Happy Holidays Bandsters,

"The LapBand doesn't work".... This is what I have read from several people .

How DOESN'T it work? The LapBand controls how much food your taking in, right ?

I really don't get it .... Ive been banded for almost 3 full weeks and down almost 15lbs. Working pretty good if you ask me . Am I missing something ?

Happy Holidays,

Consider your self lucky and blessed I am 6 months out and no weight lost what so ever I am now at a total of 10.5 cc I now have had a total of 8 fills, and I still have not lost a pound!!

So regarding your post, yup the lapband does not work for everybody!

And yes you really will not get it untill you are in someone elses shoes.

I am now 24kg lighter and happily maintaining, something I have tried many times before and never managed. Could it be the band, no that must just be coincidence,it must be that after all these attempts I have eventually worked it out all by myself

Thanks ... for the reply .. What happen? What is your Doctor saying ?

I read someone else post months back and she was saying it didn't work, but the next sentence she continued to explain her eating habits and HELLO.. maybe thats exactly why "SHE" isnt working with the Lapband. Her diet was so bad. I dont know if she thought this is something that's placed in her and the fat just falls off. I know personally it's something you have to continue to work at.

I have not and will not stop meeting with my nutritionist as long as I have insurance and the lapband. Im just so curious what a Doctor would say the reason is for it not working .

As for you , im so sorry . You have not lost ANYTHING in 6mths ? Im 5'9 1/2 and 236 to start and down almost 15lbs and im already concerned if I lose too much weight because im so tall. (good thing it's adjustable)lol. I feel right now I have no control of the weight that's just falling off of me .

@juicy - Lap Band is not a miracle. It doesn't let you consume a large amount of calories and still lose weight. It does, however, with proper maintenance, give you a tool to use to make it easier. For example, take my brother and I. We both come from the same genes, same family growing up, same influences, same diet. As of 2 years ago, we were both obese. I, however, opted for Lap-Band surgery and have used it to the best of my ability. If my brother were to have a Lap-Band put in now, he wouldn't lose much, if any, weight. He is not one who is ready to make a real change. He'll keep drinking his milkshakes and ice cream and beer and cheesecake. On the flip side, I haven't had Haagen Dazs in a year and a half, same with soda. If I continued to eat and drink the way I did before, I'd remain the same weight. Now, I opt for grilled chicken breast with sauce & dressing on the side at Buffalo Wild Wings instead of breaded boneless drenched in garlic parmesan and bleu cheese dressing. A lot of it is about choices. A gal I work with hasn't changed her diet, doesn't get her band filled and complains that now she burps a lot (she drinks soda exclusively). I would not recommend Lap-Band for anyone who is not ready to make a true effort at changing their life. I tried for over a decade to lose my weight on my own and thankfully, a year and a half later, I am over 100 lbs lighter and have gone from a size 28 pants to a solid 14.

Barring some type of medical condition, it really is a calories game. Guaranteed if you're 300 lbs and you're only eating 1200 calories a day (even if you're a couch potato all day), you WILL lose weight. However, if you only eat one meal and it's a 3500 calorie meal, it's gonna be tough to lose that weight. Also, make sure you're getting enough protein. The weight will come off much easier if you make your calories work for YOU. You'll learn more about your body as you go along. I know that mine is fond of eating very late in the evening, but if I do, I pay for it on the scale. Make SURE to keep going to see your doc until you see results.

I guess one big question is... do you FEEL restricted? Are there things you have difficulty eating or does it feel like before the surgery where you're ravenous? I wonder if you have a leak or a placement problem. That's a lot of fluid to feel no or little restriction.

Good luck!

it doesnt work because people continue to eat junk that they shouldnt, they find ways to eat around the band, drink there calories....

@Waynef... Lol then it's NOT the Band that's failing , it's the person that got the band and obviously isn't ready for it . Just my thought .

Hmmmmm. Long term I certainly found it necessary to adjust my lifestyle to keep weight coming off and these days, I find it quite a lot of work to stay on the straight and narrow and it doesnt "feel" like the band does much other than restrict the quantity I can eat at a sitting. But I had to unfill it for another surgery and yep, its definitely cutting my appetite and making it easier to eat less overall.

But that signal does get weaker with time. It gets easier to ignore it and eat what you want anyway. And before I unfilled mine, I could never have had this much Fluid in it, I would have been so tight. My band is now 0.2cc off FULL and I can eat an entire sandwich - not a problem really - except that being able to eat a sandwich also means you can eat a Big Mac or a largish plate of Pasta AND have room for something else half an hour later. Choices, definitely.

But at first, I found weight loss automatic, it was very dramatic, pretty fast and definitely because of the band. I think some people truly dont get that honeymoon, particularly with the new bands, but I really do think there's a lot of people who just arent listening to what their band and body is telling them too.

I am still very new at this and by no means am I loosing as quick as I would like. However I do believe that the band will work if you find out what works best for you! Of all the research I did all of it said the band was a tool not magic. I am learning that meat (grilled, broiled, baked) fills me way faster and way longer than casseroles. I know that mashed potatoes should not be put into my mouth very often unless I want to keep fat belly fat. I think its going to be kind of a learning game. It’s a slower weight loss but a long term weight loss, not a fast off, and faster back on diet that most of us have done lots of times before.