Hey all,

My name is Amy and I have had my band for a little over a year now. The day of my surgery I weighed 277 lbs and as of this morning I weighed 255. I was down to 249 but we went on vacation and I gained some back (although I don't know how because I threw up A LOT while we were gone).

I originally decided on having the surgery because I tried EVERYTHING to lose weight. Every diet, every diet pill, exercise, you name it I probably tried it. I have diabetes, PCOS, anxiety and depression. My aunt who I was very close to passed away a few years ago from complications of diabetes. I am pretty much just like her when it comes to my health. I favor her in looks as well. As much as I love and miss her so much, I do NOT want to be like her and die in my 40's. I am 31 now and I have an 8 year old little boy who is my world. I know this is kind of jumbled up right now, I'm just typing as things come to me.

I knew that having this surgery was just a tool and not a solution but most days, I feel like it was the WORST decision of my life. I have lost little weight and even though I don't always follow the rules of having a band, for the most part I stick to them. I am so discouraged and tired of throwing up. I told myself before having surgery that I would NEVER let myself throw up because I despise throwing up. And now its a weekly occurance it seems.

I've had Fluid removed and then put back in and I am just now to the point where I feel FULL when I eat. I am a stress eater and this past year has definitely been stressful. My husband just returned from our second deployment in September and I feel like a failure. I had all this time to lose weight while he was gone and yet, I lost a measly 20 pounds. Sigh.

Sorry for the rambling, but I guess I don't feel like I can really talk to anyone about all of this that REALLY understands. So I probably sound like Crazypants McGee, but I promise I'm not. I'm just a girl who is trying to regain her health and control of her life.

Hi Amy! Welcome! Tell us about your daily calories, exercise and Protein intake so we can try to help you more.

I think you've self identified some of the real problems like that you're a stress eater and you don't always follow the rules but 2 things really stick out to me.

First of all you are dismissing the weight you've lost. You're describing it as a "measly 20 lbs" but when you were at 249 you'd lost 10% of your body weight. That's not a small accomplishment. Too often we get caught up on the # of lbs we've lost and don't take into consideration the fact that not only our our metabolisms different our entire body make-ups and structures are different. For instance I would love to weigh 277 that would be 10lbs less than I weighed in college at what definitely felt like the peak of my physical form but for you that was just a starting point. Don't dismiss your progress just because it doesn't fit your preconception.

Second of all you've identified you have a behavioral component to your eating and as you've identified the band is just a tool but specifically it's a mechanical tool. It is easy to figure out how to eat around our bands which is why we have to focus on our habits first and foremost. I would really encourage you to try and find a bariatric support group where you can talk about your eating and exercise habits with others who understand. If you're too shy to do that or there isn't something available near you then I'd encourage you to identify a person on the forums here who posts frequently and generally says things you find insightful then ask them to be your friend and start exchanging messages or emails regularly. Having someone to talk to one on one can make a huge difference.

Steph04~ As of right now I am at 1500 cals and I haven't been able to exercise much just because of all the changes in our house that happened with reintegrating my husband back in our lives. I don't have a specific Protein goal right now. I strive to choose protein rich foods when I eat, but things like most meats (particularly chicken) get stuck no matter how small of a bite and how well I chew them. It is frustrating!

Frederic~ I think I forget that 20 lbs is still an accomplishment. Its just so hard to stay motivated sometimes. I see people who have just recently had surgery and they are down 30, 40, and 50 lbs. Its discouraging and I let my emotions get the better of me.

As far as support groups, there aren't many close to where I live. Online is pretty much it for me, but now that I have found this site I plan to utilize it and its resources.

A couple things strike me about your post. One, you should avoid throwing up at all costs with the band because it's one of the leading causes of slips. The fact you have been doing it weekly is very concerning and definitely not normal.

The other thing is that you talk about looking for that "full sensation". With the band, if you're eating until you're full you're likely eating too much. The band is there to allow you to feel satisfied on much less food, not full. Feeling full, aka over eating, can lead to stretching your pouch.

Granted I'm no doctor, but it sounds like you may need more realistic expectations of the band, including how to use it safely. Having a band too tight is very dangerous and it sounds like this may be one of your biggest issues. Have a look at this link, I think it will help: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

Hang in there and never give up

I don't think I'm necessarily looking to feel full....I think I worded that wrong. Almost always when I eat I eat off of a small plate or saucer and I'm completely satisfied. When my husband and I DO eat out at restaurants I will eat a small portion of whatever he orders. But then there are whole days where I cannot eat ANYTHING. I literally cannot eat. I never know when that will happen.

I KNOW that the band isn't a miracle tool. I know I have to work at it still. But as I said before, I don't have much support as far as people to talk to who may be experiencing similar things. And I know I shouldn't be throwing up. I try my very best not to.

1500 calories and no exercise should give you about a 2 lb/month loss so you're just about where you should be. If you're not tracking calories you might want to start? It's very easy for we obese to overlook a few indiscretions here and there which can sabotage any weight loss.

And Missy is right. Vomiting is not good. Why do you vomit and is it a real vomit or PBing?

Sometimes it's pbing....but sometimes it's actual vomit.

I highly recommend you schedule a consult with your nutritionist. He/she can help you a great deal. Mine sure did for me.

Okay, I think you may be a little like me. My body needed something else when I got banded. It seemed really resistant to weight loss at first. So I committed to exercising, like really hard exercise for several days in a row and it jump started everything. I was able to then exercise a couple days a week to keep it going. Count those proteins. Hope this helps a little.