I just felt the urge to post something positive about the band. I always read these boards and have read about so many fears, doubts, frustrations, and regrets lately. I am certainly not an expert...I have only been banded for four months. I can tell you that I have experienced everything from the super highs to the super lows during the last 4 months. I had this "placebo effect" going on for about the first 6 weeks of being banded. Didn't struggle with hunger, was so amped and motivated that I never felt hungry or sad.:tt2: Then my hunger returned with a vengence and I began to experiment with what I could get away with eating. Ummm...let me tell you...I could eat anything, pizza, bread, you name it...probably even dry chicken, but who wants that anyway?:wink2: I was mad that I was in bandster hell.:blushing: I tried to stay so positive and yet I found myself there anyway. I was beginning to SERIOUSLY wonder if I was going to be a LAP-BAND® FAILURE and I was beginning to have feelings that I was an idiot for being sucked into yet another diet trap that doesn't work...then I got my fourth fill last Monday....TA DA:w00t:! I finally feel that I know what this band is about and how I'm supposed to feel. I hesitated to jump back into euphoric feelings about the band but then I realized that even if this feeling of restriction goes away, I can get it again by being diligent about my fills. This band only works if the driver knows what (s)he's doing! I'm not saying there will be no more lows or challenges or pieces of pumpkin pie calling my name:drool:. But I gave myself a gift by deciding to have this surgery and it's the gift that keeps on giving if I continue to work with it as we all have to do. It's not perfect or easy, but I finally see now that it WILL work. When I got hungry yesterday, I fixed something to eat (band approved) and was only able to eat about 1/4-1/2 cup at each sitting before I could physically not eat another bite. I will be honest and say that I felt a little bummed about not being able to eat more because the old me is still in there and I want to eat more than that. :sneaky: That's where the mindset has to change. That's the part I'm working very hard on. But I finally see firsthand how the band will limit my portions until my head catches up. I just wanted to share my realizations and hopefully let everyone else see that there is hope and that the proper fill level is CRITICAL to success. :w00t: This has been my journey so far...maybe yours is very different...or maybe you can see some similarities. That's what we're all here to do...share our experiences and support each other.

Wow, you've done great! I'm finally below 200 as well...199.5 this morning, ha! I hit it a few weeks ago and have floated back up a bit. I was back up to 204 on Monday for my 4th fill 3 days later and I'm back down again. Story of my life so far. Hope to start taking some real weight off again moving forward!

I think it's pretty normal to play around with a couple pounds up and down during the process. In the long run the scale will be more down than up for you. I know the feeling of wanting every pound off right now. My weight goes up and down by a pound or two often. This is the reason I try to focus more on the 105 pounds I've lost instead of the 9 I still need to take off. It's a cup half full vs. cup half empty thing.

thank you for this post. i have been so depressed lately im 3 mos post op and have only lost 10 lbs. its not even helping that my doctor has very high expectations from me...now im dreading to see him again because he shows how disappointed he is to find out i havent lost more weight.