Hi. I just needed to come somewhere and vent. I'm feeling so discouraged. I was banded in May 2013. Almost 7 months later, I am up to 9.5 cc in an 11 cc band and I still feel very little restriction. I have only lost 20lbs so far. I do my best to eat healthy and exercise, but the weight is not coming off. I still can/have to eat as much as usual to get and stay full. On the up side, when I do get full, I tend to stay fuller longer (about 3 1/2 hours). I have the REALIZE band and I have heard that it can take longer to reach your sweet spot with a REALIZE Band, but this seems crazy since it is almost full. I don't know if I should continue getting fills or just give up. Any advice?

i think if it hurts going down, its too big of a bite or one ate something too fast..

i feel people (expect) more from something that is already there...

eat smart, high Protein and in the allotted amounts

you do not want to be soo tight you cant do anything but drink..just my opinion

I'm currently still at 9.5. My Dr. was concerned that I still wasn't getting proper restriction and ordered up an Upper GI for me next week. We'll see if there are any problems. He was concerned with putting more saline in because of the increased risk of slippage and erosion of the band. I explained that I knew it was a "tool", but I felt the tool wasn't doing its job when it wasn't helping me stay full on the recommended portion size for at least 3 hours. And no, this isn't head hunger, it's physical hunger; embarrassingly loud stomach growls and all. LOL

I am newly banded and learning how it works for me. There's a point when I ask my body if I've had enough and it tells me (usually yes). But I have to inquire. Sounds a little crazy but if I stop and listen in like that I am able to get a signal to stop. I recognize my one more bite or finish the bowl days are over. Then I try to clock it so I know roughly when my next time eating should be -- trying for the tennis ball size of food every 4-5 hours, not eating if I'm not hungry and eating earlier if I am hungry. Noticing.

Two resources from others here on the forum have helped me -- Dr. Simpson's article, The Lapband is Not About Restriction. I can't get a link here on my device easily but Google can help, and then Dr. O'Brien, the Australian bariatric specialist, has a series of videos called Eight Golden Rules for Lapband (make sure you get the most up to date ones).

This summer while waiting for a surgery date and going to all the various appointments I got a therapist to help me go through the process and to get to the bottom of food issues as much as possible. I'm 52 so it's not like I hadn't thought about this a lot, read many books, journaled, etc., but this time I really broke it down. The when and why of my hunger usually comes down to anxiety. I have been tamping down my anxiety with food for twenty years. And being fat makes me anxious, so round and round I went. I still get the impulse to eat, like prior to a meeting or as a reward after, from habit, too, like in the evenings. But I have to ask myself what is really going on. I'm using mindfulness techniques like breathing and visualization to calm that inner whir of tension and when I give it that attention it dissipates.

Good luck sorting out your fills and hunger. There's not one of us here who doesn't sympathize with what you're going through and of course it's so frustrating that you haven't yet reached a peaceful balance. You will! Stay with it -- and keep at the medical professionals to help you. I've removed certain phrases from my vocabulary, like "I have to eat," or "I need to eat." Truth is my body has plenty of reserves to burn off when I let it.

Thanks so much for all the information. My anxiety is very high right about now so I am glad to here there is other sources to read to help me get through this without gaining too much weight and getting back to losing.

The mind is a powerful thing it can help is heal and it can unwittingly cause us harm when we allow it to help mask our true feelings and emotions.

Being stressed being sad being lonely or even being extremely happy about an event or a moment in our lives can cause an upset in our delicate balance and our minds look for something to offset the shift and most of is have set out minds to food.

One of the hardest lessons I am learning with help of this new tool is that this is no longer an option. It is not always easy to get my mind to comply with my belly. It makes my eyes bigger then my stomach and things are out of proportion. If I let the mind game rule I lose. So I have learned or I am learning that for me the best way to gain my balance back is to live in the moments.

Sometimes they hurt sometimes they are sad or lonely or so full of love and joy I want to cry.

My mind tries to argue but I turn to my feelings and let the tears flow if they must and let my cheeks hurt or my tummy giggle from laughing and smiling!!

It's hard to do but living in the moment and not frosting it over with cake cookies or other foods is what is getting me through.

The mind can trick you into eating a 10oz steak or a bag of chips. It overrides your band and relaxes your insides and of course it goes down. Don't let it rule you take control of it and steer it where you want it to go. It's hard work the power steering isn't broken in just yet but it's worth it.

here is what i tell myself...........if i want to.....i will............and then do

the band gave me that confidence to believe in myself......i am thankful