Aliveat55

Hi Lori, So glad you are doing well. What success you have had! I am almost ready to return to OCC to change from band to maybe plication instead of sleeve. I was banded 2 1/2 years ago, have not lost or gained not even a pound! I guess the band just was not right for me. But I am gun shy now... Spent close to $10K on the band and fills over the years. I am afraid the sleeve/plication will not agree with me either, and just be another waste of money. I just don't know...

I think probably 10!! I went to a fill center in Olympia, Washington. They took me up by half cc's, all done under flouro. I spent a small fortune! I refuse to go to them anymore. If I get any more fills, it will be OCC only.

I sure will! Thanks!

Yep, that's my story too. You have dramatically lost your weight. I want that too.

OMG, I have felt so much frustration and disappointment. I have just now gotten mad enough to start really trying to cut way back on the amount I eat and what I eat. I guess for me, and I'm sure many others, the band is not a magic bullet. I really thought the band would force me to eat small meals, but that just is not the case for me. I really can eat quite a bit, still, at 10.4cc's! So, I failed big time. Not the band, but me... I have finally accepted that my journey is not like many of the other bloggers on this site. Or maybe the folks who have failed to achieve weight loss just do not write about the failure, so it seemed to me I was kind of alone. Well, I am speaking to all the failures out there in band land. You are not alone! I don't know how successful I will be, but I am changing my approach to all this today. I am going to just keep asking myself, at every meal as I look at the food, is this the right portion size? I know what the size should be, and I need to make a very conscious and deliberate decision about the amount. Because I can still stuff in way to much if I don't CONSCIOUSLY make the decision to limit myself. Then, I really am going to try to "feel" the fullness after I eat the correct amount. I think for me, I have to force myself out of the habit I have had with food. I have to realize that being fat is my disease, just like diabetes or high blood pressure. A disease I have to be be aware of and manage. I think looking back, this was a message many bloggers sent, but I just did not really hear and internalize it. Sherri, I just got to the point where I looked at my life and what this fat was doing to it and I said ENOUGH!! I don't want to take vacations or do physical things with my husband because of the way I feel about myself. I am embarassed to go home to Cleveland to see family and friends because I have packed on so many pounds since I saw them last (I live in Seattle now). What's that all about!! I am missing out on my life for what reason, for fat and food!! NO NO NO, I won't have this anymore! I have worked hard my whole life (I will soon be 56 years old) to scrape together enough money to be able to start doing things I have wanted to do all my working life, mostly travel. And now that I am here, this fat is keeping me from my dreams. I don't mean to be dramatic, but this is the bare naked truth... So, I will not give up, I will not accept that this band was a failure. I am scared as hell that I will continue to fail, but I am going to just keep putting one foot in front of the other until I get what I want. There has to be some kind of habit or pattern I can develop so that I can use the band as it was intended. Sherrie, maybe you need more fill in the band. How much fill do you have? As I said, I am really up there at 10.4cc in my 11cc band. I am going to go to OCC within the next month or so to see if everything is right with my band. I have no side effects, just does not restrict me very much. Girlfiend, this path is a little more rocky for us, but I think we can still make the climb. I wish I could do more to help you, because I really do know how it feels to fail at this. If you can, just get as mad as hell at your eating habits, instead of at yourself. I am praying for the best for both, or for all, of us!

I have 10.4cc's, if my fill center is figuring it correctly, and only a small restriction!! I had surgery 1 year ago, lost 12 pounds early on, have gained all 12 back. I guess I just don't get it! The band really does not help control portion size for me, at least not enough to lose. I plan to go back to OCC one more time to see if they can help me understand why... if not, just a big disappointment!

I too can relate. I don't think it is very helpful when those of you that CAN control your intake make those of us who can't feel like losers! Yeah, I get that the band just being there has caused a change in your eating behavior, but that is not the case for some of us, so give it a break! I understand where you are Christy. The band has not worked for me either. If I could just control my portions, I would have without the band. I guess I misunderstood what the band would do. I thought it would prevent me from overeating, control my portions for me and decrease my hunger. That has happened a little, I lost about 12 pounds, but have gained it all back since I was banded 1 year ago. I have an 11cc band and have 10.4cc in the band now. I can still eat way to much so no weight loss. I am going to go to OCC and have Dr. So take a look, but I am really disappointed in the whole thing for sure.

I'm sorry, maybe I missed it. Why did you have the band removed in the first place?

Well, I feel better that you have a higher fill like me. I see the blogs where people never even had a fill and have lost a lot of weight. I am considering going back to OCC to see if they can figure out what to do with me. Maybe I just need the band filled more. All I know is, I am really disappointed. Let me know if the restriction stays for you. Mine was restricted for the first 3 or 4 days at 10.4cc, then the restriction seemd to lessen a lot. I can't say I do not have any restriction, but it's not enough to lessen my portion size to what it needs to be for weight loss. I do not eat between meals and I eat hard protein. I think the gastric plication procedure is more for people that have problem with the band more so than that the band is not restrictive enough. I think my only option at this point is to go back to OCC and see what they can do to help. Thanks and best wishes for your continued weight loss!

You can go home the same day. I did...

I have 10.4 in my band. Have lost only 10 pounds since 12/09. I wanted to lose 50 pounds. The band is a failure for me. I really feel very little restriction, even at 10.4. All my fills were under flouro, the band is in good position and the pouch is not distended. I eat hard protein, which goes down pretty easily as long as I chew well. I have spent over $3ooo.oo on fills, of which I have had 12 fill appointments. I am going to contact Dr. Ortiz and see what he suggests. I think I will return to OCC to see if they can figure out why I am not feeing restriction, why my portions are not restricted to allow weight loss. I can eat just about anything, including bread, rolls, toast, pasta steak, chicken... whatever I want really. It's probably me, not the band. Maybe I just don't really get what the band is supposed to do. I thought it would prevent me from eating larger amounts. That only happened right after the fills. By a week later, I could just about eat what I wanted. If I had stayed as restricted as I had been after the fills, I think I would have had success. It just seems like my stomach adjusted to the restriction and that was that!

I was banded in December 2009, have lost only 8 pounds and my 11cc Realize band is filled now to 9.7cc. I have been back for fills, I think 7 times to date. My last restriction was the first time I really felt a restriction. I am going back tomorrow, because after 2 weeks, the restriction is relaxing some again. I would guess I am eating half of what I did before the band, but still no real weight loss. Maybe my situation is unique, but it has taken FOREVER for me to get to the "sweet spot". Maybe I never will, I don't know. I am not giving up yet, but I am pretty disappointed. I am going to up my exercise, walking with some running, and hope that this next fill gives me the restriction i need to start losing consistently. I am so sick of getting fills and there is also the expense of it. I think the Realize band, with it's 11cc capacity lends to many more fills. Good luck and I hope you get to the "sweet spot " sooner than i did! that e

I had my 11cc Realize band put in in December 2009. I finally had my 5th fill which took me up to 7.8cc. NOW, I FINALLY know what restriction feels like!! I am now having a hard time with hiccups after this fill. I can drink water and tea, but if I try to even eat any soup (broth type, no stuff in it) I can't get down more than a couple of spoon fulls before I get a case of major hiccups. They will last for about 1/2 hour. I also do a few PB's with some slime (I know, gross). I had the fill on Tuesday, so I might need a couple of extra days on liquids. I am not to worried yet because I can keep down clear fluid, especially warm fluid like tea. So I know I am being hydrated OK. Has anyone had a similar experience? I think I'll call my fill doctor's office staff tomorrow and make sure I do not need to do something before the weekend. Their office is closed on the weekend. I hope I do not need an unfill! So, for anyone who has a 11cc realize band and does not feel restriction yet, it took till this fill before I really felt restriction. I think that for some of us, our band has to be pretty full before we feel a real restriction. Before this last fill, I would feel kind of restricted but the feeling would go away after a couple of days. I don't think that is going to happen this time.

I had a 5cc first fill at OCC and have yet to really feel real restriction. I am just now past my 5th fill and am at 7.8cc. Just had a fill today. I hope this one actually provides restriction. I hear you might need more than 8.5 with the Realize 11cc band.

This was about the best info i have seen on the issue. I am still not at the "sweet spot", but am hoping to be soon. No weight loss so far since 12/4/09. Thanks!

I was banded on 12/4/09 and have not lost a thing! I have the Realize 11 cc band. I just got my 5th fill ($$$) and am now at 7.8cc. After my last fill last Tuesday at 7cc, the fill tech was like "You WILL feel this restriction". I did feel it for my first meal on the 2nd day, then the restricted feeling went away entirely. When I went back today, the fill tech was really surprised at how quickly I emptied. She gave me another .8cc. I am pretty sick of the fills every week, but my fill center is sooooo conservative. I kind of wish I had gone back to OCC for my fills. I think I would have been at optimum restriction much sooner. I am hoping this fill does the trick.

I was banded on 12/4/09 and have just had my third fill. I have the 11cc band. I am now at 6cc. I have yet to really feel restriction and have had -0- weight loss. Very disheartening. But I think I am going to follow closely the recommendation of so many in this blog to be exact in how I eat and what I eat. What makes me crazy is that friends of mine who have been banded are restricted to the point that they have to do the right thing. The band won't let them eat any sizeable meal. I want that kind of restriction. I hope this time I get to feel what restriction is supposed to feel like!

Thanks so much for the play by play. Please let us know how you feel over the next 3 or 4 days and how the restriction works over the next couple of weeks. I am having my fill on February 4th, then flying to Las Vegas for a 3 day work conference. I will have the weekend off after the fill so I hope any discomfort or problem will resolve before I have to attend the all day meetings starting on Tuesday.

Thanks! My fill is 2/4/10. Please let me know how it goes for you. Are you going back to Dr. Ortiz for your fill?

Zoey, I am just wondering... You are not diabetic are you? I would hope that the doctors made sure that was not part of the problem. Please continue to post. That's why we are here, to lend some support.