Does anyone know what determines the size of band you get???

It really depends on the type of band used. I'm no expert, but from what i've read, the realize

only needs one size for both it's bands, LapBand has 5 sizes, but most surgeons only use two,

AP-l is 14ml and AP-s is 10ml. All this information is on the net, in one place or another.

As to what size is used, apparently the initial size of the stomach was used to determine the band

size, now it's thought to not be as important.

The size of the band you get is determined by the amount of fat you have around your stomach. I was reading my operating room report and the dr said he had to use the 14 cc band on me because of the 'fat pad' that was around my stomach. I asked him about it and he just said that the more fat you have around your stomach itself (not how fat your stomach looks from the outside) determines if you get the 10 cc versus the 14cc band (with the Lap Band AP system). I don't know what sizes the Realize bands come in.

Dawn's right. It's determined by the size of the waist line of a given person. I also think the bands can be adjusted should a patient become pregnant or want to become pregnant down the road.