Things you should know before you choose Lapband

I am 3 years out in January with my lapband. I had lost 60 pounds the first 6 months. I have since gained back 30 pounds. And i'll tell you why. It is not because my band has failed me or i've had complications, it's because of the choices i have made. When i went for the lapband i was not very educated about it, i wish i had been. The bottom line is the lapband will not MAKE you lose weight. If you want to lose weight for sure, then have the gastric bypass as you will lose weight through malabsortion. The lapband will only HELP you lose weight if you want to lose weight. You have got to exercise if you want to lose weight if you have a lapband. Sure the first few months after surgery you are going to lose weight. You are taking in considerably less than you ever did and your body is like WOAH! What is going on. But after a while your body adjusts and the weight loss stalls. This is when you need to put forth the effort to help yourself if you haven't been doing it all along. I have considered a revision to the sleeve, however i really want to give my band a fighting chance. I haven't done that. My job is sedentary, my life is sendentary so i need to just get moving. How will the sleeve be any different after a year and i'm still not getting off my lazy butt and exercising? I still get full with the band, i eat so much less and so far, nothing bad has happened. Sure i've had to vomit if i over did it or didn't chew well enough etc. However, it has taken me 3 years to understand this tool and what sets it off and what doesn't. Multiple fills and unfills within weeks of each other that I finally attributed to my intake of coffee. No coffee..no swelling. It sucks, but it is what it is. You do have to take small bites, and chew and chew and chew some more. It will take you almost an hour to eat. Learn to put down your fork after you take a bite and chat with those around you. Dont' feel bad because your taking longer than everyone else, or that your leaving food on your plate. Don't eat past the point of full, it will come back up. Most of all don't think that this is a magic solution for your weight problem/issues. It is most certainly not. I don't think they can develop a surgery to fix that. It really is a tool, only that and if you are not honestly going to put in the effort to help your band work for you, then go a different avenue. Best of luck!

I am sorry to hear that you did not really understand FULLY how the band works, it takes a lot of guts to come here and acknowledge the truth. Unfortunately many people fall in the same situation.

The lap band is just a simple tool for those people WHO DO NOT WANT their insides rearranged, it is very disappointing that surgeons DO NOT DISCLOSE this to their patients VERY CLEARLY and this is why you have so many people slipping their bands trying to tighten it up as tight as it can get, to try to use the band as a crutch.

The lap band DOES NOT work this way, it is just a diet tool to help you with portions (ideally 1 cup) and does NOTHING ELSE, sure you can try to tighten it to the point of limiting you to liquids but this approach damages the esophagus and causes band slippage.

But I think you are wrong in your statement about the gastric bypass, the bypass WILL ONLY HELP people who have very HIGH BMIs to lose weight with no effort, but those low BMI folks that get the gastric bypass unfortunately have to HIT THE GYM just like ALL lap banders -- even with malabsorption, some gastric bypass folks do keep their weight down longer than banders due to the torture of dumping to keep them from eating sugar, and who wants that forever..lol.

You are correct the lap band is the only tool that YOU MUST EXERCISE AND DIET to lose weight and keep it off since there is no extra help. But over the years and what I've seen on this board strangely enough...MANY LAP BANDERS DO NOT EXERCISE, I cannot understand this, you especially MUST exercise more with the band than any other weight loss surgery, the band does not make you sick period, I don't get it...I see those same people that DID NOT EXERCISE WITH THE LAP BAND and revised over to the Sleeve and are now doing marathon running???lol.....

But I think a lot of people are being FOOLED with the Sleeve also, they THINK it is a magic wand and the weight will drop off effortlessly but that is FAR FAR from the truth...

I think with the Sleeve many do have an advantage ESPECIALLY right after surgery since most people can't eat and have a hard recovery but as soon patients recover and feel better (usually after 6 months)...the SLEEVE and RNY patients WILL HAVE TO EXERCISE FOR LIFE to maintain their weight, there is NO MAGIC WAND in weight loss surgery yet....and unfortunately THERE IS NO DIFFERENT AVENUE for people to drop weight effortlessly and feel good at the same time.

I'm disappointed that it has taken me this long for my reality slap. lol..but oh well. At least now I GET IT! And i really do want to have my band for as long as i can because it does help with the hunger/satiety issue for me. I want to lose 100 pounds and still have it so it helps keep me in check. Now i just have to start helping myself. And i plan to. :) Support is a big help as well, i'm planning on using this site for motivation and help as well. :) Thanks for your reply.

Good that you've had a reality check, but YOU CAN lose weight with the band more easily than without a band, I know that for sure, and it's not really hard.

If you get a plan and stick to it, I lost my weight with the band by walking every single morning about 1 hour before work and I never dieted, but I watched my carbs and sweets, but I never eliminated them, I still ate chocolate occasionally but again, I focused more on proteins and veggies and it was not that hard for me in the beginning.

I am going 7 years post op and NOW it is VERY HARD to maintain my weight loss since the "motivation and excitement is over" and I lost that drive to walk, but I am starting back and stocked up on Unjury chocolate shakes which really helped me lose weight the first year.

This is why I would never get a revision only to lose a few pounds, since I would STILL have to focus on proteins and exercise regardless of which weight loss surgery I choose.

Good luck!

 I moved into a housing development where i have a 1.6 mile walk if i walk from my house to the front and back to my house. I decided I am going to start with this. I always think, just walking wont make me lose the weight, but then people say different. So i'm gonna try it. All i have to lose is fat right? :) 

 OMG I am in the exaxct same boat as you was banded in 09 and have not lost any weight and when I did loose weight it was all gained back and more.   I feel worse now then I ever did about myself, but it took me to hit rock bottom to reslize this I am sick of being the fat mommy and wife.  So recently I have been exercising like crazy drinking my water and dieting although I never really feel restriction I know to stop myself.  One of my big problems is I can't get off soft protein and transxition over to hard protein.  I dont know maybe its the fear that I will get stuck again, but whatever it is I do not edat hard protein.  I have to re teach my brain if I want to loose this is something I am very determined to do!!

 I think there are a lot of us that are in the same boat. Don't be afraid of eating solid proteins. Just take your time, take small bites and wait for it to pass before you take another bite. Pork chops are harder for me but you know what i found is something called Paypaya enzyme. They sell it at vitamin stores. It tastes good and is a miracle worker. What i usually do with it is take 4 or so before i start to eat my dense proteins, mostly pork and beef and it helps so so much with getting it down. If i am eating and feel like its going to stick, i take more pills, they are chewable, and they really really help. But you have got to take a small bite, chew good , swallow and wait for it to pass before you take another. And i dont eat much of the protein because it sits there and tells me thats enough, even though my mouth wants more, i'm done because if i keep going, i'll get stuck and i'll make it come up.  Learning to live with the band is a journey and you learn all the things you need along the way. Another thing is if you do not feel restriction go see your doctor for a fill. You should feel something. The fills i have been getting over the past year have been only .01 cc's. I never thought that would make a difference but it really, really does. My doc is an hour away from me so i am awful about going back for visits but i actually have one tomorrow. I wasn't going to go but  i think i will, i need just a tiny bit, that .01 cc should do me well enough to control myself. I've been able to eat a lot of bread and i know that means its time to get a fill. Keep me posted! Good Luck!

Actually the  malabsorbtion is only for vitamins and nutrients NOT CALORIES. Any WLS requires exercise for a long term success.  I have read many comments on this board that people that do not have a good result from the band and do with bypass is because the banders dont follow rules or exercise,  What you are missing is the rules you flaunt are exactly the same for bypass or sleeve patients.  PROTEIN FIRST, DIME SIZE BITE, MASTICATE TO LIQUID, NO PROCESSED FOODS OR REFINED SUGAR AND FLOUR, EXERCISE DAILY!, stop eating after 20 minutes,DO NOT GRAZE!  It is almost a self righteous mantra of some banders as if they are doing something noble by following some exclusive set of rules that are universal for all weight loss period.  IN FACT if all those self righteous banders followed those rules in their life they wouldnt even need the tool band.  Those rules are the same for ALL weight loss surgery patients because they all must learn habit that thin people that do not have obesity do naturally.  I do not know one thin normal person that sits all day shoving pizza down with crystal light all day and stays that way.  the main purpose for the wls is to get the obesity down while training for whole life habits and gaining mobility to be able to remain active while mindfully eating forever.  

In my case I could not eat protein first or dense foods because the band was a failed tool.  I needed the relief from constant hungerand the band didnt provide that for me...My rules are the same as the banders so enough of the self righteous admonitions.  There is NO CALORIE MALABSORBTION with bypass or sleeve...just nutrient malabsorbtion...i.e. iron b vitamins etc 

I agree with eveything said. I also think peoples expectations of how the band will provide restriction should be said. Many people don't have any restriction until around 3 fills- that's about three months postop. Also, not everyone finds that "sweet spot". I didn't really. I lost all my weight by dieting hard core (lowfat, low carb, low cal, high protien) and excersising almost everyday. However, I have gained back about 30 pounds, want to loose 15 or so of it. I have been told I got to thin, and they may be right. My band is very loose at this point. I have thought about trying fills again but really don't want to go through the get a fill, be to tight and need an unfill and then be hungry. Also, I have to admit I like eating bread et.. especially in the morning. When the band was tight enough to have any effect I could only do a protien shake for breakfast and no rice, pasta, bread at all. Just my experience, I know everybodies is different.

 i have about 5.2cc in my band which is a 10 cc band. I can eat some bread, if i am careful. Usually i go for a fill if i can eat breads with no problem, thats my sign. I find that WW bread products are easier to go down than regular ones.