In Sept I will be 4 years out from having my surgery. I went to see my dr yesterday and I am almost back to my starting weight. I was so disappointed in myself. I had to have my port replaced a few months ago and before that it was fill after fill with no restriction. I have had issues with the band and staying on track espeically when i wasnt feeling any restriction. I am just posting this forum for helpful ideas on getting back on track and motivational help. . I can't believe I am back to where I started! I had a fill yesterday and hopefully will feel some restriction after my 3 day liquid diet. I know what I need to do but there are times when I get so down on myself and lean towards bad habits! I never imagined being back to feeling tired all the time, clothes being too tight etc I have one of the best doctors who has never given up on me, i feel like I have let him and everyone else down!

Anyone else in the same boat?

Don't beat yourself up about it. Just approach it as if you were just starting out - read as much as you can and try to get motivated again. Make a goal for yourself - I'm going to lose 20lbs by ________ then I'm going to _________. When you reach that, set another 20lb goal for something else special. You can do this!

Keep us posted, we are your Booster Club and we have faith in you!

The good news is you've already had weight loss surgery so you're not really starting back where you were. You've got the tool...time to start using it again!

I feel your pain , I'm 2 years out was going really well looking great then.... Got over filled and surg removed all fluid for 3 months and I couldn't get back to see him regularly enough 8 months on and still not enough fill and I have out back on a lot of weight, clothes are tighter , I'm joined this site now at 354 am in melb Australia just to find some inspiration enough is enough

You're not alone. Same boat here. I'm 2.5 years post-op, and in April I had a lot of regurgitation and had 1cc removed. Well, that settled the acid reflux but then I realized what I could now eat. And, I did. I just went in today to get a fill and get back on track with a forced 3 day liquid diet post fill.

Me too I'm afraid....I got banded April 2011 and was doing fine until I got stuck and dr took all fluid out, had a 3 week break put on 7 pounds went for fill he put back 2.5ml I did ask for more but he wouldn't and said to go slow with fills and now not seeing him again until another 3 weeks! So frustrated with myself and still have no restriction and no self control.....Urgggh. Will I ever get back to that sweet spot?

I am so glad I came to this post. I am 2 years post-op, I lost 25 lbs., but no more. Today I went back for my first fill in over a year! Why did I stop getting fills? I really felt I had reached a point where my band wasn't working for me. I would get stuck if I didn't chew enough, yet never felt full eating smaller quantities. Of course, I would get discouraged and go back to old eating habits. But here I am, ready to begin again! I absolutely, positively will not give up! There must be a "sweet spot" and I will keep trying until I succeed! The bright side is I haven't gained in the last two years! Now that I finally crawled back to the doctor, received my scolding, and got my fill, I believe that by going through the fill stage of liquids, mushies, soft foods, etc., will kick-start my journey again. If I can do it, you can do it. Let's keep trying!

Glad to know I'm not alone. Was down 70 pounds and my doctor left without notice 6 months into my life with a Lapband. 17 months later, I have found a doctor whom I love and I am determined to put my band to use. Got a fill the 10th of this month, but was very uncomfortable and I could never get past the clear liquid stage. Had to have .4 taken out, but I still feel some restriction. I am hoping with one more fill I will be at my sweet spot. It's so good to know I'm not alone. I have felt like such a failure!! I miss my clothes being looser!!

I too have not been using my band for over a year. I was having trouble with food getting stuck all the time, which was probably more my fault. Any way I have booked in to get some fill in 3 weeks. Over the last year i have put on 25kg as I have been eating all the time. I am tired, have sore ankles and joints. I need to get back with the band.. glad I came across this group.

I'm trying to keep this short and am not sure I can, so I apologise in advance, but this is my story:

I lost all my excess weight plus some with the band. I exercised and ate like a bandster (I'm sure you all know what that is, so I won't explain it).

Maintained my weight loss for 3 years then my band started leaking.

Fast forward 12 months and while struggling with hunger and being able to eat whatever I want, I gain 35lbs. And that was me trying to be careful, I thought! I was very disillusioned and didn't think I'd ever get a working band again.

Then one day, I remembered why I did the surgery to begin with, so I made an appt to see my dr, started counting calories and exercising. Between that day and when I got my band replaced 4 months later, I lost 15 of those 35lbs by myself, without the band's help.

If you want to lose, then WANT it and make the necessary changes to get the results. Losing was all on me, but the band would help me maintain: that's how I see it now. So restriction or not, loose band or not, NOTHING is stopping you from losing until you have sufficient fill to help you maintain. The band never has and never will be what decides what you put in your mouth, that's all you.

My band isn't even at green zone now, so I can still eat everything, just less of it. And it's helping me maintain my weight easy.

The reason I got the band in the first place was because I had tried so many diets in my life and never could be successful. Yes I did want to loose weight. ..if I could have done it without the band I would have. Isn't it the whole point of getting a band to loose weight? Not just a tool for maintenance after somone has already lost weight by themselves?

The band helps you lose for sure once you have the right restriction level. I lose weight FASTER with a band than without, but that is not to say you cannot lose when you're not at the green zone, or when you're not well restricted, and that was my point. The band helps in that it assists you with diminishing your hunger between meals. That's a huge 'help' when you're trying to lose.

Maybe it's me, I didn't wait for the band to 'kick in' before trying to lose. I started working on changing my relationship with food before that. The band doesn't give me motivation, it just helps me not be hungry for longer.

What the band does is once you have a good level of fill, you can eat a small amount of food and it will keep you satisfied for 3-4 hours. Can you eat food that is high calorie or lots of icecream, for example? Sure, you can. This is why I said the band doesn't chose what goes into your mouth.

The band helps you lose, for sure, but it doesn't do it all for you.

I am a year out I started at 410 and am now 326 I am really glad I have come across the thread it is very motivating for me thank you...

The reason I got the band in the first place was because I had tried so many diets in my life and never could be successful. Yes I did want to loose weight. ..if I could have done it without the band I would have. Isn't it the whole point of getting a band to loose weight? Not just a tool for maintenance after somone has already lost weight by themselves?

I hear what you're saying!! I've wrestled around with what my expectations were, and currently are, of my band. What I thought would happen is getting "stuffed" after eating very moderate portions with the weight melting off of me. You know what I mean about stuffed...so full you don't want another bite. That hasn't happened. My reality is that I can eat very moderate portions and feel satiated, but not stuffed. That being said, satiated helps with not making poor choices, but I still have to use good old-fashioned willpower. Dang it - my willpower stinks! I think I've made my peace with my expectations and will continue to fight the battle!

I am a little over 6 years with my band. I am back after a couple years to start again. I had originally been on this board when I first was banded in 2007 under screen name babygotback. I was pretty much able to maintain weight loss with a low carb type diet with not too much restriction. I have gone and got 2 fills, one in June and the other in July. I do feel that I can eat less than I used to be able to without being so tight that I PB. I have not PB'd at all or slimed. So I am thinking my restriction must be pretty close to the "green zone" or at it. I do notice I can't eat dinner at 8pm anymore or else I feel like I have food still in my pouch when I go to sleep. I have not lost any additional weight and am hoping to start losing again soon.