I had my band installed December 31st 2007 (Hell of a New Years Resolution). Back then I weighed 300lbs. Over the next year and a half I was down to 190. It wasn't easy. I never went to any support groups and the rapid loss wreaked havoc on my hormones making me a bit unstable. My surgeon was pleased to see someone in their late 20s with a band thinking I will be healthy and have almost no issues.

Sometimes I worry at night. Trying to sleep I find myself terrified of erosion. Before I was terrified of heart trouble from being overweight. But I feel like I can't stop worrying.

During the day, I maintain a distracted life at work. Lately my hours have been 60-90 hour weeks with work provided meals. Due to this I had my band loosened by 1cc last August. I can now eat anything without much trouble. My appetite is strong and unforgiving. My metabolism didn't handle it too well and I'm 20lbs heavier today. I had 0.5ccs added last week, but I can still eat mostly anything.

I'd like to say I was a model bandster, but I'm not. Not even close. Once at my comfortable weight, I found my band as a tool to eat almost anything without gaining weight. I would push it more and more to get more food. Over the last year I gained 10lbs, but it never went higher. I drink carbonated soda, and eat almost anything. I eat slowly depending on my restriction, but it seems to be more lose in the evening. It was because of my inability to maintain control that I had it loosened a bit since the band was a bit uncomfortable.

I want to tighten it back up to a strong restriction and get back to my target weight, but I'm very afraid of my irresponsible side slowly killing me.

The lapband diets are difficult for me. I have major food allergies. Raw fruit / vegetables, shell fish, nuts, all close up my esophagus. Protein products give me the same problem. My wife stocks the house with food for the kids, a inventory I can't seem to steer clear from. I want to feel full, a feeling I couldn't achieve even without the band. I instead feel uncomfortable or regrettable.

I need friends I can talk to. In person works great, but difficult to find in my area.

I had my band installed December 31st 2007 (Hell of a New Years Resolution). Back then I weighed 300lbs. Over the next year and a half I was down to 190. It wasn't easy. I never went to any support groups and the rapid loss wreaked havoc on my hormones making me a bit unstable. My surgeon was pleased to see someone in their late 20s with a band thinking I will be healthy and have almost no issues.

Sometimes I worry at night. Trying to sleep I find myself terrified of erosion. Before I was terrified of heart trouble from being overweight. But I feel like I can't stop worrying.I think this is fairly normal. Some people are born worriers and worry more than others ( you sound as though you may fit that category). I find myself worrying sometimes too even though that is not my normal personality type. It is because you can't see what is going on. If you take care of your band erosion is rare.

During the day, I maintain a distracted life at work. Lately my hours have been 60-90 hour weeks with work provided meals.Just because work provides them doesn't mean you have to eat them. You can still take your own healthy food. Due to this I had my band loosened by 1cc last August.It is never a good idea to have a band loosened so you can eat more unless the band was too tight previously. I can now eat anything without much trouble. My appetite is strong and unforgiving. My metabolism didn't handle it too well and I'm 20lbs heavier today. I had 0.5ccs added last week, but I can still eat mostly anything.That is good. You should be able to eat anything. What you need to do is make healthy choices and don't eat huge portions. If you are still hungry(proper hunger not head hunger) then you may need another fill.

I'd like to say I was a model bandster, but I'm not. Not even close. Once at my comfortable weight, I found my band as a tool to eat almost anything without gaining weight. I would push it more and more to get more food. Over the last year I gained 10lbs, but it never went higher. I drink carbonated soda, and eat almost anything. I eat slowly depending on my restriction, but it seems to be more lose in the evening. It was because of my inability to maintain control that I had it loosened a bit since the band was a bit uncomfortable. It is normal to be able to eat more at night. I still don't understand why you had your band loosened though - what does a bit uncomfortable mean?

I want to tighten it back up to a strong restriction and get back to my target weight, but I'm very afraid of my irresponsible side slowly killing me. Sounds like you have other issues than hunger. I would make an appointment to see some kind of psych that specialises in food related problems to find out what your problems are and why you are sabotaging yourself. The band doesn't solve emotional eating problems.

The lapband diets are difficult for me. I have major food allergies. Raw fruit / vegetables, shell fish, nuts, all close up my esophagus. Protein products give me the same problem. My wife stocks the house with food for the kids, a inventory I can't seem to steer clear from. I want to feel full, a feeling I couldn't achieve even without the band. I instead feel uncomfortable or regrettable. It sounds as though you are making excuses to justify your poor decisions. I am a first aid trainer that teaches Anaphylaxis courses and it would be very very very rare for all Proteins, vegetable and fruits to cause this problem.What kind of foods does your wife buy for the kids? Why don't you go shopping together and buy healthy food for the whole family. The younger the kids get used to eating healthy stuff the better and the less likely they are to have weight problems later on in life.

I need friends I can talk to. In person works great, but difficult to find in my area. What is your area? Feel free to PM me if you want. Sorry if some of my responses sound harsh - they are not meant like that but I am not into couching things in flowery language!All the best in recommitting and getting back on track.

I'm in Central Oregon. While I acknowledge my shortcomings and appreciate the lack of sugar coating (too many calories anyways) I can assure you my food allergies are very real.

So if you are allergic to :-

all Proteins

all fruits

all vegetables

what do you eat?

So if you are allergic to :-

all Proteins

all fruits

all vegetables

what do you eat?

I can have vegetables if steamed but as for Protein drinks / bars I'm having a real problem. I can have protein from other sources but it seems like the drinks and the bars are a no-no.

Well that is good news because you really don't need Protein bars or drinks. You can easily get enough protein without them, I never use them.

Can you eat chicken, lean meat, fish etc? If you can then you should be fine. Concentrate on unprocessed, whole foods. e.g lean chicken, some veg and if you have space some form of carb as well. That should fill you up enough.How about dairy? Although technically yogurt is a slider food it is a better alternative for a snack than something like cake, fries, donuts etc.

Meats are fine as long as its not shellfish. I often wondered why people would use protein drinks instead of milk. Milk is fine too. I'm starting the five day pouch thingy and so it's just liquids tonight.