I read this all the time.

I'm able to eat blah blah blah. Doesn't matter what you are able to eat, the fact is that we are all able to eat whatever. Meaning...the band as I understand it, shouldn't stop you from eating nearly anything and if eaten slowly enough, shouldn't stop you from eating way more than normal.

When you are able to eat more than you should, or food that is not the best choice, that's the time when the mental resolve must kick in. The band is just a tool and the change needs to come from within.

I think because my weight loss has been so significant, people don't always realize I have plenty of moments where I want to eat more than I know I should or make poor choices. It's at those times that I know I just have to tough it out. Thankfully it's not all the time like when I've dieted in the past. But I have my moments as do most of us. You must remember that just because you can overeat, doesn't mean the band isn't workinig correctly. If it doesn't allow you to overeat, I suspect the band might be too tight.

I typically don't address this kind of issue because I haven't had fills. As such, I feel that I have no right to talk about it. But I do know from what people say, and what I've seen with a friend of mine who was too tight, this is not the way to live with the band. And it's not the way to have long term success. I want to be this size for the rest of my life. Not for the next few years...but till the day I die. That means I have to find other ways to cope with head hunger or even real hunger when for whatever reason, my band does not give me the restriction I usually have. I'm not naturally thin but I'm trying to think like a thin person. It will never be second nature to me...I am a food addict and will always be one I believe. But just like any other addict, I take it one meal at a time, one day at a time. Today is one of those tough days. I'm sipping iced coffee because I know I need the extra help today. I'm just tired of being so angry at myself for giving in to my addiction and that's what I focus on so that I am OK in the morning regardless of what the scale says.

Sorry for the ramble but I have come to realize that often my thoughts are shared by others and I know it helps when you find out that we're not alone in our issues. Have a great Thursday everyone.

I too see a lot of folks talking about being able to eat a lot of food and they puke a lot. I don't get it?

To those folks, go back to basics. Eat very small bites. Eat very very slow. Put your fork down between bites. Chew your food to the consistency of cream Soup. Watch for the satiety signals like runny nose, burping, heavy sighs and mostly look for the feeling of hunger? If you suddenly find yourself not hungry any longer or if the food on your plate is no longer appealing, stop eating and next time put less food on your plate.

I suggest if you're having problems with eating too much or having stuck episodes all the time, utilize the 5-day pouch test. www.5daypouchtest.com to get a jump start on restarting your journey.

Sorry for the rant too but this seemed like a good place to inject a little advice!

I was fat because I ate too much of the wrong foods....the band changed all that, for good!

I have not been stuck, puked, whatever for over 3 years....prior to that it was not uncommon to get stuck 2-3 times a day on occasion, because I could not get it through my thick head that this is a life changing thing, and I needed to change...

When I think about the foods I no longer eat, I realize not many of them are that good for me in the first place, and it's a blessing their out of my life for good.

If I was able to eat what, when and how much I choose, then why have surgery? Otherwise it is all the same diet mantra I went through a hundred times....I needed surgery to change what I could not do on my own...I'm not ashamed to admit it...

Edited September 19, 201411 yr by B-52

@@gowalking, tell it! My band helps me a LOT. It really does and I love it. But head hunger or even real hunger combined with that "ants in my pants" feeling can cause me to overeat anyway.

I'm still learning about what my band does and doesn't tolerate. I've learned the hard way that it happily tolerates a giant tub of crappy greasy movie popcorn. Over a month of bouncing up and down and up the scale finally taught me that I'd better help my band help me.

I don't want to be so tightly filled that I cannot take a Tylenol or enjoy a meal. But with that privilege comes responsibility. I have to eat well EVEN WHEN I DON'T FEEL LIKE IT.

Emphasis added for my own thick skull.

I have had my band since 2009 and I have had friends who like to stay tight and some who like to stay really loose. I have chosen to keep my Band tight which requires you to adjust your lifestyle to that. Smaller bites and chewing even more. I can eat and drink just fine just prefer to stay tighter than other people. No bite of pizza or Hamburger has passed these lips in 4 years and that has helped me. Maybe not you or someone else but it has helped me.

cheri