hey everyone, i was banded in august with a realize band. i have been following the rules,(i practiced them for 8 months before the surgery!) but i am struggling. i have just got a fill bringing me to 7cc in my realize band. i can eat a b/s chicken breast no problem! also with a vegetable. my stomach growls within 3 hrs. of eating! i have lost 10 lbs. in the last 3 months. wondering if anyone else had to almost fill or fill their entire band before this band gave them some help with their weightloss efforts. i do low impact aerobics 3-4 times a week. i'm wondering if there's a secret to this band thing !!! someone let me know if they have experienced this. thankyou lisa:unsure:

up your excersise hun thats the best way to drop weight you dont want an overly tight band and have to live on liquids

Hello Lisa6! I have a Realize Band also..was banded on July 17,2009, have lost 29 lbs thus far...have had 2 fills and I am at 5 on a 9 band. My weight loss isn't as fast as I would like, started out at 232 and will work to lose another 50 lbs. Slow but steady. I got off track last week while vacationing in NYC and gained 4 (!!!!!) lbs, I am really not sure how that happened as I was feeling restriction and eating very small amounts...dr said might be liquid and lack of enough exercise, but we walked,really walked at a good clip, all over the city, it seemded like alot of exercise to me!!!! Good luck and keep us posted on your progress on this thread..it is good to hear how other Realize Bandsters are doing. :w00t:

Hi Lisa. I had the Realize band placed in November of last year and am now 8 pounds from my goal. It has taken a long time and a lot of hard work to get here! I have 6cc in my band and have kept it that way by choice.

What advice can someone give other? Everyone is diffrent and will lose according to how their body wants to lose. I lost a bunch of weight right after surgery then I went a couple months without, but what happened in those couple months was shrinkage!!! I lost inches. Then that stopped and the weight started to come off again.....back and forth that way ever since. I exercise everyday but Saturday and I eat about 6 times a day, along with drinking a ton of Water. Very important to get enough calories or your body won't want to let go of the fat either.

I have heard from a lot of Realize Bandsters that they almost max their band out with fills. Might just be something with the band design! Hang in there!

thanks for replying ladies!!! it's been one week since my fill bringing me to 7cc. i hope and pray that this feeling lasts!!! i get full sooo quickly i can hardly believe it! the week before fill i could eat an entire b/s chicken breast. now i can only eat about 3-4 bites. i am happy with that just worried i will lose it.even though my weight loss has been minimal, all this exercising has dropped me a jean size from a 14 to a 12. but at doc's office they only weigh me. bummer. when your struggling, hearing from someone who also has but in the end is at goal is wonderful-just what i needed,thank you.:thumbup:

Here is my story in nutshell:

-Banded 7/14/09

-not a junk eater/drinker but definitely have had portion control issues my whole life (I'm 46yo)

- have always been working out and living active, never stopped regardless of my weight

-first fill 5cc - no restriction 5lbs loss due to will power

- second fill 4cc - no restriction (9cc total in 10cc band) 4 lbs loss due to will power

-major freaking out on my side - band is almost full and no restriction

-third fill 2.5cc (11.5 total in 10cc band) - definitely overfill - couldn't keep food nor water down

-unfill 1.00 cc (10.5cc total in 10cc band) - BUNGO - I've got restriction!!!!!

-Now I have to work on one major issue that I had no idea I always have had - once and for all I have to learn how to decipher between real hunger and head hunger - major big deal for me!!! I think finally I nailed it though (had to experiment for while and honesly listen to my body, not for my brain)... I now know how the "REAL HUNGER" feels and know the difference between "body is asking for food/water (hungry)" and "mind is asking for food input (want food)"

-down another 6lbs (thank you my dear lapband!!!!)

-now I know that it's working, I just have to help it a little or, at least, not stand on my lapband's way...lol.

-what do I do when my band is full and there is no other fill possible???? I guess I have to talk to my doc then... another surgery to replace/tighten my band???? I'll get there when I get there. Now taking it one step at the time and working the band.

That's my story.

My point is.... it took me 10.5cc to get restriction... go figure....

hey it's really nice to here someone say- it took a while but i'm feeling it! i have a new issue. i feel restricted, i only can eat 3-4 bites at a meal. i have felt like this for 2 weeks,but i have not lost any weight still. weird. i eat like a bird, and i don't eat junk either. will wait it out i guess.hop hope hope

Wow, I have the Realize band too. I was banded Sept 22 and started out at 239. Now I'm at 227 but have lost inches galore. I have been hitting the gym really hard. 45 minutes of cardio, and weights. I try to burn about 500-600 calories. I don't really have any restriction yet, and I have an 11 cc band, and it's filled to 7 cc. I know EXACTLY what you mean about taking a few bites, being full and then going back to eating or not losing weight at all. I am trying to "keep the faith".

It's a struggle, but hang in there. I have a "buddy" on this forum, and so thankful for her. The last two weeks have been a struggle, and I think I put on a couple lbs. I cut out alcohol almost entirely. Maybe a couple glasses of wine in the last few months. No coffee, caffiene free....and looking for things that are "ok" to eat, and good for us. I've found when I keep up with my vitmans, and Calcium I feel like a million bucks..

I was am weighing myself every other day, which I hear is horrible. Don't forget to incorporate PMS weight, and so forth. I didn't realize that personally I put on about 5 lbs of Water weight, so cutting down on sodium is key for me.

The best advice (which I need to follow better) has been GET OUT OF THE HOUSE, and keep moving...and keep talking to your friends on this website.

People are here to help and it's fantastic!

Lisa6 (I thought this was an error, as my username is Lisa65!) ...

I have the Realize band - got it in April 08. I had to get to either 9.4 or 9.6 (I can't remember which now) to really feel much restriction at all. It's been good and I've been at that amount for over a year. I'm thinking now that I might need a TINY bit more, but when they went over the 9cc, my doctor called the manufacturer and was assured it was safe to do so - that some of the fluid they put in is in the tubing etc and there is also some builtin "leeway". I think it really is an issue with the Realize (low pressure) band- that it has to get near (or over in some cases) to really offer restriction.