Well, I have been gone for a while from here, but it's time to come back. I was banded a year ago in November and did not meet my one year goal. I am happy with the success I had, 50 lbs. lost in one year, but I could have done better. I was trying for 80, but the last several months were difficult and I "fell off" the wagon. I became very stressed at work and depressed at home. Two of my reasons for overeating. I have been doing all of the wrong things....not measuring, not getting in my water, not exercising, snacking at night, and drinking wine!!! So, yes I know exactly why I didn't reach my goal, I just stopped caring for a while I think. I have gotten fills, periodically, but more recently I wasn't physically hungry, it was "head hunger". So, my last fill was a few weeks ago. I have 7.9 ccs in my 10 cc band. It's very tight and I have good restriction. Now it's time to get back on track. I had gotten down to 181, but have gained 9-10 lbs. in the last 2 months. So I am now determined to get back to the basics and meet my goal of 150 by summer! I tend to beat myself up, like many of you do. But, I wonder if there are others out there who have had a similar experience. Have any of you bandsters done well for a while and then just stopped acting like you even had a band at all, gained some weight back, then gotten back on track? It's always helpful to hear that you're not the only one out there that has done this. Thank in advance for any support. :-)

Well, I haven't done that...yet...but my surgeon did. He had the surgery and did just what you did. He finally had a change in mindset and went to very low carb because carbs trigger him to over eat. He has lost so much weight since then is a huge inspriation! I hope this works for you...I know I am at the same risk! S

I'm always on and off the wagon, as I was before the band. It's just easier to maintain with the band and I don't let myself get as out of control as I did pre-band. Now when I'm "off the wagon" it may last a few months or a few weeks with a gain of 5-10lbs, whereas before the band it could last a few years with gains of 30-50lbs, if not more. My band is my biggest motivator, I didn't get this thing put in for nothing.

We all have our ups and downs, you aren't alone. But I think as long as we are concious to what we are doing and are able to get a hold of ourselves after a minor set back and don't get ourselves back to where we started, we'll be ok. This is a process and it takes alot of patience. There will probably always be some gains along the way, but we can't lose complete focus on our main goal.

When I got this surgery I didn't expect all my old habits to just disappear, I know ME too well lol. I knew there would be times where I'd be depressed, lazy, careless, sad, frustrated, HUNGRY lol, happy or whatever other emotion life would slap on me and I know that those would be the times I might lose hold of myself. The thing that has brought me back was remembering all I've missed in life because of the weight and the want to not miss out anymore, for me, becomes much stronger than my want for chips and cake lol. I look at my scars, physical and emotional, and remember that I did this for a reason.

Don't beat yourself up, just get back on that wagon and do the best you can. I'd say gaining 10lbs isn't the worst thing in the world when you look at how far you have come. You've done great, had a setback, and now it's time to pull yourself out of the rut and get it together again. Never give up! Good luck!

Hello,

Seen your post and just had to reply. I have been banded 8 years exactly today. I have lost 140 total only to gain 25 back during this time, but I guess considering I am that far out from the surgery, that is not bad, but I still have 80 more pounds to lose. So....I feel your pain, the part where you said "acting like you don't even have a band" hit home.....I have let my old habits slip back in and take over...which are now extremely hard to break!

My BIGGEST pitfall is drinking with meals. It is such a mental thing with me...thinking food will get stuck if i don't sip with meals.... I am dead wrong. I know I will be fine as long as I chew chew chew and take small bites.... it is just something I self-sabatoge myself with that I struggle with greatly.

So, now trying harder now that today is my 8 year bandiversary! Setting new goals to get back to bandster rules and get rid of the other 80 pounds I need to lose!!

Yes, I can do this and so can you, I am proud of you all for where you are now and what you have accomplished so far. Good luck to all of us!

Wow, thank you all for the support and encouragement. I am glad to hear that I'm not the only one. It can be very hard to get back on track and I think the longer you are off track the harder it is to get back on. This is day two for me "back on" and I feel better mentally because I don't have to feel guilty or beat myself up. So, even eight years with the band, it is still a struggle. It is the reality of it I guess, that no matter what, you have to follow the "rules" and basics and it isn't something that we can just ignore or "hope" will get better. We have to MAKE it work and we owe it to ourselves to put in the effort, because we deserve happiness. I tried "wishing" and "hoping" for many years, and, well news flash.....that doesn't make you lose one pound! We were told before we got banded that this is a

TOOL, not a miracle cure that makes everything go away. So we must use the tool and work hard, which for me, I have been a lazy/fat person who doesn't like to "work hard" on myself but has realized that I have to. And we can see on here that IT DOES pay off in the long run. The success stories are inspiring and real. "It works if you work it" is a quote used in substance abuse programs and it really applies to us with the band as well. When I follow the rules about portion, snacking, water, and carbs...it works, the weight drops off. When I stop following the rules, the weight does not drop and comes back on. So lets start today. Don't wait until next Monday lol. I always had to wait until a Monday to start back on things, but that is just wasting time and procrastinating. We can do it!! If we slip (and we will), we get back track at THE NEXT MEAL, not the next week, the next month, or the next year.... Let's go!!!

Hi Ilive in Long Beach California and I'm looking for a great surgen ...Please post if you know of any.

Thank you and best of luck to you all!!

Hi Ilive in Long Beach California and I'm looking for a great surgen ...Please post if you know of any.

Thank you and best of luck to you all!!

I LOVE my doctor and all the girls who work there. The support is awesome and which I contribute a huge portion of my success to. His name is Dr. Oliak in Brea so he is not too far from you.

Check out his website......http://www.oliakcenter.com/

Wow' date=' thank you all for the support and encouragement. I am glad to hear that I'm not the only one. It can be very hard to get back on track and I think the longer you are off track the harder it is to get back on. This is day two for me "back on" and I feel better mentally because I don't have to feel guilty or beat myself up. So, even eight years with the band, it is still a struggle. It is the reality of it I guess, that no matter what, you have to follow the "rules" and basics and it isn't something that we can just ignore or "hope" will get better. We have to MAKE it work and we owe it to ourselves to put in the effort, because we deserve happiness. I tried "wishing" and "hoping" for many years, and, well news flash.....that doesn't make you lose one pound! We were told before we got banded that this is a

TOOL, not a miracle cure that makes everything go away. So we must use the tool and work hard, which for me, I have been a lazy/fat person who doesn't like to "work hard" on myself but has realized that I have to. And we can see on here that IT DOES pay off in the long run. The success stories are inspiring and real. "It works if you work it" is a quote used in substance abuse programs and it really applies to us with the band as well. When I follow the rules about portion, snacking, Water, and carbs...it works, the weight drops off. When I stop following the rules, the weight does not drop and comes back on. So lets start today. Don't wait until next Monday lol. I always had to wait until a Monday to start back on things, but that is just wasting time and procrastinating. We can do it!! If we slip (and we will), we get back track at THE NEXT MEAL, not the next week, the next month, or the next year.... Let's go!!![/quote']

Yep let us rebegin!!! We have suffered long enough with all the yo yo diets in the past ; I am recommitting to my band and getting up dusting myself off; yes the mind games that self sabatoge u will always be around even with me 8 years out;

I am thankful for my experience with my band and will recommit to following rules again and here is my new plan of action; Getting excited got first of a six-month program appointment on Thursday; having to use new followup surgeon as my lapband surgeon quit doing them and providing followups for lapband. New doc requires u attend 6-month program will be good for me as will be new accountability every month to them and hoping will kickstart my weight loss and break my plateau!

Please join me in recommitment?.

If u are throwing up everything I would think u need a slight unfit and let your band rest a few weeks then get new adjustment and go really slow in adding more solid foods ; good luck and do stay on here so we can help one another with encouragement and listening ears; I know ur pains with the throwing up but doing slight unfill worked for me and only eating soft foods for a long time slowly adding solids and even then only eating a few bites per meal and stopping.

Good luck!

ibbanded: Sounds like you have a great plan!! Recommittting is what we need to do to get back on track and be successful. It's so easy to put it off, but then we find ourselves miserable and back in the same place we were prior to the band. We went through this surgery for a reason and it's time to get back in there and accomplish our goals!

Thank you and good luck. You can can do it! We all can.

Well went started 6-month follow up program at new lapband surgeons office. Went over and planned goals before next visit in one month.

Working on getting back to strictly following 10 Rules of Lapband. Top 3 goals for me right now :

1. No drinking with meals and up yo one hour following a meal.

2. Exercise at least 30 minutes 5 days week

3. Drink more Water and less coffee.

Praying I can get back on track.

How is everyone else doing?

Thanks hockimama for ur encouragement!

Good luck to us all !

AN EMAIL TO MY GF WENDY, HAD BYPASS 5 yrs AGO WHEN I HAD LB....

So true Wendy....you are so smart, and you articulated everything So well.

You are right, it is in our heads!!! And unfortunately they didn't operate on our heads...so We have to do that part....do we need therapy? Don't know??? I don't think either of us are crazy.....but

Dr ______ maintains that we get crazy obsessed about our food because we have overvalued it all our (dieting ) lives....it's a currency that we would spend in Ww, Jenny Craig, OA. Whatever system we were working. Calories counting.... Sounds a lot like A FINANCIAL BUDGET dosn't it....

When you are on a strict BUDGET all you think about is not having enough 'money' to buy what you want....so you want everything you can't have....Result? We feel deprived and sorry for ourselves.....we feel like victims....we are sad....and we WANT instantly to feel better....what perks us up instantly??? Raises our neurochemicals in our feel-good brains??? Well spending money, buying something ( usually something we really don't need), or eating a high carb(sugar).....

Ah, now I feel better....for a while....then the remorse sets in (spent too much, and ate too much h) and again we feel bad,sad,guilty...(these are all negative reactions, don't help us at all get to our goal ) - balancing our check books, or balancing our metabolisms(blood sugars)

Does anything here sound familiar to you? Can you identify with the analogy?

Therefore, to combat all of this....eat well !! (balanced) amounts Frequently ( 2-3 hours). Never,never let yourself be hungry, as this just sets you up for failure...

There, phew....we aren't Nuts....we just have a flawed, diet mentality.....CHANGE IT

Candice

So nice to see some seasoned bandsters chat about how it is not just unicorns and rainbows for years. The honeymoon does wear off at some point, does it not?

I think it is difficult and I choose to be not too interested in food. I.e.Don't want to chat about recipes, diets etc daily. Just want to eat right. Work out. (got a new bike today!) be healthy. Not fight myself!

I'm not at a perfect weight, but am very healthy and happy

That being said I am not quite at the sweet spot. Scar tissue prevents full fill, so it is mostly me. Which it is REALLY in any case. Right?

I am starting over again as well. I was banded in April 2008 and somehow got sidetracked and didn't follow the eating program. I thought that Id lose weight just because of not being able to eat as much food as before.. WRONG...So, I reread all my info given to me at the time of my surgery and am restarting. Last week I followed the eating program, drank my liquids, had protein shakes for breakfast....and didn't lose a thing.....Sooo, Im not giving up and maybe I need to get stricter even with myself.

Best of luck to you and keep us posted on your upcoming success!!

Thanks for the comments. Like I mentioned it is nice to see some seasoned bandsters chat about the long haul.

4 years for you. That is great. Think if you hadn't done it and the weight kept going up.

Crummy week to not lose. But you did it.

Menopause is not helpful in my case. But also me and my personal journey. And vacation and cocktails coming. Fun !!! not helpful for weight loss. Sigh. Still. Looking forward to it❤❤

Well, we have to live life along the way too. So enjoy vacation just make good choices as much as you can..I have thought lately that if I want a goodie that isn't on my eating plan, it has to be the best quality and fresh. No more stale donuts just cuz they are there.

I do know that I will never be super large like some folks I see around. And that was really scaring me before I got my band.

So Im gonna go at it again this week and see if I can't do better.