Throughout my banding experiences, I've been bombarded with these types of questions. People tend to have 1 of 3 reactions to hearing that I have a Lap-Band: curiosity; neutrality; or hostility. For some reason I can't quite fathom, most people seem to be hostile.
With fat folks, I understand how it challenges their feelings about weight. It forces them to ask themselves, "What am I willing to do to lose weight? Do I even want to lose weight?" I asked myself the same questions when I discovered the band, and it took me several days of research and soul-searching before I was able to answer, "Yes, I am willing to do this! Yes, in my heart of hearts, I do want to lose the weight." So, I understand the chilly reaction I get from other fat people. We've all be down the Hopeless Road of Dieting, we've all put our faith in The Next Big Thing, only to see the weight creep back up with a vengeance.
I also know that there is a point in every fat person's life where they try to accept their situation because they truly feel they have no other options. To my fat brothers and sisters who are truly happy with their weight -- I respect you. It takes alot of courage and self-esteem to accept your fatness in this culture. For the rest of you who are desperate to lose the weight, know there is a way.
What I have a harder time understanding is the hostility many 'normal' people seem to have towards Weight Loss Surgery (WLS). They continually offer up their own brand of nutritional wisdom and tell you, "But if you just really *tried*, it will work this time." What they don't understand is that we've been trying for most of our lives, and have continually failed. While dieting and 'food plans' may work marvelously for people with less than 50 pounds to lose, the statistics and long-term data show that 95% of morbidly obese people fail at dieting. The entire diet industry -- from Weight Watchers to diet gurus to pharmaceutical companies -- *depend* on diet failures to keep the money flowing. Really, if Weight Watchers worked, why in the hell would they need Lifetime memberships?
I've tried explaining with tears, research and stories, but inevitably there is only one real example that brings it all home for them: Oprah. I really feel for and identity with her -- she has been through a very public and painful battle with her weight. But this woman, of unending resources, intelligence and spiritual strength STILL can't make a diet work. If Oprah, with her cooks, trainers, diet cops, nutritionists, and counselors, can't make a diet work then no one stands a chance.
So, once I accepted that I was not happy with my weight, and that dieting was not the answer, surgical treatments were the only solutions left. There are alot of misconceptions about WLS, but even after learning the facts, I was not willing to have my stomach cut up, stapled and my intestines bypassed in order to lose weight. For me, there were too many risks associated with these procedures, and I was not willing to risk them in order to lose 'only' 100 pounds. But once a friend introduced me to Adjustable Gastric Banding, the whole picture came together.
The band appealed to me because it is far less invasive than RNY (gastric bypass) or VBG (stomach stapling):
The band is not for everyone. There are people who are considered super/super obese (usually over 400 pounds) that may want to also consider more drastic options such as different gastric bypass procedures. Folks over 60 or with serious health problems need to check with a surgeon to ensure they are strong enough for surgery and/or can tolerate the band. With that said, I strongly believe that the AGB will soon become the primary treatment for morbid obesity.