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 my name is shelley,

I am new to this site, but so glad i found it. i got my band in oct of 2010 and loved it. it was great i started at 332 and in 8 months i lost 110lbs and felt amazing, but then i had a problem with not being able to eat anything so they took fluid out and it was able to eat anything and also started to drink pop again big mistake now im back to 321lbs and totally upset with everything ive done. ive gotten a couple fills but im not doing things the way i should. i just continue to eat. im going in for another fill soon. i guess im just looking for help with this struggle to get back on track.

Hi everyone. I had my surgery last year on Aug 19th. I went from 228 to 199 at some point. Right now I am weighing 220. It has t been easy at all. I haven't had time to workout since I'm a workaholic! I know I need to start somewhere but it's been hard. I'll get motivated and start dieting and walking but it only lasts about 2 weeks. Then I'll start overeating and get very discouraged.

I know what you mean been there done that!! Weneed to find a way to stick with this thing. I'm hoping this site will help us get there again

So what are you going to do to get yourself back on track? How can we better support you. I feel that you have to make time for yourself and your health. Even if you started with going to the gym on the weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). You also have to keep the carbs low to barely at all. I follow the south beach plan. I mix it up a lot, but it works for me. I've learning how to eat good healthy foods. I've been banded for 4 yrs. I've had a lot if slip ups. I thank God that I haven't gotten back up to 305. I got to 188 over the summer after the biggest loss of my life. I'm recommitted now. I'm 171 and getting smaller and smaller :-) Its a slow process, but you can do it.

Wow thats great! I dont really know what im going to do but i'm going to do something cause this is crazy! I do well with the low carb thing so that is the way i was planning to go. I just got suck in a rut of eating and its so hard for me to stop. I guess that's why i'm back to over 300lbs again lol. Thank you for talking with me i think thats what I need! Just someone to help me stay focused

Totally in on this! I am over 2 years post-op, failed from personnal reasons and started back on track 3 weeks ago, and got my first fill today in almost 2 years. I am down 4kgs so far and my bible is currently the "my fitness pal" app. Would love to be apart of this support group!

maby we can help each other stay on track lol i'm going in for a fill in a week, but I need to start NOW. Pop is one of my big struggles. When i had my surgery I gave it up but i'm finding it soooo hard to do it again

You can give it up again. We have to believe that there is nothing bigger than our deseire to change. I forgive myself for not giving my all, and I move on. We have all fallen short. I have my fitness pal as well. I have a water app to stay on top of my water. I got a fill about 3wks ago. I've lost about 6 pounds since I had my fill. I'm really tight, so I the morning I'm not really able to eat. I can barely drink. I have my protein shake. I added spinach to get my veggies in. I plan to juice some things this week. I'm trying to stay the course.

Sorry about the beginning of that post. I was typing from my phone. I am not the best with the touch screen. I was trying to encourage the both of you guys, Lannah and Shelley. Its all about the small things. I am trying to get back on track, so we are all in the same situation. We can do it though.

I have not been on this site for 2 years now due to my having failed my lapband. I was banded in May of 2009 and have only lost 35 pounds. Due to issues I've had with my band, I have ended up having all of the fluid removed and since then, I've gained about 10 pounds. I'm thoroughly disgusted with myself and feared this from the beginning as I've never been successful at anything regarding my weight.

I am switching physicians and will be going to see my new doctor on January 8th. I PRAY that I can get back on the bandwagon and be successful in 2013!!! The first step for me was coming back on this site and acknowledging that I have not done my part in this journey. So...here's to 2013! I hope that we are all successful in our weight loss journeys!

I had my lap band done in 2008. Since then I have lost weight, gained it back, lost weight again, and then gained it all back again. I believe the weight loss that I have experienced has been due to me starving myself, not to the band. Starving myself is not sustainable and as soon as I start to eat regularly again, I gain about 30 pounds. I am currently at my highest weight (even pre-band. I was banded at 202 lbs) 206 lbs.

I have had some trouble with my band. I can only be filled about half-way before I have trouble getting food down. My band doesn't have much liquid in it and it causes me to vomit/pb frequently. Right now I still vomit a few times a week even though my band isn't filled much. Food gets stuck daily for me.

I used to have terrible guilt feeling that I had failed my band. Everyone knew I had the band done, so why hadn't I been able to lose a substaintial amount of weight and keep it off? Why was I such a failure? Well, after doing some research, I have come to the conclusion that I haven't failed the band, THE BAND HAS FAILED ME!!! Surgeons are starting to find that the band isn't as successful as they thought it would be. Many people are having their bands revised to the gastric sleeve and some RNY gastric bypass.

My surgeon is at the top of the field, a famous weight loss surgeon. His staff is nice to me, but they make me feel guily when I go in. I need to eat less and less, they say. My surgeon recommends for me to eat 900 calories a day. 900 calories! This is madness!!!

I am now in the process of contancting a different surgeon about gastric bypass and gastric sleeve. I have severe obstructive sleep apnea, high LDL cholesterol, and have stopped menstruating (I'm only 32). I believe my weight is a contributing factor in these issues.

Ladies, I know that some of you feel you could have done better. You feel you could have followed more of the rules, eaten less, snacked less, starved yourself, whatever. But, I want you to seriously consider this idea that maybe the band isn't all it is cracked up to be. Maybe it works for some and not for others. Maybe, the band has failed you!

Hilary: I cannot remember WHEN the last time I was on this site. I too was banded in 2008. I currently weigh about 35 lbs. less than I did at band day in July 2008. I had lost about 50, have gained some back. I think it is due to starting to take Cymbalta again. But, oh well. I must totally agree with you. It was my own fault that I did not do the research on these gastric bands. The success rate is an awfully LOW %. Even in 2008 there was some data but I was so wanting to lose weight, I trusted them. I quit going to my surgeon's office because they were always mean to me. I left there crying. I transferred to the medical weight loss doc (who I had been to before banding) and went there about a year and a half. Even went back on Adipex. To no avail. I exercise every day, my band is just about full. There are lots of things I cannot eat--they get caught, then I am miserable. Things like stringy meat (beef & chicken too!), fresh veggies like carrots, etc. I probably should get some Fluid out but not sure it would help anyway. The med doc had me going once a month all that time. I finally stopped doing that last June. Now I am just on my own with this stupid band that is basically useless. It makes me sick when things get stuck sometimes and it is very hard to tell WHAT is going to make me sick. I chew things up well, etc.....I do not do a lot of things they recommend but I also don't eat too much. Frankly, I wish my band would SLIP or something, then I would have them TAKE IT OUT! It is useless and a stupid thing that I did. Now 2013 is starting and I am still at about 232. I need to weigh around 170. I just cannot lose weight on Weight Watchers, etc. I have tried and tried. I get hypoglycemic and I just now cannot eat many things I should because they would get stuck.

I guess the gist of all this is that I agree so much with you. The BAND FAILED me! Don't tell me to go back to a surgeon, I just cannot. The sleeves do not look that promising either. Please look at the results carefully. I have a buddy who had a RNY in 2003 and she is a stick. She CANNOT eat much at all. No matter what it is. She does not exercise at all. She drinks regular coke, apple juice, and gatorade all day long every day. I KNEW I needed a RNY but I was not "fat enough at 266 to qualify for it at that time. Who knows now. I am just not thinking I would still qualify. My med doc offered about a year ago to send me back to my surgeon to try something else, but I refused. As awful as they are, there is no way.

Well this is sure a venting for me. Good luck on your journey. Thanks for letting me know I am not ALONE in this failure. I am a success in my career, family, etc. This weight thing is going to my grave with me I guess. UGH.

I think we need to remember to be kind to ourselves. Love ourselves. I don't like to see women who are on here and say they are disgusted with themselves or they feel like a failure. Acknowledge your weaknesses and strengths, make a plan, and give yourself an emotional hug!

I agree. I am so hard on myself. I have given up on myself. I've allowed the things that make me sad, allow me to eat. Wr can't eat our troubles away. I love carbs, but they don't love me. I wonder if the band was the best choice, but I can't take back the time. I'm only 6.5ccs in my 10cc band. I will work on slowly getting tighter, because I'm not happy with the amount of food I can eat. I'm not giving up on myself.

I'm glad that I found this thread. Well, I'm on my 2nd band and struggling this one. My first band (July 2007) experience was awesome. I lost 80 lbs! Fast forward through a rough pregnancy (preeclampsia), knee injury and surgery, then a blood clot...gets me to where I am today. I've gained weight, but I'm still under my pre-pregnancy weight.

Anyhow, I'm disappointed in myself and am ready to do this! I know this band works and I know I can do it! I'm ready to help everyone else on here. We can do it.

Best to all of you and Happy New Year.