Lap Band Candidate?

[Haley]

Hi ive been interested in getting the lap band procedure for a few years now. I looked online to see if I was a candidate for the procedure before and it said I had to be over 100lbs of weight and have two medical conditions. That was a few years ago.

I have been struggling with my weight all my life. I have not been under 200lbs since high school. Even when I was under I gained it back fast.

I have no problem with exercising, its my eating habits that stop me from losing weight or even keeping it off.

What makes you a good candidate?

[HopefulFuture]

Welcome!!! I have struggled for years myself and I was reluctant to do the procedure also but this site really helped me and it will help you too. I weight 178 lbs and I leave this Thursday for Mexico to get the lapband. You have to be atleast a BMI of 30 for Dr.Ortiz to do the procedure. Read this forum often. We have all are in the same boat. Good Luck.

[marek]

Hey there! I'm 6ft4in tall and 260lb I have no med conditionsi I'm healty as a horse and I'm goin for mine lab band. No one decline me in Toronto or TJ so when you said they told you did you mean friends pepele you talked to or actual doctors? Call OCC and chat with them that what I did and they work with me

[Kittycat]

You!! You are a good candidate and now is as good a time as any to get it done.

I am 45, which I had done it sooner. I was banded on June 10th and have lost 51 lbs.

If you are ready to make a lifetime committment to your health and willing to change your eating habits, you are ready.

If you need any questions answered, we are here to answer anything at all!

Best of luck with your decision!

[CottonwoodAZ]

Looks like you are a good to go. Just a bmi of 30 which was my exact BMI at the time of surgery. For Insurance to pay its a higher BMI and still the medical conditions

[Trav]

Well, I'm not medically qualified to say "yay" or "nay". All my advice is purely anecdotal.

Given that you're 100lbs or more overweight, I would say that's (should be in a perfect world) an immediate qualifier. Reason being: If you catch it soon enough, you don't have to suffer the other co-morbidities that come along with being heavy.

When I spoke with Dr. Ortiz afterward, he could tell just from my anatomy that I had fought this thing for a long time. I've bounced from 200lbs to 340lbs for the last decade. With me, it's either work out all the time and be a slave to your body, or get fat. Pre-op, I could eat enough for 3 people, and still not feel full....30min after dinner, I'd be hungry again....so it was either be extremely active, or gain weight. You combine that with any personal turmoil in your life, and you're setting yourself up for failure. I've lived it first hand. Break ups, job loss, anything can set it off, and then you're back to square one. Eventually, you kick someone down long enough, they stop getting up, and they need help. I'd reached that point.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and if you're already to the point where you're looking into it, I'd say do it.

...again, my advice is anecdotal, take from it what you will, but that's my recommendation.