I fell off the band wagon hard. I had surgery Sept 2nd did great , not one cheat. The other night I went to a restaurant with my mother and sister and had a great big salad and then a huge piece of pizza, I am SOOO down that this happened ...now i can't get back in control.

I am scheduled for my first fill next week.

The past week I have been aware that I don't feel much restriction with the band the way it is. I have lost 29 libs since the week before surgery,

I Worked out like a crazy women walking and exersizing every day and now I am like a junkie out of control....I feel like such a failure. help me somebody

Oh Brunswick22, please be kind to yourself!

The Band is not a diet, it is a lifestyle. Thre is no cheating in a lifestyle, it isn't possible, cause it's a lifestyle and not a diet! It's about learning to make healthy choices for yourself, 80% of the time.

Do you really want to live in a world where there is no pizza? A slice of large pizza has about 370 calories, and that's for a Pizza Hut supreme. (I know way too much about counting calories ) So, the salad and pizza had what, 500? 600 calories? For your main meal? This can fit nicely in a 1200 calorie diet.

All the lit does say to keep to a 1200 calorie diet for a Safe and Healthy loss. And if you have an occasional 1500 or 1600 day, big fat hair deal. I was very strict about keeping to 1200 more or less. The scales didn't budge for ever. I had a couple of days where I jumped up to 1500-1600 calories and the next week I lost a pound.

The point I"m trying to get is that you have to be kind to yourself. Trying to be perfect all the time will get you perfect none of the time. It's not an either/or situation, it's an everything deal. Shoot for the 80% good, and give yourself permission to be human, it's a lot easier that way.

Cheers and like Capt'n Jack says, COURAGE!

A slice of pizza and a salad are what a skinny person eats for lunch. A fish filet and an Ice Cream are what a small child eats for lunch. Neither of these meals can be considered a "binge".

Perhaps you could have made slightly healthier food choices - but by no means did you engage in any "bad" behaviors.

Just because you have your Borg Belly Implant doesn't mean that you are going to immediately become assimilated... (translated out of sci-fi geek: your band won't change your head overnight.)

You have spent your whole life eating a certain way - and eating too much at the same time. Now, your band helps to keep you from eating too much - but YOU will always be the person who decides what to put into your mouth. Give yourself a little time to get used to making better choices of WHAT to eat - and forgive yourself for the occassionial unhealthy choice.

In the mean time, as you learn to choose more wisely, the band will keep you from REALLY binging - eating half a pizza with a pint of Haagen Daaz for a chaser... now, that's binging. You haven't done THAT lately, have you?

Smile and Be Well.

:]

Oh My Gosh! you lost 29 lbs since Sept 2nd and you haven't been filled yet. That's really great. I was banded on Sept 2nd, 2005 (still a newbie) and I have lost 10 pounds. I get my fill tomorrow WooHoo! I would be ecstatic if I had lost 29 lbs. Oh My Gosh! Forget the one fish fillet...No wonder I've only lost 10 pounds...I have had two at one time. There is always tomorrow. Let It Go...your not a failure yet...your just beginning and with the band no one can fail!

I don't think that many of us expected to still be the same person with the same hunger until after the first or second (or third..for that matter) fill. I have been soooooo disappointed that I am "failing", and thought I must be the only "cheater" in the world. I have been able to eat ANYTHING that I wanted, and kept wondering if I would be one of the only failure at this thing. Then, after fill #2, I am FINALLY feeling some restriction!!! The first cc did nothing, and now I am up to 2 cc's in a 4 cc band. I can tell a big difference...so, the point is....hang in there, don't give up...and know that this band WILL work for you...we're looking at long-term here...not just mustering up enough willpower not to do it all alone. (which, for me, didn't work anyway...thus the band *S*)