Had LB surgery Sept 04. With each fill (total of 4,5?), I had hoped the band would restrict my intake. While I do eat smaller portions than I used to, I have never really lost any weight with the band.

Now 6 years later, I am preparing for bypass and will have the LB removed.

This has been a dismal failure for me and I really don't know why other than, as always, I eat too much. The one thing I can say is that i always drink water during meals. With out it my esophagas jams like crazy. Could the drinking with meals sabotaged my efforts?

Anyone else find no long term benefit to the LB?

Drinking water with the lapband is a big no no. That's one of the first things my support people told me not to do. It washes down your meal and doesn't give you the full feeling that the small pouch is for. Don't give up just yet. Take smaller portions, chew the crap out of it and take your time. No water 1/2 hour before or after your meal.

Are you eating healthier and exercising? That is so important. With the band, you absorb everything. The band is just the tool, you have to work with it by eating healthier and exercising.

Your posts tells us a couple of things.

That you eat too much

That you drink with meals

Before you go through another surgery I think you need to address these issues. Otherwise you may get a bypass and have that "fail you" too.

Eating too much probably means you are not properly restricted. When was your last fill? Have you seen your Dr lately? Do you have any other support group? I think you need another adjustment.

Remember what you eat makes a big difference as well. There are lots of foods that i can eat in large quantities but they are not the ones I should be eating for weight loss. If I stick to proper Protein, veggies and carbs then I can only eat small amounts and I stay satisfied for longer.

Drinking with meals is something bandsters are not suipposed to do. I am sure you know that. The question is why are you choosing to ignore this rule because in doing so you are causing the band to be ineffective.If you cannot get food down without drinking then you are probably taking too big bites,not chewing properley or choosing foods that do not agree with your band.

If you follow these rules you should not need to drink with meals. In fact if you had proper restriction you would find it very difficult and uncomfortable to be able to drink with meals.

Try choosing foods that are cooked in a way that keeps them moist. For instance grilled chicken breast can be really dry and difficult to eat but if you eat the darker meat and choose a moist cooking method stewing, casserole etc you will find it a lot easier to eat.

You have to remember that the band is a tool that helps in our weight loss efforts. It does not do all the work on its own and I get the impression (I could be wrong) that that is what you have been expecting.

Before you put your body through more surgery which if you are not properley committed could also fail I suggest you relook at how you are using your band.

Go back to your Dr, get an adjustment, join a support group and follow the "rules" and I am sure you will start loosing and not need the other surgery. And don't forget exercise is important to.

The bypass works for a lot of people but again not everyone and there are even instances of people having bands over bypass.

Ive seen too many people eat through their bypass and gain it all back, the band is there forever and will occasional adjustments can help long term better in my opinion than bypass..... bypass gets you there quicker but doesnt help keep you there.

FYI my doc's rules for bypass are almost identical to his band rules, including no drinking with meals....maybe an occasional sip if you need to wash something down (and I do mean occasional!) but if everything gets stuck without drinking you're likely either eating too fast or taking bites that are too big.

Good luck with your surgery, I wish you well on your journey.

Sounds like you never got to proper restriction. Others had said, and I found it to be true, that when you get to restriction you will not physically be able to drink while eating. That is certainly the case for me.

I was just banded in April and have had I believe 4 or 5 fills so if you have only had that many in 6 years time I would say, frankly, that you failed to work the band, not that the band failed to work.

However, the great thing about the band is it is still there and you can choose to begin working it properly anytime you like. I certainly would put my effort into that 100% before I went and had major surgery and cut out parts of my body. Especially since people eat around and fail after bypass as much as they do after lapband.

It is all up to you, you have to do the work to get the results and not expect it to happen without any real effort on your part.

My doctor's gastric bypass rules are identical to the recommendations he makes for banded patients. (The only difference is how rapidly diet is advance postop; bypass patients introduce solids more slowly. That, and bypass patients are cautioned about possible postop lactose intolerance.)

The malabsorption of nutrients related to bypass will work in your favor--temporarily. The body is pretty amazing in its efficiency, though; it "learns" to work with the alterations in anatomy, and corrects its response to malabsorption within a couple of years.

That's why you see initial huge losses with bypass--followed by about the same result as banding 5 years down the road.

Just as with banding, you can "eat around" a bypass. Yes, dumping syndrome can be a deterrent to some overeating--but it's not experienced by all (or even most) bypass patients.

If you haven't been able to make the modifications required for banding, I'd think long and hard about having bypass. You will need to make the same modifications---and MORE. To avoid dumping, you will have to avoid a whole class of foods that I suspect you still are eating with your band.

OTOH if the issue is that the band causes you physical discomfort that prevents you from eating properly, that may be a different story--as long as you keep in mind that you might be experiencing a whole different world of discomfort if you are noncompliant with bypass.

After my last visit my doctor recommeded to drink with my meals.

I did ask if he meant just sip and he said no drink as much as you want.

First I have heard of this. My husband was with me so I did hear this correctly.