Gastric band surgery

[discoverlife]

I could do with some links please to pages about gastric band surgery and other types of surgery to help with weight loss.
I am over 9 stone overweight and have tried evrything. My doc and I have this on the list of things to try once we have tried everything else.
SO far in the last 15 years I have tried
Weight Watchers 2 times
Slimming World 5 times
The Grapefruit diet, Paul McKenna's, couldn't face that meat only one and it had too many reports of long term health problems.
Cut out everthing and eat loads of this diets.
Only have enough food to fit on a side plate diet
and hypnotherapy.

I have hit the end of road, when I was slim I kept the weight off by exercise, now I can't exercise properly, crist I can't even go on the trampoline on my own as I exceed the recommended weight allowance. I definatly couldn't go on with DS he would only get one bounce and would end up orbitting the moon. Bending down cuts off my breathing, when I sleep, my tits flatten on my chest and crush my throat cutting of my breath as well. My weight will kill me, I need to know the risks before I go under the knife so that I can weigh up the pro and cons.

I do have a friend who we nearly lost last November because a gastric band op wasn't done properly in the first place, when she went back in for the corrective surgery she breathed in her own gastric juices and nearly died. She was in intensive care for 3 weeks. So I know about the some of the con's. I did ask her was it worth it ansd she actually said yes because she could now be a proper Mum to her boys and she was like me worried that she could die on the job.

So please any links to how the different procedures are done, what happens afterwards (I heard some nasty stories about that), recovery tiomes, how do you keep a balanced diet etc.
Thanks

This is a very small weight loss forum that I used to use, but there is a lady on there who has had the surgery, and is now a size 10!! Search for messages from 'Field Fairy', as that is her. She is enormously helpful to others, and will be able to give you loads of info. If you do contact her, then tell her that 'T' sent you.

to my knowledge gastric bypass is never reversed... band can be tightened or loosened

The latest weight loss pills the doc gave me were appitite supressants, they were working, until I had to start taking anti-depressants because of them. The appitite supressants work by suppressing your seratonin levels and anrti-depressants work by increasing your seratonin. So a no win situation there.

Isn't the special thing about lighterlife the CBT that goes with it. Is there any option of NHS CBT combined with a therapy of your choice. Sparkslife sounds good too.

I am too far from a public gym to be able to use one. I wish I could. But my family situation as a carer means I cannot be away for too long in the day and the nearest public gym is 20 miles away.

Ive registered on Sparkpeople.
That daily diet seemed a bit low on the fresh fruit and veg but maybe there is a free list somewhere, I will have a look.
Please keep the info coming.

I have to keep in mind that my DH is actually only married to half of me.

The best thing to do with Sparkpeople is take it slow - spend the first 2 weeks on the fast break stage - which is just finding your way around the site, monitoring your current habits, etc without actually making any changes. There's quite a lot there to take in all at once.

You don't have to do their diet/recipe plans (esp as it's geared more to a US audience so I found that the ingredients weren't always readily available anyway) - you can just track using their nutrition tracker (make use of favourites and food groupings to avoid typing in the same things over and over). I just quick track fruit/veg and water intake now as I don't really need the calorie counting part, but do use the fitness tracker section extensively.

Yes I have been having a root, and it seems a very full web site. But have to go now, Im picking DS2 up from his Grandmothers where he has been for the last week, its going to be so good to see him.

Thank you all for your help, I will do my best whilst talking to my GP. If the suggestions you have made about the weight lose do work, then I don't have to go any further. If they don't work at least I have tried again.
Apart from my fitness and health reasons which are most important, there is a very expensive wedding happening in the family in 2009 and I want to blow their socks off for that one.
Again thank you ALL.

Wow that sparkpeople is great. I've signed up. Thanks for that.

Am off to drink an 8oz glass of water (how big is that?)

a 20 min walk 3 times a week to begin with.. then increase the distance (or do a dvd at home - anything to make you SWEAT and raise your heartrate.) At first, I was doing 10 mins and sweating like I'd been in a shower.. I progressed quickly and now do an hour walk with not sweating much... fitness improves quickly.

Eat carbs only for breakfast (and some at lunch) - eat seeds and dried fruit for snacks (a handful 2 times a day) - cheap from discount health food shops.

NO carbs for dinner

This is basically the Low GI diet (but I've cut out more carbs than they allow - I have no pasta or rice meals and only ryvita instead of bread) - I've lost 2 stone in 12 weeks on it... I have 8 stone to go. I WILL DO IT.

YOU CAN DO IT. I am on benefits too; I afford this by buying cheap meat, cheap fresh veg (or frozen - cheaper still) and not having any snacks...you need to just jump on the wagon and try to stay there - detox will be hell but it only lasts 4 days

Hm, that isn't clear - by "eat carbs only for breakfast" I mean don't eat them at any other time of day. For example; eat porridge for breakfast, salad/ryvita/cottage cheese/ham slices (a mix of!) for lunch and then meat/fish n veg for dinner.

2 glasses of water is in 1 500ml bottle of water... just so you get an idea when it says 6 glasses or whatever - it's only 3 bottles... sounds far less scary!

yurt: I measured out what my normal glassful was in a measuring jug to get a feel for how much it was (discovered my glasses take 10 floz) and compensate accordingly - so now am a lot more hand wavy but roughly right

I'm sorry if you have mis read my posts about councelling.

I have fairly major issues with food myself.

I'm around 5 stone over my ideal wieght, and like you I have struggled with it. I know that in the end I'm only going to succedd in weight loss (and vitally important keeping it off) if I address my issues with why I over eat. Other wise, yet again I will lose weight only to put it back on.

I wasn't glibly telling you to 'get therapy' , I was trying(badly as I was typing too fart) to share with you my feelings that getting to the root of the problem is going to be more helpful in the long term.

My friend who lost the weight and kept it off, did so because she got to address why she was over eating (and that was lighter life, and she had CBT yurt)

and 5 stone isn't piddling, it is a third of my ideal body mass!

God, I missed that! Bloody typical!