I posted this in another forum but I'm not sure if it was the right one:

My name is Lymarie, I am 27, wife and mother of 2, ( 7 and 2 months) I had my surgery March 31 2011, it's been a year since my surgery. I was 281 pre-op, 271 after liquid diet and at the time of the surgery. I got pregnant 3 months post op, at that point i had lost 15 lbs and weighed 256 the day i found out i was expecting. I've struggled with PCOS since I was 16 & have been obese my entire life. I don't remember being under 200 even as a pre teen. My most recent pregnancy was planned but since i have pcos we.weren't expecting for it to happen the first month of trying. I had a good uncomplicated pregnancy and only gained 10lb. Today I am back where I started, I weigh exactly 256 lbs, the same I weighed on July 18 2011 when i found out i was pregnant.

My band has been filled 3 times in a year. I'm not sure how much is in there or how big or small the band is.

Here's my problem;

I can't seem to get below 250 lbs no matter what I do. I do have to admit that after signing up on my fitness pal, I realize that my choices on foods are not the best. I have a terrible sweet tooth, I can say I eat emotionally and out of boredom. I get full with my meals, but for some reason I can't get myself to stop, especially if I don't feel satisfied, I'm embarrassed to say that sometimes I rather make myself throw up so i can keep eating what ever i was eating than just quit eating that particular food. I don't do this with all foods or at every meal but I do do it.

I feel like a failure. I feel like I've wasted my time and the time of every one who has helped me or supported me. I have no problem working out, I actually enjoy it, Zumba, yoga, pilates, spinning etc, i work out an average of 8-9 hours a week.

I want to be successful. I want to be happy, I want to be healthy, I want to be respected, noticed, I want to look in clothes how in my imagination I think I look in clothes, once I see myself and realize that I don't look as I imagined it's depressing. My marriage is depending on my weightloss, my happiness depends on my weightloss. My family depends on my I feel like i had the surgery, then that was it, I never had any.direction or a way to correct my actions.

I'm looking for any guidance or suggestions on how to get this going, please?

You have all the answers to your weight loss problem in your post. You are making bad food choices, eating more then allowed with the band, and purging. This is why you aren't losing weight but I would think that you need to answer deeper more intimate questions. Why are you doing these things? Why are you sabataging yourself? I don't have any answers for you but if you don't make some changes then you will hurt yourself abusing your band this way. I would suggest you go back to liquids because your pouch is probably stretched and start over with the band. Wish I had a simple answer but there isn't a simple answer.

Hello, Lymarie. My suggestion is to find a good counselor who can help you work through the challenges you are facing. Being thinner and healthier is great, but weight loss is not a magic wand that will bestow personal happiness, marital well-being, and the respect of society. You have to work at those things separately. Good luck; you can do it!

You sound like you really have your hands full with two small children to take care of, and it sounds like you did great with your pregnancy - not gaining a ton of weight. You should be really proud of yourself!! You can make your band work for you agian, but it will end up being more about what is in your head than what you put in your mouth.

I think counseling is likely a great idea but if you don't have the time or desire to do that - have a talk with yourself and recommit to yourself to be successful, then start with the very basics. Find a few healthy options that you enjoy and keep your diet really simple for a while so you don't have to spend a ton of time thinking about it and be sure to track your calories. I know it can be really hard with kids in the house because you end up with "kid food" in the house and that can be tempting but you the phrase nothing tastes as good as thin feels is a good one....tape it to your refrigerator or stove as a gentle remineder!! You can do it!!!