I've had my lapband for 5 years. It has never worked for me. I lost 24 pounds on the liquid diet and I have managed to keep about 20 of that off. But, I never lost any weight with the band. I've had 13 fills and they kept saying, "Oh they put a large band in you". They finally sent me to the nutritionist who was a 90 pound vegetarian (not sure why she felt the need to tell me that) who was more interested in her phone than me. Her big suggestion after glancing at my diet sheet was to tell me if I get hungry in the afternoon, to have tuna on cucumber slices. Really? $16,000 and that's the advice I get? I left that day feelling like this whole thing was a mistake and I never went back. Now, five years later, I'm having pain around the port. I guess I'll have to go back, but I'm not looking forward to that. My advice would be to really do your research before you spend this kind of money. I would not do it again and I would have to advise other people to really think about it before they did it.

Pam Stevens

On the flip side of things, I love my band. I had the band for always two years now and I never felt the green zone until a couple of days ago. Before my fill, I only had 1 fill but I worked hard to get the 85 pounds off. I watched my food intake and exercise 3-4 times a week. The band is a tool and the weight is not going to fall off without hard work. I just received 2 1/2 cc's fill and back on the liquid diet for a while. I feel great. I was stuck at 250 pounds after almost 2 years and felt like a fill was needed.

If you put your mind to it than you can lose the weight. Never give up on something that you want to accomplish so bad. Just saying.

I have to say , If I eat too fast or too much or something that doesn't agree with my band I get a clear signal from the band.. now that being said, I won't ignore those signals just so I can stuff some pizza or crescent roll down my throat.. I just don't understand how you can eat around the band.. I have had 2 fills. only have 2 cc in my band.. but, I feel enough restriction that I know when I have ate too fast or too much.. I also track my calories though and started some exercise recently.. I also give myself some time to feel satiety.. I think the Band is a tremendous tool and I too could not have done this by myself.. The band has given me the chance to get my weight and eating under control. I think you have to realize that a certain amount of will power is required no matter what you do. I know people who have had bypass and still ate around it..

See all the good and bad feed back your getting someone once posted it is not a fix all and that it won't make you thin it is just a tool to help you , you also have to work at it , it just helps a bit but you also have to watch what you drink & eat as with every other diet & moderation if you don't do the moderation then it does not work I have had 5 fills and I have 10 n 1/2 cc's n a 14 lg cc band also I am only 9 months out and have lost 60 lbs so it is what you do not what the band does it is there n place to help you, well good luck .

I am new to this board and want a band but only heard the negative. It is nice to hear that as long as you work it, it will help you with your journey. I am so not saying that there are not other circumstances that can happen to not have success but seems like I keep hearing, you get out what you put in. I'm so glad I found this I was really starting to think of the sleeve but have small children and it scared me.

In addition to using the band the way it is intended to be succesful there has to be a good bariatrics program too. If you are in a program where the surgeon just does the surgery but there isn't any regular follow up then that too can make a patient fail. Many centers orphan the patient after the surgery thank God that isn't my center...going on 6 years in Aug. and still can do weekly follow-up without cost if I choose to do so....and I choose to do so.

{{{{HUGS}}}} I just want to support you and let you know that my first band had a leak and I got a lot of the same feedback you are getting. My Dr. wouldn't check my band under floroscopy until my husband asked even though I had been telling my dr. that something was wrong. I had to get another band. My first one was a large one and I hear that it is hard to get restriction on that size band. Yes, the band is a tool, but it needs to help us. I have problems with head hunger and has been struggling too.

I am new to this board and want a band but only heard the negative. It is nice to hear that as long as you work it, it will help you with your journey. I am so not saying that there are not other circumstances that can happen to not have success but seems like I keep hearing, you get out what you put in. I'm so glad I found this I was really starting to think of the sleeve but have small children and it scared me.

Here is a forum about success. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/forum/227-lap-band-success-stories/

If the LabBand didn't work for you that's too bad, but individuals need to make their own decisions.

I always find these and other kinds of posts like it quite interesting. So you didn't lose weight with the band? That doesn't mean it's the bands fault, the band is a failure, or others shouldn't have a procedure that could dramatically increase their quality of life or even save their life.

Weight loss is simple math. Consume less calories than you take in and you will lose weight. The band (when used properly) is a tool to help you consume less calories. If you get the band then cheat on it, then don't expect it to work any better than a marriage when there is cheating going on there.

If you gorge on slider foods: high calorie sugary drinks, milkshakes, ice cream, etc. when you have the band, then you are not going to succeed. Is that the band's fault? I don't hardly think so.

Weight loss, even with the band, is truly multi-faceted. If there are psychological or other addiction problems causing you to overeat while you have the band, there is certainly help out there for that.

But if your overall goal is to lose weight, and you are gaining weight with the band, do you really think you are going to succeed without the band? What if you have it removed and then gain weight twice as fast as you did with the band?

In short: Did the LapBand fail you or did you fail the LapBand?

If the LabBand didn't work for you that's too bad, but individuals need to make their own decisions.

I always find these and other kinds of posts like it quite interesting. So you didn't lose weight with the band? That doesn't mean it's the bands fault, the band is a failure, or others shouldn't have a procedure that could dramatically increase their quality of life or even save their life.

Weight loss is simple math. Consume less calories than you take in and you will lose weight. The band (when used properly) is a tool to help you consume less calories. If you get the band then cheat on it, then don't expect it to work any better than a marriage when there is cheating going on there.

If you gorge on slider foods: high calorie sugary drinks, milkshakes, ice cream, etc. when you have the band, then you are not going to succeed. Is that the band's fault? I don't hardly think so.

Weight loss, even with the band, is truly multi-faceted. If there are psychological or other addiction problems causing you to overeat while you have the band, there is certainly help out there for that.

But if your overall goal is to lose weight, and you are gaining weight with the band, do you really think you are going to succeed without the band? What if you have it removed and then gain weight twice as fast as you did with the band?

very well said

I can relate. I've had my lapband for going on one year now. I had a difficult time after surgery because the doctor fixed a hernia at the same time and put in one stitch too many' date=' so I had to undergo a second surgery the same day. Needless to say, I was off work for one month. I was 272 when I decided to have lapband. In the month before the surgery, I got down to 250. After that I stuck with a low-carb diet and was really careful about not overeating and eating slowly and got down to 190. I was originally told that I would not be able to ever eat bread or drink carbonated beverages (sodas were not a problem since I don't like them anyhow) and, if it meant that I would be skinny, I didn't mind giving up bread. I was also told that I would only be able to eat small amounts of food or I would throw up. Well, once I reached 190, I decided to "test the waters" so to speak. I tried eating more and I was fine. Then I tried bread. I was fine. Then crescent rolls and pizza. Fine and fine - never felt sick, never threw up. Before I knew it, I was eating like I had before. I had one fill between the time of my surgery and the time I reached 190. Then I went back up to 230 and had another fill. I felt no restriction have either fill. I even had them x-ray me to make sure the band was in place. Everything looked fine. My doctor said "Well, if this doesn't work, we'll go back in and remove the band and do a gastric sleeve." OH REALLY? And who's going to pay for that???? Really pissed me off. So, once again, after a lifetime of dieting (I'm 62), I feel like the biggest failure in the world. All my friends know I had lapband and I can just imagine what they're thinking. How embarrassing. Oh well, I guess I was never meant to be thin.

Anybody else out there have this same story?[/quote']

I really empathize with you. I've never been successful at any diet I was on. Oh, I'd lose weight but wiould always be hungry. Then it would be Girl Scout cookie season and I wouldn't buy just one box lol. I'd order 12 boxes of thin mint Cookies with the intention of bringing to certain social groups I belonged to. Maybe 4 boxes would make it to the groups and I would keep the rest. I wouldn't eat the serving size I would eat like 12 cookies at a time and then my weight would creep back up. So the diet disn't fail me. I failed in the diet. The same is true of the Lapband; not many people know I have it for fear of failing the Lapband, not the Lapband failing me. There are times I feel no restriction but now I log everything I eat in my fitness pal and it keeps track of my food and calorie intake.

The Lapband is a tool, not a miracle drug and until you hit that perfect sweet spot you've got to stop eating when your fitness pal says you've had your calorie intake for the day. If I still feel hungry I'll have broth which I can have unlimited and it works for me.

I'm sure most of us didn't have surgery without looking into it first. I went to three seminars before I decided to go ahead with WLS. I knew by then that the Lapband would not work for me unless I did my part. So I'm doing what I have to do to be successful this time.

If I have to I will speak to a psychologist before I say the Lapband didn't work for me.

I have had 4 fills now. I feel I am in the green zone. I cannot eat bread any longer, which to me is a good thing. I have tried twice now and will not try again. I am down 47 pounds since my surgery Dec. 28, 2012. I feel so good. I have another 32 pounds to go to my goal of 150. It is a struggle everyday. But it is a struggle I am willing to make. I did not under go surgery to fail myself. This was a huge decision. I would suggest this surgery to others if they are truly commited in changing their way of eating. Like we have all heard this is not a diet, it is a way of life now. I love my band.

This may be a harsh opinion, but it is mine. Unless something is physically wrong with either you, our your band... The only thing responsible for failure is YOU.

I see a lot of you bitching about how your dietician our surgeon didn't give you good advice, or the advice you wanted. Who cares????? You need to be proactive. Go to a library. Read some books. Order some off Amazon (there's TONS out there about WLS). Actually make your surgery and learning a passion. DON'T rely on anyone else. The only person who controls their success with the band is the person operating it. Everyone knows it's not a miracle cure.

Plan your work, work your plan!!!!

I got the Band in October 2009 and I've lost 150 pounds but I'm very active. I do Martial Arts, Gym 2 times a day and CCX Training. The only thing I'm upset about is I found out today I have to get my Band removed due to the fact that I found out I have Barretts Esophagus. Good luck with what you decide.

I've had my lapband for 5 years. It has never worked for me. I lost 24 pounds on the liquid diet and I have managed to keep about 20 of that off. But, I never lost any weight with the band. I've had 13 fills and they kept saying, "Oh they put a large band in you". They finally sent me to the nutritionist who was a 90 pound vegetarian (not sure why she felt the need to tell me that) who was more interested in her phone than me. Her big suggestion after glancing at my diet sheet was to tell me if I get hungry in the afternoon, to have tuna on cucumber slices. Really? $16,000 and that's the advice I get? I left that day feelling like this whole thing was a mistake and I never went back. Now, five years later, I'm having pain around the port. I guess I'll have to go back, but I'm not looking forward to that. My advice would be to really do your research before you spend this kind of money. I would not do it again and I would have to advise other people to really think about it before they did it.

Pam Stevens

Sorry that you had to go through what you have gone through, This board isn't really very band friendly,OH if your doing great yeah, plenty of support, otherwise it's your fault, you did something wrong. When in reality yes not losing weight is considered a Band complication. I have no idea why you didn't lose, I don't judge. I totally agree with your comment about Lack of education from the medical professionals.

But you do realize that If you eat more than you expend then your not going to lose weight? NO WAY!!?? really? This is the best advise/support you can offer..I think if your on a WL board that is Obvious.That's how the majority of people ended up here.

If you want people to talk to Pam send me an IM I'll send you the information.