Has anyone here had the lap band procedure? If so, how did you do with it? I've been told that it doesn't do too much for diabetics, but the thought of a bypass HORRIFIES me.
I am overweight, but not enough to be a candidate for bariatric surgery.
I am well aware of how difficult it is to lose weight. Our bodies just seem to "learn" to run on very few calories, and we have to reduce them radically in order to produce a weight loss. Exercise is the key to it. If you build lean muscles, they use more calories than fat does.
I don't know why you would have the idea that lap-band, as opposed to the largely-invasive stapling or gastric bypass procedures, would not help diabetics?
The basic truth is this: lose weight, diabetes gets better....and so do a host of other illnesses....
The other basic truth, is one you already know. The bariatric surgery does not, in itself, cause you to lose any weight. It simply provides you with a "full" feeling after not ingesting very much food. The mechanism of losing the weight can be accomplished exactly in the same manner with, or without, bariatric surgery. However, without is HARD. Many people, including me, find it NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE. I fight and fight and fight with my own will to just keep my weight where it is. It is a continuous, daily struggle.
There is another way to feel "full" on less food.... and that is to keep your blood sugar low. There is nothing that makes you feel more hungry than a high blood sugar.
It was actually the surgeon who told me that the lap band wouldn't be as beneficial as the bypass. I know I didn't mention it, but I have MS, which causes extreme pain and fatigue, which makes exercise VERY DIFFICULT. People always assume I want the easy way out, that's not the case. I've been trying to lose weight since my diagnosis in 2001. Before my MS came along, I weighed 135 pounds. Now I'm at 246. STEROIDS KILLED ME. So yes, I do try to do something as simple as going for a walk for 30 min 3-4 times a week, and I do use my weighted balls, and my resistance bands and cables. I'm not directing my anger towards you, I'm just venting........
Hello all... in regards as to whether the lap band program works on diabetics... I have a friend that is 50 years old and was probably 100 plus pounds overweight. She is a type 1 (I think she's a type 2; she never had the C-peptide test done that determines how much insulin your body is producing) and after about 2 months had lost almost 50 pounds or 3/4 pounds a week. She is still losing, but not as quickly now. Her Lantus dosage has decreased by half the amount and her Humalog is taken in such tiny dosages, perhaps 2-3 units a meal. That is because she is eating a low carb diet which apparently the program encourages. Hope this helps in your quest for answers. ~Barb
any surgery that reduces the size of the stomach DOES , by itself, cause you to lose a LOT of weight. When your stomach is the size of a grape you simply cannot eat much so of Course you'll lose weight. That is why people still have the surgery.
I have a relative who had bypass and lost 110 lb quickly. I didn't recognize her. True, after 2 years she has gained back ten pounds and has a lot of loose skin. She had a facelift only and looked 15 years younger 2 weeks afterwards. It didn't make her a really pretty woman; just a much younger, attractive woman. Partly because she refused a nose job.
