Occassionally, I run across a few posts from people like me who have failed their bands. But these posts are usually just a venting opportunity. I have failed my band - I acknowledge it - and it would be great if we could have a group of other "failures" who want to work together to become success stories.

MY STORY

I was banded in March of 2007. At the time I was 299 lbs. I am a 6ft tall lady. Today, I weigh 255, and basically just as big as I was when I got my band. I have got numerous fills and I usually eat through my fiils. I can eat whatever I want. I overeat and I am confident that I have caused my stomach to expand. I snack on candy, I eat the wrong foods - I eat until I am STUFFED. Sometimes when I overeat, I feel sick and gag to relieve the pressure.

I moved to Houston 4 months ago, and last week, I went in for a port-readjustment with Dr Alanis. It went well and I now have a new resolve to make it work. My doctor mentioned to me that about 40% of all bandsters fail. I do not want to be a failure. I have paid too much money to go through this.

MY GOAL FOR DECEMBER

• To write everything I eat down, including calories
  
• To stay within 1500 Calories.
  

What's your story? What's your goal? How can I support you? How can we support each other?

Misery loves company, and company can help us move from failure to success. Please join me by telling me your story, and your GOAL for December. Let's vent - but more importantly, let's talk about strategies to make this work - let's share and support each other - Let's turn this from failure to success.

I REFUSE TO BE A FAILURE

Hi Everyone- Just checking in. I am on the site daily but will post my progress once a week. I lost 6 more pounds in a month when I saw my nutritionist today. We decided to follow a version of the south beach diet. Basically low carb. I guess it is working because I was not losing alot eating carbs. Started walking 5 days a week for 30 minutes. Track calories in a food journal & on the daily plate.com. Hardest part drinking all the water. But I am trying. Have a great week guys.

Hey Everyone,

It's been a while since I've posted, I've been running around like crazy, trying to get back into the swing of things with work. But I'm happy to post that I had my series of appointments at BIDMC today, my echo, abd ultrasound, my nutritionist appointment, and my appointment with Dr. H and everything went really well !

Also I've lost 5 pounds. Woohoo!

I have been writing down every single bite of food I put into my mouth since my first appointment on January 2nd, and I swear, that has helped me tremendously.

Wow, I love the idea of predetermining calories. Now that I've been writing everything down, (without dieting, just portion control), I can see some major areas where I can cut down on calories.

Ok, I'm off to read more of your posts and catch myself up. I hope everyone is doing well .

Best,

Music

Hey Everyone,

It's been a while since I've posted, I've been running around like crazy, trying to get back into the swing of things with work. But I'm happy to post that I had my series of appointments at BIDMC today, my echo, abd ultrasound, my nutritionist appointment, and my appointment with Dr. H and everything went really well !

Also I've lost 5 pounds. Woohoo!

I have been writing down every single bite of food I put into my mouth since my first appointment on January 2nd, and I swear, that has helped me tremendously.

Wow, I love the idea of predetermining calories. Now that I've been writing everything down, (without dieting, just portion control), I can see some major areas where I can cut down on calories.

Ok, I'm off to read more of your posts and catch myself up. I hope everyone is doing well .

Best,

Music

Ooooh music!!! We missed you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome back and congratulations on the progress you have had towards getting the band. Whooo whooooooooooo

As to your loss. Way to go sister!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nice work. Keep it up.

Don't be SO LOST!!!

Hi Everyone- Just checking in. I am on the site daily but will post my progress once a week. I lost 6 more pounds in a month when I saw my nutritionist today. We decided to follow a version of the south beach diet. Basically low carb. I guess it is working because I was not losing alot eating carbs. Started walking 5 days a week for 30 minutes. Track calories in a food journal & on the daily plate.com. Hardest part drinking all the Water. But I am trying. Have a great week guys.

Welcome back Iseethin me!!! WOOOOOOOOW - 6lbs GONE!!!!!!!!! Soooooooooo proud of you!!! Congratulations. Looks like you and your nutritionist figured out what will work for you. It's always so great when we find the missing ingredient to our weight loss. I'm excited to see your progress. Keep it up and yes, please keep posting regularly!! Good, bad or UGLY!!!

Just checking in for the night. Hope evryone is doing great. I have had 3 bad meals in the last two days. I went way over my calories. I started my same old crap, Ive cheated so Im gonna just quit. But.....my goal is to stop being my own worst enemy. I just want to dust myself off and finally realize that I cant be perfect all the time, IM HUMAN. Tomorrows another day Scarlett. I can do this but for me I just have to dig deeper than others. I accept that, and now I am gonna pick myself up and press on to a healthy life.

My goals for tomorrow are to first get all of my Water in, some exercise and journal every bite that goes in my mouth. I havent done that in a few days and Im sure thats where I went wrong.

Okay...Im done venting. Hope everyones well, and KEEP POSTING, it helps me sooooo much!!!!

Hi White,

You have done SO WELL the past few weeks, that this small stumble will not stop you on your tracks. We are going to fall so many times - the secret is how soon we pick ourselves up. If we do this right 80% of the time, we will be successful. Good job on coming back here and posting the good, the bad and the UGLY and getting back on your feet.

With the recent challenges in mind, what are your daily goals for the rest of January?

Please continue posting, especially when things are not going so well. This way, you can get right back when you stumble. Believe me, I have been where you are, many many times. So I know you can do it!!!!!!!!

Hey everyone, I'm doing great. Just a question for everyone. How many protein grams are you doing per day. I was told, try for 80 but I'm having a tough time of getting that many in. Down 6 lbs Yeah Baby!

Welcome, Welcome Welcome....Yes - I hope the liquids/5 day pouch test works with restriction. Hang in there!!!!

What are your goals for the month of January?

Well working with no restriction is really blowing me out of the tub!

I am trying to drink all of my Water..

count all of my ww points to make myself accountable

Try so very hard to stay away from chocolate..my drug of choice

My gole is to lose the next five pounds I managed to find:cursing:

Yes...I finally have restriction!!! WhoooHoooo!

I talked the clinic into giving me 1 full cc and boy did that do the trick. I had to stay on liquids a little longer because of the swelling, but I'm starting to feel normal today. I'm going to take baby steps and start on solid food today!

Yes...I finally have restriction!!! WhoooHoooo!

I talked the clinic into giving me 1 full cc and boy did that do the trick. I had to stay on liquids a little longer because of the swelling, but I'm starting to feel normal today. I'm going to take baby steps and start on solid food today!

Yayyyyyyyyy on the restriction!! cant wait to see the lbs start to fall off. Whooo whooooop!!!!!!

I gained 0.8lbs but I have been taking nyquil so i think my body is retaining Water, since I havent been eating but around 1300 calories. Cross your fingers for my loss!! :tt2:

Hey everyone, I'm doing great. Just a question for everyone. How many Protein grams are you doing per day. I was told, try for 80 but I'm having a tough time of getting that many in. Down 6 lbs Yeah Baby!

I always make sure I get a minimum of 60 gms of protein. But I am not doing low carb, however. Perhaps your protein intake is higher when you are on a low carb plan?

Have you tried Protein shakes from GNC? they have some good pure protein like Isopure that is expensive but is PURE protein without the high carbs.

Just checking in...not a lot to yell with joy about. On the positive side the exercise is doing great but on the flip side the eating still sucks!! Still trying and will never give up. Counting the days until restriction!!

Hey Tabithan,

I'm crossing my fingers for you on that Nyquil situation :sneaky:. I haven't even gotten down to eating 1300 calories a day, so CONGRATULATIONS on keeping that up :thumbup:.

I have a question for all of you post-ops. Are you able to do ab exercises now that you've been banded? I think about the way the stitches are held in there and the stories I've heard about the ports flipping and wondered if any of y'all had a problem with that.

Not that I'm uber excited about ab exercises anyway, but I'm trying to think of ways that I can combat the excess skin post surgery.

Hey Scarlett, congratulations on keeping up with the exercise! Hope you get good restriction soon :thumbup:.

-music

Thanks Tabithan for the idea of GNC Isopure. The Adkins shakes taste like chalk. YUK.... I'm going to try and get over there tonight. The ones I used before made by Stallone have been discontinued. It seems just when we find something that works for us they take it off the market. LOL..

I have a question for all of you post-ops. Are you able to do ab exercises now that you've been banded? I think about the way the stitches are held in there and the stories I've heard about the ports flipping and wondered if any of y'all had a problem with that.

Not that I'm uber excited about ab exercises anyway, but I'm trying to think of ways that I can combat the excess skin post surgery.

-music

I can tell you that I've had port problems twice and the surgeon tells me that I didn't do anything wrong, that it just happens sometimes, sometimes depending on the muscle structure that the port is stiched down to. Two months from my original surgery I was working out hard core with a trainer and doing all kinds of ab excersizes with no problems. Then ten months after the original surgery is when I had the first port problems. I had lifted some heavy boxes getting ready for a yard sale and I actually had muscle spasms in the port area so I worried that I had done something. Sure enough, the next time I went in for a fill, my port was "floating" around and they had a hard time getting to it. The doctor kept telling me it wasn't from lifting anything and not to be trying to figure out "how" it happened. I had it fixed and then five weeks later when they went to give me a fill, it had flipped over on it's side and they could not access it. I knew I had done NOTHING wrong in those five weeks, so I was freaked out. The doc just said it happens sometimes and it is nothing that we do to cause it. He encouraged me to keep working out with a trainer, doing sit-ups and whatever else I can possibly do.

So I'm not sure if this will help you - but maybe it'll put your mind at ease!

Everything is out of WAK today. I cant stop grazing - literally all day despite a feeling of satiety. I have not drank my Water and all I can think of is food. I have eaten solids with liquids - very very wierd day.I have already eaten 947 calories and it is ONLY 4:30PM. I have the whole night to go!!!

Well, I need to refocus and i will not beat myself up for today. today, I will let myself do what I need to do. But as a makeup, I will go and sign up at the gym and start doing something regularly tomorrow. I think that is what I need to refocus because FOCUS is really what I need.

PHEW - I already feel MUCH better. Will be back to track tomorrow, I can tell. Just needed to put this out there so that I have ONE bad day and not 6 bad days!!!!

Hope you are well. How is everyone doing on their goals????

I keep having to remind myself that doing this band thing right 80% of the time is way better than 100% of eating badly on my pre-band days!!!