I am curious if there is a subset of bandsters out there who have been successful without having fills?

I have heard that some do have adequate restriction and are able to modify their diet/eating behaviors in a way to lose weight without the need for the fill/unfill process.

I guess this was a dumb post because no one responded...

Or does that mean no one else has heard that you can have success without having fills...

I heard legend of someone in Australia who made it to goal with no fill, but guess what--it's because she had restriction from the get-go. Her stomach may have just been thicker or whatever, but she pretty much had instantly what some of us achieve in 2 or 3 fills.

The obvious answer is--the band is designed to leave you with a fairly "normal" stomach when emptied, therefore it would be kind of defeating the adjustable nature of the band to hope to lose all your weight without a fill.

So it's not IMpossible, but then, people lose weight without Lapbands all the time.

Are you afraid of fills?

The band is not All of the system...it's just the appliance that gives restriction.

I've heard of someone getting restriction just by virtue of having the band in place...but that's the exception.

Hey! Definitely not a dumb post...I wondered the exact same thing about a week ago. I asked the nurse at my doctor's office, and she said that usually people do not have restriction without the fills. I was definitely happy to hear that because I'm probably hungrier now than I was pre-op (EEK)! I mean, I'm sure there are SOME people out there who feel a little bit of restriction without a fill. I don't know- maybe not! As for your question, for now, let's leave the answer as "there is no restriction without fill" until somebody posts the opposite! Haha

Oh- I forgot to add that I'm only 3 weeks post-op and don't have a fill yet. Oops- it's always good to mention that in posts, so people know how far along you are

I went ages without a fill, I got a lot of post op restriction which was very lucky, because I'm not a sweller and can eat after a fill, can eat immediately after a PB, etc etc. You'd think if you remained swollen and tight for 3 months after surgery you'd also be very sensitive to fills wouldnt you? But not so. I've never had really good restriction since then, even at 3ml I can eat bread without a problem.

I think there's one or two around who havent needed a fill and Chickie is certainly maintaining her spectacular loss with a completely unfilled band, but its not the norm. Most people need fills.

coffee Wench,

First, great name, I love it!

Truth be told, I am a little afraid of the fills. The pain I was having right after surgery when I would drink somewhat scared me. I thought, maybe I will remain restricted enough so I don't have to have any fills.

My swelling went down about two days ago, and I am pretty sure I will need a fill when my Dr. thinks it is time. I am starting to feel hungry...

Thanks you all for responding, I was just wondering if anyone else had heard about success without fills.

Hi,

I don't get out to the main board often. I just hit my regular threads. It's taken me a few days to catch your thread. I feel strongly about this issue.

I didn't get my first fill until I was 5 months out because I was losing 10 pounds a month or more. There's a finite amount of fill they can give you, so I opted to get a fill when I needed it, not when it was expected of me. I cried when my surgeon said, let's wait. We get all excited about having fills and counting the Fluid in the band and comparing stats. It's rather silly. The further you get away from your band date, the fewer things there are to compare to others. This is an indvidual journey.

I'm scheduled for my second fill in a few weeks. Again, each person is different on what they want from this process and what they are willing to do. I work out like a maniac and want to get enough nutrition to keep my energy up. So I don't stress until I start eating over 1700 calories daily and my weight loss slows to a trickle. Then I'm like let's get a fill.

You'll find the measures for yourself. Some people say, "Oh, I can eat an entire sandwich, I must get a fill." Some do it based on the calendar.

You do have restriction just by having the device on your stomach. For some it's enough. You'll find out what works for you.

XO

Truth be told, I am a little afraid of the fills. The pain I was having right after surgery when I would drink somewhat scared me. I thought, maybe I will remain restricted enough so I don't have to have any fills.

I had fantasized extensively about being able to do it with the band alone, but it wasn't to be. I was eating more and more and hungry all the time....the only thing that kept me from gaining back some of what I'd lost pre-op/post-op was the fact that I was being super-careful about what I DID eat.

But the fill was virtually painless and I had restriction immediately -- even though he said to give it a couple of days!! And the only time I have pain is if I take bites too close together and get 'stuck'.

You'll be fine. Just don't over-think it.

So I don't stress until I start eating over 1700 calories daily and my weight loss slows to a trickle.

Juli -- looking at your stats, I don't see where there was time for a "trickle" -- looks to me like the fat POURED off of you!

Hi,

I don't get out to the main board often. I just hit my regular threads. It's taken me a few days to catch your thread. I feel strongly about this issue.

I didn't get my first fill until I was 5 months out because I was losing 10 pounds a month or more. There's a finite amount of fill they can give you, so I opted to get a fill when I needed it, not when it was expected of me. I cried when my surgeon said, let's wait. We get all excited about having fills and counting the fluid in the band and comparing stats. It's rather silly. The further you get away from your band date, the fewer things there are to compare to others. This is an indvidual journey.

I'm scheduled for my second fill in a few weeks. Again, each person is different on what they want from this process and what they are willing to do. I work out like a maniac and want to get enough nutrition to keep my energy up. So I don't stress until I start eating over 1700 calories daily and my weight loss slows to a trickle. Then I'm like let's get a fill.

You'll find the measures for yourself. Some people say, "Oh, I can eat an entire sandwich, I must get a fill." Some do it based on the calendar.

You do have restriction just by having the device on your stomach. For some it's enough. You'll find out what works for you.

XO

We have the same attitude! I just don't understand it when someone posts, "Do I need an unfill? I can't eat anything, can't even keep water down, but gee, the weight loss is terrific!" I understand being in a hurry when one is on a "diet" -- that is, something he or she considers temporary. But I'll have this band the rest of my life. I'd rather take it slow and easy and comfortably be able to eat and drink in a healthy way, without constant fear of it coming back up or getting stuck. I also want enough energy to be able to exercise -- in fact, I want to become a "bicycle bitch" myself!

My doctor will see me once a month and he said we will decide together if I need a fill based on how much I'm losing, what I'm eating, how I'm eating, and if I'm hungry. He is conservative about fills which is one of the reasons I chose him. If I can lose with few or no fills, even if it's slow, I'll be perfectly happy if I feel like I'm eating a healthy diet and I'm comfortable.

Thanks for sharing your experience and advice! You've done great and I would love to emulate you!

Oh Julie,

Your post was exactly what I wanted to hear from someone. Yes, I am afraid of needles and do not look forward to the fill process, but you were able to put into words exactly what I had been thinking about.

So far, I have lost quite a bit of weight given my pre-op and post-op diet, being banded on 11/09/07. I have been trying to get more calories in me to try and keep a good energy level so that I feel more like walking and building up the time/distance I can walk. Right now, I am only getting about 500-800 calories a day. I think I would rather have 1200-1500 a day and lose at a slower (healthier) rate to ensure I am getting the right nutrients and have energy to incorporate a gradual increase in physical activity so that I can get back into shape.

You truly are an inspiration, your weight loss has been amazing. If you have any additional pieces of wisdom/advise you can share about your journey that we newly banded folks (or soon to be banded folks) could benefit from, please, we are all ears.....

I was banded on Oct. 5 and have nothing in my band. I too want to go slow but steady with my weight loss. I am going to the surgeons office to discuss a fill next week. I most likely will get one because even though I know I have some restriction- I will still get food stuck at times. I feel that lately my food intake is a bit higher than I want. I want to avoid being too tight at all costs.

Awe shucks you all are so nice.

I could go on and on about the band, and bore you to death, but to boil it down to three things:

Expect to frustrated with the process at times.

Start exercising now and set goals. I started doing 10 minutes of cardio in October last year. You've got to start somewhere.

Do your best to journal your food. Know what you are putting in your mouth. Don't just guess.

There you go.

The Dr. that does my fills explained it this way at the seminar.

The nerves that signal fullness are called (don't trust my spelling--he was talking so this is how it sounded!!) Vega nerves. They sit at the upper portion of the stomach. Which is why we only felt full after big meals. And the old diet plan of drinking a large glass of water to feel full faster worked for 5 minutes or so.

He said rarely but occasionally, when they place the band, it makes enough contact with those nerves to eliminate hunger. So if someone was of a type that managed to only eat when hunger called---they could do it without a fill. But most of us, even if the band were pressing tight on the nerves need the restriction due to mindless eating, and what we call head hunger.

I was banded a year and a half ago, and went for my first fill at 7 weeks, with it I had minimal restriction. It