I read a lot of posts from people who say they got off track because of one reason or another... And I just want to say that you get off track for one reason and one reason only. You choose to.

Now i am sure i will be called out for being insensative but i am as sympathetic as the next person for just cause......but I just do not get the mentality of getting off track because the dog dies, its raining, money is tight, your kids get sick or your job is stressful. I could list a hundred other reasons I have seen posted which covers just about every life situation. And you know what.... While it stinks and you may have got dealt a bad hand....it has nothing to do with your band.

The only excuse I might think is valid is if there is a medical reason you shouldn't or cannot lose for a period of time...and even that is pretty rare I would think.

The band is ever present. It is with you 24/7 to govern your eating. If fed properly it will help you lose weight. If not you will fail it. We are responsible for our own actions and believe me I was the queen of excuses why I chose not to lose weight.... Until I fully committed myself to my band. During my journey life got in the way all the time.... Adult daughter moved home with her newborn which created all kinds of stress in the home...we moved, we rented our other house, I worked 60 hrs a week in a high profile management capacity, my father in law had a heart attack, my 401k suffered, my hubby changed jobs, my other daughter moved back home after college, I hosted partied, baby showers, held my best friends hand while her mother suffered a long illness..... I think you get the point. It's just life. But never during that time did I ignore my band...and it didn't let me down.

Please take my point in the spirit in which it's intended... If you want to lose weight you will. If you want to gain weight you will. If you want to maintain..... You will do that too....because its all about the choices you make.

I wish you all success on your journeys!!!

Thank you!

I needed that today!

I had already given myself a virtual boot up the bu.... because I had let myself use excuses to eat crap today.

Your post simply reinforces the message I was giving myself. Thanks.

If you want to lose weight you will. If you want to gain weight you will. If you want to maintain..... You will do that too....because its all about the choices you make.

Pretty smart stuff right there.................

Great post Floridays!

1 year ago I would have said exactly the same thing. I lost easily and was having no issue maintaining. I thought that people that whinged and moaned etc were just using excuses. Now I have a lot more sympathy. The first couple of years are EASY - after that it gets so much harder.

Things that were difficult to eat become easy.

The band does not give you the same feeling of satisfaction.

You eat what you are supposed to but get hungry again soon afterwards.

Simple solution - get a fill as obviously if this is happening it means a person is not in the green zone.

Well it's not always that simple. For some unknown reason reflux rears it's ugly head, when this happens Dr's unfill or won't fill past a certain point.

But that shouldn't be a problem should it, because by now we should have the good eating habits down pat? Well it is a problem. I know what I should be eating and that is what I eat but then I get hungry again. When the band is not controlling your hunger it is like it was preband. What makes it worse is that you know how good things can be and you desperately want to be back there. To me the weeks after surgery weren't bandster hell - they were easy. This is bandster hell!

I don't think I'm alone with this problem. A lot of the long term successful bandsters seem to have the same issue.Some of the names have slipped my mind but I know Jachut is one.

There seem to be a number of these threads atm, B52, yourself to name just 2.I understand where you are coming from but I promise you it is not quite as simple as you try to make out. Please stop "preaching" at us and keep your fingers crossed that you are lucky enough to always remain in the zone.

Keep it up then and good for you.

There's a psychological component to why we are all SO obese that we had to go through freaking surgery to fix it. if it were that easy for everyone to stay on track with the band, maybe we could have done this without it. Your post reminds me of people who have told me over the years to "just stop eating" or "just work harder."

People's battle with obesity is individual. Your reasons for eating may not be mine. Your path to success is true for you and you alone and I'm glad you were able to succeed! But the "one answer fits all" attitude just doesn't apply here. It's why the diet industry is so huge - one diet doesn't work for everyone.

excellent post.

i agree with you 100%

the band is always there and its up to the person to use it correctly or not.

Could not agree more.......

There will be medical reasons why the band may not function as designed....common theme I hear from many people is that it is hard to get back on track after getting a complete un fill, for whatever medical reason....

But under normal conditions, the band is there....simple..either one chooses to take full advantage of it or they don't.....

I am always puzzled by people who say otherwise.....

There's a psychological component to why we are all SO obese that we had to go through freaking surgery to fix it. if it were that easy for everyone to stay on track with the band, maybe we could have done this without it. Your post reminds me of people who have told me over the years to "just stop eating" or "just work harder."

People's battle with obesity is individual. Your reasons for eating may not be mine. Your path to success is true for you and you alone and I'm glad you were able to succeed! But the "one answer fits all" attitude just doesn't apply here. It's why the diet industry is so huge - one diet doesn't work for everyone.

I respect and agree with some of your comments but obviously I can only speak from what I know. Personally, I have proven over and over I cannot stay on track losing all the weight or even if after I lost the weight... so I turned to the band for a permanant solution.

My point of the thread was that the band is ever present and if you listen to it and feed it accordingly it will not fail you. I am not a medical professional... just a person who isnt fat anymore because of my dedication to the band.

As far as the one answer fits all syndrome... I actually believe it does. The band works. Its an individual's decision whether or not to work with it or not. Since we didnt get our heads banded.... people may need to address other issues about their eating habits but in theory it is my experience that the band does its job .... the question is are we willing to do ours?

I completely agree with Floridays. Aside from medical reasons and band malfunctions unrelated to patient compliance, it is a choice. Too often people expect the band to do things it's simply not made to do or they expect it to fix their brains.

It's a choice. Either you follow the rules and do what's necessary to lose or you don't. That's not to say that people don't seriously struggle within themselves- a lot do. But the bottom line is, the band does do it's job when properly used and maintained. It's up to us to us to be compliant and not let our mind (oh I want something to eat) over-rule our bodies (I'm not physically hungry, so I won't eat even though I want to).

1 year ago I would have said exactly the same thing. I lost easily and was having no issue maintaining. I thought that people that whinged and moaned etc were just using excuses. Now I have a lot more sympathy. The first couple of years are EASY - after that it gets so much harder.

Things that were difficult to eat become easy.

The band does not give you the same feeling of satisfaction.

You eat what you are supposed to but get hungry again soon afterwards.

Simple solution - get a fill as obviously if this is happening it means a person is not in the green zone.

Well it's not always that simple. For some unknown reason reflux rears it's ugly head, when this happens Dr's unfill or won't fill past a certain point.

But that shouldn't be a problem should it, because by now we should have the good eating habits down pat? Well it is a problem. I know what I should be eating and that is what I eat but then I get hungry again. When the band is not controlling your hunger it is like it was preband. What makes it worse is that you know how good things can be and you desperately want to be back there. To me the weeks after surgery weren't bandster hell - they were easy. This is bandster hell!

I don't think I'm alone with this problem. A lot of the long term successful bandsters seem to have the same issue.Some of the names have slipped my mind but I know Jachut is one.

There seem to be a number of these threads atm, B52, yourself to name just 2.I understand where you are coming from but I promise you it is not quite as simple as you try to make out. Please stop "preaching" at us and keep your fingers crossed that you are lucky enough to always remain in the zone.

I am embarking on my 3Rd year and I hope that I continue to stay in the green zone.... but appreciate the knowledge that things my change. You can bet I will be the first one at the Dr's office when and if they do!

Floridays - oh and I agree with you too, I was writing that on my phone while one handedly feeding my kid, lol. Hopefully didn't sound terse. The band worked for me when it functioned because yes, I chose to follow the program. Another woman I know got banded after me and would continue to eat and eat past her restriction and would throw up constantly. That's a psychological issue that I don't face...willing to be uncomfortable and in pain and knowingly circumvent the tool. Maybe she'd be better with a bypass, or something else permanent (but you can destroy those , too).

My point is, the band works if you follow the program, yes, but again, not for everyone. Everyone's not capable of following the program. So therefore the band isn't a perfect solution for everyone. Otherwise the millions of diets I've been on would have worked for me The band is a perfect solution for SOME people, not all, is what I'm saying.

I have "thin" friend who's at 141 lbs and stressing because she needs to be at 135. She put herself on Weight Watchers and has no problem with her points or food choices. She's done this over the years and it works for her. It has never worked for me. God, to have her problems! LOL

I am at a point where I do not ever want and hopefully not need another fill....

I too find that there will be times when I feel that it is easier for food to go down, and I notice I am beginning to eat more than usual at a sitting.....

What I have found, is that this is my pouch expanding from constant use, just as a stomach can stretch allowing more food....

Wen I encounter this, I do what some refer to the "5 day pouch test" although I do not follow the strict guidelines someone has put forth....

I find that 2-3 days of a non solid diet is enough to give my pouch a rest and shrink back to normal, restoring my restriction once again.....

I go all liquids perhaps one weekend every month.....

This is about the only thing I do for maintenance....

I have seen x-rays of stretched, enlarged pouches.....not very pretty...

B-52, that 5 day pouch "reset" is a great thing