I know one person that had the lap band. They lost some weight, but not all that they wanted. My neighbors (wife & husband) both had the by pass and they lost about 100 each. On the subject of excess skin...I have a cousin that lost a little over 100 lbs by dieting and exercise. She was even featured in a magazine for the weight loss. I think it was called Self Magazine. Nowhere in the article did it mention that she had a 10 hour surgery to remove skin, tighten muscles and breast implants. Although, she sure did look good, but I felt it would have been better to tell the whole story. Anyway, it is a tough decision. I wish you the best!

Do your homework and make your decision and see what happens.
Good luck.

Only you can decide what way is best for you. We just want you healthy and around here with us for a long long time.

And yes it is amazing how after GB, Diabetes immed. disappears. Other health issues drastically improve as well.

Jerry,
I had gastric bypass on March 30, 2009 and have lost 100 pounds. Bottom line, if I had to do it over again, I would do it in a snap. I no longer have to take blood pressure and cholesteral meds, I no longer have the pain in my back that I had before, and I am so much more active and happier with myself than before. Yes, you do have to watch what you eat, but for me, what I had to eliminate from my diet were foods that were not good for me in the first place. I don't miss them -- I honestly don't (and I'm talking chocolate, ice cream, sweets of all kinds, fried foods ... I just don't miss them).

My husband had bastric bypass on December 13, 2008 and he has lost 155 pounds. He, too, would do it again in a heartbeat. He can actually run with our grandsons and play with them without hurting or getting out of breath. He is off most of his meds as well, and neither of us had any problems after the surgery. Everyone is different. But one thing we do is go to our support meetings. The feedback and the support you get from these meetings has been a real help to us in making sure we don't fall back into old habits. I would highly recommend that to anyone who decides to have the surgery.

If you have any specific questions about the procedure, first I would suggest going to any pre-surgery classes your doctor might hold, and second, feel free to let me know. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have or give you support before and after.

I had the gastric bypass several years ago and lost 100+ pounds, but I gradually gained it all back. That is very depressing!!! I also have tried the liquid diet with the same result. I finally had to bite the bullet and change the way I ate and exercised.
Lesson learned: there is no easy way to do it! (Daily walking has been a blessing.)

I went to a seminar offered at my local hospital on this. If I had it I would probably go for the lap band, because it had less risks. They told me that people lose about 2# a week, but I thought I can do that on Weight Watchers. Also you can never ever drink a carbonated beverage. Now I don't drink Cikes very much, but now and then I want a coke, so that did it for me. I decided not to have it. They did say, and they don't know why, that if you are a diabetic that will go away. It just wasn't as easy as I thought it was, of course nothing ever is. Good Luck with what ever you decide.

Lap-band!! I went to Italy and had mine put on in 2002 and I weighed 331 lbs. I lost over 100 lbs. and have had surgery to get rid of extra skin. If there are no medical reasons to not have it, go for it. It is totally reversible. It was don laprascopically and I was walking around the next day. I would not even consider any elective surgery than changes the system the way God created it. I will be happy to answer any questions you might have about my experience. Good luck.

I had gastric bypass surgery on July 23, 2008. I lost 175 pounds, and today most people are very surprised that I was so big (currently weigh 125 and am 5'8" tall). If you want information about gastric bypass procedure, recovery, etc. or need someone to give you feedback, you may contact me at [email protected].

My sister had the gastric by-pass a couple of years ago. She lost over 100 pounds as did her ex-husband. They both look great IN clothes. She has now had a face lift ($6000.00) and is on a roll....she wants a tummy tuck and to have excess skin removed from her arms, wants a boob job (to add boobs that she lost!) It's never ending with her now. I just don't think its a wise decision. Good old fashioned weight loss is the safest way to go about it.

Thanks everyone for all the discussion.. Weight loss is such a big deal in our lives and there is never an easy answer. I have wondered about these surgeries for some time and have never had so much information about them from people who have been down that road. No matter what you do it's a hard. Being fat is hard, losing is hard. I did my own "no white" program, (you know, no flour, sugar, bread, potato, pasta, rice, etc.).. that wasn't easy either.. Seems like it should be, but it wasn't. I lost.. Kept it off for some time, and now I'm up 20 pounds since my DH retired and here I am facing it again. Let me clear that up.. I'm not just 20 pounds overweight, I'm up 20 pounds from where I was. I know you all understand the difference.. 20 pounds is nothing compared to what we're talking about! It is just never easy. Thanks to everyone for the candid and honest replies. It was good for me to read. I've come to the realization that no what you do it must be the focus of your life all the time. Good luck Jerri in your pursuit of health and being a smaller person.