Has it EVER been known for anyone to have a lap band fitted but never needed a fill? I am curious because even without a fill some people here seem to have good weight loss and they are not eating much. So why would you want/need to get a fill if you can lose weight on such small amounts.

OK so I'm secretly hoping this might happen for me but I have just never heard of it. It makes no sense to me to have a fill if I can lose weight on the small amounts of food I hopefully will be able to eat. Because I will be excercising and eating a significant amount less than I would normally.

If I have to have fills then so be it.

I have seen people post who didn't need a fill... they got good enough restriction just by having the band placed.

I personally hope this happens to me too but I'm starting to feel a slight hunger now that the swelling is starting to go down after surgery.

I'm about a month out and feel restriction from just my band. This may change, of course, but I'm completely healed and still can only eat about 1/2 cup at a time and am not hungry throughout the day. I have to work to get in my all my calories, but I've lost about 17 pounds since my June 30th surgery.

At this point, I don't think I'll get a fill at my 6 wk checkup. Right now I have no problems with pbing, sliming, etc and other than portion size, haven't had any trouble foods (though I'm abstaining from soft bread, Pasta and rice).

As long as I'm losing 1-2 pounds a week, and I'm not hungry, I'm not getting a fill.

i too have not had a fill yet. I still feel fine without one. I was banded june 10th, i have lost 23lbs. i quess everone is just different. My husbands grandmother also got banded at the same doctor I did so we compare alot since we are at the same place. anyway she got banded 2 weeks before me and she is fixing to get her 2nd fill.

I havent had problems either, but i also measure my food so i am not tempted to over eat.

I agree if I continue to lose weight and monitor all food intake and can control the hunger then why get a fill. I will utilize the tool I have now to the best of my ability to succeed. I also now we are probably all in this position because we could not monitor our food intake. Good luck rayray

I was banded 5/28/2008 and still have not had a fill. I have only occassional hunger and because I know it will pass AND it will only take a limited amount of food to fill me I am able to deal with it. I also limit the quantity on my plate so I do not eat more than 1 cup or so at a time and I am very strict about only eating three times a day. According to my surgeon as long as I lose 6-8 lbs a month I do not need a fill. I will consider it a personal victory if I can lose the weight I need to lose without a fill...OK yea I know not the way the band was meant to work. The most important thing to me is after the weight is off I have something in place to keep me from gaining it back!

Not sure, I have lost 22 lbs since my surgery ten days ago, and am losing at a pretty steady rate. I notice the hunger has returned, but I'm still only taking in about 1200 calories a day and walking 60-90 minutes a day. Twenty more pounds and I'll be back on the tennis courts. I'm wondering if my doc will give me a fill if I've lost so much. Right now, the surgery has been a great kick start to a new lifestyle. I'm glad I have it, because old habits sometimes sneak up on us. One day at a time here.

WOW! Fantastic to all of you... well done! I asked because I am only 10 days post op and my soups are really filling me up. I'm making homemade nutritious soups and am healing nicely. So if it carries on this way I too will put off being filled if I can use this tool like this. Then only have the fills if I ever need them. I realise I am not long out of surgery but I have never in my life eaten so little and felt so good! Yaaay! Way to go us! XXXXXXXXX

There are people who report losing great amounts of weight without any fills but they are few and far between. The band is designed to work when filled, so anyone who can lose weight without fills is unusual.

As far as wanting to be one of the people who don't need fills - why? Are you afraid of them hurting? They really aren't that bad. If you can make it through surgery you can certainly make it through a fill! It basically feels just like any other injection.

There seems to be a mentality that the fewer fills you need the better person you are and that is simply not the case. Fills are not evil! They are what makes the band work the way it was designed to work. If I could have lost weight without the band I would not have had major surgery. I know there are people who think I copped out and did the 'easy' thing, but I know that I had to do what was necessary to lose weight and that I could not succeed without this drastic step. The same thing goes for fills. We have to do what it takes to get the job done. I started feeling hungry five days after surgery and continued to feel hungry until my 4th or 5th fill. Once I got the restriction I needed, I was able to lose weight.

Remember we are all different. There is no right or wrong. We all require different fill levels to get restriction and we all lose weight at different rates. The point is, we have this awesome tool and we need to use it correctly. If it means we need five, six or more fills to get there, it would be kind of silly to go without them.

I feel the initial band placement was my first fill and this is the tool I start w.ith, If I am not miserable still losing weight able to monitor the food intake which is limited already I do not know why I would want anther fill.

If anyone can utilize this tool without creating more anxiety and create some sense of normalcy why bring undue stress into the equation.

I will certainly go in for a fill in a heartbeat if the initial band has become to liberal for my intake. Best of luck to all

Dear Babysoftly, I don't think I'm unusual. I made up my mind pre-op that me & band would work well together. I am very lucky.I was taught that pre-op was the right place to get head for post-op. I have not had restriction. I love my job. Pre-op I put in my head that I would eat 3X4oz. meals a day for life. Exercise & sleep well. I registered my band on RealizemySuccess.com. I called Realize & they told me they don't have that info + realize is only 1&1/2 years out. Here at lap band talk, I have found several. There is another guy at my clinic SWCC in Las Vegas who has not had a fill. Dr. Curry of Cincinnatti, Ohio e-mailed me, he has several males with Realize Bands that have not had fills. Realize is a 1 size 9cc band. Whatever! It's your band baby, body & Life. You get a fill when you want or need one. Banded 1/15/08.I have Lost over 120 pounds with the help of Realize, Doctors & Support groups. No fills yet. Band is a good tool. Don't get hooked on (un)Fill needle Good Luck!! Hasta Pronto, George:thumbup:

The surgeon I use for my fills, explained during our seminar, that there are a few patients, who find the band restrictive enough to lose weight without filling. Keep in mind, my surgery was long enough ago, the larger bands were not being used readily.

When I chatted with him during my recent total unfill, he was talking to me about the fact that I lost my weight with 2 fills. He said much, much more emphasis is now being placed upon the importance of the actual placement of the band. He said if the band is placed where it applies pressure to the nerves that signal the release of the grehlin hormone, then hunger is not an issue. But unfortunately they cannot see where those nerves are, and they differ from patient to patient dependent upon stomach size and the fact that we all are built inside and out a bit different from one another.

Personally, from the time my band was placed, I have felt very little if any actual stomach induced hunger. IF I were strong enough in the beginning to differentiate actual hunger from head hunger, I might have been one of the rare few who lost all my weight without fills. But it took me most of my 2 years since surgery to learn the difficult lessons of eating competency. Learning portion control was seriously helped with fills. Hunger recognition, just took patience and listening to the signals my body sends. I still do not listen to them well enough a good part of the time!

I had a total unfill over 2 months ago for my TT. I have not had a return of hunger....and have for the most part been able to continue with the lessons I have learned, as far as how to eat, what foods trigger cravings for me, and how to recognize actual hunger signals from my body. I have not regained any weight since the unfill and my surgery. I am also not losing quickly!!! I know in my brain, that my smaller body, needs either less food, or more exercise in order to eliminate the calories to lose the weight. I just have not completed the process, by doing anything with that knowledge!!! I am at a maintenance level, that I am thoroughly enjoying! I feel successful!

I do believe it can be done if your band places enough restriction to eliminate actual hunger-----IF YOU can do the same on your brain, and band it against head hunger. You know where you see the Carl Jr. ad, and are instantly hungry, even though you KNOW you really aren't. Or you pass the candy bars at the check out in the store, and suddenly must have something to eat----banding yourself against those things is necessary in order to be successful----especially if you do not have tight enough restriction to rely on it for help.

Good Luck to you all!!!

Kat

I also am questioning whether or not I need a fill. I had surgery June 9th and have lost 37 lbs since starting pre-op diet on June 1st. I don't want to get one just because thats the norm if I don't need it. I am following my meal plan and seem to be losing weight pretty good. I'm not hungry between meals so maybe I should wait a little longer. I'm not sure.

You should never get a fill if you are losing weight steadily. My point in my post was that if you need one to lose weight, you should get one! It would be just plain silly to get a fill if you didn't need one.

My Dr. always asks lots of questions before doing a fill. If I was losing 1-2 pounds a week, was not hungry for several hours after eating a meal, then I was not in need of a fill. He also asks about eating hard Proteins to make sure that there is not too much in my band, and that I am able to make wise food choices (whether I always did or not!!)

I had my first fill at about 7 weeks out----1.25cc's in a 9.75 ml band designed to hold a max fill of 4cc.'s. Then a month later he added .50 cc's and that little half a cc took me to my sweet spot, and I went all the way with that. Never adjusting again, until we unfilled for my TT. Sometimes it is the smallest of tweaks that makes the difference.

I totally support and agree with not filling if you are not needing it, I also fully believe we got this band to help us, and when used in a proper manner it can do just that in amazing ways!!! So if you find yourself facing hunger, or overeating--------then use the band for the purpose it was designed!

It affects us all differently----but if you work with your Dr. and listen to your own body---it can be done in a healthy way.

I have chose to give my stomach a break from the restriction, simply because I do not feel a need for a fill at this time---when the hunger hits, or I am eating too much, I will be there in a flash!!!

Kat

I have talked to a lot of people who have lost a lot of weight without a fill. I don't think it's abnormal. I had my surgery 5/22/08 and I have lost 16 pounds. I just had my second fill last week. I am scheduled for a 3rd next month. But if I still feel as restricted as I do now, I won't have the 3rd fill. We are all different. I know one lady who has lost 80 punds without a fill, and another who has had 8 fills and has lost 50 pounds, and she still doesn't feel restricted.