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

I was banded in 2010 (I weighed about 263 at my highest) and lost 50 pounds pretty easily. Then my husband and I decided to have a baby. I know I should have stuck to the program during the pregnancy, but I used it as an excuse to eat *everything.* Big mistake because once I had my son, it was impossible to stop. I told myself I could eat what I wanted while I was breastfeeding, but I stopped that about 3 months ago and have gained about 30lbs of the weight back.

So I'm here to recommit myself to a healthier lifestyle - to be inspired and (hopefully) inspire a few people in the process. We are all strong people who made a choice to live healthier. Maybe we thought it was a choice we'd just need to make once, and what we're discovering is it's a choice you have to make every day. But with support, we can do it. Let's vow to try, not to be too hard on ourselves when we stumble and realize that this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Hi everyone! My name is Crystal and I was banded 8/4/10. I lost about 31 pounds and then my emotional eating returned. I have been failing my band. I have felt shame, guilt, self-loathing etc... So, this year I have started attending OA (Overeaters Anonymous) and I am starting to eat better and track everything on my Lose It app. Thank you for this thread, now I don't feel so alone

My goals: track everything, measure everything

Thank you again!!!

OMG...I can sooo relate to this post! Just finished Alex's book and realized I am my worst obstacle. Wish I had the book before I was banded. I am making a new resolve when I get filled on the 16th to start a new path. It felt so good to see others have been on my path and are changing their ways too! Awesome topic.

Tami

This feels like therapy so I will keep writing. I hope my fellow strugglers join me....

Today' date=' I had to buy pie for my team - we had a pie party. And I knew if I had one slice, the entire thanksgiving weekend would do me in - one bite and I would go crazy all weekend. So I bought the pie, put it in the conference room, sent out an email to all about the pie, gathered the folk...then went and hid in my office. it worked!! I didnt eat a slice of pie and the temptation went away.....well somewhat...

I came home and had two slices of bacon (100 calories) and one egg - 70 calories - but at least it was controlled consumption.

This is the beginning of success. How was your day, fellow struggler???

[/quote']

Mabe you should find an over eaters annonymous chapter and go to meetings. Or find a psychistric practice/center that focuses mainley on eating disorders. Id look into hypnosis, too. Personally, i am a huge fan of acupuncture. Mabe you should try a less conventional route to alter your habits and thoughts. I myself am no angel but im doing alot better since my first fill. Getting stuck a few times set me straight!!! Best wishes!

This feels like therapy so I will keep writing. I hope my fellow strugglers join me....

Today' date=' I had to buy pie for my team - we had a pie party. And I knew if I had one slice, the entire thanksgiving weekend would do me in - one bite and I would go crazy all weekend. So I bought the pie, put it in the conference room, sent out an email to all about the pie, gathered the folk...then went and hid in my office. it worked!! I didnt eat a slice of pie and the temptation went away.....well somewhat...

I came home and had two slices of bacon (100 calories) and one egg - 70 calories - but at least it was controlled consumption.

This is the beginning of success. How was your day, fellow struggler???

[/quote']

Mabe you should find an over eaters annonymous chapter and go to meetings. Or find a psychistric practice/center that focuses mainley on eating disorders. Id look into hypnosis, too. Personally, i am a huge fan of acupuncture. Mabe you should try a less conventional route to alter your habits and thoughts. I myself am no angel but im doing alot better since my first fill. Getting stuck a few times set me straight!!! Best wishes!

This feels like therapy so I will keep writing. I hope my fellow strugglers join me....

Today' date=' I had to buy pie for my team - we had a pie party. And I knew if I had one slice, the entire thanksgiving weekend would do me in - one bite and I would go crazy all weekend. So I bought the pie, put it in the conference room, sent out an email to all about the pie, gathered the folk...then went and hid in my office. it worked!! I didnt eat a slice of pie and the temptation went away.....well somewhat...

I came home and had two slices of bacon (100 calories) and one egg - 70 calories - but at least it was controlled consumption.

This is the beginning of success. How was your day, fellow struggler???

[/quote']

Mabe you should find an over eaters annonymous chapter and go to meetings. Or find a psychistric practice/center that focuses mainley on eating disorders. Id look into hypnosis, too. Personally, i am a huge fan of acupuncture. Mabe you should try a less conventional route to alter your habits and thoughts. I myself am no angel but im doing alot better since my first fill. Getting stuck a few times set me straight!!! Best wishes!

This feels like therapy so I will keep writing. I hope my fellow strugglers join me....

Today' date=' I had to buy pie for my team - we had a pie party. And I knew if I had one slice, the entire thanksgiving weekend would do me in - one bite and I would go crazy all weekend. So I bought the pie, put it in the conference room, sent out an email to all about the pie, gathered the folk...then went and hid in my office. it worked!! I didnt eat a slice of pie and the temptation went away.....well somewhat...

I came home and had two slices of bacon (100 calories) and one egg - 70 calories - but at least it was controlled consumption.

This is the beginning of success. How was your day, fellow struggler???

[/quote']

Mabe you should find an over eaters annonymous chapter and go to meetings. Or find a psychistric practice/center that focuses mainley on eating disorders. Id look into hypnosis, too. Personally, i am a huge fan of acupuncture. Mabe you should try a less conventional route to alter your habits and thoughts. I myself am no angel but im doing alot better since my first fill. Getting stuck a few times set me straight!!! Best wishes!

I had my lap band done in 2008. Since then I have lost weight' date=' 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![/quote']

I too feel the same way- I need to follow the rules and really apply myself. I feel crappy physically and mentally and beating myself up isn't doing any good. I will follow this post! Thanks for the honesty an letting me know- it's not just me.

Hi Ladies,

I have found that when I limit the types of carbs I eat, that my cravings for those carbs seem to disappear. I am not sure if this will be helpful to anyone. But, since I have gone Paleo (am doing a Whole30 now) I have found my sugar and carb cravings are gone. I am currently eating meat, veggies, fruit, nuts, hot tea, Water. Eliminating grains/dairy/processed foods/sugar has made more room on my plate for veggies and Protein too. I used to have horrible sugar cravings and now I feel like I'm in control of the food. Just food for thought.

Best, Hilary

Tabitha I don't believe that anything is wrong with you. You don't need overeaters. You could possibly use counseling to address the emotional studf going on in your life. I've started counseling myself. My emotional plate is full and I don't want to eat my way through. I like to eat. I don't think there is something wrong with enjoying food. I just need to enjoy the right foods and increase my workouts. What I'm learning that the problem that most of us are having is not the band (as most have said) its us. The band is working. In order to benefit from the band we have to work out. And not just 3 days a week it has to be 5 or more, if we want the weight to melt off. Any thing last than 5 days will just keep you where you are, give or take 10 pounds. When I'm working out the weight is coming off. If I'm barely exercising, the weight is not really going anywhere. If you read any success stories from banders, the key element was the work outs. Remember, we wanted something that would work with us as we made the commitment to change our lifestyle. We have to recommit. We have to reduce the carbs, increase the protein. I'm not talking about the protein powder, I'm taking lean meats, and it doesn't have to be lean all the time, but the processed stuff has got to go or be a a serious limit. Let's talk about what we can do to make the changes. I have recommitted and I'm more than willing to encourage whom ever. I need someone to ask me what I ate today, did I exercise. I need the reminder that, you only got 4 days in this week so what's the plan. We all need to vent, but how long will we complain?

I think you should talk to your GYN about PCOS ... polycystic ovarian syndrome. Google the symptoms. If you have it talk to her about time released metformin it will help u loose weight

Well, I've been on a super strict Paleo diet since 1/1/13. Ask me for details about what I'm eating if you are curious. I am down to 203. So, I've lost about 3.8 lbs in 11 days. I know that isn't some mega number, but it is approximately 1.5 - 2 lbs a week. So that is good. I went out to eat at a restaurant for the first time since my new eating plan started. Normally I would have gotten Pad Thai, egg rolls, basil chili pork, and God knows what else. Tonight, I ordered a grilled shrimp salad in a Thai vinagrette. You know what? It was freaking delicious and I didn't feel deprived at all. I'm proud of myself for choosing the food that was high Protein, low sugar, wheat/cornstarch free, not fried, etc.

This week I also started taking yoga again. I'll have yoga class for 1.25 hours, three times a week. I love yoga and know I won't fall off the wagon with it because I enjoy it so much.

Toward the end of the month, I'm considering adding a 45 minute body sculpting class in twice a week as well. I think I might do a trial class of the body sculpting to see if I am fit enough to take it. If I end up liking the class, that will put me at a little over 5 hours a week of challenging exercise, plus my little mellow 45 minute dog walks.

The scale should start really moving at that point.

I think aloudwhisper makes a good point in reminding us that it may take both diet and exercise to see movement on the scale. I personally, have a hard time doing both, unless I'm really interested in/enjoying my exercise routine. The only types of exercise I've ever stuck with as an adult for an extended period of time are walking, Water aerobics, and yoga. Usually, I can be really strict on a diet and then not exercise at all, or go crazy on exercise and eat a way too many calories and carbs.

I've recently had a wake-up call from my general physician. She just put me on blood pressure medication and Lipitor to lower my cholesterol. Hmmph. I didn't really want to be on either of those. I am only 32!!!! I shouldn't be having heart problems at such a young age!

My goal for myself is to make lasting changes. I would like to continue to make smart choices with my food, and continue to take and enjoy my yoga class. I would like to get off the cholesterol meds (have to stay on the bp meds to prevent migraines). Ultimately, I want to be able to get to a point where I am not afraid or embarrassed to go out and meet new people, date, go on a hike, etc. I want confidence in myself! I am at a point where I'm willing to put in the hard work.

So, my questions to you all are:

1) What is your health goal?

2) What committments are you going to make to reach your goal?

My goal is to loose 30 pounds by April. I got a trainer. I working hard to have a low carb diet. I'm not always good at sticking to my goals. This weekend has been difficult. I forgive myself and start a new.

Hello everyone, I had the band in 07. Weight at time of banding 234, current weight 186, lowest weight with band 173. I fell off the wagon, have had multiple complications but have not been back to the doc since 1 year post op due to financial problems. I have decided to go back in within the next 30 days to get checked out, get an unfill if he can since my port seems to have flipped sideways. I just love that you all are supporting each other, I would like to become a part of the group ! My goals: get back to dr., figure out what is causing the complications and fix it, regain control of my eating habit's, start exercise more and get to my goal weight of 147-155 or where the doc said 150-160. I drink when i eat so i can get more than 2 small bites down, i eat the way wrong foods, I crave sugar and carbs all the time. Protein even shakes are hard to keep down. Miserable just miserable, I cannot wait to get this figured out. I await your advice critiques

Hello everyone' date=' I had the band in 07. Weight at time of banding 234, current weight 186, lowest weight with band 173. I fell off the wagon, have had multiple complications but have not been back to the doc since 1 year post op due to financial problems. I have decided to go back in within the next 30 days to get checked out, get an unfill if he can since my port seems to have flipped sideways. I just love that you all are supporting each other, I would like to become a part of the group ! My goals: get back to dr., figure out what is causing the complications and fix it, regain control of my eating habit's, start exercise more and get to my goal weight of 147-155 or where the doc said 150-160. I drink when i eat so i can get more than 2 small bites down, i eat the way wrong foods, I crave sugar and carbs all the time. Protein even shakes are hard to keep down. Miserable just miserable, I cannot wait to get this figured out. I await your advice critiques [/quote']

Welcome! Sounds like you have done well overall. I am trying to get my work out in 5 to 6 days. I did pretty good for 2 weeks. I allowed someone emotional issues to get the best of me last week. I met with my trainer this morning, and I'm hurting, but I guess that's a good thing. I'm forgiving myself daily and moving forward. Stay encouraged.