To the former bandsters......

I am hoping to revise to VSG soon. So tell me.........what was your experience? Did you lose slower than the virgin VSG'ers???

I had the band for almost 2 years and was unsuccessful.  March 6 I had the band taken out and was sleeved.  Since then I have lost 66lbs. I feel like I'm doing really well. I'm very happy that I converted! 

You've done wonderful! So glad you were able to convert!

Yes, I seem to be losing more slowly than the virgin sleevers-15 pounds pre op and 40 pounds post op in 5 months. I'm also losing more slowly than when I had the band. Of course, I'm 10 years older and menopausal which probably has something to do with it as well.

I think part of the reason was I was already doing many of the behaviors for the sleeve already because of the band so there wasn't this big change up in either calories or quality of my diet.

40 in 5 months may be a little slow, but yet that is much better than most bandsters do! Hope you get to goal soon hun!

I had the band for 7 years and hated every moment of it!  Turns out it had slipped and caused a hernia, which is why I probably had such a miserable experience.  The band did help me to lose 50 pounds, but when I had it unfilled I gained back 25 in less than 3 months (I was enjoying the experience of eating without having to throw up half the time I guess).

I had the band removed and VSG in May of this year.  I was considered a lightweight but still have lost 34 pounds since then and couldn't be happier.  I'm only about 16 pounds from the normal BMI, and have increased my activity level immensely, which is something that I never really did with the band.  Gone is the awful reflux (from my hernia), and gone is the looking for a bathroom every time I eat out in public.  

To answer your question about the rate of loss?  I think it's all relative truth be told.  It depends on the amount of weight you have to lose, how committed you are to the program, and how well you deal with the mental issues that invariably come with weight loss.  I don't know if there are stats out there on the comparison, but I venture to guess that we all lose the same depending on the factors I mention.  

Good luck to you - I am so very happy my surgeon suggested a revision to me, otherwise I never would have considered it.  

34 pounds since May is great! Congrats!

Good luck Maria! 

You've seen my posts and  know that I will have to work at losing/maintaining  for the rest of my life but I love my stomach sleeved and I have absolutely no regrets.  I can eat a decent amount of anything and exactly my problem.  But I am not hungry and lose when I step up my game and trim my pleasure foods.

As my surgeon told me immediately  post-op "now you have the stomach that you had wished you were born with"  All best,Layla

Thanks Layla! Wishing you all the best as well!!!

Hated my band!!!!  I had the dang thing 3 years.  I lost 30 lbs the first 4 months and that was all for three years.  I have now lost 54 lbs in 3 months!  It is so much better than the band.  I absolutely love my sleeve.  No more stuck or blocked feeling.  Just normal full feeling with way less food.

I would do it again 10 times over.