Should I get a gastric band?

[SlipperyNipple]

OK I have not name changed so please be kind.....OK, OK wrong place for that.

I'm 5.6 and 16 stone 4 at the moment. This is post having two children in the last 3 years. I used to hover near 13 stone....so heavy but not this heavy. I don't have any obvious health issues other than I get achy knees now.

I would have to go private. We are reasonably financially comfortable. I could get the cash together but it we would feel it.

I think my husband is going to be a very tough to persuade round. He is very kind and wonderful but thinks I should do this with exercise, diet and willpower. He's never had to diet in his life so he doesn't understand how hopeless I feel about this.

I have been dieting since I was 15 years old and it never really got me anywhere. I would go up and down and always end up around 13 stone. Now I just can't seem to make any headway with a diet at all. I'm tired all the time (baby) and comfort eat.

I don't believe in diets any more. But I don't want to be this way. I can't do the things I want to do: shop in normal shops, run for bus without hurting my knees, ski, feel like a normal person.

OK I'll stop. You get the idea.

I can completely sympathise, I have struggled with my weight for years, ever since i was about 13. Looking back, I wasn't that overweight at all, about 8 stone and 5 foot 4, but at the time felt uncomfortable, and bigger than the other girls. And now, I find myself at 46, 16 stone, 5. 6", the heaviest I have ever been in my life. I simply despair, and I've tried everything, WW, Lighter Life, Hypnosis, therapy, and nothing works. I can't stick to a diet, the minute I even think about cutting down I go out and stuff myself with chocolate/cakes/junk. Food is an emotional crutch for me, and I'm as reliant on it as a smoker, or a drug addict. I eat when I'm sad, depressed, angry, bored - oh andoccasionally when I;m hungry. For about four years I kept my weight down to about 11 and a half stone (slim for me), by running three times a week and simply eating sensibly, but I can't sustain it. I'm thinking of asking my doctor about a gastric balloon (as opposed to band or sleeve). does anyone know anything about them or have any experience of them? I can't bear to think of going on like this, yet I truly feel trapped in my hideously overweight body.

arniesidd I totally am with you. That is how I am feeling.

Every now and again people come on the thread and say educate yourself about nutrition, it's about eating less calories that you burn. You don't know that and are thinking about surgery. Why don't try diet and exercise?

I Know, I know, I know, I know If it was as simple as people knowing to eat less there would be no fat people. Do you think people are fat because they don't understand that, that they are stupid? It's because whatever I know and however much I try and do the right thing I sabotage myself. I'm an addict.

I love gastric bands - not personally but professionally. I think they are great...

...for the right person.

You say, "Now I just can't seem to make any headway with a diet at all. I'm tired all the time (baby) and comfort eat." and then later you say you compulsively eat.

A gastric band is NOT going to fix that. You can still comfort eat with a gastric band. You need to look at the reasons why you comfort eat and do something about those. A gastric band still needs a LOT of willpower - you have tried and failed on diets and haven't stuck with them. These are issues that you need to deal with first. A gastric band can not and is not a quick fix.

I agree. Saying just cut down on food and exercise shows a complete lack of understanding about the problem On paper it sounds so simple, the reality, as millions of people know, is that it's far more complex, particularly if you eat emotionally, as loads of women do. I've got to the stage where I'm so stressed about it all, I cant think straight and I simply don't know what to do. I think it might be better just to forget about losing weight altogether and focus on listening to my body/hunger and being more aware rather than just mindless stuffing. Because to be frank, I'm no heavier then than when I'm always starting/stopping diets. But the problem is that I hate myself at this weight, it consumes far too much of my thoughts/time. I hate the way I look, the way I feel, I would no more wear a swimming costume than fly to the moon, I love horseriding but think the RSPCA would be onto me if I dared even looked at a horse at my current hefty weight, I love fashion, but hate trying to buy clothes when I'm so fat, everything is a struggle. I feel permanently self conscious - and yet, I still can't stop overeating. I am an intelligent woman and have a good career, yet somehow I can't get to grips with my eating. Sometimes I feel ashamed of obsessing about my weight when half the world is starving, on the other hand I loathe and resent all the skinny glamorous hard bodied blondes I see everywhere I live.... if they can do it why can't I??? What's wrong with me?? There are no benefits to being as fat as this (other than being able to stuff myself), yet why can't I lose weight?

Can you tell me more about gastric balloons? How are they fitted? Is it painful and what are the side effects if any?

Please dont put yourself at risk of undergoing surgery when you have two young children. There are safer ways to achieve losing weight. All surgery carries risk, do you really think it would be worth it if anything went wrong?

You may be an addict, but you can get help with that which doesnt involve surgery.

arnisidd You have just said (so much better than I would have) what is spinning round my head. My life is great but this one thing really cuts through the pleasure of the rest. Other peoples failings are not written so large on their bodies.

OP have you considered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to look into your comfort eating and your relationship with food in general? I've found it useful for giving me the tools to make changes and think it could be a help for you. I don't blame you for not believing in diets, they tend to be restricting and miserable, but if you made little changes such as reducing the comfort food and taking a little bit more exercise you will probably see results without being "on a diet" IYKWIM.

To your original question, no, I think gastric bands are the very last resort and you're not there yet.

I was where you are -5'7 and 16 stone.

Diets had worked to a point, but I always regained, with interest.

One day something just clicked. I chucked out all of the low fat/ diet shit, and started trying to think about everything I ate.

It took about 8 months, but now, a year and 9 months on, I hover between 10 and 10.5 stone.

I have not dieted, and never will. Dieting made me fat in the first place. I currently choose lowish carb because I feel better, but still have anything I fancy, just that I've learned to fancy fewer/ different things!

It's a miserable feeling, helplessly overweight. I hated it, pretended not to in public of course! Good luck however you choose to feel better

HI CrunchyFrog - great that you have managed to get to grips with your weight, well done, a great achievement. But HOW did you do it? How did you change the way you ate, so that you now fancy fewer/different things? What was it that changed your way of thinking? If you could bottle that and sell it you'd be a multi billionaire....!

There are so many people making a mint selling dreams and mirages that if anybody came up with a non risky solution they would be rich beyond their dreams.

WineGoggles Yes I think after a weeks thought and some sole searching I have realised that a gastric band is something to put on the back burner. If willing to spend a bit of cash then some therapy aimed at my compulsive eating is probably the way to go.

Husband has said he is going to help me find the time for some exercise (and nag me out the door to do it) and some space to rest.

Any old diet is not for me. The cycle of deprivation and gorging does not help my compulsive behaviour. Although not dieting doesn't seem to stop it either. I'm still a bit lost but at least I have a few things to start with.

I'm a bit puzzled by idea that gastric bands are not for those that compulsively eat. Do people get to 16 to 25 stone without compulsively eating? Surely people who are that heavy have eating disorders by definition. (Other than those with some other medical condition). So who is gastric surgery for exactly?

I would see a therapist to get to the root why you over eat. It seems you know about calories, sw, ww ect so it would be pointless you going.

"Any old diet is not for me. The cycle of deprivation and gorging does not help my compulsive behaviour. "

The thing with WW and SW is that they are NOT diets. They encourage people to make long term changes to the way they eat, rather than continue a cycle of deprivation & gorging.

What about Lighter Life? I think they do a less intensive version. I don't know much about it but they do think about the emotional triggers of eating and have a CBT component.

Have you thought of contacting Overeaters Anonymous?.

Unless you address the issue of why you overeat/comfort eat,the 'emptiness' that you are overeating to fill will still be there.So even if you had the gastric band (and that's soooo risky,in my opinion),you could find yourself skinnier but still unhappy.

Bartlet I've done all those sorts of things and they are diets. They may promote good long term behaviours but they still require you to obsess about points and calories and what you are and you are not going to eat endlessly.

I want to NOT think about food all the time.

arnies I did a lot of thinking. I didn't want to be fat any more. I spent years moaning about my weight, but the bottom line was, it was easier/ more comfortable/ safer to be big.

That balance had to change, it had to be better to be healthy and lose the weight.

There was a thought process. In the past, a compulsive eating session (which were more or less daily - lots of white bread, chocolate, biscuits etc) would be part of a cycle of very negative thinking. I tried very hard to not deny myself anything - as that could trigger binging - but just to run through a wee mental checklist. Am I tired? Bored? Lonely? Sad? Or am I actually hungry? If I'm hungry, is there anything else I'd prefer or could substitute? If I went through all that and still wanted something, I would wait a while, and if I still wanted it, I would have it, and, crucially, not feel bad about it. That took some doing, lots of changing thought patterns etc.

I still don't feel bad about food, and I do still very occasionally feel the urge to binge, but because I have changed my tastes and appetite, e.g. I'll have a couple of donuts - but I don't feel compelled to finish the pack. That sort of thing.

I have not stopped drinking alcohol, I have chips and fry-ups regularly, but the majority of my food is good, low-carbish as that's what I prefer, veg and protein heavy etc.

There are (what I consider to be) negative side effects, weight loss is not 100% positive life changing - I am now "attractive" which annoys the hell out of me. In common with a lot of people with tricky childhoods, being fat was a defence mechanism. So I've had to find new ones (being a very bolshy feminist seems to work quite well!) I also had physical issues - anaemia, blood pressure became very low and I lost a lot of hair. But I don't really have loose skin, and all the above settled quite quickly.

One thing - I can never have a "normal" relationship with food. 20 years of yoyo dieting and binge/ starve cycles have put paid to that. It's something I'll always have to be aware of. But I am less obsessed with food now than I ever was when I was fat, I don't feel controlled by the compulsions now.

I weigh every day. Works for me, doesn't for other people.

Sorry for essay! I think it's interesting, the hows and whys of fat - and I do see it as a feminist issue.

Oh, by the way, I did it on my own, but I believe Paul McKenna is similar?

WW and SW made me fatter in the long term. As they do for many people - how many repeat customers do they get? They are a business out to make money first and foremost.

Do the VSG operation, vertical gastric sleeve. It works, I have had it and you can get it done in Europe in either Belgium or Czech Republic. Do your own internet research. Cost circa £6-£7K. The band is a horrible option that has possible bad complications. Also look at gastric plication as an alternative.

Thank you so much CrunchyFrog. I'll probably read your post a good few times.

I read a book recently that seemed to support your approach...but it wasn't for me because to start with you were supposed to eat everything you wanted when you wanted. Just fill the fridge with every denied food and really get it out of your system. You also had to promise yourself never to diet again and stop punishing yourself when you binged. Then slowly stop the binge cycle. You had to accept that you might stay as you are for a long time and make peace with that.

I found the last part and thinking I would never diet again too difficult. Diets are a dream of something you might be that are hard to let go of.

MrsjREwing you are wrong about the sleeve, if you suck a vitamin 12 sub lingual tablet each day you have no B12 issues, I am over 3 years out and I am fine. The bypass is totally different and does have issues because of the reduced intentinal adsorption of nutriants.

SlipperyNipple I was over 18 st before I had the VSG over 3 years ago now. I am now 10 st and I don't have to think about food all the time, it's very liberating. And pah! to all those who say try changing your eating habits, if you don't have the problem you don't understand the compulsions for a volume eater. Honestly I am so glad I did my op, and I don't view it as 'cheating because I never saw weight loss as some kind of bloody competition!

Haven't read all the thread as in a hurry.

I have a band, I've had it almost 2 and a half years, I've lost 4 stone. It's been good for me but it takes a lot of adjusting and isn't an instant fix. I can still eat chocolate and crisps and the like, basically, anything that turns to liquid once chewed will go straight through.

I got to a similar stage to you, I just couldn't diet anymore, loose 3 stone and then regain it and more again, I just couldn't do it.

I don't regret it for a minute, WLS was the way forward for me, I still have weight to loose though, but it's 2 stone rather than 6 stone and if I stay here forever it's not so bad.

If I knew then what I know now I would have opted for the sleeve but I'm ok with it.

If you do decide to go forward look very carefully at the various providers before making a decision. I went with the most expensive company who does it as I couldn't find anything negative about them, a friend had the same op with a very large and well known cheaper provider and has had nothing but trouble with her band.

Good luck, you can pm me if you need someone to talk to.

Gastric band hypnosis has been mentioned several times on this thread but I would like to offer my own opinion on that option. I am a hypnotherapist and have been treating clients for mainly weight related issues since 2008. The current fad for hypnotic gastric bands is fed by the media and ignorance in my opinion. There are a large number of reports based on a small number of people who have had them.
Yes there are people out there who have had success in losing weight after a hypnotic gastric band but there are plenty of others for whom it did nothing at all. These people don't get a two page spread in Take A Break magazine though!
For the people who succeeded in losing weight after a hypnotic gastric band I think the vast majority would have had a successful outcome after regular hypnosis.
Regular hypnosis for weight loss is about empowering you to make the changes you desire rather than taking that power away from you and making you unable to eat over a certain amount.
Also don't forget that surgery is not guaranteed. There are plenty of people for whom a gastric band is not right or does not work out for them.
If you would like any help finding a professional and ethical hypnotherapist near you please send me a message and I will do everything I can to help. I also have a free PDF guide called "10 things you MUST know before getting hypnotherapy" that I would be happy to send you if you are considering the hypnotherapy route, just get in touch if you would like me to send it you.

Please correct me if I'm wrong here but

A gastric band involves having a massive lifestyle change and change in eating habits.

Diets don't work as they only reinforce the bad relationship you have with food. You have to have a massive lifestyle change and change in eating habits to loose weight in the traditional way.

So basically, either way, you have to have a massive lifestyle change in order for it to work; you just get to choose which approach to go down.

Whether to take a risk with surgery and have a lot of potential side effects and the possibility that if you have underlying issues that are causing you to currently eat a certain way, then they won't go away

Or to properly address whats causing you to eat the way you do, and reassessing how you look at food and your relationship with it.

FWIW, I do know of someone who had a gastric band fitted. She has since PUT ON even more weight, because even though she has dreadful side effects from it, she simply can't change the way she was eating and follow the rules about what she is supposed to do and not supposed to do. So to a certain extent I do believe that a gastric band operation is both a physical AND psychological change that forces people to make the necessary changes to their lifestyle that they need. Its not the magic solution that a lot of people seem to think it is.