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!!!

Everyone's not capable of following the program.

I agree completely.... I would just hope people identify this before they get banded.

Great Post! When our body and the band are "in sync" it's a wonderful thing. I appreciate that it helped me to stick to my food plan by keeping me satiated to the point I have to remind myself to eat, sometimes. Though my band and body are out of sync right now, I still follow my food plan, whenever possible. With no fill, I still have restriction, and at times have difficulty with many foods. That said, I've lost 17 lbs since my unfill 7 months ago. I hope to be able to keep my band, my doctors and I are working on a solution to my problems. It is a choice, by taking ownership, we empower ourselves to succeed.

I totally agree with you floridadays. I am three years post op and do I get hungry yes I do however I dont let hunger control me anymore. I eat when I am supposed to and what I am supposed too. There is nothing wrong with being hungry. Everyone gets upset because they are hungry but how many years did you spend not ever feeling hungry because you never gave your body a chance to be hungry. Eat something light and move on about your day. Excuses are too many because people fail the band. Its not hard to maintain you just have to be mindful of what you are eating, weigh yourself to keep accountable and know this is for the rest of your life not just until you lose weight. Its a forever thing and life happens.

I totally agree with you floridadays. I am three years post op and do I get hungry yes I do however I dont let hunger control me anymore. I eat when I am supposed to and what I am supposed too. There is nothing wrong with being hungry. Everyone gets upset because they are hungry but how many years did you spend not ever feeling hungry because you never gave your body a chance to be hungry. Eat something light and move on about your day. Excuses are too many because people fail the band. Its not hard to maintain you just have to be mindful of what you are eating, weigh yourself to keep accountable and know this is for the rest of your life not just until you lose weight. Its a forever thing and life happens.

Your thing about hunger is SO dead on. Too many people expect to never be hungry again and that's just not the case. It's your body's natural response to needing energy. A big part of the band is learning to actually listen to your body.

Your thing about hunger is SO dead on. Too many people expect to never be hungry again and that's just not the case. It's your body's natural response to needing energy. A big part of the band is learning to actually listen to your body.

Totally right on! Before I would just keep packing the food in because it was there or it tasted good or for whatever reason. Never hungry always too full. Now I know if I eat too much my band is going to be like a hot poker in the eye and I could cause some serious problems and I hate going to doctors! So this is the first time in my life that I stop and think hard about how I feel when I'm eating. I actually don't like feeling too full now. Maybe that's thanks to the pre and post liquids for so long. Either way this is a whole new territory for me too. Required lots of attention when you are eating. Especially when you don't know what "satisfied" feels like. I know I sure don't but I'm getting there!

Yeah when I've got the right fill, I'm never hungry.