.....I would'nt need the band. I didnt chose the band because i thought i could make life style changes and good choices while i was going thru this process, I chose the band in hopes it would work so well it would force me to eat less and want better food. That is still my hope, but i get the feeling alot of folks feel if you cant change significantly, the band wont work. i got banded 2/25/9 and have had one fill and have had very little restriction. I am sorry to say i am still a sugar junkie, but eat much less of it. i have always exercised moderatly, so that helps. somehow i have lost 7 lbs since the surgery and pretty much stay right at 207. I applaud all the folks who have made life style changes and lose weight before they get restriction, but I have not so far...i get my second fill middle of May and it cant come soon enough.....anyone have any experience feeling like i do but eventually had success because the band does eventually work and do the job? If not, I sure hope I am one in a million!

all you winners- keep up the good work, i am happy for you and encouraged despite my bad habits.

luchay (thinlizzie)

Unfortunately I think I am in the same boat as you. I LOVE SUGAR!!!

I got banded 10/02/07 and lost 20 lbs in the preop stages and 26 lbs from the time of surgery until it slipped 1 year and 4 months later. I appreciate every pound that I lost and I am thankful that the band has helped me so much! I know it changed my eating habits in a huge way unfortunately it does nothing for sugar. I have continually fought the sugar cravings and I think I will for the rest of my life.

Luchay,

It is hard for me to believe that you or anyone else thinks that the band is the total answer. It is just a piece of plastic around your stomach that when fills are necessary they will help you eat less. The band doesn't have a brain.

It is so important that we learn on a daily basis how important the food choices that we make. The doctors will not help you with this process and that is why if a person who cannot help themselves, needs to go to a nutritionist.

You need to sit down and think about what made you the way you are today and take control of it.

I conquored my food demon and have abstained from it since the end of 2005. It is all possible but you truly need to do this for yourself if it is medically necessary. It isn't easy and that is for sure but if you want to live a longer and healthier life than you need to make adjustments. I would suggest first to STOP calling it a diet. We all need to change our lifestyles to be a success.

This website and even if you would like to email me can help you greatly. In the beginning stay away from all negativity. We are all here to help one another. You have given up barely before you have begun.

As far as needing the fills, most people do not feel restriction until the third fill so I have read. I was one that didn't need any fills so I don't know what that is like.

Give us all a chance here to help you.

Josephine

Band life can be tough for all of us but believe it's tougher for someone that feels the need for sweets. IMHO the one and only way to break the sweet habits is to go cold turkey. The longer you stay away from them, the fewer cravings you will have. Just try it. They say (whoever "they" are) that it takes 18 days to break a habit. Just try doing without sweets for that length of time and hopefully you will notice a huge change. Go for it!

Thank you ladies for your input. I am the kind of person who likes to hear it like it is and not sugar coated (pun?). hearing it straight gives me hope, so, I am going to be more positive and tomorrow not eat sugar. Josephine, thanks- i would love to email you. You have the band but never any fills...um- how come?

LETS go for it jenni! just for tomorrow....

i am still holding out hope that after a couple more fills, the band will do the hard work...how wonderful the sweet spot must be, or even the kinda sweet spot.

luchay-

The band won't work by itself. I suggest that you get some counseling from the psychologist that did your pre-op. This is probably someone who understands food addiction and like any other addiction, it takes hard work to break but it can be done!! If you rely solely on the band you will be disappointed. Good luck!

Luchay,

It is hard for me to believe that you or anyone else thinks that the band is the total answer. It is just a piece of plastic around your stomach that when fills are necessary they will help you eat less. The band doesn't have a brain.

It is so important that we learn on a daily basis how important the food choices that we make. The doctors will not help you with this process and that is why if a person who cannot help themselves, needs to go to a nutritionist.

You need to sit down and think about what made you the way you are today and take control of it.

I conquored my food demon and have abstained from it since the end of 2005. It is all possible but you truly need to do this for yourself if it is medically necessary. It isn't easy and that is for sure but if you want to live a longer and healthier life than you need to make adjustments. I would suggest first to STOP calling it a diet. We all need to change our lifestyles to be a success.

This website and even if you would like to email me can help you greatly. In the beginning stay away from all negativity. We are all here to help one another. You have given up barely before you have begun.

As far as needing the fills, most people do not feel restriction until the third fill so I have read. I was one that didn't need any fills so I don't know what that is like.

Give us all a chance here to help you.

Josephine

hey josephine,

i would like to email you and hear about your experience. who can i do that?

thanks-luchay

The band won't work by itself. I suggest that you get some counseling from the psychologist that did your pre-op. This is probably someone who understands food addiction and like any other addiction, it takes hard work to break but it can be done!! If you rely solely on the band you will be disappointed. Good luck!

so i assume many people are like me- or they wouldnt be getting the band. how have you done it spinner? you sound like a winner...

You have to be *willing* to make changes, you dont have to be perfect. Very few people get a band and then totally change their lifestyle to some perfect faultless routine. I certainly didnt.

What I did do was become really good at some elements of it and suck at others. I am a sugar junkie too - I no longer live on sugary foods and I no longer totally binge on them but I certainly still eat them regularly - probably almost daily. I never could be bothered counting calories or planning meals pedantically, or logging my food intake. I still cant.

But - I do like healthy foods, I do like cooking, I do take feeding my family well seriously so I dont eat lots of packaged crappy frozen foods, I feed my family healthy home cooked meals that I make from scratch, and I dont keep junk foods like chips in the house. And I love to exercise, so I do run for an hour a day and I do do several very strenuous weights workouts per week.

The balance changed enough that I became thin and have stayed that way. But no way am I perfect, nor do I ever expect to be. Someone else might be willing to do the food side of it better than I do but hates to exercise. Each to their own.

But you have to be willing to give something up - you cannot go on as you have been and expect change - and the band will not do that on its own. You can eat around a band easily enough.

I can't speak for anyone else here but I know for myself that the insurance-required psych visit was eye opening. I didn't want to go but was glad I did. I learned how to distinguish between hunger and "head hunger". I'm not saying it's been easy but just being able to identify it has helped and made me stop before eating something I really wanted to but shouldn't. I was only banded on 4/1 but have used this knowledge pre-op to help me lose some weight.

Jacqui-

I am like you, I love to exercise. I think the more I started to eat better the more I wanted to exercise. I was never really good at logging my food but I did over time really start to change the way I ate because if I ate crappy food I felt really bad physically. Even though I ate alot healthier I never really kicked the sweets habit. I ate alot less of the sweets because I was physically incapable of eating alot at one time but I still enjoyed them when I had them. Thanks for posting, your post was really positive and uplifting! It really points out that there are many different kinds of people and we all handle the band exsperience differently. Your post really made me feel better about the way I am handling it.

luchay-

I still believe that I will fight the sugar cravings for the rest of my life. Some people crave salt, some crave sugar. I really had a rough weekend with all the candy every where I turned with having 4 kids and 4 easter baskets and it really made me feel bad about myself because I was not making good choices. Normally I do not keep sweets in the house because I will just eat them all so now that Easter is over I feel like I will definetly make better choices. Once I get my fill I know that the band will help with quantities so I know that it will in the long run help with the sugar cravings. The thing that I found was that if I am eating very little food my body tends to crave the things I need like vegetables and meat. I still love to have some sweets but I usually go for the healthier food first and than end up full and unable to eat anything else.

I am grateful for you who took the time to reply to my post. It makes a difference when I get your feedback. I want to get on track and make some of the changes that i can now while I wait for my second fill. Reading about your experiences has made me want to change. Thank You-Maybe it is time to post a pic and finish my profile...God bless You!

I too enjoyed this thread. I have not given up on my band, but I am at a plateau and have been trying to get another "jump start".. I still have good restriction and I am sure the scale will start moving again soon.. Good luck all! God Bless!

Wow Luchay, Did you share this attitude with your doctor before getting the band? Sorry to burst your bubble but you HAVE to have SOME commitment to this process. I don't mean to sound harsh but I can't beleive your doctor even banded you without this committment. I liked what one bandster said earlier about finding a balance. You gotta give somewhere - either diet or exercise or somewhere. The band only assists you with your efforts. You HAVE to be committed to this process in some way if you can't be then honestly you shouldn't have even bothered.

They do say that people who like sugar atruggle most with the band. I like what you said about eating less. Go with that. Eat less and less. I'm a sugar person too. What I did was suck on a piece of hard candy like a jolly rancher after some meals. This really helped with my need for sugar after a meal but didn't pack on a BUNCH of calories. But was the sweet treat I needed.

I've also tried things like Tea. Sweet Tea (Sweetened with Splenda) seems to curb that sugar cry. I also liked the idea of taking it day by day and trying not to eat sugar for a day. You can then maybe up it to 2 days, 3 days, etc. What you have to be sure of is to not BINGE on sweet during the end between time. Remember this process is about moderation.

You"ve got to be willing to make concessions somewhere. A bunch of small concessions are what make a big difference. You gotta be committed to DOING something - this band isn't a cure all by any means I wish it was. Good Luck To Ya!

Hey Luchay, Don't beat yourself up too much! We all go through valleys! Trick is to pick yourself back up and get back on the right track (which is what I am working on now!).. You hang in there, we'll make it together! God Bless!

The band is just a tool. It can help control quantity, but if you don't put the right foods through, you won't lose weight. I'm at a low right now myself. I'm not eating what I should or the way I should. Part of that is that I need a little more restriction (appointment Friday) and part of it is that I'm just being a knucklehead and eating garbage. Being conscious of it is half way to solving the problem. It isn't easy. No one promised easy. But it can be done and there is a lot of support here.