Band or no band, you have to put in some type of work on your own. You have to change your eating habits and you have to do some kind of exercise. If you are not willing to put forth any effort or make positive changes in your life you will never lose weight , whether your banded or not. I too went through the same thing, until I decided to change my life around for the better. Please do not give up. You can do it!

There are plenty of ways that you can work out without a personal trainer and without too much cost. I have never been to a gym or had a personal trainer and have lost 62kg with the band and lifestyle changes. I love cycling, dancing, swimming and walking. Having a really good support person in real life - my husband -, and maintaining an ongoing relationship with my surgeon for regular visits have been crucial.

The other thing for me has been to set small, intermediate goals along the way that give me achievements to celebrate while still working towards my bigger, long term goals. Things like getting below 100kg, looking good in my son's wedding photos, cutting back on my blood pressure tablets etc, have been real goals and real achievements. Right now I am working towards a big item on my bucket list and have signed up for the Great Victorian Bike Ride in November.

Hang in there, reassess, and work on a plan to get that band working for you.

Maybe it is time to get back to the basics? Sometimes you have to re-asses since it is easy to wonder off the right path. Have you attended support groups? Are you getting enough protein, drinking enough liquids, excercising every day? The committment to go through the op is huge! You owe it to yourself to exhaust every resource before deciding to have it removed. Won't it be that much harder to lose any weight without it? Good luck to you!