I've had my band for over a year and lost about about 80 pounds in the first 9 months, but have put back on 25 pounds. I've never had a fill and can really chew food and it passes through with little resist. It seems like losing weight is just as hard as it was before I had the band. I'm not sure if I need to get my first fill, or just concentrate on gettng back to "band basics"....or both.

I'm no expert, and I'm not banded so I'm not sure exactly when your first fill should be, but I do believe you should have had a fill by now, most people visit their Dr once a month for the first year...have you been to see your surgeon?

I would see my doctor regularly for the first 6 months and when i went to get my fill, i was doing so good without a fill, he suggest i not get a fill until i stopped losing, or start gaining. that was over a year ago.

I'm in the same boat you are, haven't had a fill for 3 months, but I don't know how long I can last. I'm still losing,

but am beginning to slow. There are some people who have reached their goals without any fills, but that's harder

than it seems. I'm going to see how I do over the holidays and decide then. If you're gaining, then maybe you

need to try this:

http://www.5daypouchtest.com/

It's helped a lot of folks get started again. Lots of luck.

hello Malf, I would see your surgeon. It is time for a fill. You should still be loosing, if that is your goal. I know that it is normal to gain some weight after you reach goal and are in maintenance, but if you aren't in maintenance, you need a fill to get yourself back on track! Goo luck, Karen

I also suggest you visit your doctor. I haven't had any fills yet and had surgery almost 7 months ago. It might be time for your first fill or it might be time to increase your activity. Are you working out? I suggest that you start looking into doing some exercise to keep the weight loss going.

PEOPLE... WTH? The problem was in the second sentence. This is a tool that needs to be used. If you are not getting a fill, you are not taking advantage of this new device. I cannot beleive youR DR told you not to get a fill. IMO he is not giving you sound advice! CRAZY!!

There is no question to me. Your band is far from tight. You are gaining weight. Why would you not want to see your doctor for a fill? Use your band for what it is intended.

I am almost 4 years out. I recently gained 5 pounds. I went a got a teensie fill. I've lost the 5 pounds.

PEOPLE... WTH? The problem was in the second sentence. This is a tool that needs to be used. If you are not getting a fill, you are not taking advantage of this new device. I cannot beleive youR DR told you not to get a fill. IMO he is not giving you sound advice! CRAZY!!

While I cannot speak for the person who posted I will tell you this. I am also without a fill, I go to my doctor at my regular appointments and he is happy with my weight loss with out the fills thus far. I figure I have this band in me for life. There is plenty of time for fills. I do find I have restriction, probably not the best of it though, but I do get stuck from time to time so trust me, I can feel the band.

I decided to lose weight through exercise and giving up most carbs and processed foods. While I know I could have done this without the band, I am still very happy with what the band has done for me more in my mindset, then in actual restriction.

It all depends on how much you had in the band at the time of surgery. My surgeon put in the band completely empty. He had me wait two weeks for the swelling from the surgery to go down and then slowly started the fill process. Within three months i had 4 office visits and am at 5.5 cc in a 10 cc band. A little loose for my taste, but I am waiting until after the busy holiday to get another fill. You must have had saline in yours at implant to go that long with never needing a fill. The thing is, as you lose weight, you lose it everywhere, including around the stomach itself. Imagine putting on a really tight belt and never adjusting it as you lose weight. Even if you get a fill that is really good restriction, as you lose more weight, your stomach will shrink more and you will need more juice. Go see your doctor, gaining 25 pounds is definitely a red flag that your band is too loose. Good luck and get back on track!

I agree that people are in too big of a hurry to get fills and doctors are right for not filling you if you are constantly losing weight. Once you get filled completely up and you have the rest of your life with the band what happens then when you can never get another fill. I have been banded two years and only filled twice and that was after a year with no fills and only have 3 cc's in my band. Im not in a hurry to get filled. I will go in January for the next fill but I am happy with my weight loss so is my doctor and he told me when I need one come in and thats what Im doing . I dont believe that you cant have some control over what you eat and the amount you eat the you need to get filled up every six weeks just for the sake of getting a fill. There are times weight loss will stop no matter how many fills you get and will be stagnant for a while but then it picks up again when you mix up your diet. Its only my opinion but I say no to a lot of fills and yes to having some constraint and accountability of your own. Yes we had th surgery to lose weight but I have this thing forever I will use it wisely and the other part will be me doing the rest. Maybe some dont have the will power or desire to try it at least to some degree on their own. But I refuse to let some doctor fill me every six weeks just because thats what he wants to do.

Totally agree with you Sanction. I think it is so easy to try to let the band do it all for them (and for some people that works), however that doesn't change the behavior in my opinion.

Losing weight regardless of surgery or naturally is about a lifestyle change and it is about choices. Just because you have a piece of plastic in you shouldn't change the fact that you need to make better choices. You still need to work at it, fills or no fills.

But why would you let yourself gain 25 pounds and not go to your doc for a consult and/or a fill?! If people are losing weight with no fill, great, have a gold star, but most people need their band to do its job with the right amount of fills. I have had two fill docs tell me except in the rarest cases, if your band is less than half full (5cc in a 10cc band) it is not doing anything to make you feel lull on less or keep you satisfied longer...

Well if your gaining weight then yes have a fill but I never needed a fill for a year even with hunger because I was losing steadily. My weight loss only stopped when I quit smoking but this week I have lost 8 lbs because I changed my diet. If your gaining and have never had a fill then yes get a fill but if your steady losing then I dont see the need for a fill. I have good restriction with the amount of food that makes me full but my hunger has never been controlled by the band and Im not getting tight just to stop being hungry. None of us ever knew what hunger was before and I dont have a problem with feeling hungry at times. Its good to feel hungry for once in my life. But no matter what if you dont watch what you eat you can get 1000 fills it wont stop you from gaining weight if you dont eat right.

But why would you let yourself gain 25 pounds and not go to your doc for a consult and/or a fill?! If people are losing weight with no fill, great, have a gold star, but most people need their band to do its job with the right amount of fills. I have had two fill docs tell me except in the rarest cases, if your band is less than half full (5cc in a 10cc band) it is not doing anything to make you feel lull on less or keep you satisfied longer...

I agree with you that this person needed to see a doc before they put on 25 lbs.

I see that you have lost primarily from restriction and that is how the lap band is really set up for. I just use my tool differently. I will tell you though, even though I have never had a fill and I don't have a ton of restriction, one thing that I don't do, thanks to the band is snack constantly. I eat, I get satisfied (sometimes even full) and then I stop eating for hours. So in that respect, it has helped quite a bit.

I've had my band for over a year and lost about about 80 pounds in the first 9 months, but have put back on 25 pounds. I've never had a fill and can really chew food and it passes through with little resist. It seems like losing weight is just as hard as it was before I had the band. I'm not sure if I need to get my first fill, or just concentrate on gettng back to "band basics"....or both.

Given you are putting weight back on I would answer that it sounds like you need to address both issues, get back to band basic eating and go see the doc