I have been looking at the Sleeve & the Band. it seems more people are happy w/ the sleeve than the band! I fell like the band could help you be more in control!!

PLEASE HELP!!

I've heard some people mention band with plication. What is that???

Gastric plication is a new technique that reduces the size of the stomach by stapling pleats into it. It can be done as the only procedure, or in conjunction with band placement.

I know someone who had plication only and has done very well with her weight loss. And someone else who had band plication and has lost over 200 lbs with it, but she has another 150 or so to go and will probably revise to RNY or DS in order to tackle the rest of her weight.

Plication is too new to have any long term success or complication statistics.

and to the poster above me. The band is NOT made for you to eat Whatever you would like. Maybe that's why you didn't like it. It's made to restrict when you eat the solid protein and make you feel fuller when eating the right foods. Eating whatever you like defeats the purpose doncha think?

I understand what you're saying, but I think you may have leaped to an incorrect assumption about what the other poster meant by eating whatever he/she liked. You can't assume that what he/she liked to eat was just junk food. It's common to experience eating problems when eating healthy foods like solid protein, veggies, fruits, etc. when the band is too tight, and many bandsters struggle continually to find a good fill level that allows them to eat properly and not suffer side effects.

I hated my lapband, I went VSL and now I can actually feel full with no hungar, I eat anything I like and not the obstructed feeling I had with lapband. I also have the benefit of no foreign objects in me that will eventually need to be removed. I am now truly motivated to lose weight and exercise. Lapband was a curse and expensive. VSL gave me hope and I feel wonderful.

Gastric plication is a new technique that reduces the size of the stomach by stapling pleats into it. It can be done as the only procedure, or in conjunction with band placement.

I know someone who had plication only and has done very well with her weight loss. And someone else who had band plication and has lost over 200 lbs with it, but she has another 150 or so to go and will probably revise to RNY or DS in order to tackle the rest of her weight.

Plication is too new to have any long term success or complication statistics.

Im pretty sure Its actually stiched with stiches not staples. The method they use to do a standalone plication can be different then the one they do that is coupled with a band. I think standalone can be a double inward fold whereas the one I got with my band is single fold(still reduces stomach size by about 70%). Single fold is supposedly safer in terms of developing necrosis etc.

Also whats good about the band plus plication is that the band prevents the plication from stretching out after long terms, much like what can happen to veritcal sleeve patients over the long run. So im told by my doctor anyway.

Thank you Jean,

Yes, I never cared for sweets. I don't eat bread, rice or Pasta.

Yes I exercise religiously walking 3-4 miles perday.

I am now a firm believer genetics has a role as well.

I am huge lover of steaks and could eat 64 plus oz in one sitting. Now I can eat steak again, but much much smaller portions The band was just a total failure for me and VSL has been so much better.

I wish all of you wether you have chosen the band or VSL the very best

Take care.

Im pretty sure Its actually stiched with stiches not staples. The method they use to do a standalone plication can be different then the one they do that is coupled with a band. I think standalone can be a double inward fold whereas the one I got with my band is single fold(still reduces stomach size by about 70%). Single fold is supposedly safer in terms of developing necrosis etc.

Also whats good about the band plus plication is that the band prevents the plication from stretching out after long terms, much like what can happen to veritcal sleeve patients over the long run. So im told by my doctor anyway.

I stand corrected! And thanks for the info.

Thank you Jean,

Yes, I never cared for sweets. I don't eat bread, rice or Pasta.

Yes I exercise religiously walking 3-4 miles perday.

I am now a firm believer genetics has a role as well.

I am huge lover of steaks and could eat 64 plus oz in one sitting. Now I can eat steak again, but much much smaller portions The band was just a total failure for me and VSL has been so much better.

I wish all of you wether you have chosen the band or VSL the very best

Take care.

Genetics is indeed a big factor in obesity, plus a host of other idiosyncrasies (especially neuro-endocrine) over which we have no conscious control. All we can do is use the WLS tool (whichever one we choose) to make the best of the body we've got.

i am very happy with my band, but it depends on what your goals are and what you are willing to do. If you dont want to work out or eat right or in other words, lifestyle change then I know the band isnt for you. I dont know much about the sleeve. I dieted and worked out all the time before my band so this was just a tool to cut my eating and enforce my already low carb diet. If I fall off the waggon I know I'm not falling far cause I dont eat a lot.

I'm 100 % happy with the band and 100% successful.

Keep in mind that many thousands of banded people who are happy / successful do not post online about it. They are too busy living their new skinny lives. People tend to post more if they want input and advise from other bandsters and sometimes they may seem like they have a big problem but it passes or they get it figured out.

i agree.... i haven't been on this site in a very long time..ive learned what works for me so don't have too many questions for others anymore!!!.im happy and i would do it again if i had to...but it is a commitment...it is a sacrifice...and it takes a lot of work to reach that success!!! I've leaned to give up things i cant have anymore and ive learned that my body needs exercise to get where its gotten. i know people who have not been successful because they are not willing to make the sacrifices and commitments.

I am very glad that I had the band done. I had it done in September, so it's been 3 months. I have only lost 19 pounds so far, which is a little frustrating. I was hoping for more by now. They keep telling me that it's because I was only 215 to begin with so my weight loss will be slower. I have only had 2 fills so far and I am currently at 4 cc's. What can I do to increase my weight loss?

Becky youll get there...slowly but surely..i remember being in your shoes. now i look back and realize that the rate of loosing weight was just right and not too fast is a healthy way to go.!!! Hang in there!

Exactly true... usually after some time bandsters stop posting. If things are going great, they leave it alone, and if not, they will get on and search the forums, or post a problem. That's why you don't hear from them if all is good. I haven't posted in ages, and just got on recently for plastic surgery questions, and my band is doing fine.

I can say I am over 18 months out - 100 lbs down and still 100% happy. Like someone else said there are sacrifices involved; like I haven't had rice in those 18 months and I can eat a bite or 2 of bread rather than several rolls. The sacrifices are worth the end result of wearing a size 8 to me

I have noticed that the ones that dont have fills regularly dont have much success and do not like the lap band...I had to go every month for the first yr until it got filled to the right spot,, since then about every 6 months

I have noticed that the ones that dont have fills regularly dont have much success and do not like the lap band...I had to go every month for the first yr until it got filled to the right spot,, since then about every 6 months

That's why I don't recommend the band to people who don't have the willingness or means to go back to the doc for frequent fills/adjustments.

That's why I don't recommend the band to people who don't have the willingness or means to go back to the doc for frequent fills/adjustments.

I haven't had a fill in over a year - I thought about it last month, but decided against it (not gaining)

I had the Realize Band on 1/9/09 and I consider it a 100% success. I'm within 15 pounds of my target weight but where I differ from many of the folks on this forum is that I eat and drink everything I want. I sip a glass of wine with dinner and I have a small cup off coffee in the morning with breakfast. Let me preface that by saying the my previous obesity was a result of eating too much food, not from eating the wrong foods. I'll have a piece of bread here and there and I always leave room for desert...the only difference is now I eat a quarter of the food I used to eat.