It's been a long while....May 2008 Banded. Lost 30lbs and have not lost any more....probably gained a couple.

I'm not happy with the band....I like the fact that I haven't gain the biggest part of what I lost back...but the band hasn't made it easy or I'm just screwing up.

Haven't been to the doctor over a year or more. My band is tight some days and pretty much tight in the morning. But I can eat anything and have never thrown up....I do slime on occasasion.

I just read some posts that people said "there is no way I could eat more than one or two cups of food" Well guess what I can eat anything I want .... I may slime once in a great while....but I can eat a whole meal plus more.

My doctor said the band should not stop you from eating just help you from feeling hungry.....well.... this isn't working!!!

So my question to all you banders that have had success....does your band stop you from eating??? Maybe my band isn't tight enough...but I think it's close to being filled all the way.

All your thoughts PLEASE!!!!! This thing cost $34,000 that my insuance paid....and I feel like it's a WAIST :redface:

Ok so I was banded in June 2009. I have not lost much either, but I do not intend on giving up. At one time I avoided the Doc too. My suggestion to you would be to have your band checked. You may have a leak in it or something causing it to not work.

You may not be getting that "full" feeling for several reasons. One of which could be that you have stretched your pouch. When you eat...do you measure out your foods? Do you eat your Proteins first? Are you drinking fluids with your food?

All of these things play a big part in feeling full and stop eating when you get there.

I found a website www.5daypouchtest.com you should try the advice that is given to you on this website...That is how I got back on track with my eating. Please don't continue to neglect going to see your Doctor. You have been given a tool to help you. Do you remember how you were so excited about getting the band to begin with? Well you need to try to find that same excitment once again. Forget about how much weight you HAVEN"T lost and start trying to think about how much you WANT to lose. Work at it and smile along the way. I am here for you if you want to talk. Please do not take me the wrong way...I do not "sugar Coat" everything, because I can't. If I do...I find myself slipping too! I want to be successful and I want you to be also! Keep your chin up....(and GO SEE YOUR DOCTOR!!!!) LOL!:redface:

No, the band does not "stop" you from eating (unfortunately!). I wanted/hoped that it would, also. It does help with the hunger -- the true, physical hunger, not "head" hunger. I still fight the cravings night and day. MOST of the time, the band limits what I can eat by simply not allowing it to go down, the "stuck" issues, and I burp it back out. Except, of course, cookies and ice cream, which just go on down! I have 12cc in a 10cc band, had my surgery 7/1/2008 and have lost about 125 pounds. I am off all BP and diabetes meds so I am happy with where I am. I have lost weight many times in the past but have never been able to maintain the loss for this long a period of time. So far I am still losing just VERRRRRRRRRRRY slowly. So, all in all, I am content. I just keep working at it every day. I have a "bad" day every now and then but try to get back on the wagon the next day and keep working. I walk 30 minutes 2 or 3 times a week but that is my only exercise. Good luck and keep trying! :redface:

i was banded april 2008 and have only lost 42 or so pounds and my surgeon still considers me a success case because i lost 60% of the weight i needed.

from the sound of it, you do need a fill. if i eat too much or too fast, i almost immediately throw up because the food starts backing up into my esophagus.

it also sounds like you need motivation to get back on track. attend a support meeting and meet people who are also struggling or who can offer an ear to listen.

the other night i splurged for the first time in forever on fast food. i got a jr. bacon cheeseburger and small fry from wendy's. i ate the entire burger (minus the bun) and fries and that's the most i've eaten in over a year in one sitting!

Hmmmmm, yes and no. I had baked Beans on toast for lunch yesterday, I had a slice of wholegrain toast and a small can of baked beans. I ate most of it, I could have finished but thought I was getting a bit close to FULL (try to stop before that). then someone else came into the staffroom, they had the same lunch. Two slices of toast and a large can of baked beans. I couldnt have done that. So it does reduce my portion sizes.

I think my band keeps me from feeling hungry but its the head hunger that's the problem. I could/would eat almost immediately after a meal if the right thing were offered to me, its not often that I truly couldnt fit one more thing in. I struggle daily with wanting to eat things like Cookies, chocolate, whatever happens to be there. Its hard work staying on the straight and narrow. I dont think the band fixes that - being physically hungry for me is only a very small part of the equation.

Its really NOT what I thought it would be many years ago when I got mine, it was for the first few months but that passed quickly. Yet it works, and I'm very happy and have managed to lose a lot of weight and keep it off.

Do you exercise? That was a very large part of the equation for me.

I had a similar problem as far as not losing weight and avoiding my doctor.

I wanted to encourage you to talk with your doctor about your lack of weight loss to ensure that there isn't an issue with your band, but to echo the rest of the comments here, it is the head hunger that is often the hardest to overcome.

I recently went back to the doctor to have my band issues corrected and on the way home I bought a new dress... 8 sizes smaller than what I wear now as a way to motivate myself. it hangs near the kitchen and fridge so when I head that direction because I *think* I'm hungry, I remember a quote I read once and - "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels"

If I might offer another suggestion, write down EVERYTHING you eat and what's going on when you eat. I found lots of forgotten calories in the junk food that would slide on down no matter how tight i was when I was busy at work or whatever. I found that sparkpeople.com is a great tool for that.

Let me know if you ever want to talk or vent or whatever.

Good luck and stick with it.

I feel your pain, but be encouraged! Just briefly, I was banded in dec07. I lost 30 pounds in 6 months...then nothing. Went and got one fill...it helped but i could still eat almost anything. Waited a year. Finally decided..IT was ME, not the band that was failing. I went for a fill..it helped, but needed another a month or so later. The next one worked! I lost 25 pounds in about 2.5 months and that included over the holidays. I went back for a little tweaking and I am now at my sweet spot! I ahve lost an additional 30 pounds. So a total of another 55 pounds in about 6 months...and that 2 years AFTER being banded. OH yeah... the most important thing! I got serious. I started exercising 4-5 days a week and watched what i put in my mouth. You have a choice. Do I put something healthy or not healthy in my mouth. I know that sounds cruel...but the band is a tool.

And YES...when you get to your sweet spot...YOU will only be able to eat so much. Physically, I can only eat so much and thats not a lot. I ocassionally slime when some food dont agree with me or I try to keep eating although my band has told me to stop. So I would encourage you to keep getting your fills until you reach that spot. I never knew what people talked about until i got there! Its wonderful!

But you gotta work your tool and make a decision that you really want to lose the weight. When i turned that corner...it has been all down hill from there! I am loving it...20 pounds to my goal, although I am a size 10 now and it looks quite nice on me...but I am working on toning and reducing my body fat percentage now.

hang in there.:smile:

I initially lost 20 lbs and gained back 15!! I have not been happy with the outcome. I can eat pretty much ANYTHING I want and that is what is disturbing. It seems I have LESS self control now than before...almost like i am waiting for it to work! I wasnt mislead, I knew it was a tool, problem is ME! I need to get on track and really think about what I am putting in my mouth.....I need to stop avoiding my doc.....its been a year since ive seen him. I have pretty much given up on this thing.....HELP!

One of the things I have noticed is I can only eat the small portions of the correct foods; ie lean meats and veggies. But I can eat unlimited amounts of things like chips and salsa or candy. Isnt fair is it? So I have to stay completely away from the junky foods.

The very best advice I can give is that we all need to stay away from those junky foods:thumbdown:

I can eat as much as I want too. But you are right about filling easily on the RIGHT foods. I think I do much better when I go back to the thoughts I was having before I had my WLS. I could not help but think about all the days I walked around thinking about how fat I was and how ready I was to get thin. I have been overweight all of my life and I am tired of being FAT! I want to succeed! I am determined to get to my goal weight no matter how much I know I can eat and just stick to how much I shouldn't eat. I feel everyone's pain here....I am there in the same boat with all of you. I avoided my Doc too....I can eat alot too....I haven't lost much either....BUT I WON'T GIVE UP!!!

PLEASE BE DETERMINED WITH ME!!!! WE CAN DO THIS PEOPLE!!!!:thumbup:

I have had a pretty typical "success story" - 100lbs down in just over a year. That doesn't mean head-hunger doesn't get me down...

This weekend chips and ice-cream binges have me up 4lbs from my lowest weight. It's an ongoing process. For me, I have to make one healthy choice at a time. For me, that means eating solid, real meals - I just had 2 soft-boiled eggs and a piece of toast, and am full. It's not a tiny meal. I could probably use a bit of a fill - but it's certainly not what has made me gain!