Nena_TX

Absolutly, but then you can with all kinds of weightloss surgery!
If you want to eat icecream, creamed potatoes and gravy and all of the slide down a treat foods then you can and you wont lose any weight, but if you stick to a few simple rules - like eat the bulky stuff first and then just have one cookie which is all you will want when your band is full, then you will do fine. Often it is the taste that you are after, but the full mechanism gets turned off if you dont have a band. In my experiance if you push your band like that it will give you big time payback in the form of a stuck episode or just an outright vomit. I call it my choke chain, it yanks me back when I need it!
As one of the previous posters said, it is a much a battle of the mind as a battle with the stomach. I railed against my band rules for the first year, I still lost weight I just bitched about it all the time, then once I realised that as long as I ate the bulky stuff first and didnt have things swimming in sauces the weight would come off and I could still get all the flavours I was craving I just chilled out.
The bypass was waaaaay to radical for me, and I am the kind of girl that if I can't have something it becomes my obsession to have it, there is no way that I could deal with dumping syndrome, or the nasty side effects of fats. Everything had to be available to me I needed to take back the control myself.
I could go into all the reasons health wise why I chose the band but ultimatly your friend will decide to do what she wants to do, just warn her that none of the paths are easy!

I was banded in 10-2010. I have lost 65lbs as of last week so in 3 months I lost 65lbs. 25lbs in 12 day fast. I was 5'10 379lbs at 31 yrs, male. I had an umbilical hernia and a heiatal hernia repaired at the same time. I woke up from surgery and could immediately breath better. The heiatal hernia was limiting my diaphragm from easily raising and lowering. That fixed and my CPAP, I am sleeping like a baby! Yes I am doing it right. I can hear the - "your losing to fast" comments now. Little meals and lots of exercise.I live in DC so I walk everywhere. I walk to and from work, round trip 3.6 miles, with hills, bout 35 minutes each way. I went from being sedentary and XL large pizzas AND super subs over the weekends to eating healthy and normal. I have since cut out beer and all breads and pastas. A few long islands here and there, socially. I don't know how anyone can be hungry after the second fill. I have 5.5cc in 10cc band. Its so easy to eat around the band with soft foods.... Remember 30/30 rule and eat your Protein first. That will "clog the hole" temporary, while your fruit and veggies pile ontop to reach the vargus nerve to tell brain STOP, daddy is full . Those that eat soft foods and chew them well, its easy to keep eating and eating. I remeber I was sitting in my recliner and looked down, I seen this big bump on my thigh, I said I dont remeber faling down. I felt it and it didnt hurt, I glanced at the other leg and it was symmetrical. It was muscle tone from years of carrying all this belly around... My legs are rocks, I swear... I wish I would have done this years ago.... If I am with co workers and don't want them to know, I drink Water before meals and during..no kinda crazy amounts of food. For all of you out there debating whether to do it or not, DO IT!. I think there are more success stories than failure stories. I think half the posts are marketing ploys from gastric band interest groups so dont get discourgaed by what you read. I felt so good after 2 weeks of liquid fasting and a week of recovery. I was addicted to getting all the Vitamins my body needed. That made a big difference in my mood and overall well being. Eating and eating and eating, all filled up will make you feel lazy... WIth the band, I dont feel a heavy meal and I am stuffed. You cheaters no your cheating and those that follow the program will succeed. Think about it. If I lock you in a closet and give you 1000 calories a day for three weeks. Guess what, Your going to lose weight. or 1500 calories for you nay sayers. One thing I think helps me is I only weigh when I go to the drs office to get a fill so I have only weighed twice. This will limit you being discouraged if you have a week or even two of plateauing....Also, sugar free pops and pudding have satisfied my sweet tooth cravings... I like the venti pepermint mochas but I found they have 50gs of sugar. Now I get regular coffee and keep peppermint sugar free mints in my mouth while I drink coffee Anyway, I am rambling...just want the people thinking of doing this, I have nothing bad to say... Onwards!!! Hope to start macking on some chicks this summer .
Happy Banding! Stick to the program, you can do it!

Great thread idea.
Things have improved for me as well. Of course I don't want my entire life to change because I was already blessed with some very good things in life. The band has only made life better than it already was.
I am 5'7" started at 264 lbs. I think my BMI was 41.3. I really felt like crap mentally and physically.
I now weigh 155 with a bmi of 24.3 and I feel so much better in every way. 109 pounds gone forever!
I no longer shop in the plus size stores and sections!
I look great in cute clothes!
I can wear real jeans again!
I can move easier!
I can get in/out of cars easier! (Getting up in my husband's truck took real effort.)
I can paint my toenails!
I can look in the mirror without disgust!
I can cross my legs with comfort!
I can wipe my bum easier!
My too big boobs no longer get in the way!
I no longer snore like a train!
My ass no longer starts at my waist!
My belly looks flat in jeans!
I have a trim waist!
I feel "lanky"!
My tripple chin is gone!
I'm no longer the biggest person in the room!
I feel better having sex!
Oh my gosh, I could go on and on with my list! The band has worked so well for me and I'm so happy with the results.
Let's hear some from all you other bandsters.

Hi all! My highest pre-surgery weight was 220 and 212 the day of banding (I did not take the pre-op diet very seriously). In the 3 months since the surgery I've lost 36 pounds. I know it's not as much as some, but I'm happy with it. At this point I'm still on track to be at my goal with in a year. I really hope so. I actually don't really even see the weight loss yet, but I am down from a 18/20 to a 14/16.
Congratulations to all of you!

I just had the procedure done, and I have a few questions. Did you think the band would make decisions for you? Calories are all that matter. Fewer calories in, more exercise, equal weight loss. You don't really have to choose between hamburgers and chicken, but you have to eat less of them. The band was probably doing its job when you had pain and threw up. Isn't that what's supposed to happen when you overeat? I was hoping that the band would help me with Portion Control. See, I love to eat, but I don't know when to stop. Will the band help me with that? If your doctor isn't getting you to the "sweet spot" have you considered going to a different doctor? Perhaps he isn't the right one for you.
It really sounds to me like you might help yourself by meeting with a counselor, and a dietitian to discuss your options for food choices. You could look for recipes for foods that interest you and help you get over your cravings for cheeseburgers. Something as simple as half a cheeseburger with lettuce instead of a bun, might do the trick.
I know this doesn't work for everyone, but if you self paid, and you went through the process, and you really need to lose weight for your health, you owe it to yourself to do everything you can to make this work.
It will require sacrifice, but gastric bypass requires sacrifice too. So does dieting alone. I don't have any experience with lap band yet, but I have lots of experience with life. You may have issues that you need to discuss with a counselor now while you can eat what you want. Relax, eat, get your head straight and try again. That's all I'm saying, and I say it with caring and respect for your pain. I've dealt with my weight for 60 years and this is do or die for me literally. Work on you first, then your diet. Be still for a while...sort things out, and keep in touch.

Believe me after being a yo yo dieter for 40 years I am not going to sit here and judge anybody whether it was for choosing the wrong surgery or wrong diet. I was banded 12/20/08 and down 90 pds, still fighting the 3 pds gained at Christmas from overindulging.
I have two questions, how old are you girls that are having such trouble with the band and were not aware of the work involved in getting the band. I was set on getting gastric bypass because I thought the only surgery that would help me would be something that made everything go through me without me having to work so hard on this new life. The Dr. said "NO", you are the best candidate for lap band and that is what they did against my insistence of the gastric bypass. I ABSOLUTELY HATED THIS BAND THE FIRST FEW Months that I had it and the friend that recommended it felt horrible that he suggested this surgery for me also. Well, after paying close to $3,000 out of pocket, I thought I may as well give this the best try I could and you know what, IT WORKED and it is working with NO FILLS whatsoever!!!!!! I know I am rare, but I come on this site every day to re-enforce my mental attitude and the blogs from Elfie Poo have given me a new and different outlook on the low carb diet that I need to get these few last pds back off after the holiday fiasco I made for myself.
I know this is very frustrating, but please don't blame people on here that have succeeded as being judgemental, we are just stating that the lap band DOES WORK most of the time. Nothing is perfect for everybody and that is just life. I hope you girls find something that does work for you because there is a whole new world out there waiting for the "skinny" you. Good luck on your search.