The golden rules of band surgery were very easy initially, and now that I'm 4 years out, have gotten very difficult to maintain. I am feeling the consequences (vomiting, discomfort) and my weight loss is stalled. I have to remember that this band is a full time job, MINE. it will not moderate the small amounts, bites and chewing...social situations make the golden rules hardest. how do the rest of you manage? lisa

For me it was the opposite...early on the rules made very little sense to me, and I would question some of them to my Dr. and staff.....they would smile and just say "Just wait...you BETTER learn them now, or you'll be sorry"

They were right...after my final fill, putting me in the Green Zone, there is no way I can eat, or co-exisit with the band at all unless I follow the rules....those rules became a necessity, and fortunately, I have gotten use to them and they are now a natural part of my new lifestyle.....

Even today, if I find myself in trouble, like last week when I took a bite and swallowed fresh bread at a restaurant, without thinking, I can link it directly to one of those rules....

So, if I do stray, I get in trouble....forcing me to stay within the parameters, which eventually become new habits.

Edited January 7, 201412 yr by B-52

I am much the same as that I was much more meticulous in the beginning about following the rules. I am finding it much more difficult now, nearly two years out than in the beginning. It is frustrating. I am at a healthy weight for myself now but would like to lose a few more pounds and it is sure a struggle. The moments I have cheated it definitely makes me suffer.

Getting back to basics though.

This might sound really strange but when I was getting to goal, I didn't think so much long term. The other day it just hit me that it is the rest of my life to eat this way!

I really don't have any 'social component' that drives me to eat one way or another.

That is one of the graceful aspects of being a retired curmudgeon.

We are no longer who we thought we were....or never were.

Since "we" have to go home with ourselves regardless of some social event, it is far easier to keep track of what *my Band* suggests.

Comporting myself sensibly in postOp eating has almost always proven to be the most benefitical.

Yes I have made "mistakes in Eating Behavior" and paid for it via a range of unpleasant consequences.

Mostly, "social eating" is like "social dancing".....nobody else really cares how you do it, so feeling on the spot isn'te necessarily the reality....only the way we think we feel about it at the time.

By following the rules. I absolutely refuse to go back to what I put all this money, time and effort into losing weight to not follow the rules by "getting off the wagon" as I see many people say they have done. Yes, different situations have come in my life that caused me to be so depressed. In the past, I would have eaten myself miserably. But with my band, I just can't or won't do that to myself. It's all about what YOU want. Either you want to be fat or you don't. And I'm three years out. Good luck.

Edited January 7, 201412 yr by Lady VS

The golden rules of band surgery were very easy initially, and now that I'm 4 years out, have gotten very difficult to maintain. I am feeling the consequences (vomiting, discomfort) and my weight loss is stalled. I have to remember that this band is a full time job, MINE. it will not moderate the small amounts, bites and chewing...social situations make the golden rules hardest. how do the rest of you manage? lisa

Lisa ... im nearly two years out... weight loss has definatly slowed down, but its post Christmas. Im discovering different aspects of how my body changes... for example, if im away from home, the band is most likely to be tighter. So ? that means... either i take a Soup with me if im dining with family or friends at a home... or if im in a restaurant, i order soup. Ive had some nasty experiences with not heeding this rule. I love seafood !! that means squid, prawns, scallops etc..

I would love to order and eat dishes with seafood... but bad experiences have taught me that i dont go there. Ive learned that i can eat small portions of scale fish though. It takes me forever but its way better than red meat, and sometimes, chicken. Do you have issues with the sizes of the meals that are dished out when we dine out? especially in pubs. Its horrendous. I had no idea now bad the size portions were until i was banded. I do have the occasional meal in pubs... but i have to either talk with kitchen staff about the band and have easy meals, or i need to take a doggie bag with me. At home im finding that my band will take scale fish a lot easier than most fish.. and most Protein ... so thats good. Its taken me all this time to really get to understanding how my body and the band work together. Another thing... some day, a glass of wine will relax the band before eating and other days it wont. I still think its mainly a hormonal thing.. .especially with women. Im losing weight, but its slow. I dont mind as long as im losing. thats the main thing. Also, that i can still enjoy my meals. good luck .