Hi everyone. I had a band put in 7 years ago this June. I was told that they decided to go with the large band, don't recall why that was. I LOVE my band. I went in at 5'4" weighing 210 pounds. With in about 2 1/2 years I was at 135. I went for my regular visits and my surgeon has you stick to a VERY strict diet. I definitely would have lost the weight faster, but I had a nurse practitioner who insisted that I did not need a fill over a long period of time. I kept going back and was not losing anything. After she said "I absolutely refuse to give you a fill", I refused to see her anymore I made my next appointment with the surgeon and after hearing my symptoms he said " sounds like you need a fill". Almost immediately I knew I was in the "green zone". The weight started melting off again. I did make the mistake of not going back for a very long time because I felt so good, and eventually I came out of the green and I did put some weight back on. But I am getting fills again and feel that I am almost in the " green" again. If you are questioning if you are in the green discuss it with your Dr and get small fills, you will know when you are there. I remember saying, " oh, this is what the green zone feels like". If you feel the person you are seeing is not listening ask to see someone else. good luck everyone!

So happy to hear this success story from an experienced bandster! 7 years and going strong for you. Congrats!

That's great. Glad to know you found long term success. The band journey is lifelong.

Yes I agree it is a life long commitment. I find that although your goal is to keep the weight off , if you do gain some back you have to forgive yourself and keep on going. When people are deciding which surgery would be best for them I always tell them that I think it is important to go into this acknowledging the band as a tool not a miracle band. For me one of the reasons I failed with diets was because I just could not reach the feeling of being full and satisfied with any diet I tried and believe me I tried them all. With the band, as long as I am in the green the band works before my mind and as a "tool" this works the opposite of any other weight loss I tried were I had to get my head there first in order to control my stomach. In other words as long as I am in the green zone I can control my behavior. I believe that is the magic of the band it helps us keep our motivation. I hope this makes sense!

It makes PERFECT sense to me...now that I there.