So my father in law was banded for 3 years and nothing happened. We believe he cheated. Now he had Gastric and lost 95 pounds. I was talking to him, and he said they put too big a band in him. It was the 10cc. I am confused by the different sizes and who gets what, and why?

There are a small handful of band sizes currently available. I have an 11 cc Realize band, and it's working just fine. My doctor uses this, and the 14-cc Lap Band. He chooses the latter for people with very high BMIs, simply because they are easier to fit around a larger stomach. They still, with appropriate filling, provide restriction--even when the stomach size is significantly reduced.

The band did not do the trick for your father-in-law. It's not for everyone--it does require a lot of aftercare (adjustment by the surgeon, and so on), and it does require hugely changed eating habits. Chances are, is failure has absolutely nothing to do with the size of the band. He may, however, have had difficulty gaining restriction if he did not have appropriate follow-up.

Is he aware that gastric bypass---once he's past the initial gonna-lose-no-matter-what honeymoon phase (about a year)---will require the same sort of discipline, in terms of changing eating habits? Is he in a program that will provide the aftercare he needs to ensure that he really internalizes this? Because bypass patients can and do have difficulty maintaining their losses if they don't make the necessary changes.