I don't know how I feel about it to be honest! I think it is a valid option for many people, however, if it is not supported with the right eating and exercise coaching, it is still doomed to fail.
I am very overweight and I am working towards slowly slowly losing the weight on my own.
I feel good about the fact I am really learning what I should and shouldn't do.
A friend of mine had lap banding done a few years ago and hasn't budged any weight at all.
It's like any aspect of weight loss I suppose. Hard work pays off!
I suppose for me, weight loss isn't just about reducing size. It's about health and fitness. I don't know much about the surgical options, except i think there comes a point where people need it as drastic action (like when they can no longer walk, for example). However, lap band isn't going to miraculously cure the build up of fat in arteries and the pressure that puts on the heart and brain. It won't suddenly cure liver or kidney disease or improve bone density. Over time, if the fat falls off, it may help. However, if people dont exercise, they cant improve or maintain their fitness or strength. The same goes for skinny people who dont exercise - some of them are heart attacks waiting to happen too.
I'm not obese, but I'm overweight. My weight hasn't increased much, but due to physical restrictions, I haven't been exercising properly for over a year. I know i've lost fitness, strength, flexibility etc. I've tried to adapt my diet accordingly (I'm not perfect though), so i don't create extra problems for myself or for bub. However, I'm conscious I don't have the same resting heartbeat I had when I was fitter. I'm hoping once bub arrives and I can work to get rid of the SPD, then i get back to some sort of training regime. I may not be able to the same sort of exercise i did pre-baby, but I'll find a work around. I hate being inactive.
A lot of resistance to health and fitness is habit and what people learn from their families growing up. A lot of it is psychological. I'm a comfort eater myself, so I can relate. However, it is everyone's choice as to whether or not they access the help they need to get better (I see extreme unhealthy eating, whether over or under eating as an illness). I don't think just getting surgery is going to solve anything, if people dont also work on the psychological side of things and learn to consciously exercise and eat appropriately.
i think in the right circumstances, the surgical assistance can be warranted - but it has to be done correctly. using it as the be all and end all is not gonna work. you need to make significant lifestyle changes before undergoing the surgery so that it is the boost to the changes, not the kick start. i am the daughter of two failed surgical weight loss candidates. neither made the required lifestyle changes. i am friends with a couple of people who HAVE made the changes and simply used the surgery to boost that weight loss
so yes, i can see both sides. it CAN be a fantastic thing if it's not abused.
This has been taking up most of my mental capacity lately, LOL. I'm supposed to get a gastric sleeve in August, but I just can't make up my mind. I personally would rather lose it the old fashioned way, I guess because of the way people view it? I think I focus too much on the opinions of others. At the end of the day, I just fricken wanna be healthy! But I also question whether getting skinny that way IS healthy. Sure, it's effective, probably moreso for me, given how much difficulty I have losing weight. But the accompanying mineral and vitamin deficiencies concern me - am I healthier now, even obese, than I would be after the op?
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