Beyond Discouraged

[Snapdragon 0]

Well, I've started a post here quite a few times only to get a few paragraphs in, tell myself "who cares" and log off without posting anything. The night before last I got a call from the Bariatric Clinic where I had my lap band done and they were calling to remind me to make my three year follow up visit appointment.

Three years. Has it been three years? And where am I at? I'm heavier today than I was the day of surgery. To say I'm discouraged is the understatement of the century. I was 320 pounds when approved for surgery. I lost 35 pounds before surgery on Medifast because I needed to shrink my liver, per doctor's orders. I am now at 298.

The lowest weight I achieved was 268 and that was about 6 months after banding. It will be three years in May and the thought of even going in for a follow up visit leaves me cold. At an appointment about a year and half a ago (for a fill) the doctor told me, "You did not fail the band - the band failed you." Seriously? Doesn't that sound like a cop-out? He wants me to have gastric bypass. He always did want me to have gastric bypass. So did my PCP. So does my diabetes doctor. Anyone I've encountered in the medical field advises me to have gastric bypass.

They don't really come out and say it, but I know with my super high blood pressure and pre-diabetes (I was Type II diabetic before surgery, but was able to come off the meds after surgery and haven't had to go back on them - yet), plus a BMI of 54 (nothing like being more than half fat) they're fearful I'm going to have a stroke. They never come out and SAY that, but the urgency is there. The constant encouragement to have gastric bypass is there.

I've been overweight since I was about 12. I'd been called fat or variations thereof my entire life up until that point. I look at photos now and sigh with regret. I was tall (for my age - now I'm 5'3" - who knew I'd end up a shrimp?!), but I was thin. I don't know why so many said I was fat. I am a big-boned girl, but I'm not Andre the Giant. Anyway, by 12 I was seeing myself as the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man and I grew from there.

I've lost the weight off and on my entire life, starting in my teens. 50 pounds here, 100 pounds there. I lost 100 pounds in 1997 and kept it off for five years until I had a car accident and couldn't work out 7 days a week like I had been. The weight came back so quickly without my constant exercising. It was pure heartache for me.

So here I am again. I'm seeing a Hypertension specialist because my BP is so high and my PCP can't manage it any longer. I have hereditary high BP and was diagnosed at 15. I'm 40 now. I take more medications than a 70 year old. Even when I lost the 100 pounds my BP didn't budge. I'm seeing an Endocrinologist because my PCP thinks my issues might be hormonal, however the Endocrinologist is coming at me more from a diabetes standpoint.

I have arthritis in my hands and feet and I'm having flare ups almost on a daily basis. My RA doctor doesn't want to prescribe medications because they will jack up my already high BP. I haven't been in for a fill in about two years. I don't go because I feel like I'm a failure. Every weigh in depresses me. Oddly enough I don't need a fill. I have pretty good restriction and I'm limited in what I can eat.

I haven't drank soda or eaten fast food in 20 years. I don't eat junk food (really I don't). I rarely touch alcohol with very few exceptions. I try to exercise 3-4 times a week, but with my feet hurting so badly lately, exercise seems impossible. Plus I fractured my foot two months ago, so I'm only recently even ready to think about exercising again.

Sweets are difficult for me, but I really limit what I eat. I'll have sorbet about once a week (maybe twice if it's that time of the month) and a piece of chocolate (not candy bars) every now and again. I haven't maintained a perfect course since being banded, but I've stayed the course pretty darn well.

A woman in our office was banded about 6 months ago. I'd say she's lost probably 75 pounds. She looks fantastic. Before surgery she ate a lot. Eating out every day, large portions, soda, fast food, etc. She was pretty big. Even before my surgery I never ate that way. Weight just seems to stick to me like a booger that won't flick off. This same woman who was banded 6 months ago still drinks soda, but it's diet now (which I know soda is a no-no). She eats pretty large portions (I cannot or I'll puke) and she looks amazing.

I was sitting in the breakroom with a friend the other day eating lunch and I told my friend, "I'm so jealous. I'm never jealous of anyone or anything, but I'm jealous of this woman's weightloss." If you're thinking I'm not eating enough, I did have my trainer tell me that he didn't think I was eating enough, but I feel full. What am I supposed to do? Force it?

Here's a typical day:

Breakfast

Greek Yogurt with a handful of Grape Nuts on top

1 cup of coffee with Splenda and Creamer

Water throughout the day

Lunch

Half a sandwich (Typically turkey)

OR

Egg salad with a serving of Wheat Thins (about 16 chips)

snack (I know we're not supposed to snack, but sometimes I'm just starving and I have to take a pill with food)

Some slices of cheese

OR

Handful of almonds

dinner

Salad with lowfat Ranch dressing

Protein of some sort (chicken or steak)

OR

Meatloaf and cottage cheese

I can't eat past 7pm because of heartburn, so I'm eating early and I do not eat or have dessert after 7pm because of the heartburn. I drink plenty of water throughout the day. Sometimes I do have juice (like a mango/orange from concentrate) when I get home, but I cut it with water (usually 1/4 juice and 3/4 water).

If I do have dessert it's usually sorbet. I will have a piece of birthday cake (it's a birthday celebration - come on!) or a piece of pie at Thanksgiving. I don't believe in being insane about restrictions.

I don't understand what's wrong. I take so many medications that I wonder if all these BP drugs are slowing my metabolism down. I've been medicated since 22 - heavily medicated. My BP is 220/120 unmedicated. Medicated I'm 140/90 and lately it's been 153/100, hence the reason for the referral to the Hypertension Clinic.

I'm discouraged. My sister and I are exactly the same size and she weighs 30 pounds less than I do! 30 pounds less and we're the same size! That's crazy! I don't want to starve myself and exercise like a mad woman in order to take the weight off. What's wrong with me? I'm so very, very discouarged. I don't like being this big. I do want to change. I'm trying to change. My whole life I've tried. What am I doing wrong?

[Snapdragon 0]

No replies to my post. I know it was rather long. I was looking for some encouragement - some brain-storming on why I'm not losing weight. 263 views and no one can comment?

Oh well.

[elcee 3,343]

It is hard to give the correct advice . What works for one person does not always work for the rest. Theoretically if you are consuming less calories than you are expending you should lose weight.

If i was to comment on your sample menu it would be to say that to me it looks to be pretty high in fat and low in good carbs - veggies etc.

Some people find they can lose eating the same type of food as previously but smaller portions. Others find they need to do a high Protein /low carb type diet and still others have to cut out almost all carbs. What have you tried so far? Are you being honest with yourself? We would all like this to be an easy ride but for most it isn't. Most people have to make conscious decisions as to what to eat/how much etc. Many people find that logging their food helps them whilst for others this does not work.

For many exercise is the key and without you will probably not lose what you want to lose - yes some people lose without exercising but they are the lucky few not the norm. Even with arthritis there should be some form of exercise that you can do. Swimming is good for the joints, supports your weight etc.

Don't expect that losing weight will solve your hypertension. I am normal weight and have to take a daily pill for high BP. The reason for it still being high is unknown and that is true for many people.

Even though you don't feel as though you need a fill you should still go back to your specialist for support,encouragement and to check that everything is OK.

I hope you find the key soon. All the best.

[Noturningback15 45]

Sorry, I was one of those viewers but didn't reply because I really didn't know what to say because when I looked at your sample menu I don't really see anything wrong with it. I was wondering what did you have on your "non-typical" days to make you gain weight. I didn't want to come off as rude but sometimes we can do really good on several days and follow that sample menu and then on the weekend blow it with so many calories it takes away from the 5 days we did good and cause us to gain. Maybe, you could take a look at what you are eating on your not so typical days or high calorie drinks like starbucks or something?

[JerseyGirl80 12]

I'm frustrated for you, but do not give up on yourself. I have to agree with elcee's post. Are you eating less of regular foods or eating less lower fat/higher Protein foods?, that could make a big difference. Or maybe just changing your food routine would help? You could possibly have metabolic endocrine problems that are causing you to store fat. I have PCOS, my doctors pretty much told me losing weight on my own would be next to impossible, which is the main reason I had surgery. Hormones have alot to do with our weight and so does diabetes. Alot of us become diabetic because we are fat, and the diabetes does a good job of keeping us that way. I am insulin resistant/pre-diabetic due to my PCOS, this problem I have had since puberty has sabotaged every single "diet" I've been on since I was 14, I'm 31 now. Before surgery unless I busted my ass working out and eating like a rabbit I'd gain weight. So far the band has helped me, this is why I feel your frustration. I can only imagine how upsetting it is to struggle with weight as you have, only to continue to struggle after gaining the courage and making the step to take control by having surgery. I'm so sorry you are going through this.

Do not hide from your doctors out of shame. See them and try to figure out what you can do. Go to support meetings, manage your band. I would never tell anyone to have WLS regardless if it's the band, the sleeve or the bypass. But are you completely against bypass? Some people are extremely happy with their results. Maybe you have other medical problems working against you and the band just isn't enough to help. Don't blame yourself, you know what you have done, you know if you have worked hard or not and you know if you have made mistakes or not. Maybe the band did fail you because of medical conditions that you cannot control. Don't hide and don't let it bring you down. Speaking from experience being upset about your weight, hiding and feeling ashamed can only aid in making you put more weight on.

I wish I could give you better advice or the right answers. But I do wish you luck and hope you find the answers you are looking for.

DO NOT give up!

[Tobeme 0]

Sorry, I was one of those viewers but didn't reply because I really didn't know what to say because when I looked at your sample menu I don't really see anything wrong with it. I was wondering what did you have on your "non-typical" days to make you gain weight. I didn't want to come off as rude but sometimes we can do really good on several days and follow that sample menu and then on the weekend blow it with so many calories it takes away from the 5 days we did good and cause us to gain. Maybe, you could take a look at what you are eating on your not so typical days or high calorie drinks like starbucks or something?

This was excellent advice-----everyone will have to watchout for these risks after surgery.

[hopeful2 be slim 121]

Well, I've started a post here quite a few times only to get a few paragraphs in, tell myself "who cares" and log off without posting anything. The night before last I got a call from the Bariatric Clinic where I had my lap band done and they were calling to remind me to make my three year follow up visit appointment.

Three years. Has it been three years? And where am I at? I'm heavier today than I was the day of surgery. To say I'm discouraged is the understatement of the century. I was 320 pounds when approved for surgery. I lost 35 pounds before surgery on Medifast because I needed to shrink my liver, per doctor's orders. I am now at 298.

The lowest weight I achieved was 268 and that was about 6 months after banding. It will be three years in May and the thought of even going in for a follow up visit leaves me cold. At an appointment about a year and half a ago (for a fill) the doctor told me, "You did not fail the band - the band failed you." Seriously? Doesn't that sound like a cop-out? He wants me to have gastric bypass. He always did want me to have gastric bypass. So did my PCP. So does my diabetes doctor. Anyone I've encountered in the medical field advises me to have gastric bypass.

They don't really come out and say it, but I know with my super high blood pressure and pre-diabetes (I was Type II diabetic before surgery, but was able to come off the meds after surgery and haven't had to go back on them - yet), plus a BMI of 54 (nothing like being more than half fat) they're fearful I'm going to have a stroke. They never come out and SAY that, but the urgency is there. The constant encouragement to have gastric bypass is there.

I've been overweight since I was about 12. I'd been called fat or variations thereof my entire life up until that point. I look at photos now and sigh with regret. I was tall (for my age - now I'm 5'3" - who knew I'd end up a shrimp?!), but I was thin. I don't know why so many said I was fat. I am a big-boned girl, but I'm not Andre the Giant. Anyway, by 12 I was seeing myself as the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man and I grew from there.

I've lost the weight off and on my entire life, starting in my teens. 50 pounds here, 100 pounds there. I lost 100 pounds in 1997 and kept it off for five years until I had a car accident and couldn't work out 7 days a week like I had been. The weight came back so quickly without my constant exercising. It was pure heartache for me.

So here I am again. I'm seeing a Hypertension specialist because my BP is so high and my PCP can't manage it any longer. I have hereditary high BP and was diagnosed at 15. I'm 40 now. I take more medications than a 70 year old. Even when I lost the 100 pounds my BP didn't budge. I'm seeing an Endocrinologist because my PCP thinks my issues might be hormonal, however the Endocrinologist is coming at me more from a diabetes standpoint.

I have arthritis in my hands and feet and I'm having flare ups almost on a daily basis. My RA doctor doesn't want to prescribe medications because they will jack up my already high BP. I haven't been in for a fill in about two years. I don't go because I feel like I'm a failure. Every weigh in depresses me. Oddly enough I don't need a fill. I have pretty good restriction and I'm limited in what I can eat.

I haven't drank soda or eaten fast food in 20 years. I don't eat junk food (really I don't). I rarely touch alcohol with very few exceptions. I try to exercise 3-4 times a week, but with my feet hurting so badly lately, exercise seems impossible. Plus I fractured my foot two months ago, so I'm only recently even ready to think about exercising again.

Sweets are difficult for me, but I really limit what I eat. I'll have sorbet about once a week (maybe twice if it's that time of the month) and a piece of chocolate (not candy bars) every now and again. I haven't maintained a perfect course since being banded, but I've stayed the course pretty darn well.

A woman in our office was banded about 6 months ago. I'd say she's lost probably 75 pounds. She looks fantastic. Before surgery she ate a lot. Eating out every day, large portions, soda, fast food, etc. She was pretty big. Even before my surgery I never ate that way. Weight just seems to stick to me like a booger that won't flick off. This same woman who was banded 6 months ago still drinks soda, but it's diet now (which I know soda is a no-no). She eats pretty large portions (I cannot or I'll puke) and she looks amazing.

I was sitting in the breakroom with a friend the other day eating lunch and I told my friend, "I'm so jealous. I'm never jealous of anyone or anything, but I'm jealous of this woman's weightloss." If you're thinking I'm not eating enough, I did have my trainer tell me that he didn't think I was eating enough, but I feel full. What am I supposed to do? Force it?

Here's a typical day:

Breakfast

Greek Yogurt with a handful of Grape Nuts on top

1 cup of coffee with Splenda and Creamer

Water throughout the day

lunch

Half a sandwich (Typically turkey)

OR

Egg salad with a serving of Wheat Thins (about 16 chips)

snack (I know we're not supposed to snack, but sometimes I'm just starving and I have to take a pill with food)

Some slices of cheese

OR

Handful of almonds

dinner

salad with lowfat Ranch dressing

Protein of some sort (chicken or steak)

OR

Meatloaf and cottage cheese

I can't eat past 7pm because of heartburn, so I'm eating early and I do not eat or have dessert after 7pm because of the heartburn. I drink plenty of Water throughout the day. Sometimes I do have juice (like a mango/orange from concentrate) when I get home, but I cut it with water (usually 1/4 juice and 3/4 water).

If I do have dessert it's usually sorbet. I will have a piece of birthday cake (it's a birthday celebration - come on!) or a piece of pie at Thanksgiving. I don't believe in being insane about restrictions.

I don't understand what's wrong. I take so many medications that I wonder if all these BP drugs are slowing my metabolism down. I've been medicated since 22 - heavily medicated. My BP is 220/120 unmedicated. Medicated I'm 140/90 and lately it's been 153/100, hence the reason for the referral to the Hypertension Clinic.

I'm discouraged. My sister and I are exactly the same size and she weighs 30 pounds less than I do! 30 pounds less and we're the same size! That's crazy! I don't want to starve myself and exercise like a mad woman in order to take the weight off. What's wrong with me? I'm so very, very discouarged. I don't like being this big. I do want to change. I'm trying to change. My whole life I've tried. What am I doing wrong?

[hopeful2 be slim 121]

hi....looks like ur eating too less....if its less body goes into starvation mode and we dont loose weight ,we may put on....

so try once again write down your calories and try having 1200 calories daily..

dont be depressed...tell yourself u r going to get slim and slowly you will.

BEST OF LUCK.

I am also a slow looser so i came to this forum.

[TerriF 9]

You say sweets are problem for you, which to me means you aren't controlling them. For me sugar is worse than fat...

I found for me anyway, that I need to eat more frequent meals but in small amounts.

No more than 200 calories 6 times a day and walking 4 miles 6 times a week seems to be what works for me.

Just go to your doctor, tell him everything you have posted here and let him help you.

[soulsong 0]

I really relate to you snapdragon. And I eat more than you. You have alot of discipline for poor results which shows your strength of character. I also feel jealous of those who just loose quickly. My freind was done a year before me and lost 40 kilos which is about 90 pounds in first 9 months and has kept it off 5 years no real trouble at all. didnt even have to think about it! jealous!

I have heard that some bodies and brains takes time to 'get the message ' of weight loss, some for a long time before they 'join the journey ' so hold onto weight for a while..

anyway In the end just be as healthy as you can - and know many of us do relate xx

[AXA 19]

Snapdragon,

Update? are you still struggling?

[Soylabean 3]

I had a friend that had gastric bypass a week after I had lapband surgery. She has list twice the amount that I have lost, but shw also had more problems with foods and sickness than I ever had. I chose the lapband because the weight would drop slower...i chose it because I wanted time to be able to tone my body and reduce the need for cosmetic surgery. Sometimes, I get jealous of my friend because of her extreme weight loss success, but I try to remind myself of all the reasons why I chose my weight loss path. other strategies and surgeries might work better or worse for others, but you have to embrace your journey. Talk to your doctor and seek guidance. If they don't help, find another doctor. Also, it sounds to me like you don't have the support that you want or need. Maybe you can find someone that has had the surgery that lives close to you...a true weight loss buddy that has the same goals as you. Good luck! Don't give up...Give it all you've got.

[Sojourner 2,446]

Well, I've started a post here quite a few times only to get a few paragraphs in, tell myself "who cares" and log off without posting anything. The night before last I got a call from the Bariatric Clinic where I had my lap band done and they were calling to remind me to make my three year follow up visit appointment.

Three years. Has it been three years? And where am I at? I'm heavier today than I was the day of surgery. To say I'm discouraged is the understatement of the century. I was 320 pounds when approved for surgery. I lost 35 pounds before surgery on Medifast because I needed to shrink my liver, per doctor's orders. I am now at 298.

The lowest weight I achieved was 268 and that was about 6 months after banding. It will be three years in May and the thought of even going in for a follow up visit leaves me cold. At an appointment about a year and half a ago (for a fill) the doctor told me, "You did not fail the band - the band failed you." Seriously? Doesn't that sound like a cop-out? He wants me to have gastric bypass. He always did want me to have gastric bypass. So did my PCP. So does my diabetes doctor. Anyone I've encountered in the medical field advises me to have gastric bypass.

They don't really come out and say it, but I know with my super high blood pressure and pre-diabetes (I was Type II diabetic before surgery, but was able to come off the meds after surgery and haven't had to go back on them - yet), plus a BMI of 54 (nothing like being more than half fat) they're fearful I'm going to have a stroke. They never come out and SAY that, but the urgency is there. The constant encouragement to have gastric bypass is there.

I've been overweight since I was about 12. I'd been called fat or variations thereof my entire life up until that point. I look at photos now and sigh with regret. I was tall (for my age - now I'm 5'3" - who knew I'd end up a shrimp?!), but I was thin. I don't know why so many said I was fat. I am a big-boned girl, but I'm not Andre the Giant. Anyway, by 12 I was seeing myself as the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man and I grew from there.

I've lost the weight off and on my entire life, starting in my teens. 50 pounds here, 100 pounds there. I lost 100 pounds in 1997 and kept it off for five years until I had a car accident and couldn't work out 7 days a week like I had been. The weight came back so quickly without my constant exercising. It was pure heartache for me.

So here I am again. I'm seeing a Hypertension specialist because my BP is so high and my PCP can't manage it any longer. I have hereditary high BP and was diagnosed at 15. I'm 40 now. I take more medications than a 70 year old. Even when I lost the 100 pounds my BP didn't budge. I'm seeing an Endocrinologist because my PCP thinks my issues might be hormonal, however the Endocrinologist is coming at me more from a diabetes standpoint.

I have arthritis in my hands and feet and I'm having flare ups almost on a daily basis. My RA doctor doesn't want to prescribe medications because they will jack up my already high BP. I haven't been in for a fill in about two years. I don't go because I feel like I'm a failure. Every weigh in depresses me. Oddly enough I don't need a fill. I have pretty good restriction and I'm limited in what I can eat.

I haven't drank soda or eaten fast food in 20 years. I don't eat junk food (really I don't). I rarely touch alcohol with very few exceptions. I try to exercise 3-4 times a week, but with my feet hurting so badly lately, exercise seems impossible. Plus I fractured my foot two months ago, so I'm only recently even ready to think about exercising again.

Sweets are difficult for me, but I really limit what I eat. I'll have sorbet about once a week (maybe twice if it's that time of the month) and a piece of chocolate (not candy bars) every now and again. I haven't maintained a perfect course since being banded, but I've stayed the course pretty darn well.

A woman in our office was banded about 6 months ago. I'd say she's lost probably 75 pounds. She looks fantastic. Before surgery she ate a lot. Eating out every day, large portions, soda, fast food, etc. She was pretty big. Even before my surgery I never ate that way. Weight just seems to stick to me like a booger that won't flick off. This same woman who was banded 6 months ago still drinks soda, but it's diet now (which I know soda is a no-no). She eats pretty large portions (I cannot or I'll puke) and she looks amazing.

I was sitting in the breakroom with a friend the other day eating lunch and I told my friend, "I'm so jealous. I'm never jealous of anyone or anything, but I'm jealous of this woman's weightloss." If you're thinking I'm not eating enough, I did have my trainer tell me that he didn't think I was eating enough, but I feel full. What am I supposed to do? Force it?

Here's a typical day:

Breakfast

Greek Yogurt with a handful of Grape Nuts on top

1 cup of coffee with Splenda and creamer

Water throughout the day

lunch

Half a sandwich (Typically turkey)

OR

Egg salad with a serving of Wheat Thins (about 16 chips)

snack (I know we're not supposed to snack, but sometimes I'm just starving and I have to take a pill with food)

Some slices of cheese

OR

Handful of almonds

dinner

salad with lowfat Ranch dressing

Protein of some sort (chicken or steak)

OR

Meatloaf and cottage cheese

I can't eat past 7pm because of heartburn, so I'm eating early and I do not eat or have dessert after 7pm because of the heartburn. I drink plenty of Water throughout the day. Sometimes I do have juice (like a mango/orange from concentrate) when I get home, but I cut it with water (usually 1/4 juice and 3/4 water).

If I do have dessert it's usually sorbet. I will have a piece of birthday cake (it's a birthday celebration - come on!) or a piece of pie at Thanksgiving. I don't believe in being insane about restrictions.

I don't understand what's wrong. I take so many medications that I wonder if all these BP drugs are slowing my metabolism down. I've been medicated since 22 - heavily medicated. My BP is 220/120 unmedicated. Medicated I'm 140/90 and lately it's been 153/100, hence the reason for the referral to the Hypertension Clinic.

I'm discouraged. My sister and I are exactly the same size and she weighs 30 pounds less than I do! 30 pounds less and we're the same size! That's crazy! I don't want to starve myself and exercise like a mad woman in order to take the weight off. What's wrong with me? I'm so very, very discouarged. I don't like being this big. I do want to change. I'm trying to change. My whole life I've tried. What am I doing wrong?

I never saw your original post...and I can only imagine how you may have felt without any replies when you were reaching out to others...

What I will say is that your situation is very complicated, to say the least...and that the Band is not the best WLS solution for everyone. It is possible that your physicians are correct with their assessment of what they believe to be the preferred course of treatment for your obesity. I would explore this issue with all of them...and then evaluate your options.

It is clear that what you have done to this point has not been successful. We cannot expect to change the outcome of the situation unless we change our approach to solving the problem...

Don't give up on yourself...but do initiate a dialogue with your doctors to make some changes which will benefit you.

It would also be helpful to seek treatment with a therapist who has a specialty in eating disorders, because there is a psychology behind the self sabotage you mentioned.

Best of luck to you...you can be successful if you choose to be!

[readytogoforit 172]

I never saw your post either, sorry. I think your docs are probably right, why are you ignoring them? You are still so young, you could have many healthy years.

I am 64, I wasted soooo many years, don't do the same!

Will be praying for a good solution for you. ((((((HUGS))))))

[soulsong 0]

Although IM aware many wont agree and for this reason Ive tended not to reply. But lets allow each to have an opinion without issue ok. :ph34r: I truly believe weight is NOT just a diet excercise based thing, as many here and in the world do-so 'if your not losing you arnt doing enough blah blah blah'. So the ongoing guilt and worthlessness continue. We are all different not only in our biology and pyschology but also spiritually and karmically ( take this how you like according to your own beliefs ) Sure the lap band and other methods will work for many and for some a bit less so but still useful and for some basically they will make no difference. Some say its a fat gene and that our ancestors had to develop bodies that could survive on tiny amounts of food. ( this is proven science ) and I do think has a bearing on our weight loss. Then we can digress for a moment and remember why fat is such a BAD BAD thing according to this world. It means your unhealthy lazy weak and unappealing . right ? or maybe not. Many of us on this journey have researched many of these things and deeply delved into our own process and journeys often to be told rather patronisingly by others that we' just still are eating too much' etc . And it couldnt possible be the fault of the almighty lapband or the magical diet LOL . Do I sound cyncical yes. BUt hey Soujourner I feel for you. I hear you. Love yourself anyway sister xxxx

I did get a reply not on this thread but i think On another here ( but I cant find it ) about how id believed Id get teh feeling of fullness. The person said there was not such advertising in Australia ( I didnt mean adverts on tv ) I mean in the classes, doctor appointmnets and pamplets and books id read that is the idea I got. That id feel full. The person then went on the say the fullness isnt normal fullness but a feeling things are about to get 'stuck' if id known this I wouldnt have had it done. I cant handle that feeling at all. To me to call that a feeling of fullness is misleading.I was told and read in the books wer were given as new patients that the chemicals in ling of stomach or something would tell us we were full after small amounts. yeh right. I wish I went way way way better on pills and just wish reductil was still avaible over here. worked a dream but of course they took it off course one person in a 1000 had more heart attacks or some such rubbish ( in otehr words it works and stuffed up teh rest of the diet industry ) dont I sound like a Smarty Pants today. Oh well. Just an opinion. . I truly wish you all well however your journeys work for you. xx