I was banded in 2009, and am truly happy with my band. My problem is the head games I play with this life long struggle. I did so well for the first year, but lost very very slow. I got to the 199 spot, and never lost any more. I gained some of the weight back, and do not eat well at all.

I now need to start from scratch, right back to the presurgery prep, because I am not eating right, not taking the correct time, or eating good foods. Carbs are evil little critters! I want to be eating correctly, but obviously not enough to actually get on it.

My big problem is, the way I think. I can rationalize why I willl "do better tomorrow" every single day. I always start the morning thinking this is the day, I am going to eat great. Why do we not think this at 6pm?? I have a trip coming next week, and I know I willl have dinner out alot, and a few drinks, so I eat terrible now, knowing there is no need to eat good and blow it next week.... UGH !!!! I do not drink often (a few times a year), but it is like cutting a limb off, or no presents at Christmas, for me to go on this trip and not have the drink that comes with the meal.

I need to have the Men in Black guys flash me with that little flashy thing, and tell me I like only bland boring diet food and very little of that. Eat to live, not Live to eat.. :-)

Well I confessed I am a food addict....but food is not going to win...like you I had surgery...2 years on the 1st of July....God I forgot my anniversary .....just realised it now.....and lost slowly...regained and losing again....I did what Elcee on here told me to remove all the temptation out of my house...if I want some thing sweet now I have to actually go and buy it....its a life struggle ....so I have gone back to the weight watchers tracking and smaller portion sizes....I cannot do the small plate eating...it just does not look right so I fill the other side of my plate with iceberg lettuce so I trick myself to thinking I am eating loads....crazy as it sounds but it works....also drink lots of water prior....I have also started to eat raw carrots ....for me its just a case of having something in my hand to eat not actually what I eat....as the song goes...One day at a time

I am there with you too. I was banded in October 2009. I inspired my aunt to be banded as well, a year later. She has lost so much now and I am in the same place I was 2 years ago. I have the mind thing going on too. I started out doing so great and now, I just have fallen off the wagon for 2 years. When I went to the big seminar cattle call, I weighed 310 and was on diabetes medication. Today I am 247 and have no meds except a tyroid pill. I will be forever greatful for the surgery getting me off of the diabetes meds, but I'm not happy where I am. I have to find some sort of motivation somplace. I have a fill appt tomorrow. Maybe that will help things out too.

I think staying in touch here will help, and I also called to schedule a fill. I am not sure he will give me one, but we will see.

I think we all play the mental game, be it rationalizing our food choices or battling head hunger vs. real hunger. I mean, the sad fact is, we ALL have issues that start in the mind or we wouldn't have ended up fat and needing the Lap-Band to begin with.

For me, the only way I can stick to eating the right foods is by keeping the wrong foods out of my house entirely. I don't claim to have will power- I don't at all. So, I compensate by not making unhealthy foods an option in my home. It's the only way I'm ever going to eat the right things day after day.

Hang in there and don't give up. You can win this battle