has anyone had the surgery and done well in the beginning, but once they fell off could NOT get back on? that is me, i am doing horrid!

i would love any suggestions!

Thank you so much for sharing your life with me! All your advice is good! Great job joining the gym! Well done you!

I shared a little toooo much! I wish there was a delete button!

I read your statistics! Great job on reaching your goal!

Thanks :0)

The best thing you can do is to stop expecting your band to physically limit what and how much you eat. That's not how the band works, even if some doctors and band patients promote that it does. The band works by putting pressure on your vagus nerves which then tell the stomach to stop producing ghrelin, the hunger hormone. Once that constant hunger is gone, *we* are better able to restrict what and how much we eat because we don't have that driving hunger compulsion to stuff our faces.

We'll still have normal hunger right before a meal, but once we eat a reasonable meal*, putting additional pressure on that band (assuming we have enough fill and are at our sweet spot), the hunger should abate for about 4 hours. *A reasonable meal is not 1/2 cup of food...the amount a toddler might eat. We are grown adults. A reasonable meal, according to my surgeon is 3 oz of protein, 1/2 cup of vegies and 1/4 cup of starch.

Once I understood that, I discovered I didn't need 8.75cc in my band (and getting stuck and sliming several times a day - which my surgeon says is a sign of an overfill). I now have 6cc and am back on track. Oh sure, I still have days where I want to eat out of habit, but without that driving hunger egging me on, I'm better able to say 'no' and find something to occupy my mind and hands.

C'mon...you can do this! The first step is stop avoiding your doctor! You think they haven't seen this before? First, eat a reasonable meal and if you find you're hungry (not just bored and craving), call and make an appointment for that fill. The band can't help you if you don't let it. The recommit to working your band. Don't wait until you're at your sweet spot. Start making changes now. Even if you just eliminate wheat and sugar from your diet, it will help with the cravings. Ok...so you're still hungry and wanting to eat. Then eat protein or low carb vegies (they're great fillers).

Find something to do with your hands. I had no problems until evening and then I wanted to eat. I finally discovered that if I kept my hands busy while watching tv, riding in the car or whenever I'm physically idle, that desire to eat disappeared...because I didn't have the hunger driving me on to eat.

Recommit! You've come this far!

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I just wanted to share this in case this happened to anyone else or maybe I could help someone else. I had my band put in on 7/6/09 and I had no complications. I lost 40lbs. in about two or three months and everything seemed to be fine. I then noticed that I wasn't feeling restriction and so I would get my fills and I would feel restriction a week or so afterward but then I'd have virtually no restriction so I would get another fill. I kept doing this and talking to my doctor and getting more fills. I never had any problems like vomiting or productive burping and I could eat a normal size meal like I did prior to the surgery. I was very frustrated. My doctor didn't know why this was happening and decided to fill my band while sitting up and sipping cold water and he filled it up until I said that the water wouldn't go down anymore and let out just a little. I have 7cc in my band now which i think is an 8cc band and he said that he's never put this much in a band but to call if any problems. I didn't have any problems and the same thing happened: It worked for about a week and then it was if I had no band. I tried to eat the small portions and very healthy and I did exercise but mostly cardio, no resistance training at the time. I gained 20lbs back though.

I kind of just gave up on the band helping me much especially since I don't have insurance anymore. My husband and I started an exercise program that includes a lot of abdominal and core exercises and we've been doing this for over a month and now I have great restriction. I get very full on about 1/2 cup or a cup of food and I have to be very careful about how fast I eat or I will vomit. It's as if I just got the band a month ago because this is what was supposed to have happened earlier.

My husband thinks it may be because my core/ab muscles are pushing in towards my stomach now. I'm not sure but I'm so glad it's finally working. I felt stupid for doing the surgery before this.