just wanted to introduce myself. i feel like i fit in more with the struggling bandsters.

I was banded in July 2008. i lost 40 lbs in about 6 months, i never got a fill that let me fill full, food got stuck, and i sat there starving until i either threw it up or it went down, and so i was actually taking phentermine (appetite suppressant) along with working out 5-6 days a week. so heck i could have done phentermine and exercise without the band.

In Feb 2009 i became pregnant, and had a complete unfill cause my fill-doc said that she had seen many bands slip during pregnancy, and it couldn't be diagnosed until after the baby was born because they couldnt take xrays.

well then life takes over, i am in grad school, single, and raising my daughter, so there wasn't money for fills laying around. needless to say since my surgery in 2008 i have GAINED 13 lbs. ( so the 40 lbs i lost plus an additional 13)

well i just started getting fills again...and am starting over.

but it FREAKING stinks, seriously, i read this forum and i have friends who have had the band, or friends who know people who have the band that have lost SOOO much weight. people who never exercise etc.

i know its a tool, and i have to work with it, its not a cure all, and i read the post in the newbie section...ah so naive i was just like them, i'm like i'm going to exercise, and eat better...please i still needed diet pills, i got the recommended protien in, Water, stayed with in my calorie range. i remember 2 months out of surgery i was down 4 pounds and thats when i went and got the phentermine.

well hopefully i get my newbie mentality back, i haven't started to work out yet, and i KNOW i have to to lose weight...but reading the stories of the other strugglers makes me feel like i'm not alone, cause i honestly feel like i'm the only one in the world who the band isn't working for.

thanks for reading.

OMG.. I pretty much feel the same as you I was banded in March 2008, lost probably 50 lbs. then I started having theses really bad bouts of depression and panic attacks which I had never had before and the weight started creeping back on.Now I weigh 20 lbs more than the day of surgery. grrr! I haven't had a fill for over a year and I'm going to get one next week. But right now I'm so discouraged and kinda pissed at myself and the band.... I'm hoping to get my newbie I can tackle the world mentality back.

Nikki

OMG.. I pretty much feel the same as you I was banded in March 2008, lost probably 50 lbs. then I started having theses really bad bouts of depression and panic attacks which I had never had before and the weight started creeping back on.Now I weigh 20 lbs more than the day of surgery. grrr! I haven't had a fill for over a year and I'm going to get one next week. But right now I'm so discouraged and kinda pissed at myself and the band.... I'm hoping to get my newbie I can tackle the world mentality back.

Nikki

thank you for your response...it stinks for both of us, but misery loves company so i'm glad to know you...i feel less alone. i hope you get a good fill next week! i got one and it feels good...funny enough, my name is Nikki too, lol

nikki

LOL! that's crazy. I see we have about the same to loose so we should be each others cheer leaders

Hi Diva and Nikki!

I've been struggling for the past year too! Was banded in October 2008 lost 93lbs in the first year and a half and have managed to gain 12 lbs back. I had a foot injury that really knocked me off track. I couldn't exercise and so I started eating more! Hmmm that was some brillant logic. I've got good fill, I've just made really poor food choices for a long time and need to get back on track. I started medifast today to see if I can't get under 200lbs by my 3 year bandiversary. I've still got at least 60 lbs to lose, more like 75 or 80, so hopefully we can all cheer each other on!

Glad to see you've both got new fills and hopefully we'll all be back on track! Good luck!!

Hi Diva and Nikki!

I've been struggling for the past year too! Was banded in October 2008 lost 93lbs in the first year and a half and have managed to gain 12 lbs back. I had a foot injury that really knocked me off track. I couldn't exercise and so I started eating more! Hmmm that was some brillant logic. I've got good fill, I've just made really poor food choices for a long time and need to get back on track. I started medifast today to see if I can't get under 200lbs by my 3 year bandiversary. I've still got at least 60 lbs to lose, more like 75 or 80, so hopefully we can all cheer each other on!

Glad to see you've both got new fills and hopefully we'll all be back on track! Good luck!!

thanks auntiegg. what helps me the most is coming to the board and reading the stories, the good and the bad. i think you can reach your goal, i think we can all do this!

Hey Nikki, have you gotten your fill yet? keep me posted.

thanks auntiegg. what helps me the most is coming to the board and reading the stories, the good and the bad. i think you can reach your goal, i think we can all do this!

Hey Nikki, have you gotten your fill yet? keep me posted.

I got my fill on Wednesday, but I don't feel like I have enough restriction. So I'm gonna call next week to see if the can tweak it aka add a little more.

But on a happy not I have either hit or exceeded 10,000 steps per day for the last week. That should help with exercise until I find a gym.

Diva, how have things been going for you?

But on a happy not I have either hit or exceeded 10,000 steps per day for the last week. That should help with exercise until I find a gym.

Diva, how have things been going for you?

ok completely jealous of your 10,000 steps...i have a bodybugg and I have NEVER hit 10,000 steps, and just last night i was like its' obviously impossible for a human to take that many steps, HA guess NOT. ok that's motivating me to give it a harder try for those 10,000 so thanks

well good work! keep it up. your 10,000 steps just helped both of us. and let me know how that next fill goes

i'm doing good...i'm getting back into exercising, just 30 minutes so far, but let me tell you by minute 3 i'm ready to quit, so i'm proud of myself for making it.

It took me a while to get up to the 10 k steps and a lot of it is I try to take a walk every day so that adds to the steps. I'm proud of you for exercising your 30 minutes. I put one of my work out dvd's and didn't get past like the first minute or 2 lol.... so that's definitely something I have to work on.

Went to the the reg doc today and guess what I'm down 12 lbs since sge say me early/mid June YAY!!!!

How are u doing diva??

Hi Nikki and Diva!

Hope you're having a good week. I made it through the holiday weekend and stayed on track! Down 11 lbs since I started medifast. Looks like I can lose weigh again!

Hope you both are doing well!

Hey Nikki and Diva.

Not sure if I am allowed to post this information here but check it out.

Nikki, panic attacks are real common among weight shedding.The panic attacks are old fears coming up. I can give more information if you like. However, here is something about depression you may enjoy.

Another common question asked by many lapbanders is they start to express their confusion at feeling lethargic, having no energy, becoming more withdrawn, losing motivation and feeling even more depressed since having their lapband done, even though they have started to shift their layers. Ultimately this stems into frustration due to lack of understanding and even more depression.

This comes as a surprise to most people who have gone through the lapband surgery because they believed it was their weight that made them unhappy and depressed.

When the realisation comes that they have shifted weight and they feel worse instead of better, confusion and inner conflict starts setting in, even more questions start being asked and it becomes very messy, very quickly.

So, to answer this question, firstly we must explore what ‘Depression’ is and is not.

Depression is not a ‘Chemical Imbalance’ in the brain that needs a prescription of anti-depressants because no one has an anti-depressant deficiency. So let’s explore the cause of the symptoms instead of just treating the symptom.

Quite often people with ‘depression’ tend to withdraw into their own world and become quite numb and detached from outside stimulus which causes the individual to reflect internally for extended periods of time. This is a natural process.

Depression or to De-press-on. What is pressing down on an individual? A whole pile of questions and big loud “Why’s”. The loudest at this point tends to be “Why do I feel this way?”

When too many questions are left unanswered for extended periods of time or when an individual thought an external factor would fill an internal void and it doesn’t, a big time out is needed to reassess the situation and the quickest way to find the answers is to look within.

For lapbanders they have spent a majority of their life believing that their weight (external factor) was the cause of their unhappiness (internal void) and the reason something was missing from their life. When their weight starts to shift and the bander comes to the realisation that something is still missing, they start to ask a lot of ”Why’s” and need to go internally to reflect, reassess and redefine what is missing and what is valuable.

When an individual can come back with their answers about what is valuable they can move forward in life to pursue that emotional value, which is what personal fulfilment is all about.

Imagine you have an empty cup or glass.

You ask yourself ”Why is it empty (most get stuck in this loop)?” the logical answer is because you haven’t put anything in it.

What is missing? Something to put in it.

Next question “What do I feel like drinking? Something hot or cold?” Depends on what you ‘feel’ like having at the time.

So then you go in search of the drink you feel like having and fill it up and drink it and now you have an empty cup again. If you aren’t satisfied or it didn’t hit the spot, you have more or choose something else to drink.

Depression is the same. You search within for the answer (because it is unique to you), understand what it is and then start searching for it on the outside with life experiences that gives you the emotion you value or crave and that fills up your cup.

By working with me you can have a deliberate conversation about what is missing and what you are searching for because I will ask you the right questions and short cut the whole process, saving you time and a lot of anguish.

The quality of our lives is directly linked to the quality of the questions we ask ourselves.

If you are in your Self reflection mode you can try this 3 step process.

1. Print out the attached download, Qu2 Why am I more depressed since my lapband External Internal Form get yourself a pen and spend about

10 minutes answering as many of these two questions as possible.

2. Write down all the things that you believe are missing in your life.

3. Now address each one and ask yourself what would it give you inside emotionally if you had them.

Remember, you want to understand what is missing for you internally so you can find a clear path, a light to start focusing on and walking towards externally. Life is about giving us an emotional experience. That is what you are seeking.

hey guys, glad your doing well...i'm still down about 10 lbs, sadly i haven't been exercising as much as i was, i've just kinda let 3 weeks go by without doing much. i definitely need to log into the board daily, i'm more motivated when i keep coming here and reading. i have a fill scheduled for tomorrow. hope all goes well