New here and banding booked for 31st Jan in Chichester UK. I've been reading and reading these forums and they are fantastically informative. But something keeps hitting me and I have just got to ask about it:

Over and over I am impressed and awed by everyone's success stories, whether at goal or well on the way. I keep reading that you are all watching carefully that you don't eat high calorie food that would render your bands useless as they are foods that would slip through easily - chocolate, crisps (chips), ice cream etc. I also read that you are disciplined in your exercise routines or, at the minimum, make sure you are active in some way during the day.

Here is my question (and I ask it with the greatest respect): How is the gastric band making you do those things that you didn't do before you had it fitted? The band restricts the amount you eat, but it is still possible to gain weight if you eat high calorie soft foods. The band does not make you exercise. So why is it that you are now able to discipline yourselves to avoid those high calorie foods, whilst making sure you incorporate exercise into your lives?

As I said, I am in for a band in 3 weeks. I have done all the things you guys have - the diets, the pills the whatever - and I am now at my heaviest. I am turning to WLS as a last resort and not feeling too proud of that. But, if I had the willpower, self-control and discipline displayed by the majority of the posters to these fora, I wouldn't be having the band!

What is it about having the band that means you have these new-found strengths? Of course I am making an assumption that the strengths are new to you all, as why else would you have resorted to WLS, if you had the willpower, self-control and discipline to do it without surgery?

I really hope my post doesn't come across as rude or impertinent. That is truly not my intention. I have nothing but respect and admiration for everyone on these forums. But I am going through a crisis of my own as I feel a failure for having to resort to WLS and I don't want to get to the stage after surgery of thinking "I could have done all this without the band as all I am doing is exercising self control and discipline"!

I would really love to have your thoughts on this please.

I was banded 9 months ago. At first, I was losing steadily, and lost 20 lbs after about the first two months. However, my problem was that I moved away from my surgeon, got really busy, and only had one fill. During the summer, I was going to school and eating poorly, and I had no restriction so I was eating a lot. I gain the weight back. I had issues with finding a surgeon in my area because I have a realize band and none of the surgeons around here will fill me because of it (something to think about if your doc is going to band you with a realize band). So I really wanted to get filled, but I couldn't. And I wasn't eating totally horribly, but bad enough to put 20 lbs back on.

A couple of months ago, I go frustrated enough to make the long drive back to my surgeon (gas prices went down!), and he filled me. I started losing again. I got filled again a month later, and continued to lose. But even though I started losing, I think it is harder for me because I don't have the momentum that I had in the beginning. My metabolism has also slowed from the band, too.

And now I'm pregnant, so I won't be trying to lose any more right now.

So, the moral of my long convaluted story is that you need to take advantage of the band at the beginning. If you let yourself become complacent, if you don't get your fills REGULARLY, then the band will probably be a waste of money. But, even if you slip up, once you decide that you are ready to get back on track, all you have to do is go get a fill and get going again.

Before I used to eat a great deal of food and drink lots of diet cokes with my meals and normally eat the entire meal in less then 7 minutes as a matter of fact, the quicker the better. In a few hours then I was hungry and started snaking on anything that was available.

As a result of the band I cannot eat a huge amount of food, I take smaller bites and chew my food usually a minimum of 25 times and Not drink with my meals the entire process taking 25 to 35 minutes. With the exception of evening I usually do not snack and if i do then it is generally 1/3 of what I would eat before the band.

For exercise I do a minimum of 2 hours of walking 6 days a week. My own personally quiet time.

Before the Lapband I used to be successful on a diet for 4 to 6 months and lose anywhere from 30 to 45 pounds but then I would gain it back plus 10 more in 3 to 4 months.

While I have had extended plateaus with the band where I did not lose weight at times I have even have gain some of the weight back which later I have lost again. The important fact is I have not gone back to binge eating or lost my focus for an extended period of time.

You could of course eat 10 tiny meals and gain not lose weight but like others have already mention food is no longer my main focus.

One of the interesting thing that happens to me is when I start to get full then I either get the hick ups or my nose start to run so this is my signal to stop eating regardless if my food is finished or not.

Best of luck on your upgoing life changing journey.