I had my Lap Band surgery in March of 2011. At that time I weighed 283 pounds at 5'8'. The surgery went fantastically well, however, I had a hard time following the program so it took a year and ten fills to lose 30 pounds. I could never understand what the "sweet spot" was and how it was supposed to work. Then in October of 2012 I had a fill that was a little too much and I was sick to my stomach constantly for two days until I had some of the fill removed. At that time, I just gave up because I read about all of the success stories and I never really felt the Lap Band made much of a difference and I certainly wasn't losing weight like so many others were doing.

Although I stopped the program in October 2012, I kept reading all of the fantastic success stories and became more and more depressed that I wasn't one of them. Finally, I decided to call the Lap Band Clinic a couple of weeks ago and set up an appointment to talk to the Fill nurse. She spent more than an hour with me and discussed all of the things that I was doing wrong. The main thing was that I was eating "Protein Bars" as a meal thinking they were loaded with protein, therefore, they would fill me up and keep me satisfied so my band would work. However, after about an hour I was hungry again so I would eat again (often another protein bar). After discussion, the nurse let me know that Protein Bars are really more of a snack and I was not eating enough at my three meals so I was hungry all the time and started snacking instead of eating proper meals. In addition, I often drank milk with meats (yes I know this sabotaged the Lap Band, but I didn't think it would hurt much!) Anyway, after spending a lot of time going over what I was doing wrong and then learning exactly what and how to eat using the band as a tool I FINALLY understand how the band works. I also understand what the "sweet spot" is and exactly how and why that works. I am not dumb, but I never understood how the Band worked until this particular fill nurse actually spent the time with me and explained things much, much better and more in depth than anyone else had done. With my new understanding, I finally have worked successfully with the program over the last couple of weeks and am using the Band exactly how it is supposed to work as the tool to help me stay with the program. In addition, when I went in for the consultation with the new fill nurse, she took out all of the fill and then put it back in. She called it a "Reboot" and it really has made a huge difference! I now believe I can follow the program correctly and will be able to lose the weight like I should have been able to do two years ago. I love the idea of being "Rebooted" because it is also a psychological as well as physical boost to my success!

So happy for you -- way to go rebooting your band and your renewed commitment to your healthy lifestyle! Makes perfect sense about the protein bars. Understanding what our sliders are is such an important thing. Great that you got yourself back in there to talk it through. You are on your way!

Interestingly, I never really understood how that band worked until I came to this website. I have an excellent surgeon, along with his excellent staff. I was told what to do and what NOT do do, but never really understood the mechanics of the band. I did as I was told, and had great success.

Congrats on the reboot! I think you will see a huge difference now

PS: My doctor told me that the Protein bars are really more like candy bars. For that reason, he's not a big fan of them.....other than eating ½ "if" hungry between meals. But he also tries to drive home the fact that I should eat some veggies instead of the bars. But I am strung out on the Quest bars, and have one most every single day. And for me, the reality is, a Protein Bar a day has been instrumental in me staying on track. Baby carrots don't quite do it for me - LOL!

How Great for you!

I fell between the cracks and also don't know what I do wrong and no one seems willing to help me.

I am very happy that someone took the time to help you.

So happy for you!!! I think it takes incredible courage to start fresh & do it with a healthy & positive attitude! I love that you went & had a 1:1 with the fill nurse -- what a fantastic way to have all your questions answered & get the support you need. My motto is "One day & one pound at a time..." I'm a newbie (banded 9/5/14) & I must say that there's incredible support within this forum. Best of luck to you!!

@@Bandedboomer, your story is very inspirational. I am encouraged by your mental AND physical reboot. What a great phrase!

Good luck with the reboot, we are all waiting to hear the good news in the coming months