I had my bandiversary last week. While reassessing the past year and the lack of loss over the past couple of months, I realized I needed to get back "on the band wagon".

I bought Protein powder and Vitamins again, and started paying attention to what I was eating. I made smarter eating choices, skipped the cream Soups and ice cream that go down so well, & increased Water intake and Proteins.

At a year out with no additional fill, one might think I simply needed one, but I know that I don't because I still have significant restriction. I had simply grown tired of paying attention to the band, and took a bit of a break from it.

While the band saved me from the usual pre-band diet failure and subsequent weight regain, I hadn't lost a pound in over 2 months. After one week of working with my band the way I'm supposed to, I've lost another 2 pounds.

Now I know that this band is the best thing I've ever done for me. I know that as long as I work with the band, the band will work for me. That is SUCH a good feeling!

Good on ya!!!! Its so reassuring to know that anytime we fall off, the band waits and we can just jump right back on again when we are ready. What a patient and caring peice of silicon we have in our tummys

No more "Ill start my diet again tommorow"...tommorow never comes.

Congrats on the 2 lbs.

Im hoppin back on the "band wagon" with ya!!! Im hoping to see a loss! Good luck to us!

You've done great losing. Maybe you needed a mental/physical break to get adjusted to a new year but now you are ready to go on. I'm glad to hear your strategy because I expect to go through the same thing at some point.

Good luck on your continuing losses. Celeste

Pam,

I'm right there with you. It is very freeing to just start over and let the past be the past. :-)

Pam, you've discovered the one thing that makes being banded so different from anything and everything we've tried in the past. So many people considering banding want to know why this might work where everything else has failed. Well--this is it! It works because it doesn't go away!! Of course we have to change our habits, and of course it can be hard sometimes. But this little band of silicone is our tool to help us stay on course, or get back on course when necessary.

I've done what you describe several times. Changing our lives to the extent necessary to put morbid obesity behind us forever is not something that can be done overnight. Our bodies and minds NEED to take "breaks" once in a while, think about something else for a few days/weeks/months, get used to the new reality and internalize it completely. If we continually think we're on a "program" then occasional lapses in vigilance only lead to a sense of failure. I've worked hard to just BE smaller, eat less and more healthfully, and not treat my banded life as being one of constant dieting.

The band is there when we're ready to refocus. Lapses don't lead to weight gain and disappointment and failure anymore!! :)

Pam Thank you for the reassuring words in your post!! This is exactly why I love my band so much. Its there when I'm ready to cooperate... and its still there when I don't. There have definatly been times that I would have not made as good of food choices.Without my band I would have probably given up once again on ever losing weight.With my band I don't feel that way, I know the weight will come off and never return because I'm being good to my band and body and my band is doing its part and as a TEAM it works!!!

Your in inspiration I am to waning from lap band rules and not losing some things go down so easily and its easy to have them to eat but if you want to have true weight we still have to work at it sad but true

Pam, good for you, this is exactly what I have been doing since Spet 12th and it is working, I think we come complacent with the band after awhile. I know for me I did. Its amazing the difference when you pay attention to your band and its signals, and do your part in making it work. Hope you get new found success with this

Fantastic post, Pam. This is exactly what I need to do. After a 3 week stint at home with my daughter for school holidays, I've let myself fall into old bad habits. Back at work today, thank God, so jumping back on that wagon.

I love this thread! With all of the packing, spazzing out over dealing with ringworm, washing of bedding, clothing, and towels each day, and daily chores on top of it all, my mind has been anything but focused on losing more weight and working with my band. I SO needed to hear this.

I NEED to get my butt exercising again, and also to start paying attention to better food choices and full signals again too. The exercise will probably help relieve some of this stress, plus will compliment my daily supplement intake as well.

I also have my Protein drink that is just sitting there in the bucket, and I need to start doing all of that again too.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! With never having a fill I really need to get back to basics!

Congratulation Pam

I'm over 2 years out and still have that protien shake almost every morning now for the last 6 months. I believe that has done the trick for me.

Isn't wonderful to still loose when we just focus.

Thanks all of you for the support and encouragement. I have to say I hadn't been drinking the Protein drinks in quite a while, I'd forgotten how filling and staying they are! I had one today at 3 pm and I still feel pretty full from it.

My DH and I have a bit of a routine on Mondays and Wednesdays, we drop our boy off at martial arts class then we get a moolatte at DQ and see what movies are in. I've been making the Protein shakes in the blender with lots of ice, some coffee, and french vanilla creamer, it's totally curbed my desire for the moolattes! I'm pretty happy about that. Those things must have a zillion calories and fat grams in them, and they aren't cheap. Protein powder is definitely paying off.

I'm sure I'll never be a model bandster, if diet and exercise were my strong suits, I'd never have needed to be banded. But it's awesome to realize that I can make small changes in my diet and activity levels, changes I can live with, and actually see results without slipping back up the scale to square one or in my case square 280.

It's nice to know that this band wont let me down, even when I've been lax, or sort of letting it down.