I never thought I'd be posting with this topic!!!

Was banded in Jan of 07 and lost 170 pounds over the next year and a 1/2 or so. Had some tremendous life issues and went back to the food. Now I find myself having gained back about 70 pounds!!! So, I have two options---shoot myself (I don't have a gun) or get back on track. Today I'm choosing to get back on track. I was one of those folks who said they would NEVER gain back. HAHAHA. One day at a time I need to eat the way I was eating when I was losing. As I always knew, the band fixes your stomach but not your brain. It's amazing how much I can eat when I put my sick mind to it.

I know there are others out there with the same situation. Please reach out and post. If you've been here and gotten back on track--please share your story too.

Thanks to all.

Congrats on the weight loss. Today is a NEW day and another chance to sart over again. I had my surgery in August 07 and still not to goal. I mess up sometimes (who am I kidding, very often, LOL) but I do start over again and try real hard to make better choices. What about support groups? Maybe get with a friend when you feel like eating, call her. I don't really have much support at home, but I do have a long distance friend that I call and she really encourages me. Also come here and make friends, we are in this together and here to help one another. You will be successful again on this journey. Think about that at least it's the 70 and not the 100 you gained back. I wish you blessings.

I was going to post just about the same thing today... I am also really struggling. I was banded back in 07 and lost 90 lbs. I have now gained back 25lbs. I have found too many ways to eat around the band and I wonder if I'm a lost cause and need to get another type of surgery (which I don't have the money for!). I know I do everything exactly wrong... Right now I have no weight loss support, I'm very financially stressed, and I have very little free time for exercising. But like it was just said, today is a NEW day and I'm determined to do something to make things better.

I think I need a 12 step program for bandsters!

This is my greatest fear - gaining my weight back. Although I havent's gained back a lot of weight, I want to stop the process in its tracks BEFORE I do!!

I just went on a 2 week vacation, and managed to gain back 5 pounds. Now I know HOW I did it (wine, and endless foods), but danged if I can figure out WHY I did it.

So, it is back to the basics - as much as it challenges me! Yesterday was Day 1, and still I 'broke' - I ate a piece of applecake last night. So, today is Day 1 again.......ARGHH!:thumbup::scared2:

The beauty of the band is it is a tool there to help you when your ready to use it. The good news is you know you CAN lose the weight, you've done it before. So, you lost 170 lbs, then gained back 70, so now instead of losing 170 lbs, you only have 70 lbs to lose. You can do it, you've proven it to yourself you can do it.

I try and set myself a limit of 5 lbs gain, when I'm up 5 lbs, its back to strick basics until I lose the 5 lbs. Unfortunately, I broke my own rules and let myself gain 10 lbs.......eeek. So, now its back to the strict bandster diet, lean Protein, fresh veggies and fruits, no exceptions, until I lose that 10 lbs.

Start tracking what you eat, how much you eat and this will help and keep you accountable to yourself, it helps me anyhow.

Best wishes!

PS - I was banded in January 07 too.

Hugs for the struggles - I totally get where you are coming from - Pple were congrating me at 1 yr out - I said at that time congrat me when I am 5 yrs out and have kept the weight off

Heck this is nothing new - we all have said Never will be gain the weight back - I know I have twice in my life and both times - what happend - I gained it all back plus some..

I'm like sunshine - I have a 5lb limit that I flucate at.. 5 months ago I was at the low end of the 5 lbs - now a days I am at the high end of the 5 - that scares me..

Do I need a fill - no I don't think so - last night 4 oz pt and 2 bites of cauliflower - I was bping.. I need to listen to my stomach and not my head - cuz as we all know - our real problem isn't our stomachs - but our stupid head..

You can do this - get the junk out of the house - sit down - plan a menu for the week - stick to it - keep a food diary too and do your best to get at least 30 min of exercise a day...

How's your restriction - could you use a fill??

I'm a firm believer in journaling, here is an interesting article on that very subject. I hope this helps you with your struggles, it sure does help me.

Write Your Way to Weight Loss

Find out how keeping a journal can keep off those pounds.

By Madeline Vann, MPH

Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

Writing down what you eat can double your weight-loss success and help you keep those pounds off permanently. After all, maintaining your weight can be harder than losing it, so you need all the helpful tools you can get.

Keep Your New Weight: Why Journaling Works

A study of 1,700 overweight men and women showed that those who kept a regular food and exercise journal, along with eating a low-fat diet and exercising 30 minutes per day, lost 18 pounds in 20 weeks, compared to a nine-pound loss among those who did no journaling.

Researchers believe food journals work because:

• They make you accountable.
  
• They help you identify where extra calories are sneaking back into your diet.
  
• They can act as a deterrent — if you know you have to write down that you ate a second generous wedge of double fudge chocolate chip brownie pie, you might not eat it!
  
• They provide a concrete record of your success.
  

One of the lessons many people take from their experience of food journaling is the difference between a serving size as printed on a nutrition label and the amount of a food that they consider to be a helping. For example, a serving of Pasta is about a half a cup, so you may be surprised when you start keeping your food journal that your usual helping of spaghetti could be as many as four servings.

Keep Your New Weight: Find Your Best Journal Format

Be creative with your weight journal format if that also helps keep you on track. The word journal may conjure up the image of a leather-bound diary tucked under your pillow, but 21st century dieters can get the same benefit with a high-tech twist — texting.

An eight-week study of 31 families showed that tech-savvy teens were nearly twice as likely to stick to a diet plan if they could text-message about their diet and exercise choices. The study's authors concluded that an immediate response from a nutritionist helped keep them motivated. You could achieve the same results by texting a diet buddy.

Another option is keeping a log of your dietary choices online, which may also give you access to interactive tools such as calorie counters and weight trackers as well as personalized meal and exercise plans.

Keep Your New Weight: What to Journal

Whether you're a next-generation smart phone texter or a spiral notebook traditionalist, you need to keep track of specific details for the best results. Here is a general guide for what information to track in your log:

• Your weight at the start of maintenance and at your regular weigh-ins.
  
• Your goals and any specific guidelines for your meal plan.
  
• Specific measurements you are tracking, such as your waistline.
  
• Portion sizes of foods — remember to make it servings, not helpings — and food groups.
  
• Nutritional information associated with the servings you are eating, such as calories, salt content, fat content, Fiber, and carbohydrates.
  
• Minutes of exercise expended, plus any other exercise data you record, such as heart rate.
  
• Any other habits that you believe are relevant to your weight, such as the time you spend watching TV or playing video games.
  
• Any other details about your eating experience, such as where you ate, who you were with, and how you were feeling emotionally at that time.
  

Write down everything that you eat or drink, including Snacks and Water. And another success tip: For greater accuracy jot down what you ate right after you eat it.

By keeping a food diary, you'll be able to see if you're about to go over your allotted calories for your current weight on any given day, as well as if you're eating too many or too few calories over the course of a week.

Since it's important to shake up your exercise routine periodically to keep your body challenged, your journal will also allow you to review past workouts and alert you when you’re due for a change.

Journaling is a great motivator, keeping you on the straight and narrow and preventing you from slipping back into old patterns that caused your weight gain.

You are not alone. I was banded in Sept. 07 and had 100 lbs on my one year bandiversary. I plateued after that and pretty much stayed the same. I was put on a steroid a few months ago and I gained 30 lbs while on it. I developed some of my old eating habits during that time and it's been hard to get back on track. I've been back on track for a couple of weeks now and managed to lose 10 lbs back. It's a daily struggle, but my mind is set to finish this.

You can do this. Take it one day at a time and choose to get back on the bandwagon! Good luck to you!

As long at you get back on the routine you know you are suppose to follow then you are a success in my opinion.

All of us fall off the wagon at one time or another. I went on a camping trip to Big Sur. It was my first time ever to sleep in a tent. I loved it! But, because there were no restrooms close by I drank much less Water then I know I am suppose to. Therefore, I was somewhat dehydrated and unable to eat due to a tight band. Every meal I attempted to eat came back up. I had no trouble polishing off an entire bag of marshmallows and a bag of cheese puffs. I was truly disappointed in myself.

When I returned home and realized I had gained 5 pounds I was a little upset with myself. Mainly because I have not changed my outlook on food as previously thought. I told myself that anybody can screw up and I just needed to start fresh.

I started over and lost that 5 pounds in just over a week.

You too can start anew. Learn from your past mistakes and start fresh.

YOU CAN DO IT!

I have a simliar problem, I have gained about 25 pounds back as well. I was banded in July 08 (weighed 380) and lost 140 pounds. I started feeling really ill. I threw up everytime I ate and had very bad heartburn all the time. I went to the dr and they took ALL my fluid out. I feel no restriction at all, is this normal? I still have so much to lose. I am thinking about doing the 5 day pouch test to see if I can get back on track. I can not go in for a fill for about 3 more weeks and I am worried that I will keep on gaining!

At the time I chose lapband surgery the doctors were saying this would be a 2-3 year losing process and that I had to commit myself to the right diet and exercise. I said, yeah,yeah, give me the lapband now! and I have been happy but in year 2 it was much harder. I saw others banded the same time as me hit their goal, have plastic surgery and I was envious, the old green eyed monster. I started measuring myself against others. When I got my act together and looked at things, I had lost 80 lbs by Dec 2008 and another 42 lbs by Dec 2009 for a total of -122 and now I am setting myself a practical goal of 40 lbs in 2010 and then I should be close to being where I should be -- 3 years after starting. Who knew that the surgeons really did mean it was a three year process! Now I am totally with the post about see me in 5 years, make me stay committed for a lifetime which is what I signed up for when this was put in.

Doesn't it that much more help us be sympathetic to those who had the more drastic WLS of Gastric Bypass and then after the initial thrill of losing the first 100 almost without trying find they hit the wall but they can't go back, still have a permanently changed internal organ structure, etc.

Start back 1 day at a time. You are in the right place to get support. Stay in touch on this board daily.

Doesn't it that much more help us be sympathetic to those who had the more drastic WLS of Gastric Bypass and then after the initial thrill of losing the first 100 almost without trying find they hit the wall but they can't go back, still have a permanently changed internal organ structure, etc.

I'm curious, what do you mean by "hit the wall"? Most BP patients that I know don't feel that way at all. And in spite of what many people think/say, GB is reversible.

Just curious.....

Hi Spartan,

What I mean by "hit the wall" is those who get the first 80% of their excess weight off and find it very hard and very slow to finish the last 20% regardless of which type of surgery they had. I have observed that RNY patients in my hospital program say they were told to get as much of their excess weight off in the first year because after that, their pouch would stretch some allowing them more capacity to eat, and also that their new portion of intestines has the capacity to adapt and be better at absorption and so the combination of more capacity and more absorption slows things down for them. I am not saying it is not a good surgery -- I have met many happy people in my support group who chose that. I have not heard much about it being reversible. Not sure of the success rate of trying to reconnect the portion of the stomach back to the small pouch or just reconnecting the intestinal tract back to what it was, but my understanding is that it would be a very difficult reversal surgery compared to the removal of the band in relative terms and potential reversal success rate.