The last time Magic8 posted was nearly 6 months ago, so I wouldn't hold my breath there. What you're doing isn't research. Research is something you do with the results of scientific studies. What you're doing is collecting anecdotes, and the plural of anecdote isn't data.
I know one person with a lapband. She's still very overweight, having never managed to lose a significant amount. I know another person who is planning WLS, and has chosen to go with RNY, rather than lapband, despite her doctor's preference for lapband, because her research led her to conclude that she wasn't going to be able to lose with the lapband.
I quick glance through PubMed turned up something I personally was unaware of. At least one study considered WLS to be "very effective" if it resulted in a loss of 50% of excess weight in a 2-year period. So if you're 100 pounds overweight, you'd be considered a success if, 2 years after surgery, you had lost 50 of those pounds.