and then pleasantly surprised that it did work??????

i'm with Kacee on the accountability.

i told people so i would look like a total dolt if i didnt lose the weight. that's why i post so much info on my blog. its the accountability, i want someone to ask me how it is going. if i got "the look" (should you really be eating that??!) i would say i am fine, this is not a diet, etc....

i still have a cookie (A cookie, not a bag of Cookies and they are more than likely Kashi or Health(ier) Choice)...

i dont 'do' diets. i fail miserably at them. i am changing my life, watching what i eat 95% of the time and the weight is finally starting to drop again.

I have pretty much eliminated the word DIET from my vocabulary. I eat anything I darn well please.....WITHIN REASON (number of times and amount). That is the operative thing....WITHIN REASON. I THINK before I eat. If I leap in and have something I shouldn't have I now find I feel very guilty and the way I FEEL emotionally is so unsettling I cannot WAIT to get back on track. In the past I used a flub as an excuse to eat for the rest of the day, week, month, forever.....etc. I also look at eating "forbidden" things as perfectly OKAY, as long as it is few and far between. So, nothing, in essence, is forbidden.

Hmmm. Well, I didn't tell folks because frankly, it's none of their business. Is that a cop-out?

Regarding the original question, I'm STILL not convinced this will work. I'm eating right(er) and working out aggressively, but I still fear that I'll lose focus and slide back into the 280s. I've lost this much weight before, multiple times, and it was all back when I decided to do this.

I know logically that it's not likely to happen, but emotionally, this is still all temporary.

Manatee - Me too - as we all know, bypass & bander do gain their weight back if they go back to their old eating habits - this (the band) is not a guarentee... We do know that with property restriction it will help with portion control - time will tell... I pray that I will stay focused and truely learn this time around that this is a lifetime lifestyle change...

I think people using an excuse that they "don't think it will work" for them as a reason to not tell people is a HUGE COP OUT. Dig a little deeper and I think the REAL reason many people don't tell is because it is their typical MO....it gives them license to FAIL without having to listen to repercutions. If no one knows you have "done this thing" you cannot be held "accountable" for your own failure. Spending thousands of dollars, having surgery and altering you future lifestyle is such a radical choice, it goes against everything sensible to not expect that you will have success. For me, telling everyone and their brother was INCENTIVE for me like you can't IMAGINE. Each person I told who "looked at me that way" was one more KICK IN MY BUTT to succeed and prove everyone wrong. It was my insurance policy. NO WAY could I not succeed after I had laid my intentions and expectations out for the world to see. It was my catalyst for success.

No, not a cop out. That's just a bunch of hooey. I don't know about you but I failed at every other stupid diet, I didn't expect this one to be any different. I'm thrilled for you that you didn't feel the same but just because you don't have the same issue as others does not mean it is not quite real for them.

I told people previously that I was on a diet and to kick my butt if I was screwing up. It didn't help then, it just made it worse. To spend $8K and have it happen all over again, no. I did not trust the band nor myself to make this one work.

I think your post is unfair to those that don't share the same opinions. I'm not making excuses for not losing weight, I'm at goal so I did lose it. But just because it isn't something YOU personally feel does NOT mean it is a cop out. I think that is a wrong impression to give to newbies. If they don't tell the whole bloody world they are somehow trying to find a reason to fail. That's simply not true.

Whatever reason people don't tell, its their business, that why we have the HIPAA law. Some are more open, some are more private.

I just have mixed emotions about telling/not telling. So until I can figure it out, I've kept my mouth shut.

A few people do know, like my mom, my DH and my cousin who had WLS (RNY), she has been open about her surgery and told everyone. Well, now she wishes she hasn't. I have actually lost more weight than she has with the band, weird.

I don't think its a cop out for not telling. Like WASaBubbleButt stated, I told everyone about my previous diets, like my 7 month liquid diet, my atkins, my WW, my Jenny Craig, my Nutri-system, my phen-pen, my other diet pills, my (don't laugh at this one) urine injections - gosh I still can't believe I tried that diet. The list goes on, and on.

Well, it didn't work....I still failed!

I agree with WASABB - Kacee - I don't have to be accountable to anyone other than myself (well besides God but that's a whole nother issue ) Outside pressure isn't what some people need - I am a rebel and if you tell me not to eat a cookie - well - I will just to spite you - I think this is the reason I am fat to begin with - my Mom was always trying to control my food - so I would steal it and eat without her knowing.. IMHO i think some people are very public - some very private and like me a little of both.. I did this for me and no one else..

I am glad that telling worked for you - but what works for you doesn't always work for someone else and calling it a COP OUT for others isn't reality...

Do you really truely think that in the long run - 5 yrs from now telling is going to keep you from going back to your old habits..

If that were true you never would have been fat to begin with - if accountablity is what keeps you honesty today - the band is a lot more drastic than WW for example but it's all the same - lifetime lifestyle change - time will be the only real truth in this subject...

Lets all ck back in 5 yrs and see where we are at then - who has maintained and who has put it back on

For me - it's one day at a time...

ILets all ck back in 5 yrs and see where we are at then - who has maintained and who has put it back on

Deal, see you in 5!

Deal, see you in 5!

Tonya - 12/7/12 - That number looks so far away - but I know it's around the corner - OMG - I will be 57 yrs old going on 58

I don't think its a cop out for not telling. Like WASaBubbleButt stated, I told everyone about my previous diets, like my 7 month liquid diet, my atkins, my WW, my Jenny Craig, my Nutri-system, my phen-pen, my other diet pills, my (don't laugh at this one) urine injections - gosh I still can't believe I tried that diet. The list goes on, and on.

Well, it didn't work....I still failed!

I'm not laughing, I did those stupid urine injections back in the early 80s. I was put on a 600 cal diet... no wonder I lost weight. Boy do I hate some of the things I did to myself.

Ok I have to know, what is the urine injection?

Ok I have to know, what is the urine injection?

Trust me, I don't think you really want to know. lol. I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one who got suckered into it.

Well, from what I can remember - it's been awhile - they take something out of pregant womens urine and basically inject you with it, its supposed to speed up matabolism, burn fat, blah blah blah. I do remember losing weight, but I only did it for a few weeks. Couldn't afford it. Now I look back and say "what the H*LL was I thinking?

Gross, but I was willing to do anything to lose weight! I wish I could have all the money back I spent on all the weightloss pills, diets, equipment. I would be a rich woman!

It was then that I realized the band will not let me get fat ever again. I was able to maintain, or go up just a few pounds, which was simply amazing to me. So, for that, I am so grateful for the band! I know that I will never weight over 200lbs again!

And IMO this IS what the band does. This is how the tool works. WE do all the work to lose the weight. We work our asses off dieting (eating healthier as some may call it) and working out. We get the weight off. But when we are burned out, tired, stressed, then our bands come into play. The band our insurance policy against putting the 100 pounds back on. It is there to hold our place until we are ready to push at losing again.

OMG! Babygrl1234 you hit the nail on the head. "THE BAND IS THERE TO HOLD OUR PLACE UNTIL WE ARE READY TO PUSH AT LOSING AGAIN"!!!

Out of the mouths of babes. You go girl!

Does anyone remember what that urine injection diet was called? and I think it was in the early 70's, not the 80's. I was trying to remember what it was called to put on my references for the Doctor. I did it too, and lost really well on it. Then I did Medifast and did really well, but nothing recently has worked, in fact I'm working now on trying to raise my calories, cuz I haven't been eating enough and CANT loose anything (pre-band) so trying to get my metabolism working properly for the band to be effective.