If you reach your goal weight and feel you no longer need the help of the band, does deflation return you to normal? Does the pouch caused by the lapband disapear so the whole stomach opens to food? Or does even an open lapband restrict your diet?

Good question. I am wondering this myself. From what I have read, there could possibly still be some restriction but mostly from a shrunken stomach due to the restricted eating that took place.

Would love to hear from those who actually have it?

I think there is more info on the Removing the Band link area.

Dee

Even at goal I think I will still need some restriction to prevent overeating and maintain. I hope to never have to remove all the fill. If I get too thin (which I can not even imagine) I would get a very tiny unfill.

I'm sort of with HB. While I'm eating healthier and being more active, I can't imagine a point where I'll ever not need the band giving me a "friendly reminder" that it's time to stop eating... I can say I had some restriction after I got the band before I got a fill so I assume you'll have a little even if it's empty.

I agree that most people would need to have the lapband engaged. I'm just wondering what the effect of deflating it would be, i.e. is it like not having the band at all?

i had the band deflated in dec 09 due to health problems

it does allow the food to go down

i am going back end of march for a fill and start off slow again

I believe the OP was asking if you were at goal COULD you get an unfill, not WOULD you get an unfill to have some sort of normal digestion.

The answer is "depends."

I have had a complete unfill a few times for personal reasons/choice and for the most part, it was very close to being "normal" Normal to me was being able to eat foods I couldn't with a fill, not PB'ing, sliming or getting stuck, drinking with meals, not chewing food a billions times, etc.

I can tell you that having an unfill does allow you to eat normal (or large) portions mostly like you did preop.

I have always planned on having my band unfilled when I get to my goal weight. The band is a GREAT tool, and I use it when I need it, but I have NEVER thought that I would depend on it for a lifetime. I've been eating and exercising the way I'm suppose to, and the band is only the smallest piece of the puzzle for me. I can still eat around it if I wanted to, but I don't.

I fully intend to eat a half a hamburger again, bun and all one day. That is one thing I simply cannot eat with any amount of fill in my band. NO I won't eat it often, but having the choice to have one or not is important to me :laugh:

I really hope that when the band is unfilled I could once again eat some of the foods I like. I also plan to have the band unfilled when I get to goal weight. I could always fill it back up if I feel I need to lose weight, but I could not imagine not beign able to eat a sub. again. I think we use this tool as needed, anyways I hope that is the case.

I was banded 12/20/08 and with having lost 86 pounds am at goal. I would like to lose another 5 pds for me and the extra space it gives me in case I splurge once in a while and the scale goes up a pound. I do not want a total panic attack everytime I get on the scale and gain a pound overnight.

The thing is I have never had a fill from day one and still do not have any fill. I do have restriction to a certain degree and have totally changed my eating habits and exercise on a daily schedule even if it is only walking. I still get stuck if I eat too fast and cannot do bread of any kind, I totally keep away from sugar and keep my portions to a minimum.

I know I am one of a small percentage with no fills, but I guess it works for me and I am really tired of people saying why get the band if you are not going to fill it up and pb all the time.

I love my band and I will never get it removed unless something drastic goes wrong with it. Thank you for letting me vent and I truly believe the band is a life saver for so many people but it so different for each and every one of us.

Even unfilled, the band forms a "noose" around the upper portion of the stomach. There is still a pouch.

Your stomach capacity remains limited, but your gastric emptying rate is near normal--much like bandster hell. Only, well--you're allowed to eat.

My banded friend has had SOME of his restriction "lifted," but has not unfilled completely. This permits him room to up calories for maintenance purposes, but puts the brakes on so that he does not regain what he has lost.

Most of us have had great success LOSING weight in our lives--with or without the band. MAINTENANCE is where the recidivism kicks in. My doctor doesn't empty the band for maintaining patients--he fine-tunes it so that people can eat appropriately to maintain. Often, no unfill is necessary--loss just tapers off when the body reaches the right weight. Other times, loss continues beyond what is desirable--or the patient wants a bit more leeway---and a slight unfill is done.

I don't know about you, but I regard the band as a tool for weight maintenance even more than as a tool for loss. I do not plan on unfilling unless I have to for health purposes.

I was banded 12/20/08 and with having lost 86 pounds am at goal. I would like to lose another 5 pds for me and the extra space it gives me in case I splurge once in a while and the scale goes up a pound. I do not want a total panic attack everytime I get on the scale and gain a pound overnight.

The thing is I have never had a fill from day one and still do not have any fill. I do have restriction to a certain degree and have totally changed my eating habits and exercise on a daily schedule even if it is only walking. I still get stuck if I eat too fast and cannot do bread of any kind, I totally keep away from sugar and keep my portions to a minimum.

I know I am one of a small percentage with no fills, but I guess it works for me and I am really tired of people saying why get the band if you are not going to fill it up and pb all the time.

I love my band and I will never get it removed unless something drastic goes wrong with it. Thank you for letting me vent and I truly believe the band is a life saver for so many people but it so different for each and every one of us.

You and I sound very similary in experience and opinion. I too had restriction from day one and over the course of 15 months, have only had 3 fills total. I likely didn't even need the ones I got in the first year, but I felt "obligated" to get a fill from the opinions of others and the "bandster way."

I cannot tell you how sick and tired I am of people saying "if you don't have your band filled, why did you get it in the first place?" That drives me absolutely crazy!! First of all, I don't need it filled to the max or at all if I choose..let me emphasize..If I Choose!

The people in my "support" group constantly question why I do what I do and how I can possibly achieve the results I have achieved...easy answer...I'm using the "tool" in the way that works for me. Not you, not the majority of bandsters in the world, but for me!

I appreciate how Betsy is looking at using her band, but what works for her may not work for the next person or the next, it's what she chooses for herself, that is what is important.

I went into this with a clear vision of how I was going to use the band long-term. I have always intended of having a complete unfill when I was confident I changed my lifestyle and eating habits. NOT when I reached goal, and not for any other reason. ONLY when I was SURE I changed inside and out. I am not quite there yet, but am very close! Once I get there, I will have a complete unfill and live my life much like I did pre-band except without the bad habits.

If my bad habits start sneaking up on me again (I hope I have these demons gone) I will get a fill and start again. That is one of the reasons I chose lap-band over gastric bypass. Once a bypass patient falls off the wagon, their stomach can stretch back to it's original size and bigger and they can gain their weight back. If I start heading down that path (perish the thought) I simply go back in and get tightened back up just like immediately after surgery.

I think the majority of bandsters intend to use their band life-long, and many are scared of the idea of not using it as intended (getting and keeping fills), but that is not me. I am determined to use the tool as it best works for me and go back to eating like a normal person without fear of throwing up, PBing or sliming. Imagine that :tt1:

Even unfilled, the band forms a "noose" around the upper portion of the stomach. There is still a pouch.

Your stomach capacity remains limited, but your gastric emptying rate is near normal--much like bandster hell. Only, well--you're allowed to eat.

My banded friend has had SOME of his restriction "lifted," but has not unfilled completely. This permits him room to up calories for maintenance purposes, but puts the brakes on so that he does not regain what he has lost.

Most of us have had great success LOSING weight in our lives--with or without the band. MAINTENANCE is where the recidivism kicks in. My doctor doesn't empty the band for maintaining patients--he fine-tunes it so that people can eat appropriately to maintain. Often, no unfill is necessary--loss just tapers off when the body reaches the right weight. Other times, loss continues beyond what is desirable--or the patient wants a bit more leeway---and a slight unfill is done.

I don't know about you, but I regard the band as a tool for weight maintenance even more than as a tool for loss. I do not plan on unfilling unless I have to for health purposes.

I'm right with you, Betsy. One of the requirements the insurance company had was do you have a history of losing not being able to keep it off....

I know that without this band, I wouldn't have had such success losing, but I know that in order to maintain and continue to be successful after achieving goal will be to keep my band as the tool I need to stay here. If I'd like to eat a little more, I may have a slight unfill as a few posters have mentioned, but I don't think I'd ever have it removed or completely unfilled unless it was medically necessary.

I have never said this before and now looking on the last few months I can honestly say I LOVE MY BAND!

If you reach your goal weight and feel you no longer need the help of the band, does deflation return you to normal? Does the pouch caused by the LAP-BAND® disapear so the whole stomach opens to food? Or does even an open LAP-BAND® restrict your diet?

Without any fill, I could still eat as much and whatever I wanted although bread seemed to cause me some problems just by being banded.

As Betsy said, the pouch does not disappear, but if you look at a diagram of a banded stomach, there is a slight bit of restriction which, depending on the person, may or may not give you problems.

I am with Betsy and Juliansmom. I hope that I never have to lose my band. I would like to think and I truly do feel that I have come a long way with breaking all of my bad habits regarding food, but I know that in order to maintain my loss long term it will be necessary to keep my band filled. I also might have an unfill but I hope to do that with the idea that it will be at a level that will allow me to maintain my loss. I think that if I knew it was completely unfilled I could too easily get in the mindset that it was ok to indulge more often than I should. I figure I have it and will use if for the rest of my life.

Thank you Colorado, I am so glad that I am totally not from another planet. I have only read from a very few people who have never had a fill and got to goal and stayed there. My Dr said it is possible and he sees it in a very small percentage of people.They usually are very strong willed people.

I feel great, look great, and I am determined to not have to get a fill unless like most of you said, things change down the road and i somehow get back into my old habits and start to change my new and good habits into those ugly demons.

I love my band and would never trade it for anything and I personally have talked to a woman in town that gets fills with somebody else because it is "the thing to do". Last week she got dehydrated because she could not even drink Water.

I use my own mind and body to tell me what is right or wrong and what is comfortable. To me being so tight that I cannot drink water (while living in the desert of Arizona) is not how I want this journey to go.:confused:

I see so many success stories on here and I too am one in my own right.

I have only read from a very few people who have never had a fill and got to goal and stayed there. My Dr said it is possible and he sees it in a very small percentage of people.They usually are very strong willed people.

Which begs the question, "If they don't need the band, why did they get banded?"

As for 'strong willed'. I have to say this type of comment really torques me because the reality is that banding does not remove the need for self-control and will power. Even when I was overfilled and so restricted that I lived on Protein shakes until I could get an unfill, high calorie slider foods were still a possibility...if I did not practice willpower and self-control.

Many banded people struggle not to graze through the day...which we can still do when we have restriction...and that takes self-control and will power.

I love my surgeon. He was only 60 pounds overweight but because he had a problem controlling his portions...and because he was gaining more weight every year, he was banded. I believe that is why he has a much better understanding of this whole process than most surgeons do. He was very clear in my seminar that being banded is not about being a failure and lacking self-control and will power. It's just about finding the right tool. If WW or Jenny Craig work, great. If the band works, great...but all require self-control and willpower.