For those of you that have had their bands emptied (by choice or necessity) is it the same as not having a band as far as getting food down? If not how close does an unfill get you to no restriction?

Never had an unfill but I've never had a fill either; I'll chime in and say I have pretty good restriction with it. Usually with the band there is some restriction, though it seems to differ for some.

I have been unfilled several times during this journey and I will tell you every single time I have regained weight at a frightening speed because my appetite and ability to eat were the same as preband. If my stomach slips through my band again, I have already been told that I will lose the band permanently.....that scares the begosh out of me.

Hmmm, I've been unfilled for almost six months now, and I'd say having an unfilled band is not "quite" the same as having no band at all. For all intents and purposes it is close enough not to matter, I mean, I can eat unrestricted, I can eat anything I want to eat. With restriction I could eat whatever I wanted and my weight wouldnt budge, now I have to consciously keep the high calorie foods down and fill up on fruit, salads, vegies, all that very low calorie stuff, since I absolutely cannot exist of the size meals I was eating with restriction. I wake up hungry and want my Breakfast, where I never cared much about it before. I can eat cold thngs like strawberries out of the fridge, which is heaven.

However, I have pb'd twice with no fill in my band - once when I had a subway vegie sub and a bottle of cold Water - that came up. The other was the one and only time I've eaten a burger unfilled - STILL too much for me, all that bread and meat together - I mean it was a real burger, not a pretend little crap burger like McDonalds, but a proper bread roll, toasted, with a homemade burger off the barbecue and salad. Again, I was drinking at the same time. Didnt come up but simed and felt very uncomfortable.

I've been continually amazed at how I've been able to manage to stick to 3 meals a day and avoid the between meal eating and steer clear of crap foods, in fact I'm actually eating better than with restriction becasue I'm not eating around my band and filling up on slider foods between meals kind of thing - so I do wonder whether the band is still providing some appetite control. But believe me, if I wanted to eat up big, visit McDonalds every day and stuff my face and gain back 120lb, I could do it.

Never had an unfill but I've never had a fill either; I'll chime in and say I have pretty good restriction with it. Usually with the band there is some restriction, though it seems to differ for some.

thats awesome never a fill and lost over a hundred pounds.some people get all the luck and success.

thats awesome never a fill and lost over a hundred pounds.some people get all the luck and success.

Thanks; wouldn't call it luck though. Willpower and working my ass off? Yep.

Two days ago my Dr unfilled my band I had been to tight for quite awhile. I had a upper GI that showed pouch dilation. I will be going back in for another upper GI toward the end of May. I am feeling much better and really need to be careful about what I am eating and avoid those so call soft comfort food.

In any case there is still restriction and since the theory is to release the tightness so that the pouch will go back to its original size I cannot jeopardize the process by going crazy eating everything in site.

I have been unfilled and without a band since I first got banded in 2009.

When I was unfilled I was worried I would gain weight but it was only for 2 weeks and I didn't gain any weight. I watched what I ate and was hungry faster etc but did ok.

I was bandless for a month before I got a BIB balloon and I actually found that having no band after being banded was almost like having a band! food got stuck sometimes if I didn't chew enough ( was eating things I couldnt eat with the band) I even pb'd a few times, it was so bizzare.

I was lucky to again not gain any weight when I went a month without a band.

In summary from my experience having an unfill will take you closer but not completely back to being without a band.

I have never gotten a fill and I wouldn't say it is like not having a band. I get full from a 4 oz protein and a bit of veggies. I don't think that would have ever held me for hours prior to the band. I don't chew as well as I should but have never gotten stuck or PB'd, I have had a sensation of it going down slow. Also if I eat to fast I feel a little sick afterward.