first, have a full physical....and second check out the doctor very carefully and they may want to go to Baltimore for the surgery.

I have known two people locally that have died from complications from the surgery....

So please do this wisely.............

 

[tc_girl]

My husband had the lap band surgery in December and has lost 40lbs. It takes longer to lose the weight but you won't have as much loose skin and are able to keep it off easier. It is also MUCH less invasive than GB. He was home for a few days after the surgery but can now eat whatever he wants but gets fuller A LOT quicker! Now he eats a few bites of dinner and is satisfied! He also went into this surgery with diabetes and came out of it almost cured! He has not had to take insulin in over 2 months where before he was taking it four times a day at least! It has really changed our lives for the better and I would really recommend it!

 

[Ladybug76]

Gastric bypas is a huge step to be taken. Yes the weight does come off but if the underlying food issues are not resolved the weight will come back on. The surgeons can glorify it all they want but the fact of the matter is just like when you lose weight the old fashioned way. IF you don't make that life change it will not stay off.

I have a few family members that have taken the weight off by surgery, and gained it back because they did not change why they were eating.

I think it's so sad when people have the surgery and then gain the weight back. The surgeon that my relative has been working with is very conservative. All in all, the process will take nearly a year with all of the different specialists that he has to go see before hand. He still hasn't decided if he is going to go through with it or not. I will say that he has never given up and said he is just going to be fat for the rest of his life. He tries and tries and simply can't do it. I honestly don't know if the surgery will help though. He has some serious issues with food that he can't seem to come to grips with.

 

[Ladybug76]

Just make sure whatever way they want to proceed that first, have a full physical....and second check out the doctor very carefully and they may want to go to Baltimore for the surgery.

I have known two people locally that have died from complications from the surgery....

So please do this wisely.............

That's horrible!

 

[BS Gal]

I have a friend that had the gastric bypass last year. She's doing great. She's lost a lot of weight and is committed to not gaining anything back.

 

[Cowgirl]

A friend had GB about a year ago, and she said she is eating almost as much as she was before the surgery. I guess you really have to stop eating when you're full or you'll end up heavy again.

A guy I know got the lap band, and he's slowly losing weight. He's had to go back a few times to get it tightened.

 

[HeavyChevy75]

He has some serious issues with food that he
can't seem to come to grips with.

That right there is what could cause him to gain the weight back. It would not happen right away, but 4 or 5 years down the road. It isn't like the people had the surgery and the next year gained the weight back. It was a couple years out when the old eating habits started creeping back.

Now I do know several people that have kept the weight off, and they totally changed their lives.

 

[whome20603]

My dad had the lap band surgery with GREAT results. It was crazy to watch him shrink so quickly. He had the surgery in the morning and was home walking around the same afternoon and they only made something like 4 small incisions on his stomach. I've seen comments from some people saying they didn't really notice anything quickly but I guess that's because results vary from person to person. When my father had the surgery it was definitely life changing. He went all out though, which was fantastic. He ate mostly veggies and water, nothing heavy, and he exercised a lot. Like gastric bypass, you have to eat crazy small portions and if you don't you'll get sick and there's still the possibility that overtime it can be reversed. Meaning, if you continue to overeat your stomach will simply stretch the bands they put on. I know you can go in to get them tightened, loosened and/or removed alltogether.

Has your friend talked to a doctor yet? He may not be a good candidate for one or the other which would make the decision for him/her. Also, my dad's insurance covered his lap band procedure so your friend should definitely talk to his/her doctor to see if they can help with that. They required referrals, a doctor's recommendation letter and he had to have some tests (sleep apnea for one) for my dad to have it covered.

Good luck.

 

[BadGirl]

Go check out " ObesityHelp.com " to get some really good information on the different kinds of weight loss surgeries. Depending on the type of eater that you are, depends on the type of surgery that will be most successful for you. For instance, classifying if you are a "binge" eater, a "grazer", or someone who prefers sweets will help in making this determination.

On the ObesityHelp.com site, you'll find general weight loss forums, forums dedicated to the different weight loss surgeries, insurance-related forums, nutrition forums, etc.

Also, there is a site for people in the Maryland area ( www.obesityhelp.com/forums/MD/a,messageboard/board_id,4822/]Maryland Weight Loss Forums – Obesity Help[/B] ) that discusses WLS information relative to the local area. You can also do a search on different doctors in the area and get a review of each doctor, what kind of insurance your doctor will accept, and all kinds of other great info. Some of the threads are pretty lame, but most do contain at least some good info.

Some other good sites to visit:
Comparison of different WLS: Weight-Loss Surgeries Compared <------ GREAT INFO HERE!

BMI calculator: Body Mass Index calculator you'll like

The World's Healthiest Foods: The World's Healthiest Foods