not sure if i have put this in the right place but i have to share this cos it was such a victory for me.

my main problem is evening bingeing....prioer to the band i could just eat and eat late at night.

Well last night the need to binge came over me like a wave....so i went to the kitchen and made a sandwich... just cheese slice and cucumber in brown bread...

i got all ready to wolf it down....took the first bite and chewed it slowly and down it went....took the second bite and down it went....then woosh up it came again!!!!!

Lesson learnt i think...

even though i was sick i found myself laughing out loud everytime i thought about it..... i binged on 2 bites of sarnie....what a difference to a couple of months ago hen i would have eaten whatever came to hand and kept on eating

I LOVE THIS BAND!!!!!

love tracey

I mentioned in another thread that I really don't think it does anyone good to starve ourselves, especially right after surgery. Go ahead and eat what's necessary to keep the growlies away! This is a big step, certainly, but it's not one we have to get used to overnight.

Norma, you will indeed be able to eat. 0 calorie salads are fine and a staple for many people. As you explore life with your band, you'll see that you're not deprived at all. But it does take some getting used to.

I know that I could never have achieved the permanent loss I want without a serious tool in my arsenal. Oprah has some tools in her arsenal most people don't have--the personal chef, trainer, and the motivation of being on camera every day. With those kinds of helps, maybe I wouldn't have needed a band either.

hi norma im sorry ya feel so neg at the moment about your decision to have the band.

one thing is for sure though...if you hate it that much once your stomach has healed then dont bother to have a fill and the odds are you wont even know you have a band at all.

as for people giving up trying to lose weight...

sometimes when people have struggled with their weight for years as i have....oh yes and like oprah i have lost 8 stone and then regained it twice, to finally find a tool that not only gives a helping hand with losing the weight in the first place but will help ensure i dont put it all back on again is, as far as im concerned not giving up but quite the opposite.... like alex said its just like having a great weapon in ya arsenal and putting it to good use..

im not giving up im now fighting for a normal life that is not blighted by feelings of self hate and worthlessness. By having the band fitted ( which insidently i paid for myself) i now feel i have given myself the necessary toll, weapon , whatever ya wanna call it . to ensure that not only do i lose the weight...but for once i will keep it off.

I also attend 3 step classes a week and also use my treadmill, crosstrainer and exercise bike every day... so im sorry you feel that having the band is like giving up cos i cant disagree with you more... im not giving up im fighting for every pound i lose and the band is just an ally as far as i am concerned.

i do hope once you have had the band for a few months that you feel differently and your feelings change...we all mourn food for a while when first banded which is only natural but those feelings do go away...hope you feel better about it soon

love tracey

I have really gained alot from these comments in this subject.

I do understand a little of what Norma is saying... I agree that some folks give-up to early in some instances & resort to surgery. I feel this is mainly ture of those who are young & in no way could have tried as many options as a person 10 yrs their senior or more has done. Surgery is a huge desicion not to be taken lightly. But for those who do choose surgery; I think & I have witnessed that not only was it the right decision but the best & safest one for permanate weight loss. Its still tough in everyway to loose with or without the band. The security, if you can call it that, is that with the band your more likely to keep it off & not regain it back plus some.

I think every attempt at weight loss is a victory & every type of diet or tool MUST take a period of adjustment.

Norma - I have felt exactly like you & have yet to be banded... But the more I sit & think about it...I KNOW I CAN lose another 40 pds-on my own-no sweat.....................................BUT I also know that it will probably stay off for a year or maybe with a TREMENDOUS amount of effort 1 1/2 years & than slowly it will come back.. It might be a job change, a marriage, a death, a newborn or the change of the season. My 38 years tells me it will come back.. Hopefully with the band & a tremendous amount of work it will forever be gone & least under control. Boy... More than anyone on this site , I wish you the most success & healing. I really look forward to hearing from you over the next month. God Bless You!

Please stay in touch, your point of view is very important for all to hear.

Norma, you haven't been banded long, and it sounds as if you are frustrated, maybe you haven't learned your bands patterns yet. It is a fickle thing, something that you have to get used to. I hope you gain inspiration from here, and in time begin to find some of the positives of being banded. I am sad thinking of your misery, and wishing you strength to persevere.

Ya know, if I had Oprah's millions and could hire a personal chef, personal assistants to monitor me, and a personal trainer, I might not have needed to be banded, and perhaps wouldn't have been...yet. Oprah looks wonderful right now doesn't she? Time will tell if she is able to stay that way this time, I wish her nothing but success in her journey. I would never presume to compare my own success and failures to her's, she is undoubtedly extraordinary in every aspect of her life. I am merely ordinary in most aspects of mine.

My point would be that, well, I could afford a band. I can not afford a chef, nor personal assistants, nor a personal trainer, but the band was do-able. Prebanding, I have lost and regained more times than I could recount, with each regain larger than the loss had been. I have been skinny, very skinny even, and I have been very fat. I prefer fit and healthy, but couldnt seem to keep a hold of it if and when I found it.

Among other attempts with other means, I have also lost weight with life style changes, and exercise, just like Oprah. The catch is there was nothing to keep me from falling back on old habits, nothing to keep me in check when my common sense about eating junk took a vacation, when my emotions hit over-ride on my appetite, or when the scale started climbing yet again.

All the millions in the world won't protect me from self sabotage as well as my band does. It has it's uncomfortable moments, I hate the sliming and occasional PBing, if I eat too much or am too tight. I hate the feeling of discomfort when I think I must have swallowed a softball. I hate it when a time and place are such that a lovely meal is meant to be had, and I can only eat a bite or two because my band decides to be really tight.

On the flip side, I love it when I step on the scale and it's down yet again. I like buying clothes several sizes smaller. I smile everytime someone says WOW! You really look great! I love that I sleep without a feeling of constriction around my neck from a roll of fat. I love how much lighter I feel on my feet, I haven't been short of breath in weeks from going up and down my basement stairs... this list goes on...

Since banding I am learning that I am tight upon awakening, loosen up over the day, then tighten up again at night. I am learning that when I'm sick, or in menses, to go with liquids because I tighten up til it's over. I am learning that it's ok to throw away food once I've had enough, whether it's a bite, half or most of something. It's still kind of hard to toss it, but I'm finding that it's ok. The band is a tool, it hasn't been a breeze, but it's doing what I put it there to do. I am humbly grateful for that.