Had my lap band surgery in aug 2010, lost 3.5 stones by June then the problems started!! I started being really sick & couldn't even keep liquids down, I struggled along for a whole but everytime I tried to swallow I was in agony......I went to my clinic & they said I had a piece of food lodged & my stomach,throat etc were being aggravated. For the next 3 mths I was never away from clinic each time more was taken out of my lap band.....in October I had nothing left in it & was extremely depressed, since then I have put on weight but have started to get it filled again but the weight is not coming off at all, I feel I have very little restriction & quite frankly so depressed about it all......I could scream. Anybody experienced this????

No, I haven't but it's too bad. I'm afraid if my band was emptied I'd go nuts eating too much as I did before. I guess for you right now it'll take more on your part to make it work until you get good restriction again. I hope you do soon!

This is the vicious cycle, isn't it? You gain, so you feel like crap, so you eat, and you gain some more, and you feel even worse.

So stop that cycle. Now.

Every single day is a new day to start again. Pretend this is the first time you've had your band. You're in bandster hell now. Don't think about the weight you lost and gained because it's going to derail you. You had geniune problems and you had to have those fixed. Now you're coming back from that,

Focus on the now. Think of what you need to lose today, not yesterday. Straighten up that spine and start doing it.

There are so few things in like that you can control. This is one of them. So get control back.

P.S I have no restriction either. My band has a leak and I have a small slip. My band's been loose for 12 months now. But it doesn't mean that I don't have the choice to eat well and exercise until that's fixed. You *can* do it.

Do you know you're absolutely right, I'm just finding it so hard 2nd time round!! I still have such a bad relationship with food I think I would benefit from cognitive therapy, have you had any therapy along with lap band?

I didn't have any therapy, never saw a dietician, never saw a nutritionist. I just really, REALLY believe if you want it enough, you make it happen.

It was probably not long after I had my band that I realised how little in life you can control. You can't control how others treat you, You can't control how others feels. You can't control how others behave, You can't even control how your body behaves (hungry, tired etc) but the one thing you have complete control over is your head. If you set a goal, and a plan to work towards it, you can achieve it.

So get back to basics: plan your meals, take it one day at a time, set the days that you will work out and make sure you do it. Connect with others to hold yourself accountable to your exercise goals, and your eating habits. Set mini goals for your weight loss and plan how you will reward yourself when you get there.

Changing your life is about planning, patience and repetition. Chose to start. Starting is the hardest part of it.