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I definitely agree with going to the obesityhelp website - there is an absolute wealth of great information there. My husband is currently considering having a Lap-Band done and I have been helping him research it.
He has consulted two different surgeons in our local area and they both pushed for gastric bypass over the Lap-Band. However, my husband would rather do the Lap-Band, so he's looking for a doc who specializes in that procedure.
I know several people who have had the gastric by pass and the one thing they both had in common was they are still obsessed with food after having it done. While the surgery helped them, it was a temporary fix because that part of the brain that tells them they are hubngry, still told them they were hungry all the time. To me, THAT is what needs to be addressed, that needs to be turned off somehow.
The woman I knew eventually got large again and the man I know is still large 2 years after his surgery.
Before I do that surgery, I would look into what my morbidly obese neighbor is doing. She was at Wal Mart trying to figure out how to get something off a high shelf when a nice man asked if he could help her. He got what she wanted and put it in her cart and before he left, he told her, he could help her with her weight and pulled out a card and gave it to her and told her to call for an appointment and come see him. He was a doctor and she went to see him and as a result, has lost about 100 pounds now and is still loosing.
There is a medicine for diabities that he gave her, I forget how many shots a day she has to give herself, no more than 2 and a diet to follow. I will try to get the name of it from her to post back on here and add, but she is loosing weight at the rate of about 20 pounds a month.
She has no health insurance and could not afford the medicine so she went to their web sigh, found the "contact us" and sent them a email explaining her situation. They sent her forms to fill out and if she qualified, they would give her the meds. She did qualify and they sent her 6- 1 month supply coupons and told her in 6 months, she had to requalify to get more free coupons. This sounds better than risking surgery.
She still snacks all day, just on healthier stuff. Makes better choices even when she eats out.
I know of another way to lose weight: walk alot, and cut down portions. Simple, easy, and no weird shots to take which always have side effects. And the ouch factor.
The medicine is called Byetta. It is an inject able medicine. I have lost 92 pounds so far, hoping to make 100 by Christmas. This week has not been so good. I really need to buckle down and get back to my routine
Got that from my neighbor. I only offer it as a option to investigate if you are interested.
My cousin had it done 8 months ago and has lost 75 pounds. She has to be very careful of what she eats and how much she eats. She saw a nutritionist for months before the surgery and learned about how much protein/carbs/sugars she can have. Also what combo's of those she should have.
I have been thinking about having it done. I researched it for a LONG time, however, my husband's insurance at the time wouldn't cover it.
There are a lot of factors to consider. It isn't a magic bullet, but it sure is a great tool that has helped MANY people overcome their weight issues. I would definitely have the Band before Gastric Bypass .
I am still thinking (leaning toward) having it done. I have tried too many other things and can't get it off and keep it off. The doctor's office I went to called me a "lightweight" I found that so funny, because they were the first ones to ever say that about ME! I'm barely right about 100 pounds overweight (actually that's what the charts show, but I doubt I could ever lose quite that much due to muscle mass etc. Even so, it really would be nice to be a "normal" size.
The obesityhelp website is an AWESOME source of information. I would never go through with the band without ObesityHelp!
Since starting this thread I have learned quite a lot. The main thing is if you havn't modified your behavior, lap band and gastric bypass are only temporary.
A friend of mine has had lapband. She did well with it. Lost about 75-100 pounds and looks great, but she had to have the band removed about 9 months ago because, as I understand, the band buried itself too deeply into her stomach and caused a hole which had to be repaired surgically.
So... bottom line, this IS a successful procedure for many people struggling with weight issues, but it is certainly not without potential major side effects. Often IMO the health benefits outweigh the risks, but even the lap band is not "natural" and you do need to consider the downside of that if you are contemplating it.
I had the surgery done in June and as soon as I can get the courage up Im going to ask my doctor about the possibility of it coming out. Im not losing weight and I feel sick daily. I actually consider it a good day when I havent vomited at least once. I am sick almost every day and it makes me feel miserable and uncomfortable. I feel as though if Im going to be overweight I would atleast like to be comfortable. I dont know why Im sick all the time and considering Im not losing weight after nine months Im done with this! I should have known better than to have it done because now I feel "stuck." My dad however did have the surgery done 1 1/2 years ago and has managed to lose 120 pounds eating 3 meals plus snacks a day. I do good to get one meal a day to stay down! I dont know how he does it. Its seems like every time he takes a shower he loses a couple of pounds where as I cant seem to lose anything although I eat just a fraction of what he does! My sister-in-law is also having the surgery done next month so I hope she has better success at it than I did. I can accept the fact that Im always going to be overweight but I would atleast like to be comfortable...
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I'm barely right about 100 pounds overweight (actually that's what the charts show, but I doubt I could ever lose quite that much due to muscle mass etc. Even so, it really would be nice to be a "normal" size. 
