atyourcervix can I just say that if you are considering a weight loss surgery, please think about having a gastric bypass instead. I had a gastric band, and I lost 6 stone, but then my pouch above the band stretched, and I put 5 stone back on.
I then had revision surgery, and had the bypass. I can't recommend this surgery enough. My whole attitude to food has changed. My appetite has greatly reduced, and I don't eat for pleasure/comfort any more. I only need to eat a small meal, and I feel satisfied and just stop eating. If I eat too much fatty/sugary foods,I feel quite nauseous and tired, so naturally avoid them. If I eat a balanced meal, with plenty of protein, a small amount go carbs, and salad/veg I feel just right. I now share puddings because one is far too much. About 4 squares of chocolate is my limit now or I spend the next 40 minutes feeling bleurgh.
I have regained control of what I eat, and more importantly the desire to eat. The compulsion to eat has gone, and I find myself making choices. For example, if i am preparing a meal, I am careful about testing it because even that can knock my appetite off. I don't eat too many carbs now, because it is a waste of my small appetite, I just see it as filler now. I would rather eat the tasty bits. I will buy a sandwich, and remove half of the bread, and make it into one triangle. Sometimes, I get to 2-3 pm and suddenly realise I haven't eaten because I feel tired, that would have been unheard of pre bypass.
The surgery itself only takes about 10 more minutes than the band, it is laparoscopic, and it is also fully reversible, no part of your anatomy is removed, just adjusted. I found that the recovery was quicker too.
And the best part is that I have lost 3.5 stone since the surgery, and still losing it slowly. Food is now about nutrition, and is no longer an addiction.