Frusterated

[Tadpole]

It has been about 5 years now since my band was put in. I cannot get my eating under control. I have been down to 153 lbs with much effort and am now 175 lbs. I find that if I eat slowly enough I can consume a lot. For example the other day I had a cheese burger, onion rings, and a medium ice cream. However, there are times when I eat a couple of mouths full of something and it gets stuck and I have to go to the bathroom to vomit. Yes I have learned how to cheat the band and with that knowledge I am not loosing weight. How in Gods name can I stop that?????? I just want to be happy, healthy, and comfortable in my skin. Do I need a fill? The doctor that does my fills here in Canada will only do .5 cc at a time and doesn't do flouro. How do I know what I have enough of a fill? Wish I had the money to go to OCC for a fill.

Sorry for the rant, I am so upset with my results...and yes the blame lies soely on my shoulders. I am the first to admit that.

Happy New Year!

Trudy

[EcMjawad1]

Hello,

So, I am going on year three with my band and it has been slow going..my advice..start over. Take it from the beginning, you know you can't eat that food so wrap your mind around it. A couple of us have bought some real good books to help with the mental need to eat (which is what it sound like to me). My favorites: Eating in the Moment & Eating Mindfully, both of these books are small and can fit in your purse. The Bandwagon is another excellent book and coming here for support also a must. I mention this because during the holiday season I through all those skills out the window and made a conscious decision to eat as I pleased (which was still less then normal) and this week started over. I lost the 5 pound holiday gain and I am feeling better already. Start again, stick to the rules..like protein first, do your measurements in ounces..also you might consider liquids for the first week in case your pouch is enlarged..call the OCC and ask for advice..but this is what I do when I fall off plan, and yes it's a plan, for life...Hang in and good luck.

[Shell39]

Lisa,

I looked up the ONVO wishing that they had something closer to me Im in Skagit Valley. It sounds incredibly beneficial. Will keep looking.

[nothereanymore]

That's great - it’s just taking that step - and finding a program that works for you. Onvo worked for me, because it was education and support. I needed to learn about food and exercise and come to an understanding of how and why I was using it. It should be used in a good way, to help us live better - healthier lives. Before I was using it as a crutch, abusing it as we do drugs and hurting my body, as well as my spirit. I don't care what anyone says, I believe it’s horrible to be obese, we miss out so much in life and die young. We also burden others with our higher costs in the health care as we age and they have to deal with our medical issues. In addition I hid myself and I know others do this as well, we don't fully live life and make excuses not to go out to functions when we know we'll be seen or can't fit in chairs, rides or whatever. And I know that not everyone is like this, but many are and it’s so sad. I hope that we all reach our goals, and focus on living life to the fullest, just get out there and do it. When I was still big and finally came to the realization that I was going to succeed (we need to do that as well) I bought a tiny sports car I could barely fit in. I made myself get out and start living and acting like a smaller person. I then became that person with work, but food is not the end all to me now (OK I still love my sweets from time to time and don't deny myself) it is the fuel that allows me to live life to the fullest and enjoy and the band is something that helps me manage it.

The first step is just a baby step, looking yourself in the mirror and telling yourself you love yourself. Your important enough and strong enough to work this dam band :-)

Much love,

Lisa ~ 140 pounds lost, a new life gained.

[Elizabeth36]

Tadpole, I too am so frustrated. I got my band 4/15/10, and initially with the liquid phase I lost 15 lbs. I had no restriction, and my 1st fill was 7 cc's that was in June 2010. After that, I still could eat anything I wanted, so I went for fill number two on 9/11/10. There was 2 more cc's added..I was up to 9 cc's, and oh yes I had restriction. That was D day for me for many reasons...1st my mom was told she may have bone cancer & sure enough she did. She had stage 4 Ovarian cancer that had spread to her bones...the next 6 months were living hell for her and myself & ultimately she lost her battle in March 2011. All that time I had to be careful with what I ate...I did lose weight, but only 13 lbs and then it just stopped. I still couldn't eat anything, and did have freq PBing if I ate the wrong thing. I finally got a chance to go to a fill center ( the other one I had went to the 1st two times closed, and I had to find another...it was 5 hrs away). During that visit the practioner wanted to tell me that I had probably slipped my band and that's why I was having the pbing...I didn't think I had and after the fluro..everything was in perfect position. I had him remove 1 cc, and I could finally eat again and still have restriction. I have found if I eat slow I can eat more...way to much. Now I've gained a good 10 to 12 lbs, and everyday keep getting bigger. I had my thyroid checked and it was borderline low, so I've been on Levoxyl for about 5 weeks..was hopeful that would help, but so far it has not. I am just a few pounds shy of my surgery weight, and have made an appt finally with a provider that lives close. I am worrried my pouch is dilated, and boom I will be back to the "unfill/fill mode", and I have a feeling it will be small amounts that will cost me a small fortune. I have been reading a lot of people who has had this same problem, and they have opted for a VSG. I am considering this option myself, but worry about the scar tissue that's present from the band surgery, and my GB surgery I had to have last year. I see so many successful people with the band...I feel like such a failure. I can't help but think it may be the band size 11 cc's and my anatomy. Maybe you and I both can get the answers we need..8=)

[goldilocks]

I too am frustrated. I had the band surgery in Sept 11 and had lost about 23 pounds then put 2 back on at holidays. Problem is I lost 10 pounds before surgery and 6 during the after phase with liquids and now a total of 4 after 3 months. I had one fill and it really didn't restrict me much at all but my fear is of being too restricted. I am afraid I will tend to over eat all the time and be miserable or PBing. I just want to lose the weight but I can eat alot still and go up and down and up and down. I am so tired of dieting. I am using a calorie counter and trying to stay at 1200 calories but its so hard. I try to eat well but at night I go crazy and just eat and eat and tend to go over my 1200 cal, by 100 or more.

while I am much more conscious its just so hard and seems fruitless a lot of the time. I really thought the weight would be easier to get off with the band but its not I still have to diet like crazy to lose a pound. I was doing that before I got the band.

its really hard to change old habits and your mind set. I hope after awhile it will come more naturally.

[Bella1980]

I just read an awsome book The perfect 10 diet, I was shocked and it was very eye opening about low fat, fat free, margarineetc products that had been forced upon us as healthy even by the americna heart association. It was a very good read. I have not had weight loss surgery but have been thinking about it I also have PCOS that doesn't help with my journey with weight loss

[Lvbirgit]

Hi Goldilocks! we both had our band last sept. I also had my ups and downs and lost 33 pounds so far. I went up 6 pounds over the holidays ( went home to Germany and lived on cheese chocolate and had lots of high cal alcohol Drinks) but am back on track now .....yikes 5 weeks wasted.

The only way my body looses weight if i get my butt to the gym and work out! I eat very little most of the time and should be better at keeping track but I am happy loosing even at this slow rate.

Yes I know how to cheat the tool I have implanted into my body and payed a sh...load of money for! crazy, right!

So basically we know what it takes....keep in mind what step you took to help yourself loose weight!

We are all in this together! LETS DO IT

[CompletelyRevised]

I'm right there with you guys! I was banded in 2007or2008 cant remember. I was overfilled and pregnant and only gained 12lbs so I was good with that. A few months after the baby I went and they completely unfilled me and said I'd stretched my pouch. Got an unfill and gained a bunch back. Went back in to check and see if I could get a fill and they said it was permanant damage and I'd have to get it removed eventually. For now I have a bit of restriction but not enough:/ to really help. So i was down to 169 and now I'm back up to 207. Which I'm thankful that I've still kept off about 100 lbs. I was over 300 before the band.

I'm just so frustrated because it's my fault that I don't have the tool to help me now.

[goldilocks]

its been 14 months since I had the surgery and I have had 2 fills and can't lose weight. I go up and down but am 12 pounds up since I started. I really think I wasted my money . The band doesn't do what I was led to believe. I thought I would feel more full so wouldn't be eating as much and the weight would slowly come off. I can lose weight if I starve and do a 500 calorie diet but I wanted to eat a more normal healthy diet. I think I will just go to weight watchers or something. totally disenchanted with this method. My Fill Dr told me that the success rate for the band was very low and now I agree with him. That was never found in any of the materials for the surgery tho.

Good luck to all of you working at it tho. Of course you did that before the surgery right ?

[RNStacey]

I was banded in 2008 the band is a tool, it is not a miracle you have to put effort into it. You need to make some emotional and mental changes eating ice cream, burgers and candy you are not going to lose it. I lost over 115 pounds then last January my band slipped since then I have gained it all back I gained 50 pounds in a month because my emtioons got the best of me. Honestly if you are not willing to change your eating habits you are wasting your time and setting yourself up for failure. Find a support group, over eaters meetings or something.

[CindyLou]

I was eating too slow and too much and stretch my pouch and was gaining. Had a complete unfill for one month and then 2 re fills. I'm down 12 lbs since then!!!! Maybe you need a reset ?!?

[dustinmoskovitz]

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