Is the sleeve significantly different from the band in terms of weight loss?

suzie77 wrote:

I have been banded 9 months and it has been pretty crap to be honest. I can't get my fill level right and my weight has been yo-yoing for the whole time. I have only lost like 11kg. I know part of this is because I eat when I am not physically hungry. I eat because of circumstances or because I just feel like eating something. Clearly this is detrimental to weight loss with the band. If I have the sleeve, will it be different for me or am I just wasting my time? Is there a significant difference between being banded and being sleeved? Is it all about willpower, like the band?

The Band is not about willpower alone. If you can't get the fill right there is always a reason. Many of my Band patients have taken a year or more to start losing weight and when they do and I ask what is different the answer is frequently "I think I finally got my head around it". You need to discuss this with your surgeon and preferably the dietician. Sometimes the psychologist attached to your clinic may be able to help with non-hungry eating. The Band is a tool and needs to be used properly to succeed. It is far too early to consider a sleeve, you should give it at least 2 years before abandoning it. Sleeve and bypass initially give greater weight loss than the band, but by 5 years the results are not that different. My advice is go back to all the information you were given at the beginning and stick to the rules of the Band. That said it is true that the Band just does not work for some poeple no matter how much they try. Stick with it for at least another year before you consider a sleeve or bypass.

I guess the sleeve gets you started on the right track straight up and what you do with it after the initial few months is up to you. You can only eat small amounts for the first few months but I have found I have 'trained' myself to think small over the past 18 months. If I wanted to I could eat the wrong foods often and possibly put weight on but I find if I stick to 3 small satisfying meals a day with the occasional snack thrown in my weight stays the same and I have no problems keeping it like that.

I do think tho if I started going back to having lots of sugary drinks and eating junk all day the weight would go back on. If I'm thirsty I make the choice to have water not coke.

Last night I had my meal but was peckish later on so had two slices of bread with vegemite. Not something I would do on a regular basis but just saying I could do it and fit it in so you need to deal with why you eat just for the sake of eating.

I have always served only one scoop say of food on my plate when I could of possibly eaten two. Purely because one scoop satisfies me and IF, a couple of hours later, I really need something I will have some fruit or nuts. Just because you could possibly sit there for two hours and eat doesn't mean that you should!

The best thing about the sleeve is that you can eat anything. Unlike what I have heard about the band where some good foods can't be eaten. If you don't want to vomit, which I have never done, don't overfill yourself as the stomach is like a bucket and once full will flow over the top and back out again. lol

I have had my lap-band removed & am hoping that the sleeve is a much better tool for weight-loss?.... After reading these responses im not so sure. Either way, i guess the sleeve is a healthier option because atleast you arent vommitting your guts up everytime you eat? Also, the stats show a better weight-loss for sleeved patients as opposed to banded?

HI and welcome to the forum.

WTG on taking steps to improve your health and wellbeing, but sorry to hear you haven't been successful with the band.

Yes the sleeve is like the band in that you can eat when not physically hungry, eat because of circumstances or because I just feel like eating something.

And yes its detrimental to weight loss.

Both the band and sleeve are tools to help us with our weight loss journey.

You have to address all the head issues along with the eating ones.
Its all about what you believe and how you see yourself.

After being overweight for 40 years, I have had to do a lot of learning, but it has paid off.
I am now happy, fit and healthy and loving life.

Good luck with your journey.

Welcome, Suzie.
I suggest you take a look around the site - there are lots of threads on being sleeved after being banded.
Generally speaking, though, you do lose more weight on the sleeve than the band.
However, you can also cheat it (but not in the beginning) if you want to.
Having said that, most of us have similar issues, and have still been successful...
Good luck, whatever you decide.

I have been banded 9 months and it has been pretty crap to be honest. I can't get my fill level right and my weight has been yo-yoing for the whole time. I have only lost like 11kg. I know part of this is because I eat when I am not physically hungry. I eat because of circumstances or because I just feel like eating something. Clearly this is detrimental to weight loss with the band. If I have the sleeve, will it be different for me or am I just wasting my time? Is there a significant difference between being banded and being sleeved? Is it all about willpower, like the band?