Fabrizio C. is a 29-year-old, married, company manager. Before surgery, he weighed 160 kilograms (352 pounds); today, he weighs 81kg (178lbs).

"Throughout my life, I tried everything to lose weight. But despite my efforts, I weighed 160kg (352lbs). I can assure you that moving around at that weight was far from easy. Doing the simplest things wore me out, and even the lightest activity was difficult. Flicking through a newspaper one day, I read about a low-risk, reversible surgical procedure.

I contacted the team responsible for more information. I prepared myself psychologically and made the decision. I was operated on a year and a half ago. Thanks to the LAP-BAND, I've gone from a size 69 (size 56) in trousers to a size 50 (size 34). At mealtimes, I've learned to eat what I enjoy, without overdoing it because I'm aware that if I eat too much, badly, or too quickly, I risk a relapse. With self control, this conditioning works."

Elisa M. is a 24-year-old telephonist. Before surgery, she weighed 149kg (328lbs), and now she weighs 86kg (190lbs). In two years, she has lost 63kg (138lbs).

"It had become a nightmare. At 22, I already felt old. I spent all day in front of the TV, and I even lost my job. I argued with everyone. I no longer wanted to see anybody, so I could gorge myself on anything that came my way. But this only made my situation worse until one day something just clicked. A relative who works in a hospital spoke to me about the Adjustable LAP-BAND. I sought information and made the decision. I was very motivated. Now, I have really changed. I feel like a different person. I'm cheerful. I like going out for walks. I'm satisfied with my job and I'm doing voluntary work."

My name is Nadia. I'm 47 years old, I live in Pordenone, and I am here to tell you my story.

I have been overweight since I was born, and at 13 I was already obese. So you can appreciate how such a problem has conditioned my life, and that I was faced at an early age with problems beyond my years. Everyday I had to face people who, fortunately for them, did not have this problem. They ridiculed me; they made a laughing stock of me.

Despite all this, I did manage to come through the most miserable times with the help of diets. But then, I fell back again into the same deep depression when I saw that all my efforts were in vain, because the slightest little thing was enough to make me regain all the kilos I had lost and more.

Of all the various diets I tried, recommended to me by my family doctor, by an endocrinologist in Padua, or simply read about in women's magazines, the most successful for me was Weight Watchers, the international organization that has been operating in this sector for years. The results were excellent--60 kilos (132lbs) in 8 months--but even on that occasion I regained every last kilo.

Each time I started a new diet, I would tell myself that this was going to be the right one, but my hopes were always dashed, and I always ended up just the same as before. And so I reached a weight of 180kg (396lbs), a real torment.

I could no longer dress myself, I found washing difficult, and even getting into a car was a nightmare. If I had to go to the bathroom during the night, my heart would be racing wildly by the time I got back into bed and it would take several minutes before my breathing returned to normal. So my problem was no longer one of appearance, but of health.

Through an acquaintance, I was able to meet first with Dr. Favretti, then with Dr. Segato, and so on until the operation. I was a little skeptical in the beginning. I didn't know what I was letting myself in for. I didn't know if I would regret it and above all, I was afraid.

I have to thank Dr. Segato and all his team who helped me so much to solve my problem. Yes, now I can say that I have solved my problem. Fourteen months have passed since the operation and I have lost 60kg (132lbs). My life has changed, I can do everything "normal" people can do, and I am no longer hindered by excess fat. I still have a lot of weight to lose but I am happy because I am no longer suffering the agonies of dieting. I know now that I can only lose weight and that when I reach my ideal weight, the doctors will regulate my stomach so that it does not absorb more than necessary. After my operation, my sister Carmen and mother Dolly underwent surgery, both with excellent results.

The operation went completely smoothly thanks to the skill of Dr. Segato and all those who work and study with him in this sector, with the aim of resolving problems like mine. Once again, heartfelt thanks.

I had what could surely be described as a normal life until the age of 35. At a certain point, I began to gain weight and this continued for around two years. I put on a considerable amount of weight. Just think that I went from 58-60kg (about 132lbs) --I'm 1.62 meters tall (5'4") to 105kg (232lbs). You can imagine how desperate I felt; I tried everything from gymnastics to fasting, but it was hopeless.

One day, I heard about the LAP-BAND operation. I had surgery in 1992. Six months later, I had lost 25kg (55lbs) without major effort and without problems. In the space of a year, I returned to my ideal weight and, more importantly, I have not gained weight since. Now, six years later, I have a will to live that for years I had lost. Once again, I feel secure both at work and in my social life and I have much more energy than most people do my age (53). I feel that I wasted time in my life, the time when I was fat, and I feel that I would have had fewer psychological difficulties if only I had surgery earlier.

What has the LAP-BAND meant for me? A return to normal life. Obese people are like parasites. We need everything. After the operation, you can go back to work; you can communicate again. Social relations improve. You feel more lucid mentally. Fat suffocates everything.

Would I recommend the operation? I'm carrying out a crusade to convince all overweight people to have this surgery. The solution is not just any diet.

Is it difficult to adhere to the limits imposed by the operation? Not if you think about it a little. I used to live to eat. Now I eat to live, and what I eat is sufficient to me.

I had the LAP-BAND operation in April two years ago and my life changed completely. I am fully satisfied with people, with my clothes, with the world. I would recommend it to anyone. Sometimes I see people who have weight problems and I feel like stopping them and telling them about it, because the results I have achieved have truly been excellent. My weight has gone down by more than 40kg (88lbs), and I am happy. I eat little, but I am able to eat all kinds of food and I am perfectly well, both mentally and physically. I can say that I have almost found the inner peace that I will gain fully when I have reached my ideal weight.