:thumbup: HELP!! I have been banded now for 3 years and 8 months. All was great in the begining, even the 1st year. Lost 75 lbs. pretty quick. Then hit the plateau. Then got band tightened, couldn't eat, started eating junk food just to get it down. Got Fluid out. Band was finally perfect.

I got used of eating junk again, drinking with meals, and pretty much breaking every lap band rule in the book.

The weight started creeping back on. 10, then 20, now 35 lbs. back!! I feel so ashamed and guilty :rofl:. I was a self pay patient. I feel like a disapointment to myself and my family .

I want so badly to get back on track, loose the 35 lbs. plus at least 35 lbs. more.

I feel like I need to start over as a new patient. Please give me any tips, suggestions, advice, critisism, encouragement, or food help that you can! I need a new support system.

I am motivated and ready to start over

Michelle

Hey Michelle! I feel silly giving advice since I've only had the band since June, but sometimes when I really feel like I've gotten off track (like if Im eating ice cream everyday, for example), I go on a liquid diet. Basically a pre-op diet (although I try to do 2 days of Clear liquids to get started). Not only does it rid my body of all of the carbs (and at the same time, get rid of the bad carb cravings) but it jump-starts my weight loss which is a HUGE motivator to me. It seems like if you wanted to start over, you should start at where you began!

I also write down EVERYTHING I eat. I do it on fitday.com but there are many places to do it. I like fitday because it adds up my calories, and also breaks down my food as well as my daily, weekly, monthly intake into percentage of fats, carbs, and Proteins. This way I can see where I'm lacking or overdoing it. And its only for you, so be brutally honest.

You should probably also make an appt with your doctor. Maybe you need a fill? Maybe you should meet with the nutritionist? I'm sure your doctor will be able to and will be happy to help you out.

You can do it! Stick around here for support - its a great place to get advice and support from people going through similar things.

Hi Michelle -

Thanks for your post - it is exactly what is happening to me. I just celebrated year 2 with the band.

I lost 50 (needed to lose 75) but was so happy with the 50 that I got lazy. I remotivated myself and went for a fill which was too tight and then I went for an unfill and it was too loose!! So, I have gained 15 pounds back and I am miserable.

I went for another fill Tuesday and I also went to the gym and went back to the correct way of eating. The Dr really helped, she said that I should not get depressed, felling like this is like every other diet. This is the band, which is adjustable and they show all kinds of success for 5 years and longer. That was nice to hear and enough to get me on track again.

Keep in touch

You might want to try the 5 day pouch test. You can search it on this forum. It's sort of what isa said and should help you get pointed back in the right direction.

Also a lot of people like to post on the "What I had to eat today" thread. That helps give accountabtility.

Best of luck to you.

i am in the same boat-- i feel hopeless and ashamed- i was self pay too- almost the exact same as you - the first year was good, then my band was too tight - now its like i dont have a band at all. :thumbdown: i dont know what to do :thumbup:

I am going to go on my third year soon. I have to say I belive it is about finding that spot that is just right for you. I was too tight before and proceded to pack on 15 pounds as soon as I could eat more again. I have learned that I have to stay pretty tight or I will gain. Lets face it...if we all have great self control then we would not have ever needed the band right? My doctor told me all along that most bandsters only lose 70% of their excess weight so unless you totally change what you eat and exercise daily the likelyhood of losing all of your weight is slim. I have also learned to be proud of what I have accomplished and to focus on how far I have come vs how much I still need to do.

HI Mic

I am in the same boat. Had the band place on 12/13/05 weight was 320 lbs... Got down to 268 lbs.. Today 340 lbs..

I too broke the rules did not go to the Dr office for follow ups and fills, stop working out and started eating the wrong foods... I gained everything back and then plus some.

Its awful... Well today after over a year I called and made a Dr's appt to get checked out and hope to get a fill. I am also going in Dec to a class for emotional eating.

Hope to get back on track..

I am starting to eat a Little better, good news I am 4 lbs down

Joe

Highest weight: 11/12/04-@ 362 lbs

Start weight:339 Lbs ( Sept 07, 05)

Band date/weight= Dec 13, 05/ 320 lbs

Lowest weight: 268 lbs- 4/17/06

restart weight- 344.0 lbs 10/28/09

CW: 11-4-09 340 LBS

Michelle: I could have written that post myself. I was almost at goal and have now gained 20lbs. Maybe we should start a challenge of some sort. Make each other accountable again. I was having some funky things happening with my band about a month ago, so I have all my fluid removed. But there is no reason I should have gotton off track. There is still some restriction. We can't beat ourselves up over it, we just have to plow ahead.

I'm in the same boat. Lost 120 lbs the first year, got pregnant unexpectedly, put 60 lbs back on and really need to lose 100 lbs to be at a healthy BMI. I don't know why, but my band just doesn't feel like it used to. The food just feels like it goes through easily or gets stuck. Even when i really try to "feel" how much is enough, it's just 0 or stuck. I never ever get a feeling of "just enough" or satisfied feeling from my food. I think that was what i was missing right after banding but i was unfilled through most of my pregnancy so i got used to feeling that lower stomach satisfaction- if ya know what i mean. I just dont know how to get back to feeling okay with food when it just sits in the pouch. I want that back so bad.

If I had the money, I would totally have my band removed, wait a few months and do it all over again! Since I can't, I need to relearn somehow... i just don't know HOW!

Its nice to not feel so alone. I too am an old bandster re-starting. The nice part is that we have the "built" in tool. We just need to use it. Why don't we use each other for support since we seem to know what we're all going through. I too was self pay and feel that I let my family down. I am ready to start over!

One more thing that may help some of you, when I was filled with the regular saline in my band I would be tight at first and then the tightness would go away which also would mean I would feel an increase in hunger. My MD told me that some people do lose some fluid from the band without having a leak. He explained that is can move from the band membraine out into your boday. He would take all of my fill out and measure it and sure enough it was less than the amount of my last fill. He told me about a thick solution they put in the band for people that have this problem and boy did it work! I never had that feeling again where it seemed all of my tightness just disappeared.