OMG I am so tired of people calling this EASY! First, anything we do to lose weight can fail if we don;t commit, even surgery. Even though I have a band, I can still consume excessive amounts of ice cream, puddings, chips, and other crunchy foods easily. My doctor and I discussed this and it is normal because these foods digest real easy, so I still have to use WILL power to lose weight, the band is just an aid, but it is definitely not the "easy way out". If inability to eat foods you have always enjoyed like steak and pork is easy, if the inability to have a beer with your friends is easy, if making a life long decision to completely alter your body and "volunteer" for surgery and lifelong followup is easy, they I guess it is the easy way out, but all thos things for me were and still are HARD!! But as a wife and mother I felt I owed it to myself and my family to address my chronic weight issue and stop "yo-yo-ing" like I did on the many many diets I tried and actually do this FOREVER, and although it has been difficult, and there have been times I have questioned why I did this to myself, it is the greatest thing I ever did and my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner!!! Forward THAT to SELF!!! lol