I was banded in May with the Realize band. I would like to hear from some of the patients who first had this band inserted last year as it was approved and their success or unsuccessful stories.

Wow, I hadn't thought of that. The web site is one of the advantages of that particular brand too.

Where are you going to get your fills? If it's in the US, maybe they have a practice id?

Hey Thanks for the idea.

I will definately check that out. It won't be for another 4-6 weeks but I will look into it. I was hoping to get on sooner than that because I really think it could help me but I will look into it. I live in Canada but am going to go to a fill center in the U.S. when it comes time.

Does anyone else have any other suggestions? Or have you run into the same problem?

Gosh...I guess there isn't anyone out there reading these posts. Maybe I should rephrase and just ask who has met goal with a band has had kept off or not. Would love to hear from those...

I was banded on 8/25 with the Realize band. My surgery was smooth and recovery was quick and easy. I doubt that had anything to do with the specific band but I was surprised. I was more worried about the time after surgery and I am still struggling. Tuesday I will have my first fill. So far I have lost 18 pounds. That's 18 pounds I probably would not have lost but I was hopinig for a little more. I am not a patient person and I know this will be slow and steady and I am ok with that just want it to get going. I have been so hungry since surgery and the last few days it's been really bad but think it more of a head hunger than real hunger. I have signed into the Realize website but it was confusing and I just didn't have the time to sit and try and figure it out. I will need to find something though.

I see that everyone is losing steady some a whole lot more than me and banded after me. So far my experience has been a good one. I guess the fun will start once I get a fill - I don't know how conservative my doc will be but hope I can stop this hunger.

Sandi

Hi - My surgeon used the Realize band on me. I was just banded on Oct. 3rd 2008 so i havent had a fill (scheduled for 11/3/08) and i haven't visited the site yet. i will have to go check it out!!

Would anyone help a girl out by letting me use their 12 digit surgeon's practice ID#. It wouldn't effect your access to the realize website at all, and I would really appreciate it so much.

Hi,

I got the Realize band June 5, lost some weight was doing good and then on June 23 I got a blood clot in my leg, when I came out of the hospital, even though I got very little to eat, did the bariatric diet, I weighed as much as I did in the beginning. I can not get back on track, I am about to pass my pre surgery weight.

And to top this off, I am losing my hair, even though I am eating a regular diet.

Any suggestions?

The weight you gained in the hospital was probably Fluid. You were hooked up to IVs for days, right? It should fall off as long as you continue to make good food choices.

The hair loss is from the anesthesia of the original surgery. There are all sorts of tips for how to prevent it or minimize it but I'm of the school of thought that there is little you can do about it. Mine's already falling out even though I did all those things that people tell you to do and I'm only 2.5 weeks out.

I'm so sorry to hear about your blood clot! I had one about 3 years ago after bunion surgery. How's everything going healthwise (excluding WLS) since that time? Did you have to go on blood thinners?

Hi All...

Guess I should've introduced myself before I posted that last post, right?

I had my REALIZE band placed on 9/15/08. My first fill is scheduled for 10/28...ugh, 2 more weeks! I'm really starting to get hungrier now. I had lost 17 lbs on the pre-op diet and have lost 13 lbs since surgery. However, I have lost and gained the same 3 lbs for over a week now. Very disappointing. I was feeling so great losing 13 lbs in like 2 weeks! I know... "results not typical"... so, I will just keep following the rules and hope for continued success.

That's great losing weight before your first fill! Not everyone can do that because they are still hungry.

i was banded 12/28/07 with the realize band--i'm 52 lbs down now--which is 22% of my original weight

Hi Mary,

Has the Realize website helped you in your journey?

absolutely!!! I've been overweight/obese for over 20 years--tried every "diet" out there and never lost it. I am now less than I have been in over 20 years. Yes, mine has been slower than a lot of people I have seen--but then--I'm not ON a diet any more!! If i want something-i eat it--just a whole lot less of it!

Hi Mary,

Has the Realize website helped you in your journey?

Can anyone here help me navigate the Realize My Success website? I can get on and enter today's weight (which I need to do for my doctors office to follow), but I can't seem to get a handle on how to really use the site to my best advantage. I looked at recipes today and none appeal to me, but that is more because I am not interested in what was offered. I can at least access that area.

What other tools on the site do you find to be helpful? I have a hard time loading it on my pc at work and can't always see the entire screen.

I'm fairly computer literate, but this site has me so frustrated! Would anyone with a good sense of how to use the site be willing to coach me along a little?

Thanks so much!

Can anyone here help me navigate the Realize My Success website? I can get on and enter today's weight (which I need to do for my doctors office to follow), but I can't seem to get a handle on how to really use the site to my best advantage. I looked at recipes today and none appeal to me, but that is more because I am not interested in what was offered. I can at least access that area.

What other tools on the site do you find to be helpful? I have a hard time loading it on my pc at work and can't always see the entire screen.

I'm fairly computer literate, but this site has me so frustrated! Would anyone with a good sense of how to use the site be willing to coach me along a little?

Thanks so much!

Since you are computer literate, I hope I'm not too basic but I use the site EVERY day. The icons on the left side of the page help you to navigate to different areas of the website. "My food Diary" probably gets used the most by me. I track my Water, Vitamins, and food intake. It keeps track of my grams of fat, calories, but most important, my Protein intake. Sometimes the food I am looking for doesn't come up on "Food Search" a tab, top left, so I add it myself under the "My Food" tab, top left. I also list regularly eaten foods in "My Favorites" a tab again, top left. they seem to be adding to the list of foods regularly. You also can "tag" foods that don't agree with you or foods you hadn't planned to eat so a person can get an idea of possibly weaknesses that cause you to eat things that aren't "planned."

I could go on and on but I probably the best thing is to sign on and just read all of the articles the site offers. Maybe I'm a bit of an optimist :laugh: but I really like the site. It has helped me lose 24.2 pounds in 70 days which is unheard of for me :huh2:. I am so happy with my choice. I can't say enough good things about being banded and having the Realize band.