Hi. I was banded in Sept 2011. Started out at 224 lbs and am now 210. That's right, i havent lost much weight in the 2+ yrs that i've had the band. I have an 11 cc band and already have 10.2 cc filled.

I don't think i need to be filled anymore because i do feel restriction after a small amount of food but it doesn't last long and i am able to eat more within 5-10 minutes of feeling the restriction.

I admit i havent been making such great food choices all the time but it seems easier to get down the foods that are not so good for me, than the foods i'm supposed to be eating. I have no problems with bread, bagels, pasta, etc but i do have to eat slowly.

I've kind of given up here......

Thanks to all who have responded. I appreciate all your comments. Not many pple know i have the band so i don't have much support.

I've been going back and forth in my mind trying to decide if i'm too tight, if i need more, or if i should just leave it the way it is. I hear the argument about my maybe being too tight since i can't get much chicken or meat down but i have no problems getting down egg omelettes, Beans, and vegetarian tofu patties. And, if i was too tight, i don't think i'd be able to get down bagels (obviously slowly), and other similar foods that i shouldn't be able to get down. But, then again, i do vomit once in a while if i'm eating too fast or if the food is too dry (chicken, for example)

I struggle with this decision every day because it costs me a lot of money to go to the surgeon....unfortunately, i have a very high deductible with this new insurance we got and i have to pay my own way for quite a while till i reach it. Going to see the nutritionist would be a waste of hard working money because she'd just give me another diet plan that i am not happy following....and even when i did follow it, i was still hungry, or could still eat more.

One of you mentioned that i am probably not hungry after i feel restriction but rather that i eat for other reasons. I will admit that sometimes that is indeed true. But, other times, if i stop when i feel restriction, within the hour my stomach will be grumbling (like i said, it's not always, but there are times it does that).

That's why i'm confused about how it works. I know i have to get in my Protein but on the other hand, i'm told to stop eating when feeling restriction....and then the food leaves the pouch pretty soon where i can eat more.....the only difference i feel with the band is knowing i must eat very slow, but i do finish my portions eventually (almost the same portions that i had before the band but getting through it much slower)

I think i need to stay where i am with regards to the band fills until i can figure it all out before having to spend so much money on fills or unfills.

Need2lose2, You are eating until restriction? Mostly, you should eat your protein 1st, then veggies and carbs. You should not be trying to eat until you are full or something is stopping you. You should not be carbing out on breads, bagels etc, if you want to lose weight! If you continue to eat as you are, no mater what weightloss surgery you have, you will not lose the weight you want. Sliders are called that, because they slide thru your band! If, you are taking only 20 minutes to eat, then your bread,bagel etc, won't get eaten, because you said it takes you time to eat them. You need to talk to a nutritionist to get you back on track.Best wishes, don't mean to preach!!!Karen...aka...kll724

The band is a tool to help you but you still have to make those good choices! Meal should not take longer than 30 min. Stop at 30, do something else. When properly filled the band helps so much but again you have to make those choices!! Are you drinking enough water? Dehydration can be confused with hunger. Protein 1st but I have found have to make fresh leftovers dry out too much and I have difficulty with the same piece of protein I had before. It is easy to get discouraged with a life time of failures as your example but keep at it, keep finding things that motivate you and help you make good choices!! Good Luck

I agree. I can't eat leftovers most times and i don't always have the time to cook fresh. I don't eat fish so i'm pretty much down to eggs, chicken, beef, tofu, and beans for protein.

There are also times when i can't get down salads or even some fruits (which is why i don't think i need another fill). I just feel like most of the healthier eating i used to do before the band doesn't go down with the band so i end up eating other bad stuff that will go down.

Don't apologize for preaching. I preach to myself too! I know i shouldn't be eating half the things i eat. I definately have to be more careful with my choices and exercise more. I know that. I just thought it would be easier with the band.

It's not always easy nothing worthwhile is easy, you have to work it!!! Drink your water!!!!!keep making more good choices than bad ones, get support I am a private person so not that many people in my life know about the band but here I love sharing. Sharing and talking about my journey with those that understand helps me very much and hope I help others. I am 17 months in and everyday is still A CHOICE!!

Keep making good choices!!

One thing to remember with all WLS it is a tool and all tools, screw drivers, drills, hammers, need help to be used correctly. Did you gain all your excess weight in 6 months, 1 year? I didn't. I decided when I was getting the band, I would give myself 2 years to get to my goal, not the doctors. I am at my doctor's goal now but I want to try to lose 40-50 pounds more. I'll see as I get closer.

Don't give up on yourself and go for another WLS just because you think it is an easier way out. They all need guidance.

Find a dietitian that will work with you and understand your needs.

Thank you for all your advice. It's good to be able to talk to pple who do understand.

Can i ask what all of you eat for your meals and snacks? Maybe i can get some ideas to help me. I do bore easily so i am not the type who can eat the same things every day.

I'm on low carb as directed by my nutritionalist. So meat...lol any kind just cut in small pieces, I use myfitnesspal to track carbs, if it goes in my my it goes on the app. Jerky sticks, real cheese goes on line or Pinterest and search low carb, look for motivation anywhere you can find it!!!

i just had a thought. my doctor just gave me advice on the first bite of food i eat in a meal. she told me to take my first bite eat slowly swallow and than wait a few min's before another bite. the reason she has given me this advice is because so often i feel stuck after my first bite. what you are describing as restriction perhaps this is the problem. after i wait a few min's i continue with my meal and can eat my meal without problem. it's just getting past that first bite. it's to bad you can't eat fish. it is one of the fastest meals i prepare. i poach my fish. it gives it plenty of liquid for easy eating. and with a salad or cooked vegetable wala meal done. poached chicken is just as good. don't concentrate so much on what you don't want to eat but rather what makes up a balanced meal.

I agree. I can't eat leftovers most times and i don't always have the time to cook fresh. I don't eat fish so i'm pretty much down to eggs, chicken, beef, tofu, and Beans for Protein.

There are also times when i can't get down salads or even some fruits (which is why i don't think i need another fill). I just feel like most of the healthier eating i used to do before the band doesn't go down with the band so i end up eating other bad stuff that will go down.

Don't apologize for preaching. I preach to myself too! I know i shouldn't be eating half the things i eat. I definately have to be more careful with my choices and exercise more. I know that. I just thought it would be easier with the band.

Don't you really have to ask "Who funded the failure study?" For every good scientific study there are at least 2 negative funded by opposition. If the band has such a high failure rate why get it? Or better still why did you get it? I'd like to think we are all intelligent people that researched every aspect of this procedure, the good, the bad and the not talked about parts.

Just be supportive and let's help each other not hurt.

(Jumping off soapbox)

terrydumont46, thank you for that important advice. I will try that with my first bite.

If longterm failure were truly a factor in weight loss method decision-making, Weight Watchers would have gone belly-up years ago.

i think everyone wants to lose a zillion pounds overnight

and be no longer obese or fat or like me, super morbid obese overnight

especially after we have surgery..

a loss is a loss....i think we need to be glad we are losing (inches) and scale pounds

no matter how big or how small.....(i feel losing inches is a way better way to judge than what a scale says as it goes up and down all day long)

lets not get caught up in i am losing slow, what is wrong with me and band (or WLS)

is not working drama.....such a waste of time..

we did NOT gain weight (enough to need or want WLS) over a weekend

and we are NOT going go lose weight over the weekend either..

accept it.....live with getting by each day doing the best we can...

and keep on going, even if the scale is not moving, or you dont feel like it..

because if you keep on doing the right thing (eating right, better foods, exercising)

you will GET there.......granted not as soon as you'd like it, but you will get there.

I see people who i know have gotten the band and they look wonderful. And, i'm still struggling after 2 years.

So? What do you eat on a regular day?

I see people who i know have gotten the band and they look wonderful. And, i'm still struggling after 2 years.

So? What do you eat on a regular day?

It's not so much what we specifically eat but rather making healthy food choices. For most of us, it's also about staying within our daily calorie allowance, too.

I would make an appointment with your nutritionist.

Every day when I wake up I make a promise to myself to be committed to working my band and my body in most healthy and happy way I can today.

I do this first thing before my feet even hit the floor. I take a second and stretch out (sometimes I'm so stressed I sleep in a tense little ball and I need a good stretch just to get out of bed)

While I'm stretching sometimes I rub my port as if it were Aladdin's lamp, because for me it is. There is no magic Genie that's gong to pop out and grant me three wishes, but knowing that my band is there to support me I know that I have the power to make my dreams and wishes come true if I want them.

Yes I know I sound like a cliche but it works for me and it helps remind me that I have come this far and I will not go back the way I came.

When I'm hungry I eat, I think about what I am going to eat before I allow it to pass my lips. I think about what I am drinking before I take a sip. I think about how long I am sitting today and if I have moved enough and I get up and take a walk even if it's around the office or to the potty and back.

I tell myself that am successful every single day, even when I make mistakes. I am successful because I am mindful and for me that is more then half the battle won!