I am newbie also, I was banded 6/12/09 & have only lost 12 lbs. I thought the function of this whole thing was to loose weight at a realistic pace. I am finding that I am starting to crave foods that I know are forbidden, But I DIDNOT go thru this just to sabotage myself. I just keep trying to step back from this & remind myself why I did this in the first place. ( Well at least it's working for me now)