Hi all,

I am new here. I enjoy reading all your posts. I have become discouraged. I was banded 4 months ago. I have only lost 25 lbs. and 20 of that was the first 6 weeks. I have gone back to my old eating habbits. I eat fattening food, desserts, and regular soda. I feel like a complete failure. I waited so long for this band and now I can't quit eating. I've had 2 fills, and I only have restriction on some foods. But I can eat alot of the foods that I shoudnt. I feel that maybe I should have had the bypass, so it would stop me from this. I am really upset with myself. Whats it going to take for me to stop eating? HELP!

Ok what is your current fill level! I can tell you I did not feel restriction until I got above 6.5 cc but I have the Vangard band. Maybe it is time for a fill and a fresh start! Everytime I get a fill I feel like I am getting a fresh start. In order for the band to work properly it must provide you enough restriction. I have found that the band prohibits me from eating the wrong foods more that it does the amount of food I eat!

I am also having the same problems. I got banded in febuary 2005 and I have only lost 30lbs. I feel like I should be doing so much better. I am going in for my third fill this friday the 24th. I hope that after this fill I will feel a little more restriction. They did a big fill the first time of 1.5cc and every time after that they will do 5cc. The nurse said it was a good idea to go slow with the fills, but sometimes I wish they would do a large amount. I don't want to starve but I want to lose more. I also have to stop my eating habits of eating the wrong foods. I will go to the grocery store and see all the things I used to eat and pick them up just to put them back before I check out. It is hard but If I keep working with the band and not against it maybe I will be more succesfull.

I was banded in March, and initially lost 25 pounds really quickly, but I don't think I've lost much since then. But you know what? I'm okay with it. This isn't a race. I recnetly got my first fill, and it has made a lot of difference in how I feel.

Today I wore a pair of jeans I haven't been able to fit into since 2002.

Today I walked 15 minutes to and from the restaurant for lunch, and I wasn't winded, and I didn't need my inhailer.

Today I took a walk with my son and he had to tell me to slow down (of course the silly boy wasn't wearing any shoes...)

Today I went grocery shopping after work, and then DID NOT collaps on the sofa all night.

Before I got my band, I don't think I would have been able to do any of those things.

The scale lies.

And as for your food. Well, every day is a new day. Tomorrow morning, eat your solid protein first (or after your coffee, which ever works better for you... ) At lunch have a good bandster meal with your hard protein first, your veg next.

Drink your 64 oz of water

have a good banster dinner.

Be kind to yourself. Most importantly, be kind to yourself.

I had a nice little chat with my dietician, Patrizia, who said , "The Band is only a tool"

not the magic bullet! The trouble with being fat, is that we have developed lots of bad food habits over the years. I know the right things to eat, but I have chosen the wrong things for so long, they feel right to me too. It is your mind that needs retraining. You can't do it all at once. It seems to me, that food is also an addiction, only we can't go "cold turkey" cause you have to eat. My DH and I argue about this all the time. He says smoking is impossible to quit, I say weight loss is harder because you still have to eat food. I am still awaiting my band date, but I know it is my "fat brain" I really have to work on!