Ok so here is my story. I hesitated to post until now. I was banded march 08. I lost a ton of weight. But like so many others, took my eye off the ball and it slowly creeped back up. So as of December 10 2012 I am back on the program. That means that Ihalf way through my fourth week. I decided to get active. I walk like it is a parttime job . I use the excuse that I work so much anyway i did not have to work out....lie number one. Aso told myself that sincr I recently got married and had kids that it was "natural" that I put on 90 pounds.... lie number two. But I am young I have plenty of time to lose the weight.... you guessed it lie number three. Ok so I finally quit lying to myself.. As i stated getting active... walking is a must for me I have also bought an elliptical machine which I love... I have relized that I have a food adiction and I am getting help for it. I found a great book written by Steven Arterburn called "Lose it for life" There is a great bunch of ideas and it helps you deal with the addiction as well as the weight loss and keeping it off. Anyway I plan on posting more on my new start. With the Lords help I will make it happen for good this time. Currently I am down 14 pounds from my restart weight of 291. As of Monday 12-31 I was 277. Please feel free to leave comments or some encouragement if you would like to. Thanks!

Marathonman and Lauriegee, thanks for getting the ball rolling with your initial posts. All good thoughts--many hit a nerve. I'm up 30 lbs from my lowest (not goal) and realized just a few days ago that I've been taking for granted the amazing gift I received when I got this band. It's selfish and ungrateful of me to not use my band properly and to not exercise. Marathonman, you're right about not letting work be an excuse--if I'm getting so exhausted at work that I "can't" exercise, then something needs to change--at work. I don't have the luxury of youth like you do (I just turned 50), but I had my own variation of the same self-lie: "Everyone gets heavier as they get older, and besides, thin, old ladies are more wrinkly and don't look as good as women who have a little padding to fluff out the wrinkles". Good grief! Also,, I tend to be a perfectionist, so if it can"t be done right...you know how it goes. My new self-talk that I'm working on is "Don't let the Perfect be the enemy of the Good.". I subscribed to this thread and am looking forward to hearing about and sharing this "Phase 2" with others in the same boat!

I am so thankful for all the support that is being poured out! That is what so many of us need. I am treating my eating as an addiction that is no different than an alcoholic. It is that serious to me. keep checking in yall. I weigh on monday mornings so I will try to post my results, hopefully it may be an encouragement to someone!

I'm back as well. Was banded 8/2008 and got down to 214 in 2010. But in April of 2010 I got pregnant. Since having my son 1/24/11 it has been a struggle but also had issues with my band. In October 2012 we fully emptied my band to give my body a break and as of 1/4/13 I'm back. Got 2 cc's in and have lost 3 lbs since Friday. I'm starting back at 266 and am so ready to get back in track.

Good luck to you.

Well for the past 4 days I've been doing good. I think the thing that's making me think before I eat is having to put all my food into an app that I downloaded to my phone. My fitness app. Its great cuz you put in your weight, I decide on how many calories you want per day, then just input as you go. Making me think twice. Lol. Just another tool to help me succeed..thought is share cuz I'm kinda excited boot the app.

Well the weigh in news is not good. I actually gained 2 pounds. Discouraged but not defeated. Normally I would probably go off on a binge...but as most of us know next week could be totally different. I really worked hard. So anyway that is that.

I feel ya weighed myself and depressed too. Just gotta stay positive no matter how bad it hurts

This is all easier said then done...you're doing awesome by just working hard...and you're doing that, you said it!

Try to only weigh once a week. Focus on your food choices, portion size and eating by band rules (small bits, chew 30 times, wait 1 min between bits). Drinking at least 64 oz Water. The weight will follow.

You guys are doing great, keep it up!

I read so many of these "starting over" posts that I thought I would state the following.

You are not starting over... you are continuing your lifestyle with new parameters. We can;t go back and undo what we ate last week. Just accept it, learn from and make better choices for your future. That is what life with the band is all about.

I am so glad I found this topic. I was banded in Sept. 2011, lost 40 lbs and gained most of it back. I have been looking for a support group that can relate to how I'm feeling and to give each other support. I have decided that 2013 will be my year.

Welcome aboard. We can do this together!!!!

Well, since I last posted I have done some soul searching! I have came to the realization that health is my ultimate goal! So why am I so obsessed with my scale? Why do I feel that the exercise and healthy choices I make with food are worth nothing if I don't see a change in the scale? Are we so programed that we think fitting into a certain size Jean automatically means we are healthy? Why when people go to the doctor and are not overweight do doctors assume they are healthy? I have seen and read many things with people who have been banded that are losing their hair, or consuming so few calories that it would be impossible to be properly getting the nutrition they need! There is no difference between dying from being overweight or dying because we didn't eat the nutrients our body needs to survive, except maybe the size of the casket! So I encourage all of us to reprogram our brains and put health first and then celebrate as the numbers go down on the scale!

Well' date=' since I last posted I have done some soul searching! I have came to the realization that health is my ultimate goal![/quote']

And we will support you every step of the way. You will rock this!

Has anyone ever tried the 5 day pouch test to get back on track?

I am 4 years out from Surgery I lost 160 lbs and kept if off till this last 6 months. I had issues with my band so they took out saline and I was always hungry so like in the pst I ate. I have gained 30 lbs and not happy with myself. I see my doc on Monday to discuss my issues and get a fill and get back on track. I joined the gym and plan to start working out again. Its a tough road loosing weight and I remind myself the band is only a tool to help me out.

Good luck to all of you and this is a great support group