Hi,

I was banded july 2009 , lost 30 lbs within 5 mths and have had a hard time loosing anymore weight. I eat too much I think and I know I eat the wrong foods. Chips go down better than eggs do. i also think my pouch has stretched out. Has anyone done a pouch test or tried to reshrink their pouch ? Will drinking only liquids help for a few says ? need advice !!!!. I have a 4 fills so I know my band is tight enough. How do I stop eating seeets. My mom had gastric bypass and she cant eat sugarery thing I wish that were me . thanks for listening to me .

I was a big sweets glutton. I just dont eat full fat ones now. Breyers smooth n creamy ice cream is a sweet treat that's not too bad if you can portion control. I love a spoonful of peanut butter to suck on. I love jello pudding cups, s/f ones and even if you cheat and have a second one it's only 60cals. You just have to find low cal sugar free subs that work for you. Applesauce with tons of Saigon cinnamon is good and sweet. If there is a food I cannot portion control myself, I cannot have it in the house.

I was banded in July 2009 also. Do you go to a support group? If not you need to. I go to a couple and I have a friend that I met on this site that I talk to everyday also on the phone or we have coffee. You you need that support from someone going through what you are. This site is good and I come here almost everyday but it is not a subsitute for in-person support.

Also I agree about finding sugar free fat free treats that might work for you instead of the real thing. Sometimes when I need too I return to liquids just to take my focus off of food. Tomorrow I am going to be just drinking Slimfast Low Carb shakes for maybe a week just to get my mind off of food. I am about 20 lbs from goal and the last is so hard to get off, but right now I am depressed and am turning to food for comfort so this is what I do as a coping skill (I suffer from clinical depression). It might help me lose some but even if it does not that is not what I am doing it for, it is to refocus myself and on those 7 days I do not have to worry about food I just drink a ready made shake and I get all my protien.

Cheri

I have to constantly remind myself that the band is just a weight loss "tool", not an easy fix.

My initial weight loss was pretty easy. Once I was within 10 pounds of my goal, I began to experiment with some of my old "trigger" foods. It wasn't long before I realized that I could still eat certain high calorie junk foods in fairly large quantities (ice cream, chips, toffee, chocolate, cookies). Within a year I gained back 25 pounds! When I went to try on my "skinny jeans" I was heartbroken to find I couldn't even get them up over my hips!

It was a rude awakening, and a reminder, that keeping the weight off takes work! I was so mad at myself for going through all the effort to get banded, lose weight and buy beautiful clothes, only to gain part of the weight back. I realized that my old emotional eating issues were still there, and I needed to go back to eating healthy, small portions and using other ways to handle stress/boredom/anxiety. There is nothing about losing weight with the lap-band that is easy. It requires constant monitoring.

Here it is, 2 months after trying on my size 8 skinny jeans, and I am down 15 pounds. Only 15 more to go to reach my goal weight. It was a hard lesson to learn, but I now know how easy it is to gain the weight back by not eating healthy and watching my portions.

Sometimes I have to go back to liquids for a few days or so to break my focus off of food. I know liquid is not the way of the band but it works for me to refocus when I start that emotional eating.

Cheri