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Hello, I also had questions regarding the pros and cons of each brand of band. My surgeon stated that either one was fine with him. He didn't have a preference. I ended up getting the Realize band on 1/31 because I liked the interactive internet interface called "Realizemysuccess" where you can log your food diary and exercise and write down challenges and successes, etc. You can also monitor your weight loss. You can choose to allow your surgeon's office access to your logs so they can help if you have a problem or hit a plateau. I like the food diary--I am using it to help keep myself accountable for what I eat. The food diary has some limitations though--you have to choose items from their preloaded database--CIB isn't in there but the whole menu of every fast food joint on the planet is! I already wrote a letter of concern about this so maybe they will fix it. I also liked the fact that the port of the Realize band has a lower profile (it is flatter) but a little wider than the Lap Band port. I cannot feel mine yet. Also, since I am a healthcare professional, I emailed both companies for the package insert (this includes the clinical trial data, specific surgical procedure and any adverse effects experienced by patients). I reviewed both and there were few significant differences. Both implants were approved by the FDA based upon a sample size of around 300 patients. This is a small sample size and I was surprised. However both bands were used for over 10 yrs in Europe before FDA approval. The Realize band was called the Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band before so you may Google that and get more info. Hope this info helps!

Hi everyone! I had my band placed on 1/31/08 and I am hungry as well. I talked to the dietician yesterday and her suggestion was to add Fiber into the shakes using flax meal (ground up flax seeds) and small amount of berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries). I made a shake with the vanilla SF CIB and flax and about 1/2 cup of mixed berries, about a 1/4 cup soymilk, 1/4 cup skim milk and 1 Weight watchers berry yogurt and it was actually really good and I didn't get hungry for about 3 hrs. It made about 3 servings. Also, I pureed 1 can of Healthy request chicken noodle soup in the blender along with 2 scoops of unjury (protein pwd) and 2 tablespoons of flax and had that for dinner last night and didn't get hungry for about 3 hrs as well (I counted that as 4 servings and only ate 1/4 of the can). It tasted good too! I am trying really hard to follow their guidelines exactly because I want this to work. The dietician for my practice stated that I should continue full liquid for 7-10 days post-surgery. My understanding is that if solid food is introduced too soon, the placement of the band may change and that may lead to reduced weight loss later. I don't know how true this is because there is such variability between surgeons and their recommendations. Lots of people have eaten solids early without any apparent problem. I think the advice to call your surgeon's office was right. Let them know so they can help you. Hope my suggestions help! I thought I was the only hungry one!