Hi. I was banded in Sept 2011. Started out at 224 lbs and am now 210. That's right, i havent lost much weight in the 2+ yrs that i've had the band. I have an 11 cc band and already have 10.2 cc filled.

I don't think i need to be filled anymore because i do feel restriction after a small amount of food but it doesn't last long and i am able to eat more within 5-10 minutes of feeling the restriction.

I admit i havent been making such great food choices all the time but it seems easier to get down the foods that are not so good for me, than the foods i'm supposed to be eating. I have no problems with bread, bagels, pasta, etc but i do have to eat slowly.

I've kind of given up here......

Not your fault. A recent study suggests that the band isn't terribly effective (fails 44% of the time). Hang in there!

Here's the link and citation if you are interested: http://www.soard.org/article/S1550-7289(13)00392-4/abstract

Kindel, T., Martin, E., Hungness, E., & Nagle, A. (2013). High failure rate of the laparoscopic-adjustable gastric band as a primary bariatric procedure. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases.

Edited December 15, 201312 yr by CoffeeGrinDR

Not your fault. A recent study suggests that the band isn't terribly effective (fails 44% of the time). Hang in there!

Here's the link and citation if you are interested: http://www.soard.org/article/S1550-7289(13)00392-4/abstract

Kindel, T., Martin, E., Hungness, E., & Nagle, A. (2013). High failure rate of the laparoscopic-adjustable gastric band as a primary bariatric procedure. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases.

Actually, that study is incomplete because it doesn't take patient failure/non-compliance into consideration.

When a patient is compliant with their surgeon and the band rules, the band is just as effective as other WLS and failure rate is only 5%. http://www.futurity.org/weight-stays-off-long-after-lap-band-surgery/

Good evening I too am very disappointed with my band I was banded in May 2013 I realise it is not as long as you have had yours however the weight I have lost was prior to surgery with very little since. I do have restriction when eating good wholesome foods like meat and vegies or salad. But chocolates go down real easy. I do get support from my surgeon and the surgery nurse however the dietician is a bit useless and I haven't been back because she just sat there shaking her head saying I don't know why....... everyone else is losing weight. I see my surgeon tomorrow so I may get another fill? Other than this I don't know what to do I have considered having the band removed and having a sleeve done. I realise I haven't been much help to you but I needed to get this off my chest because I thought I was the only one having problems because every time I log in I see all these people doing well and this decreases my morale even more I am not sure about you but there are very few people in my life know that I have a band so I don't have a big support group. Thank you for listening bandmay2013

The study is complete, did you read either of these studies? You are talking about sampling bias not completion. I'm glad it worked for you - but people should have full information before committing themselves to something.

The study you cite states that 1:20 had to have the band removed. They didn't include these people in their statistics...that is what we call sampling bias. According to the original report only 22% people (714/3227) succeeded long-term (success being 50% of EWL).

DeMaria, E. J., Sugerman, H. J., Meador, J. G., Doty, J. M., Kellum, J. M., Wolfe, L., ... & Turner, M. A. (2001). High failure rate after laparoscopic adjustable silicone gastric banding for treatment of morbid obesity. Annals of surgery, 233(6), 809.

V Giusti MD, P. D. (2006). A 10-year experience with laparoscopic gastric banding for morbid obesity: high long-term complication and failure rates.Obesity surgery, 16(7), 829-835.

Goitein, D., Feigin, A., Segal-Lieberman, G., Goitein, O., Papa, M. Z., & Zippel, D. (2011). Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy as a revisional option after gastric band failure. Surgical endoscopy, 25(8), 2626-2630.

Edited December 15, 201312 yr by CoffeeGrinDR

why do you blame the band when you are not compliant. eating chocolates isn't on any diet plan i know of. i had my surgery also in may. may 29th i have lost 44 lbs. i am just now getting to the green zone. i still need small fills to achieve this but i knew, you knew, anybody that has wt. loss surgery knows ,you can't eat whatever you want and lose wt. even with the sleeve. you still have a stomach, you still absorb calories. and the only way the sleeve will work is if you are compliant to a diet plan. ppl that have the sleeve and gastric bypass will run into the same problems as ppl that have lapbands. yes you may lose weight but after a year you will be facing the same thing you are facing right now. eating fresh wholesome food and not eating foods high in calories. if you don't learn this lesson wls, any of them will be unsuccessful for you.

The study is complete. You are talking about sampling bias and that occurs with any and all procedures. Want more information on the failure of the band? I'm glad it worked for you - but people should have full information before committing themselves to something.

I actually didn't fail on my band - the complications of malnutrition caused severe, severe anemia and I had to have mine out so I never had a full run of it. The study you cite states that 1:20 had to have the band removed. THEY DIDN'T INCLUDE THESE PEOPLE in their statistics...THAT is what we call sampling bias.

Here's what the National Institutes of Health have to say: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1421324/

DeMaria, E. J., Sugerman, H. J., Meador, J. G., Doty, J. M., Kellum, J. M., Wolfe, L., ... & Turner, M. A. (2001). High failure rate after laparoscopic adjustable silicone gastric banding for treatment of morbid obesity. Annals of surgery, 233(6), 809.

V Giusti MD, P. D. (2006). A 10-year experience with laparoscopic gastric banding for morbid obesity: high long-term complication and failure rates.Obesity surgery, 16(7), 829-835.

Goitein, D., Feigin, A., Segal-Lieberman, G., Goitein, O., Papa, M. Z., & Zippel, D. (2011). Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy as a revisional option after gastric band failure. Surgical endoscopy, 25(8), 2626-2630.

Once again, you're citing incomplete studies that don't take patient compliance into consideration. You can't fault the band for patient error and carelessness.

The fact is, as stated in the study I posted, when the patient does what they're supposed to do there is only a 5% failure rate.

Hi. I was banded in Sept 2011. Started out at 224 lbs and am now 210. That's right, i havent lost much weight in the 2+ yrs that i've had the band. I have an 11 cc band and already have 10.2 cc filled.

I don't think i need to be filled anymore because i do feel restriction after a small amount of food but it doesn't last long and i am able to eat more within 5-10 minutes of feeling the restriction.

I admit i havent been making such great food choices all the time but it seems easier to get down the foods that are not so good for me, than the foods i'm supposed to be eating. I have no problems with bread, bagels, Pasta, etc but i do have to eat slowly.

I've kind of given up here......

I'm no doctor, but it seems to me like the problem is you're expecting the band to do things it's not supposed to do. It's not supposed to physically stop you from eating nor is it going to force you to make good food choices.

Please read this link for a much better understanding of the band and realistic expectations of it: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

You haven't read these studies. I'm not sure you understand how to interpret results of intervention and outcomes. Quite simply: given regression to the mean, overwhelmingly the majority of folks who are banded are not successful.

The only thing I'm stipulating is that the goal of the band is to be a tool in a patient reaching weight loss goals. It is not assisting more than 20% or so of people in doing that. If you read any of these studies you'll see that for many (40-50% average) have to have the band removed due to complications.

It's pretty remarkable you all would attack someone on these boards who is struggling. Good health and good luck to everyone. God knows we all need positive support in our lives. And I mean EVERYONE. Good tidings.

Edited December 15, 201312 yr by CoffeeGrinDR

You haven't read these studies. I'm not sure you understand how to interpret results of intervention and outcomes. Quite simply: given regression to the mean, overwhelmingly the majority of folks who are banded are not successful.

The only thing I'm stipulating is that the goal of the band is to be a tool in a patient reaching weight loss goals. It is not assisting more than 20% or so of people in doing that. If you read any of these studies you'll see that for many (40-50% average) have to have the band removed due to complications.

It's pretty remarkable you all would attack someone on these boards who is struggling. Good health and good luck to everyone. God knows we all need positive support in our lives. And I mean EVERYONE. Good tidings.

I never attacked anyone. You came onto this thread spreading complete scare tactic BS. What's worse, you clearly don't understand what you're reading at all. I came on here to offer the OP advice and try to help- which is a heck of a lot more than you did.

Hi. I was banded in Sept 2011. Started out at 224 lbs and am now 210. That's right, i havent lost much weight in the 2+ yrs that i've had the band. I have an 11 cc band and already have 10.2 cc filled.

I don't think i need to be filled anymore because i do feel restriction after a small amount of food but it doesn't last long and i am able to eat more within 5-10 minutes of feeling the restriction.

I admit i havent been making such great food choices all the time but it seems easier to get down the foods that are not so good for me, than the foods i'm supposed to be eating. I have no problems with bread, bagels, Pasta, etc but i do have to eat slowly.

I've kind of given up here......

i am sorry i didn't respond to you and you started this thread. i am wondering if your band has a leak. where you might think you are at 10.2 cc, perhaps you are not. a mistake i hear about a lot is that you actually have a 14 cc band. ask to see the surgical report. on your next appointment asked that the Fluid get withdrawn to make sure there is 10.2 cc. now someone once posted that he had the right amount of fluid but that the fluid was collecting only on one side of his band. i haven't needed one but perhaps a fluroscope while you drink would allow the doctor to see how restricted you really are. once you get this band thing straighten out you need to put on your thinking cap and try and remember why you had wls in the first place. i know you were gungho than and you can get some of that back. perhaps a counseler. we didn't get overweight for no reason at all. we all have food issues. don't give up. get this band thing worked on. something is wrong.

im sure you can improve your weight loss by sitting down and working out a better eating plan than you have. Do you have a lot of bread, Pasta etc ??.... if you cut back a lot more on those empty carbs im sure you will notice a difference.

Have you tried having one meal of Protein replacement a day? even that would help out im sure.. Do you eat sweets? ice cream?? if you are eating these kinds of foods you will have to look at changing your eating habits... at least modifying them a lot.

Ive lost about 35 pounds in two years, coming up two years. I could have lost a lot more but i have had wine, chocolate, some sugary lollies... things like that. I dont eat much bread, about two slices a month.. no cakes, but i do eat dry cracker biscuits. I know if i cut out these items i would lose a lot more weight. its a matter of what is the biggest priority with you, as it is with me... theres no easy way out. Good luck.

If you're struggling to get healthy foods down, like lean Proteins, perhaps your band is too tight? Also, when you say you feel restriction, but can eat again 5-10 minutes later...are you eating simply because you can, or are you actually physically hungry after 5-10 minutes? Remember, the point of restriction isn't to feel full, it's to feel satisfied. Maybe try tracking your food and calories for awhile, if you don't already do so. That can be really eye opening! If you're eating mainly carby foods like you listed, that could be why you're not losing weight! Those calories add up FAST!

I would suggest you go talk to your nutritionist, and see if they can help you get your eating habits back on track!

Don't give up on yourself, and remember it's never too late to get yourself back on the wagon!

to lose weight, bypass, sleeve, lap band, ds or whatever,

one must eat less calories than they burn off.......and only the person doing the eating, knows that answer

truth surfaces when one steps on the scale.

a very small % have issues but ANY wls has issues/complications..

some people like to say their wls is best,,,,,,,to them

no one wls is better than the other.....no matter what anyone says

but we should all do what works for us....and use it as the dr advised for best results

Hi. I was banded in Sept 2011. Started out at 224 lbs and am now 210. That's right, i havent lost much weight in the 2+ yrs that i've had the band. I have an 11 cc band and already have 10.2 cc filled.

I don't think i need to be filled anymore because i do feel restriction after a small amount of food but it doesn't last long and i am able to eat more within 5-10 minutes of feeling the restriction.

I admit i havent been making such great food choices all the time but it seems easier to get down the foods that are not so good for me, than the foods i'm supposed to be eating. I have no problems with bread, bagels, Pasta, etc but i do have to eat slowly.

I've kind of given up here......

the foods you are eating (bread. pasta) are not Protein and will not give you protein/fullness you need

if you cant get anything down other than what you said, and making bad food choices, you need to go back to dr, maybe take some out so you can eat better/healthier food options..being too tight so you cant eat is NOT the way to live..

only you can decide to use the band as intended.......if you dont, it wont work

studies or not studies.....and if that doesnt help, look at some of the peope who responded to you, and

their looses.......the band works...

for those who work it.

hang in there, eat better, exercise and make yourself well

Thanks to all who have responded. I appreciate all your comments. Not many pple know i have the band so i don't have much support.

I've been going back and forth in my mind trying to decide if i'm too tight, if i need more, or if i should just leave it the way it is. I hear the argument about my maybe being too tight since i can't get much chicken or meat down but i have no problems getting down egg omelettes, Beans, and vegetarian tofu patties. And, if i was too tight, i don't think i'd be able to get down bagels (obviously slowly), and other similar foods that i shouldn't be able to get down. But, then again, i do vomit once in a while if i'm eating too fast or if the food is too dry (chicken, for example)

I struggle with this decision every day because it costs me a lot of money to go to the surgeon....unfortunately, i have a very high deductible with this new insurance we got and i have to pay my own way for quite a while till i reach it. Going to see the nutritionist would be a waste of hard working money because she'd just give me another diet plan that i am not happy following....and even when i did follow it, i was still hungry, or could still eat more.

One of you mentioned that i am probably not hungry after i feel restriction but rather that i eat for other reasons. I will admit that sometimes that is indeed true. But, other times, if i stop when i feel restriction, within the hour my stomach will be grumbling (like i said, it's not always, but there are times it does that).

That's why i'm confused about how it works. I know i have to get in my Protein but on the other hand, i'm told to stop eating when feeling restriction....and then the food leaves the pouch pretty soon where i can eat more.....the only difference i feel with the band is knowing i must eat very slow, but i do finish my portions eventually (almost the same portions that i had before the band but getting through it much slower)

I think i need to stay where i am with regards to the band fills until i can figure it all out before having to spend so much money on fills or unfills.