rhiafaery

*(*(*BIG hugs!!*)*)*
PLEASE don't give up. You are SO worth it! adorkbl has excellent advice. Try to take it one step at a time, and don't think too much about the big picture. Just do ONE thing today that will move you toward your goal. Then do ONE thing tomorrow. Then do TWO things the next day. No matter how small. You can do it!! <3

Don't give up. It is HARD to get back on track when you get sidelined. All the initial excitement and energy is gone. But it IS do-able. I have had several setbacks along the way and am starting over for the second time. It seems harder each time.
Take it slow. When you start getting your fills again, don't rush it. Don't get to the point where you are eating the wrong foods just to get it past the band. Refer to the green zone chart.

Most importantly.. don't WAIT until you start getting fills to start over again. I used my setbacks as an excuse to eat poorly and ignore the bandster rules. You will only make more work for yourself in the long run!! So you don't have restriction right now... fill up on veggies. Continue to follow the bandster rules for quality! Lean Proteins, avoid sugars and starches, and eat your veggies. Yes it is going to suck... but get your mind back on track.
YOU CAN DO IT!
Then when your fill level get back to a good restriction, you have half the battle already under control. Now you can just reduce your portions.
Hang in there. I am sorry you have had a setback. Don't let it discourage you. You had success initially... so you know it can work for you.

Thank you! June is my month of positivity!! Out with negativity! Boo yeah.

I don't know about all of you, but the whole reason I got the lap band is because diets don't work for me. The cycle of being "good" for a while and then giving up and being "bad" caused me to balloon up to 251 pounds. I follow my surgeon's instructions 80-90% of the time, but I'm not perfect. I don't think he expects his patients never to have a glass of wine or a piece of chocolate ever again, as long as it isn't every day and not in the quantities we used to have.
I think the major thing I credit my success to is learning to let go of guilt about eating. I've learned that I can eat an occasional treat and still lose weight, which is huge for me. I've broken the diet cycle and I'm succeeding for the first time in my life with weight loss, so an occasional glass of wine won't hurt me.

So tonight I played my Xbox kinect (haven't played since before surgery)....it takes pics of u during play and (unlike before surgery) the pics were not disgusting!! This may sound silly but before when I played I hated seeing them and deleted them ASAP but tonight I was liking looking at them and seeing such a difference!! 45 lbs since 3-1-12 woohoo!!!!

That is so wonderfull. You go girl NSVS are the best part of this journey. If you dont mind I would like to ride on yours?
I just purchased a pair of size 12 JEANS today I am over the top!!! I am going to a little get together on Sunday and I have not seen a few of the people for 3 years THEY are going FREAK.YEA for me!

Thank you guys so much for your encouragement, it means SO much to me! I am feeling NO restriction at all, and I can almost feel that little out-of-control demon sitting on my shoulder. But I refuse to listen to him. I can make it 3 weeks until my next fill, I KNOW it! Even if I don't lose anything, I plan on not GAINING anything, either.

Okay...this is a very embarrassing question...but I am curious none the less. Joking around with my husband the other night. He asked why I was tired...I said its probably because I didn't get all of my protein in for the day. To which he responded "I've got your protein"....typical guy. After I chuckled a little...I got to thinking. Hmmm...it is protein...so if you engage in....uhm...oral. Does anyone know how much protein that could be? I think I'm onto something here. It could be a win win for both me and hubby...lol

June 29 2011 and I have only lost 40lbs. I knew it would be slow but not this slow. However look at it this way we didnt get this weight over night so taking it off slow is for the best.
I plan to join a fitness center soon and hopefuly this will jump start my wt loss.
Good luck and keep going. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!

Oh my goodness, that's hilarious! I, too, have kept a lot of my baggier undies, mostly to use as period panties lol, but even those are just becoming so extra baggy that it's not even worth it. Time to clean the drawers out yet again! You should definitely seek out some new, cute undies!

I have been through what u have. With time you'll start to feel better. It will never go away just get easier to deal with. As for the band start over. Just as u just had your surgery. I was banded in 07 I lost 130lbs than got pregnant and gained back 100lbs. I was depressed and devistated. I ate how much and what I wanted. I had a prolapse and had it fixed. I started over and today at the docs I was down to 161 lbs. I started at 310. Good luck you also can do it!!!!

Oh, and you do NOT want to vomit!

If you're not keeping track of your calories and protein intake, I would suggest doing so for awhile to see how much you're eating and where you should make some changes. When you're logging what you eat you're much more apt to hold yourself accountable, too.

When I was banded, the woman sharing my room was in for a band replacement. Why? Because she drank soda/carbonation and prolapsed her stomach through her band. She also gained 40 pounds in a relatively short period of time, too.
There's no way I'd risk going through that. Carbonated beverages just aren't worth it.

When is the last time you saw your surgeon? Have you had any testing to be sure you have good restriction?
What others have said is valid, but it is also true that not everyone is successful with a band. Some insurance companies will pay for revision to another procedure if you have been compliant with band rules and failed to lose weight.
I'd also like to add, all (I think all) bypass patients lose rapidly in the beginning. After the honeymoon phase of 18-24 months is over, if they have not developed proper eating habits, there is a strong potential for weight regain. My surgeon says that the body develops ways around the malabsorption and learns to absorb more of the calories being consumed.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21885246 This study is true for every procedure.

Cannot or will not - there is a difference?
Generally you should be able to do anything you put your mind to so technically you can, but it seems that you don't want to.
You know why you have not been successful but it seems like you are not willing to take the necessary steps to change failure into success. You wish you had the bypass, well guess what - people learn to eat around that too! It seems that you are looking for a WLS that is a magic fix and the rest of us would love that too. However the reality is that no WLS is magic, none of them work unless the patient works with them.
Sorry for the tough talking but sometimes people need to be told the facts. All the people here have had to work to achieve success so if it was sympathy that you were looking for you are not likely to get any. However if you want tips from others, encouragement, exercise advice, meal ideas etc then we would love to be of assistance.

I was banded on 4/23 & so far I've done pretty good following post op diet. Yes I did sneak in a few soft foods during my full liquids phase, but for the most part I've respected my band. Since my band I haven't eaten out except for some soup at Jason's Deli one time. Well I'm about to face my biggest challenge this coming weekend. With it being Mother's Day weekend we have alot of outings planned. In my family, we celebrate with food. I am determined to stick to my 4 oz rule given by my doctor. I've already checked out the menus of the restaurants we'll be going to & know what I will order. The only one in my extended family that knows about my surgery is my mother. I chose not to tell anyone else bc I feel that when others know you're attempting weight loss they tend to "watch" everything you place in your mouth. Let's hope I can get through this weekend without looking suspicious or overeating! I have no fill right now so this is going to be all willpower!

I got approved!!!!!!

And to respond to your original post, when people tell me it's the easy way out I jokingly respond 'well I can't be good at EVERYTHING I do! Something's gotta give'
I totally own up to the 'easy way out' thing and say well if I can find something that makes my life easier why not cut myself some slack? Would you refuse to buy a microwave coz it's the easy way out of using the stove to heat your food? If you can have a friggin microwave why settle for a stove

What annoys me is how people make you feel like you are getting rid of the plague by losing weight! It gets so condescending! They try to compliment you by telling you how awful you looked previously? That's supposed to make me feel better?
Yes yes being fat is bad for you but it's not the worst thing in the world! You will still be the same person when you lose weight. You won't be a better person!
Sorry, just venting!

One thing people on this site have told me, which I've found to be really true, is that a lot of other fat people are really jealous inside. Even though they come off angry and judgmental at YOU it's really about THEM. I've become comfortable with my band and I don't mind telling people. If they have questions then I am more than glad to answer them. If they appear to be judging me then I just tell them simply, "Well, the band is not for everyone. I did what was right for ME." And then I leave it at that. Some people are haters and are just going to be that way.
Those same people are going to say bad things about you when you get thin too. They'll talk about how you are a binger or anorexic or whatever. They won't congratulate you but instead talk about how you look so sick. I think a huge part of this process is learning yourself and becoming comfortable with who you are no matter what stage of the process you are at.
Love yourself. No one else will do it as well as you do!

When I was told, oh you don't need that.... my response really? Well, thanks for thinking so, but my doctors disagree.
Easy way out? So...If I needed cardiac bypass surgery or be miserable and at risk of a heart attack, I should not take the medically proven treatment to get better? I need a kidney transplant, once becomes available, but I should not accept it because dialysis is fine and a transplant is the easy way out?????
Many in our society see obesity as a sign of laziness, not a of medical condition. So, I don't "deserve" to get well? I don't deserve to get my blood pressure under control? Or my blood sugar. I don't deserve to avoid losing limbs to diabetes?
Easy way out? I have to eat carefully for the rest of my life. For the rest of my life, I will have an implanted medical device inside me that I need to be concerned about. Having yearly tests to be sure all is well. So, by having abdominal surgery, wrapping a ring around my upper stomach that will forever change my relationship with food. It has also changed my relationship with my husband, and will some friends.
I have taken the easy way out. Easy way out from what? Endless diet attempts that all end up in the same place? With me heavier that I was before it began? My joints hurting worse as I put more pressure on them. Taking meds for blood pressure, cholesterol, and a couple years from diabetes.
I say, it might not have been the right choice for you, but after all my research, it was for me. Thank you for your concern.
(crawling off my soap box now)

Greetings fellow Bandsters,
I got a six year congratulations notice from the organizers of this site. It reminded me that I wanted to check back in with the community and talk about how wonderful this journey has been for me.
I was banded in November of 2005. It took me two years to shed the 100 lbs (seemed like forever), with all of the ups and downs. I seemed like it took forever to hit the sweet spot with fills. I made a deal with myself that I didn't need to be a "perfect" bandster, just a very good one. If this is you--hang in there. This thing does work.
I ate all of my food, never touched any "beaker food" or scientifically engineered food. I decided not to drink anything with calories in it for the first year of being banded. I made it a priority to either be filled enough to be losing weight, or going in to fill, each month until I was where I wanted to be. I think many bandsters never get tight enough to really learn how to use this method well.
I reached goal, and made my appointment with my plastic surgeon. He did fantastic work getting rid of my extra belly skin.
Since then, I am living the dream I used to have when I was heavy. I wake up slender. My clothes are beautiful and they fit. I never need to pull anything down to make sure anything is covered up. I am no longer self-conscious about how I look--I know I look good. I went from a size 18-20 to a size 4. I never believed I was a small person until after my plastic surgery--I have large bones and nice muscle (many formerly fat people do!) and not much else. When I look at my body in the mirror, I really like what I see.
Now that I know people who never knew me heavy, I am careful to represent my former fat community with respect for us all and the struggles we have endured. Yes, I have learned that many thin people sit around congratulating themselves for their wonderful self-discipline and judging others--and I tell them how really lucky they are to have been born thin.
Many doctors dont "get" the band. I am an executive in Health Care, so I meet many. They often explain to me that banding doesn't work, people "gain it back", yada yada. Then I tell them that I am a bandster, 100 pounds more than five years ago, never gained it back and they are shocked. They are probably surrounded by successful bandsters who, after learning to use the tool, don't talk about it all of the time--"did you know I used to be heavy" just doesn't come up in every conversation.
For me, I gained a huge amount of time not "navigating" being fat. I don't worry about how I look. I don't worry about what people think when I am eating. People automatically assume that I am as intelligent as I am. I fit in any airline seat comfortably, even the middle. I pull on wetsuits to go diving never worrying about if it will fit. If I ever try on anything that doesn't fit--the salespeople, and I assume that the product is not cut for me, not that there is anything wrong with my proportions. I am not out of breath walking up a mountainside, and I am as strong as I was when I was fat (most of us fatties are REALLY strong from carrying ourselves around.) I feel like I have averted the blood pressure and diabetes problems that run in my family. I get a lot of attention from men who say I am attractive. Since I lived my whole life up to six years ago not relying on my personal beauty for my inner peace, I think that is just a bonus. It is fun not to feel I want to avoid having my picture taken.
I have learned that if my band is too loose, I gain weight. I allow a ten pound max swing upwards before I go in to get my band filled. Then, gradually I get back to goal by cutting out a few extras like crackers and cheese, caloric beverages and the like. I have never missed fast food--it doesn't stand up to being chewed 20 times. Now, it's high quality or I don't bother eating or drinking it. There is nothing I don't eat, I just can't each much of it. I have cycled back down to goal three times so--I think I know how to do this the rest of my life. People used to say that it wasn't about dieting, it was about lifestyle changes, but for me before the band, it was about self-denial and dieting. After the band took the edge off my hunger and helped me understand portion control, it IS about lifestyle changes.
My only regret is that banding didn't exist when I was in my twenties--still getting past obesity at 45 was better than even later--although even that is possible.
All my best to all of the newer or wanna be bandsters out there--there is joy at this end of the road.
Chris

Sorry if the post is crazy I am on my iPad...
Iam about to join a private Facebook group with another december bandster. All you have to do is request access. The person running it will have to know your name just so she/he knows who you are. It's private/secret and it has it's own wall. So no comments on your wall or friend access to your profile. When I get the info...I will In box you. I was going to start one myself but since I was already invited, it would be good to keep it that way so there is a larger group. I suggested she open the invitation in the December bandster thread. BTW there is also a Lapband talk group that is private that I just requested access to. We will see ifi get it, there is 97 pwoplethatbelong to it.

Maybe I'll call the company and see what we can do .......