I'm hoping that some of you out there will have some good advice for me.

I was banded in the fall of 06. I went from 250 to 180 - 180 was my lowest weight. It wasn't easy - I had to "diet" all the while even though I have a band and I had to incorporate lots of exercise. I did get fills, but eventually had to level out at the level I am now. For some reason, when I have more fluid in my band it makes me spit up during the night. So, I have been at my present level for a year now. My problem is that I have gained 30 lbs. I do exercise 4 - 5 times a week so I that is not the problem. The problem is obviously my food intake. Has anyone out there had this happen to them???? I would love to hear from you. I am thinking of going back in and getting a fill and giving that another go...although I do live in a different state now and will have to find a new doctor and pay out of pocket for all costs.

Let me hear from you if you have been down this road.

Thanks

Hi,

I have not gained weight back, but am re-filling after an unfill since Dec. My point is that since I got a body bugg, I have been logging my food faithfully and accurately. I discovered that i was such a "slow loser" all last year because I was eating WAY more than I thought I was. Like you, I was working out 2-3 hours a day 5 days a week and was not losing (less than 1/4 lb a week as an average). Since I've been logging my food, it has been a huge wake up call. I was eating too much sugar and just too many calories. I suggest you make sure you are at the proper fill level and start logging down EVERY thing you eat and weigh and measure everything. Do it online or in a notebook. ALSO, at the risk of sounding like an advertisement, if you can, get a body bugg. It gave me an idea of how much I had to move to burn the number of calories per day to offset my eating. I also learned that while I was lifting hard 4 days a week...that just didn't burn a lot of calories in my body. Now, I go to the gym with a whole new mentality because I can see the calories I burn and number of steps I'm taking. It has really helped me get back to losing...it's definitely worth the cost, esp. since you already have your band!!! Good luck!!

When you go back for fills, do them in very small increments like 0.1 or 0.2 cc's so that you can find your sweet spot without being overfilled and suffering at night.

I agree with the above poster. Once you have a bodybugg, you know EXACTLY what you have to do to lose the weight. It removes the questioning and after that, all you have to do is follow through. Seeing exactly how much you are burning and eating is a powerful, powerful tool. Couple that with the lapband to kill the hunger and it's a winning combination.

Firstly congratulations on your initial weight loss and for keeping up the exercise regime...it isn't easy.

It's a sad fact that we bandsters do in fact have to diet to lose our weight (or as others prefer to put it "make the right food choices") and if we falter on this or our capacity increases due to an unfill then the inevitable happens. Never heard of a body bugg but sounds great advice.....I use fitday.com to monitor what I eat and what I use up and it helps keep me focused once my mind is in the right direction.

I would definitely try a small fill and see how it goes, as you seem to be doing everything else right. As for your weight gain....don't worry about it, as the band is there to help you in these times......I lost 150lbs in my 1st year then regained 84 of them very quickly (chocolate has that effect) but have since lost that again and am now striving to lose the rest of what I should have lost by now.

We bandsters (most of us) need to diet and exercise I'm afraid, to be a success, so you will get there (you wouldn't like to kick me up the backside to get me to workout 4-5 times a week would you please? lol)

Don't be too hard on yourself.....you're doing great!!

Thank you all for replying.

I have never heard of a Body Bug...I will need to look that up and learn about it. I am sure I need it whatever it is - lol.

I was browsing the forum and read some other posts about gaining weight and I saw that I wasn't the only one that found ways to eat around the band. I think my biggest problem is eating foods that I don't have a hard time getting down and keeping down - like candy for one. There was a period of time that I was on a big sweets kick. Also, I am very successful at eating pasta. Which I think is weird because you would think that pasta would be difficult to keep down.

I'm sort of thinking that my band fill level is actually pretty good. It is comfortable enough so that I can eat a little of most things (I can go out to dinner without having to leave the table), but it is also tight enough so that I can't eat a burger or potatoes or bread or bulky things.

I think the long and short of it is that I HAVE to watch what I am eating and I can not eat things just because I can get them down.

I am looking for a doctor (I moved to another state a year ago) and will be considering a fill. But then again, I am sort of afraid of a fill since I am at a happy medium where I am now. Crazy! Get a band then don't get it too tight so that I can still eat some. Hmmmmfffff.....

hi, i know the feeling...i lost 30 pounds the month after my daughter was born, and then gained it back and then some the four months after that!

I also moved to another state, and between the stress of neew baby and moving my entire life, I chose food to cope, threw all my wisdom of proper band management ou the window, an cheated myself back into compulsive eating.

That was a month ago.

I just got so sick of feeling out of control again, eating all the time. I got myself this gazelle machine, and once i was exercising again, I didn't want to screw up my hard work during the day by stuffing at night. And I really was dumb, eating little bits, drinking water to get them down, not being able to eat something, puking and moving on, trying again. Really out of control behavior.

Now that I am "sober" I see that I was never eating out of hunger. I have my total weak moments at night (it was my "stuffing" time) but I just think of myself as an ex-junkie, and that kind of behavior as a drug, I'd do anything, go through any amount of mental distress, not to "use" again. I'm worth it an my family is too!

An example, like a moron I was working on my grocery list at my most weak time last night, and I started getting really hungry, so I put it down and went to read, and then had this total panic attack that my daughter was not breathing in her crib, so I checked on her, and she was fine!

Then I went into living room and told my husband I was having a panic attack and talked to him about it. I felt better within a half an hour, and suddenly had this great insight into my twisted brain. (Not so long ago, that panic attack would have been followed by a huge binge) my sneaky brain hunger couldn't entice me into compulsive eating, so it tried to scare me into it! (I know it's not my entire brain, but the sick part).

Perhaps this isn't your situation, but I am finding great success in knowing why i eat. My hunger is so small and I do great when i use band correctly, but it is a battle. I got back up, so I'm oing pretty damn good. As far as weight loss, i'll get there, i know it.

Hi...glad to see I'm not the only one gaining weight.

I am on maintenance and found Doritos. Delicious, cruncy, and go right thru. Gained 2 pounds this week.

A body cannot gain weight unless there is too much intake. Even those w/ medical issues that causes weight gain won't gain weight if they don't eat. - not realistic; however.

I am just going back to meal planning and ensuring I have plenty of food that won't cause weight gain (I slime if I eat to much) and stay away from Doritos.

Yes, get a fill. Paying out of pocket is something many if not most of us do. But it's so worth it!

Good luck and keep us posted.

It really sounds like all of you know what you are doing wrong. You just have to have the strength to not sabotage your weight loss by eating the wrong things. Carbs for me and for you are a poison. Our bodies greedily store them away in our fat cells and our liver. We cannot eat like other skinny people do. I know some people who eat carbs all the time and don't gain an ounce, but that's not us. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are addicts. Some people can drink alcohol without it affecting their lives. Others can't. The sooner we admit that we cannot indulge in our "drug" without adverse effects, the better off we will be. We will always have to be careful with our drug of choice and monitor our intake of it. Like an alcoholic, it will always be a day to day battle, for the rest of our lives.

The bottom line is will you control your life, or will carbs?