Hi all

I've been a member of lapband sites for about 3 years now. One thing that really bugs me is when people say "i'll never see this weight again". The lapband doesn't guarantee that. I know two people who have gained - one to more than she started at. Once you reach goal it's just like any other person on a diet - you have to be vigilant. Sometimes I think people think it is guaranteed. Its not - it's a real challenge.

"When we are in the early stages of losing weight we are in this euphoric state where everything is beautiful."

BLAH, I HATE this. And I hate that Donali is so honest. Blah blah blah! I'm sick of the truth. I want rainbows and puppy dogs. I've probably seen more mental heath professionals in my life than most people given my background (paranoid schizophrenic mother, for starters.) And one thing the head doctors have agreed with my 3 of my medical doctors is [see above quote and Donali's response.]

During the "Honeymoon Period" we are elated, weight is coming off, and we can walk past goodies and have this thing tackled. But according to doctors and psychiatrists, the averages human mind isn't designed to withstand long-term willpower. Sure, some of us can fight the feelings longer, and a rare few might keep most of the weight off for life, but those numbers are small.

Which is why we had WLS. Can I say the f word here?

I guess I just know that I won't fall off the wagon because I didn't have surgery to fall off the wagon. This surgery was a life changing thing for me.. yes, I am only almost 4 months out, but I have NEVER kept up dieting and exercising for this long. I know 4 months doesn't sound like much, but for me it is.

I know I will stumble some, but the point is, that I will never be physically able to binge and pig out like before... It just won't happen (unless band has to be removed)

But, why even bother thinking negative like all the weight will eventually come backt and what not, when that is not going to get us anywhere!

I will not fail at this, you can all come find me in 5, 10 or 50 years and if I am still alive, I will be healthy.

It might sound sugar coated and like a dream, but for me it is now reality.

I agree with Heather. I am making this choice for a couple of reasons. A tool to assist my weight loss, a constant reminder of my struggle with weight, and an investment in my body to make it healthy again. if my band slips, or something goes wrong, and all of a sudden I weigh 10 pounds more, you bet my ass will be on a treadmill and taking that weight back off. I am not going through this to just gain the weight back. When my weight comes off, it is going to stay off.

It does get harder the farther out you get. I think vetern bandsters would agree. My last fill (from 2.5 to 3.0 in 4cc band) gave me excellent restriction during the day but at night it was just too much and i was having coughing spells which led to vomitting at night. Had the last fill taken out (back to the 2.5). So now i'm waiting for a smaller fill which will give more restriction during the day without the night time reflux - i hope. The excellent restriction won't always be there, at least thats what my experience has taught me. I committed to the lifestyle change, diet, exercise as can be. Heck i've exercised every freakin day this week for 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours to make sure i maintain until i can get my next fill and i'm dreading my weakly weigh in tomorrow. I'm seriously doubting i've maintained. Not trying to bring anyone down, just want you to enjoy the great restriction and weight loss your experiencing right now becuase it will probably get harder. I still love my band and pray i never lose it, but it could happen so i'm starting counseling monday so i can be prepared. Hope i didn't steal someone thread or whatever, but i really want the newer bandsters to do as much as they can with the great restriction they have right now. I'm miss mine (restriction that is).

I can honestly say that they will bury me before I am that large again.

I have no band any longer and Iam damned and determined ot not gain this weight back....I have not gained since November 28th when my band was removed.. It is not easy, I struggle believe me but I refuse to give in to the demon and let him win again!

Very interesting comments Jack. So, are you saying what bandsters need to develop is 'won't power?' "I won't eat that (food, way, much) because I am determined that I won't be fat." Because if you are saying this, I fully agree, and here's why:

I believe that our success or failure begins in the mind. As long as we tell ourselves that we 'won't' allow ourselves to overeat, induldge, skip that workout, slack on our Water, or fail.. then 90% of the work is done.

I believe that when we give in to the demons that whisper to us daily, and begin to accept the fact that we are going to fail.. then we have already done so.

I believe that we have a duty to each other here to continue to enforce the positive, rebuke the negative, and embrace the mindset of success. This is a weight loss - lap band support board. Not an I'm Obese and Miserable support board. We come here to find others who want to succeed. Not to link arms with those who are certain they and everyone around them will fail.

I believe that statistics are a bunch of crap that cause us to take our eyes off of our goals and lose our faith. Just because others gave in, it doesn't mean I have to.

I believe that when we do fail, we want others to fail with us. Nobody likes to stand out alone in a crowd of positive, successful people.

I believe that only God can truly understand the mind of mankind. Therefore, I don't want to hear the brilliant studies of the guy in the office down the street that charges people $100 an hour and claims to have the answers to our problems. Most of them are just as screwed up as we are.

I believe that when someone says, 'I will never gain that weight back again' we should all stand behind them and say 'Yes! Good for you!' Who are we to tell another that it's only a matter of time before they will fail? We all are aware that it's not going to be easy. Painfully aware. But that doesn't make it impossible.

I believe I have just broken my vow to stay out of topics like this for a while. Oh well. Love me or hate me. This is what I believe.

I think you may have misread my comment. I wasn't saying that it (keeping the weight off) CAN'T be done, just that's it's not just a matter of having the band. It requires committment and hard work. What bugs me is the lack of recognition of this work. Maybe i'm sensitive to it cause I feel that the people who know I have a band (which aren't many) think it is an easy ride, when really to maintain at goal takes just a much effort as anyone else who has lost alot of weight.

I think for my self! There are just to many factors to determine if I will never loss weight again.

If I, was to go back into my old eating habits, LIFE STYLE Such as eating late at night,Hardees four time a week.

four cans pop and candy bars Cookies all the other junk food out there.

Id ballon right back up there in no time flat.

I'am very carefull of my food intake for starters,if you want to keep the weight off you have to do some kind of exercise, or you could just starve your self keep the weight off! ( that is not directed at any one! ) or very low calories. Maybe Im wrong?

I' myself plan on staying healthy its a job some times but it is worth it.( Ive found my fountain of youth through Exercise) ,And I plan to stay healthy even if it kills me. hehe.

I was FAT for twenty years........ the next twenty years by choice I will be thin. because I enjoy my freedom from all that fat! and I look Good!

I no that is being conceded but when I get up every morning now, I see a new face! In the mirrow, and I just smile. Im happy healthy and that is all that matters.

Take care hope you can keep all the weight off, and im glad to hear your thinking postive.JOHNQ

Oh heck Josygirl.. none of us here think this is an easy ride. And these people who say they'll never see that 30 pounds again, or whatever, they had to work for it just like everyone else. Or, are you telling us that just because this is the early stages that this is easy for us? Because if that's the case, then you aren't being fair either. I haven't had a fill. I know I can eat more but I'm making myself stick to the amount I know Im supposed to eat by myself. The band isnt even working for me yet. The band doesn't make me stop eating, the band doesn't make me drink the right amount of Water every day, the band doesn't make me get off my lazy arse and walk on my new treadmill (up to a half a mile now! yay!). I've lost 35 pounds since December 20th. And I've worked for it.

And dont think Im taking this personal, or pissed, because Im not. *smiles* A lot of people misread me. Im just trying to understand what your point was.

Lots of thoughts going through my head.

I agree with your point about supporting others to be successful, not to say "poor me" or "why??".

And I definitely wasn't saying it was easy in the beginning, anyone who knew me at that time knows I was an emotional wreck waiting to get some sort of restriction. And I never really got it, the night reflux caught up with me before I could get a decent level.

Guess my point I was trying to make when I made my original post was that sometimes when people post "I'll never see this weight again" that it gives a misleading impression to people investigating the band that this is somehow different to other weight loss methods. Obviously I didn't express myself well enough.

And having had all my fill out due to my slip has made me realise the appetite dimming that the band gives me when it is tighter. I am so much more hungry now. But i'm also struggling with the emotional eating, and can't seem to rein it in.

Dang girl, that has to be scary. You know, I was reading Gypsygirl's blog today, and she went thru so much trying to get a decent fill. Seems every time they over-filled her just a bit too much and then she had to get unfilled a bit. Honestly, I want the full benifit of the band, but Im really not looking forward to the fills. Partly because I'm worried about becoming too dependent on the band to keep me in line. It's great to have as a safety net, for the times we do slip up. A bandster's binge is a joke to what we all used to be able to do huh?

So why haven't you been refilled? Is the band still slipped? What's going on? I think you need a hug. *gives you a big hug and smile* You'll make it through this. I know you must be so scared of the weight gain after all of this. Hang in there and lean on friends. Youre not alone.

Hi,

I feel compelled to answer this thread because it was one that I wanted to start myself. I was one of the euphoric bandsters that lost 120 pounds my first year of banding, another 34 the second year, went to the gym 3-4 times a week, hired a personal trainer, etc... I was the most committed person to the process of being eternally thinner. NOt skinny, not fashion model thin, just overweight size 14 normal. Once I got there, it got really really hard. I quit smoking, gained 10 friends and couldnt lose them. Then I had plastic surgery, had all my fill removed and I am struggling with a total of 15 pounds extra or more from my lowest weight. I have not had good restriction for more than a year. I am not gaining as of recent, but losing and getting back to where I was feels like an impossibility!! ITs really hard to keep up the pace and the diligence I put into my banding experience the first few years.

IT cost me a lot of time, therapy and ongoing work to get to a just overweight BMI. ITs hard to keep up this pace and have all of this overwhelm you, keep you up at night etc. I am in denial, refuse to get on the scale out of fear, but I do use my clothing as a gauge of where I am and I am still heavier than my lowest weight. Still in the same clothes, but they are much tighter on me than before. So I say this with certainty. YOu can regain with the band even with the best intentions. THere isnt a day that goes by that I dont wake up and plan my day regarding food, get angry with myself if I eat too much etc. Its hard work and it gets much harder as you get closer to goal to keep it off.

Babs in TX

334/180ish

yes I guess the point of my post was that it takes dedication and hard work. The band is not some "magic pill". I met with lap banders today from those considering it to some veterans. I hate it when people tell newbies that it is a sure thing. It's not, it takes committment. And then you have to deal with the after effects of obesity on your body. It's not like you back to a normal size person with no stretch marks. You are always an ex-obese person. Don't get me wrong, I know I am a lot healthier than I was before.

OMG people tell newbies its a sure thing..... OY VEY !!! Your not kidding it takes committment. My family (mom sister even friends) are watching me and they realize the band is not a cure, they are seeing me struggle with making the right food choices, the quantity I eat and getting my ass up from the couch and going for a walk.

Good thread Josy !!!

For me if I could keep it up longer than 4 -5 months at a time I wouldn't need the band. If I had the persistence and will power and determination for long term weightloss then why did I have need for the band? I needed the band because I don't have these things. Just because the band is in me now doesn't automatically make those things stay around. I get going some months really good with eating right and exercising and then I will go a few months not doing any of that. I know it's supposed to be a daily fight, but most days I don't have it in me. I guess I just don't want it bad enough as some of you say. It is not a magic pill but I have been lucky that with enough restriction I won't gain tons of weight on my off months.

Just call me Negative Nelly because I fully believe you are on band high at the start. Usually the only reason I get motivated is because I think in my head that people that know I have this band are looking at me thinking why isn't she losing weight? She had WEIGHLOSS SURGERY! What is wrong with her? I can barely eat more than 10 bites at a time, but still keep the weight on unless I am exercising. Well, between working 50 hours a week, going to college, and living 45 minutes away from all of this it is hard to get motivated to workout, when I can barely motivate myself to stay up until midnight to do homework.

My band keeps me from gaining at this point it is the most I can ask from myself. I'm so happy for people that can do more with their band at this point and I'm sure in a few weeks I will get back on track, but don't beat us down because this is our REALITY.

THis was long and rambling sorry. I've been saying that so much lately that I need to put it in my signature! HA!