I failed my lab band. Have had it for 11 years. Lost 60, gained it all back. Unless I take phentermine, I want to eat all the time and keep gaining weight.

I'm wondering if I should consider a revision to a sleeve considering my food obsession.

What do you think?

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Hi @@Debbi1025

I can really relate to you... I had my lap band since 2008 and same thing. My hunger was horrible... I finally revised to bypass on May 13th, and although I have had complication after surgery, I am much happier now. For the first month or so I had no appetite at all, it was very weird.. Now I get hungry when it's time to eat, as long as I eat my high Protein food I am satisfied with about half cup of food. Sometimes I will have a small snack. So far I am down 33 lbs post op, it's not as fast as some other people are losing but it's still going in the right direction and I will take that !

Just remember surgery sleeve or bypass is a tool to help us but you still have to follow plan and change your eating habits.

It worked for me! I never had the band, but unless I was taking phentermine, I was a bottomless pit. I could eat and eat and eat until I was stuffed and then crave more food 30 minutes later.

Even when I did WWs, Atkins, South Beach, etc. food was constantly on my mind. Phentermine was the only thing that really turned that off for me until sleeve surgery.

Now I hate being full. I think about food, but I don't crave it. I crave certain things from time to time, but it's a"I'd love to eat some..." not a "I **MUST** eat something..."

I am three years out and I am thankful for this change every day.

Hi @@Debbi1025

I can really relate to you... I had my lap band since 2008 and same thing. My hunger was horrible... I finally revised to bypass on May 13th, and although I have had complication after surgery, I am much happier now. For the first month or so I had no appetite at all, it was very weird.. Now I get hungry when it's time to eat, as long as I eat my high Protein food I am satisfied with about half cup of food. Sometimes I will have a small snack. So far I am down 33 lbs post op, it's not as fast as some other people are losing but it's still going in the right direction and I will take that !

Just remember surgery sleeve or bypass is a tool to help us but you still have to follow plan and change your eating habits.

That is what I am concerned about, I failed one tool, worried I would fail a other one. My compulsion to eat is strong.

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Sleeve surgery, like the band, isn't magic. There are people who do well initially, but, regain because they go back to weight-gaining foods.

You might work with a therapist knowledgeable about food issues. You can also register at shrinkyourself.com (either the free version or the pay, it's up to you). A well-regarded book is "The Beck Diet Solution,"* Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., cognitive behaviorist and heir to the Beck Institute. The latter two will be most useful if you do the exercises. Beck is meant to be read/worked from page one, not at random.

* Not her later book with a similar title and a food plan which isn't suited to WLS and contains less learning & support material.

Sleeve surgery, like the band, isn't magic. There are people who do well initially, but, regain because they go back to weight-gaining foods.

You might work with a therapist knowledgeable about food issues. You can also register at shrinkyourself.com (either the free version or the pay, it's up to you). A well-regarded book is "The Beck Diet Solution,"* Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., cognitive behaviorist and heir to the Beck Institute. The latter two will be most useful if you do the exercises. Beck is meant to be read/worked from page one, not at random.

* Not her later book with a similar title and a food plan which isn't suited to WLS and contains less learning & support material.

Thats what I'm thinking. Need to work on the compulsive eating before considering any additional surgery. Thanks for the link and book suggestion

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I had the band for 10 years, ended up heavier than I started! I revised to sleeve in December 2011, lost about half my former size and maintaining in the goal weight ballpark. For me, sleeve and band have been completely different experiences. I was a bottomless pit and the band didn't help me (after first year) whereas I now have what I consider a normal, not insatiable, appetite.

I failed my lab band. Have had it for 11 years. Lost 60, gained it all back. Unless I take phentermine, I want to eat all the time and keep gaining weight.

I'm wondering if I should consider a revision to a sleeve considering my food obsession.

What do you think?

Sent from my SM-G360P using the BariatricPal App

This exact thing happened to me too. Had the lap band from 2006-2016, and after a complication (band slip and hiatal hernia) got it revised to a sleeve one week ago (6/27).

I feel like I was more hungry with my band, and at times I didn't even have control over some of my cravings. I knew it shouldn't be like that, so I consulted a local surgeon and here I am.

Best of luck to you - it's great that you're investigating your options - there are many thankfully. Talk to your doctor. He or she may order some tests, like an EGD and/or Barium Swallow, to get a feel for your band's current status (if anything's slipped or had a problem) and then go over what options you have.

My surgeon told me that sleeve acts to remove part of the stomach. The stomach produces hormones including ghrelin which is a hunger hormone. So when the larger part of the stomach goes so too does the excess hunger. There's a reset of the 'weight barometer.' What's left is mental.

I've not seen any discussion on experiences of childhood abuse and obesity here so far (please point me in the right direction if I've missed it.) I'm aware of a study that found half of all people seeking bariatric surgery suffered sexual abuse as children. I volunteer with a charity which supports victims of domestic abuse. Most people equate abuse to violence but it can be emotional, financial, physical or sexual. Emotional abuse leaves the biggest scars. So my guess is this: a child has less access to things like cigarettes, alcohol and drugs to handle the pain of an abusive childhood. So we use food to suppress emotions as a survival strategy. That's great because we survived! As adults it's no longer a successful strategy and we need to relearn how to handle stress in healthier and more self-compassionate ways. Undo the childhood conditioning.

I'm trying to say that I think it's not simple, and there are two main areas to focus on.

One is the practicalities around eating and drinking.

Two is deprogramming childhood and taking full and active responsibility for our best mental welfare through learning to see new choices and loving/accepting ourselves exactly as we are. I used to use food to beat myself up or to escape painful feelings. I don't do that any more and my weight has stabilised. I'm generally at peace with the world. So that's how I know that I'm ready for surgery.

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