I was banded on may 1, 2012. I have lost 28 pounds. I do not feel so successful because I feel that I have too many days of not eating healthy. I just had my 2nd fill and I definitely have restriction. I just keep making poor choices and I'm depressed about it.

I was just banded last week, but have lost 50 pounds since I've started the process. It's HARD!

My advice to you is to take it day by day, hour by hour, meal by meal and bite by bite. The best advice I've gotten during my journey is this: When you feel "hungry", ask yourself these questions--"Am I REALLY hungry or am I bored, emotional, etc...", "Am what I am about to put in my mouth worth it and how is it going to benefit me?"

Sometimes, that piece of chocolate cake IS worth it, but most of the time. No, it's not. I make sure I really take the time to chew and savor each thing I put in my mouth. Take time to enjoy the texture and the flavor. Don't just eat it because it tastes good. Eat it because it is something you truly enjoy and make it a treat for yourself, not something you eat because you can. I don't keep treats in the house because then I eat them. I make them hard to get to. If I'm wanting ice cream, then I have to take the effort to go and get it and I only get ONE serving. Not enough to bring home and eat whenever I want because then it's not a TREAT. You know what? I rarely have ice cream anymore, but when I do... Boy, do I ENJOY it!! When having a treat makes you feel guilty and depressed, it is not a treat.

I used to walk past the fridge and open it because it was there. Everytime I opened it, I found something to eat. Maybe a slice of cheese, or a meat stick, or whatever. I don't open the fridge anymore unless I have somethng that I'm opening it for. It's not worth the temptation to me.

Every day, every hour, every meal. Ask yourself these questions. Am I REALLY hungry? Why am I eating? What am I eating? Is what I'm putting in my mouth worth the calories and what it is going to do to my body?

Day by day, hour by hour, meal by meal. You CAN make the right choices and you can make the band work for you. It's just a tool, not a miracle worker!

The main thing I've learned is that you are responsible for your own choices. The only one you hurt when you make a bad food choice is yourself. I'm not trying to sound harsh, but it's a reality I had to face.

Maybe touching base with your nutritionist will help you stay inspired to eat healthy?

I had to basically put my diet on "lock down" and only stick to three food categories, and that's IT. It is too easy for me to talk myself into a bad snack and out of exercise.

And by the way, 28 lbs is good! Don't be too harsh on yourself. Are you exercising? Have you tried logging everything you eat? Myfitnesspal is a HUGE help to me.

I have to log the food. I think that will help! I also need to start exercising!

Logging every bite, snack, nibble...completely helps. I had no concept of calorie content until I started logging. I went through a brief stage of shock, then I was mortified that I had put SO much in my body all these years. I can't count carbs to save my life, but calories is easy. Logging will be a great start.

They have some good apps to help log your food too. I use my fitness pal, it has pre loaded food brand names & even generics too! Extremely helpful

I love the Lose it! app for phones because it also has a scanner for barcodes, which is pretty convenient!

As stated before, the choices you make are your own choices, and the band cannot help you make the right choices. I think you need to regain sight of why you made this lifestyle change so you are motivated to do what is needed to get healthy.

Wise advice here!

I agree with the others. First, 28 pounds is awesome! Don't diminish that, you're doing great and should be proud!

As far as losing, I too track everything I eat. I've done so since the day I got home from the hospital and it's helped tremendously. I use the Lose It app for Android.