LargeMediumSmall

Wow! That's a tough one. I am in a bit of a stall-out myself. When I talked to my doc's exercise phisiologist she said to change up my workout routine a little. I had become kind of stagnant in my workouts. I increased the intensity a bit this week and I've already noticed a little drop in weight. Try the diet change suggestions, try changing up your exercise routine, heck, try anything and see what works. Stalls can be very frustrating but they can be overcome. Good luck.

Been hypothyroid for 18 years. Been off and on meds, natural and synthetic. Done well on both as far as symptoms went, but thyroid treatment never actually helped me with weight loss, per se. Probably because, in reality, I had a terrible relationship with food. I had been off meds for quite a few years when it was re-diagnosed during my initial lap-band office visit. I went back on synthroid because I didn't want anything slowing or inhibiting my weight loss. As a Certified Herbalist I generally don't like meds but in this case my size 24 butt overruled my herbalist heart and I faithfull take my Synthroid each day. I'm a 'low & slow' loser but I can't really say if that's from my thyroid issues or my way of dealing with my band. But the bottom line is that even with hypothyroidism I am losing and feel great. I'm sure you'll do great as well. And on a personal note....Thyroid problems bite! What a pain in the ass. How can one little gland cause so much difficulty! P.S. I will assume that is an 'after' photo you have listed. Even if it isn't, you still look fab!

Wow! I'm amazed at how many 'Wingers' there are out there. I was expecting to see a lot of 3/2ers. I generally wing it but after the last seminar I spoke at I was beginning to wonder if I was doing myself a disservice as the doctor that gave this particular seminar (not my surgeon) touted the necessity and benefits of the 3/2 way of life. My surgeon told me personally, "I don't care what you it, it's how much." Of course I know that both he and I would prefer that I don't consume 900 calories in ice cream each day, but I get his drift. The only thing he actually said to stay away from was high calorie sodas which I don't drink anyway. I am a winger out of years of habit. As I said, I can't even get a Breakfast in, I'm just to tight in the AM. I've been a little stalled for the last 8 weeks at 185 but my recent increase in exercise seems to have pushed me through that. I've cut my Starbucks down from a mocha to a skinny latte or plain coffe and my Godiva consumption has been put on hold as well. That should help a little. I was concerned that my winging it was still harboring avoidance issues with food but after reading your comments I see that it's not avoidance it's healthy ambivolence. Ahhh, I see...If food is no longer an issue then there's no need to monitor the heck out of it. So if I choose to wing it or 3/2 it, as long as I'm comfortable & healthy I think I'll be fine with either way. In the meantime I think I'll stick with my wing it & eyeballing the calories method. Seems to be working so far. Thank you for your comments. They really helped me understand a nother piece in the puzzle of my relationship with food.

Banded August 2009 Start weight 265 Current weight 185 Sounds like a lot but I'm 5'6" tall and almost walking out of my size 12 pants. I'm pretty muscular underneath what's left of the fat I have to lose. I've always been strong. No one every believes I weight as much as I do, even at my largest they didn't believe it. I say they must have been blind, but whatever. Even when I was in the Army I never made weight. They always had to test my body mass and I'd pass with flying colors. So, to me, weight is just a number. Measurements count. Total loss 80 pound in 15 months. Low and slow. Goal weight 150. 10 cc band. 5 cc fil and pretty tight, I might add but I like it that way. I don't compare myself to other's progress anymore because I know I'll get there when I get there. I love my band. It's my best friend. It is helping me understand and overcome my food addictions so that when the day comes when I have to handle food all on my own (bandless) I'll be prepared and healed from all my old food demons. My philosophy.... The band...it's an assist. Weight loss....it's a process. Overcoming food issues....a lifelong journey.

The banding center you choose should have all of this information available free pre-op. Many give free monthly seminars to inform potential banders of everything they need to know. It is also a great place to get straight answers from doctors. I am a guest speaker quite frequently at my docs seminars & I find that hearing from doctors & real patients really helps put people at ease about the whole process & get a lot of your insurance questions answered. Hopfeully the center you choose has this. I would suggest you choose a center that has great comprehensive follow up care. Nutritionist, counselor, exercise phisiologist, & monthly support groups. Follow up support makes a world of difference. This is a journey and you need friends & support. Congratulations on the 15 pounds and I hope that if you decided to get the assistance of a lap-band that you'll be happy and successful.

My doctor admits that the band or more accurately, body with a band is a fickle little thing and can be a touch high maintenance. But he as reminded me on occasions when I went into panic that as long as I could get fluids down and did not have any acid reflux problems I'd be ok, and I was. He reminded me that I was restricting an organ that wasn't really made to be restricted, it's going to react a little from time to time. He told me that many things cause internal inflamation inside the body and it is often difficult to tell what the root cause is. Did vomiting cause a vicious cycle, did I have a touch of a virus causing tissue inflamation, was I retaining fluids due to my period? Who knows. I've been in one month for a tighten then back 8 weeks later for a slight unfill and back again 3 months later for a fill. We've been playing with the same .4 cc for about 6 months now. In, out and back in again. I've just come to realize that it's part of the maintenance of a lap band. I don't freak out anymore. As long as there's no acid or pain I can handle all the flip-flopping now. I'm just used to it. According to your ticker you are doing amazingly well. Congratulations! Hope you get it all sorted out.

Recently I stepped up my exercise routine. I began running again. I ran every day in the Army and I hated it. I've never been an athlete and I don't consider myself one now. But I run now simply for the fact that I can! At 265 pounds I couldn't run 100 yards...Yesterday at 185 I ran two miles. The first time in 7 years. The bad news is that this new increase in exercise increased my hunger. I woke up this morning quite literally with a growly tummy. The good news is that because of my chatting on this board, listening to others, exploring my own food issues, I am not scared of this mornings hunger as I had been in the past. In the past if I woke up like this I'd be freaking out. Fearful I wouldn't be able to control what I ate. Fearful that 'my band wasn't working'. Fearful that I'd just simply be out of control when it came to food, just like the past. But after all the support and learning on this board I am no longer fearful. I know that I'll get something to eat to satisfy what my body says I need and I won't overdo it. I feel in control for the first time ever! For a compulsive overeater that's a huge step. If that control only lasts for the first meal of the day then I, #1 still consider it a personal victory over my eating issues and #2 am glad I have my band to fall back on until I gain total control. My band generally works very well for me but on mornings like this, when I realize I have not overcome all of my food demons completely, or when I've had little personal vitories over food, I'm so thankful I have support like this board to help me along. So a HUGE, HUGE Thank you to all of you who take the time to post and reply. You never know who or how you'll help someone just by posting your opinions and experiences. Thank you, thank you, thank you ALL!

Uggg! is right. I'd be frustrated too. I was actually the one who compared myself to others during my first year. Fortunately, my husband has to much of a sense of self-preservation to make any weight loss comments to me. I wondered why some people lost 100 pounds in 6 months and at 14 months I'm just hitting 80 pounds (my goal is to lose 120). I asked my doc about this at about the 10 months mark. He said that 4 to 6 pounds a month was safe, effective, & easy on the body and that I was doing great. He also reminded me that "You don't know what those other people are doing." Those were his exact words. He suggested that they may be eating nothing, vomiting everything they eat or in general just doing things that aren't healthy. He said everyone was different and to not compare myself to other's progress. And he assured me that "low and slow" was just fine as long as the weight kept coming off and I was getting proper nutrition time would be on my side. We also joked that I'd owe him less money because I probably wouldn't need a tummy tuck if I took it slow. So tell your hubby to go eat a cookie and enjoy the view as you get skinnier because until you've walked a mile in someone else's 'Layne Bryants' you havn't earned the right to comment.

According to your ticker you are doing fab weight wise. Awesome personal observation on fear & old habits! Those are the real battles we are fighting. Keep up the good work. Understanding your fears is half the battle.

Elfiepoo said it! A wise and well advised response. But what shocked me most was that you said that your doctor was disappointed in you. My heart just broke when I read that. Here's what I pick up from your post. Something in your heart/mind has not opened up and is not 'allowing' yourself to succede at weight loss. In the Eastern philosophies they would say that there is a blockage in your heart chakra and you have yet to allow yourself the happiness, success & love you deserve. You are on the right path because you admittedly know what you are doing wrong. A good place to start, in my opinion. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. Most all of us have done that. So don't feel alone in that one. Maybe some meditation on exactly why you are doing things that are contradictory to the banding process will help. If that doesn't work, as suggested by another poster, a good therapist might be able to help you get to the bottom of it. The band can be tricky. It works extremely well for some and not so much for others. But the truth is, it's a tool, and a tool only. The power to overcome anything, even something as addictive as food and drink, comes from within. Personally, I have had to use several mantras.... I love myself I forgive myself I deserve to be happy I deserve to be healthy I take full responsibility for my actions past and present From this day forward I will allow nothing, including & especially myself, to limit my success I give myself permission to be happy! Silly, I know ,but I say those things & just close my eyes & imagine little roadblocks in front of me or hurdles and as I say those words I just jump right over them, kick them down, or whatever image works for me at the time and keep moving right on down the road I visualize in my head. When I open my eyes I feel better. Tonight you will most definately be in my prayers. When your heart is ready I am sure you will see physical & emotional progress. Big hugs and lots of love to you.

When I first read the title of your post "What do you do when your calories are too low?" The immediate answer that came to my mind was...."Duh, the happy dance, of course." But then again, I'm still working on my relationship with food. Obviously it is not completely harmonious yet. If, and this is a big IF, I have a low calorie day I just chalk it up to calories in/calories out as my doctor told me. He told me that having a deficit of calories each day is what you need in order to lose weight but you do need proper nutrition and Protein in order to keep your metabolism pumping. I'd say that if you are very low and want to get in an extra proetein shake, green drink, Vitamin supplement or your choice of calories then it wouldn't hurt. Go by your nutritionist & doctors advice and what your body tells you it needs and you should be fine. The worry about not getting enough calories is often vitamin deficiency and loss of muscle mass or slowing down of the metabolism. Just use your best judgement & seek your doctor's support if you get confused or frustrated.

After reading and chatting on this board I am seeing a lot of the same stuff. A focus on physical issues with the band. Problems, successes, weight loss concerns and very commonly that the band didn't help people with their desire, want or compulsion to overeat. I chose the lap band because after a lengthy self realization process I came to the conclusion as to what my true problem was. I was never full & I was always wanting to eat. I chose the lap band because I was told it would help me with both of those issues and it has, but not exactly as I had expected. I finally realized the band has two faces. I guess it would be more accurate to say that the band serves two purposes. Many of you probably already realize this but admittedly, I'm a little slow on the life lessons so I'm just beginning to understand this. All my life I have struggled with weight. Even when I didn't have a weight problem my head said I did. High school photos show me how skinny I was but somewhere in my head I thought I was larger than others. So when I finally decided to get the band my mind set was all about weight loss. Weight loss pure and simple. Get banded, eat less, lose weight, problem solved end of story. What I have learned in the past 14 months of being banded, reading posts, reply to posts, and really looking at myself is that there are TWO issues here for many of us, not just the obvious one of losing weight. The other issue is our relationship with food. I am seeing a common thread among many posters. Compulsive or uncontrolled overeating. Using food as medication I called it in my life. Maybe there are those out there who finally realized that a portion of chicken is the size of your palm not the size of a small textbook and said, "Oh wow! I didn't know that. I'll simply change to that palm size portion from now on and I'll do great. Thanks for telling me that. I had no clue why I was gaining so much weight. I should be fine now. Oh, and eat more vegetables you say? Another thing I didn't know." Those people just chose lifestyle change and probably did fine but I think most of us champion dieters know all of those diet facts, we simply couldn't get a handle on our desires to eat. Now of course this isn't true for everyone, I know that. But for a lot of us it is. So I am beginning to understand the lessons the band is here to teach us. Weight loss is a priority. It has many benefits, this I know. But what we also may need to focus on is "How did I get this fat?" I spent all of the summer of 2009 writing down the true nature of how I got so fat. And what I found at the root of it all was a compulsive eating issue, social issues, personal issues, and just about any other issue you could think of. That's when I decided to get the band. I needed help and it has helped, but I had to do some serious soul searching & looking at issues within myself I really didn't want to look at. In the past when I didn't want to look at something I covered it up with food. Now, I use the band to kind of force myself to delve into my issues and deal with them appropriately. Admittedly some days are better than others. But besides the weight loss, the band helps us, if we let it, free mindspace for us to look at our relationship with food. If we allow the band to do it's job so we struggle less we might just free up some great brain space and time to really delve into well, not to put to fine of a point on it....how we got this fat. So if you find yourself focusing so severely on actual weight loss just remember that there is another side to this band. The side of the self. The actions we took that got us to this weight. And when you are ready, please make sure you take a look at those actions. It's the only true way we will every really overcome our overeating and have a healthy balanced relationship with food. Just something to think about. Why is it that some people get bariatric surgery, lose weight and then put it back on? Think about it for a minute. The process may have helped them lose the weight s obviously weight loss is possible, but did they ever really deal with their food issues successfully? Baring metabolic issues, I'd say that a good portion of those who gained back the weight did not come to terms with why the put the weight on in the first place. Just a guess. I sympathize. After all, coming to terms with who we are and why we do certain things, especially self destructive things is a difficult row to hoe and a long row as well. It can take years to really figure yourself out. And once you do I guarantee there will be new things to figure out, but that's what makes us human. So remember to look at both houses of the lap band, weight loss AND personal growth. I feel confident in saying that if you do you'll have a life long success story to tell. Again, just my personal observations.

These are my personal observations about my own weight issues. I have spent years struggling with real and imagined issues with food. I decided to have the lap band surgery after about 4 months of deep and meditative introspection about what my true 'issue' with food was. I had tried everything as many of you have. But when I took a good look at why diets, exercise & food control issues failed for me I realized a lot. One thing that became clear was that I was using food to 'medicate' myself. Every issue, large or small good or bad was medicated with food. I used food in place of dealing with my true issues. Tired, bored, happy or sad I solved the problem with food. It was no wonder I was never full. It was no wonder I was always reaching for something to eat. I would attempt to make healthy choices, I would exercise and I still did not lose weight for all the biological reasons doctors explain about metabolism. But the bottom line was that food was always front and center in my mind. I hated the grocery store like most people hate going to the dentist. I realized at one point that food, for me, was in actuality, an addiction (I speak for myself only, of course). And I realized that this was the worst kind of addiction ever. People can give up alcohol completely and live, they can give up cigarettes & drugs and still live. They can completely remove themselves from temptation of those substances (in extreme cases of course) and function. But food addicts can't. No one ever says, "Oh, I'll just have a little heroin today." But food addicts do. We attempt to restrict the thing that helps get us emotionally and physically through the day. The bad news is that we can never truly escape our addiction to food, after all, we need food to live. The only thing we can do is make vital attempts to undertand our relationship with food, make changes where necessary, & most of all understand ourselves and WHY food is so gosh darn important to us. If we could simply view food as fuel we wouldn't overeat, right? After all, there's no sense in overfilling your fuel tank in your car, is there. But that's not so easily done. Food has a powerful influence in our lives. We Celebrate with it, we suffer through mourning with it, we simply need it to survive. So I had to ask myself, "What the heck are you trying to avoid by numbing yourself with food?" It took a ot of time and listening to things my inner self didn't want to listen to but in the end the answer to that question was...."Everything!" What I lacked in my relationship was covered by my relationship with food. What was lacking physically after a workout was covered by the physical apsects of food. What was lacking in the department of self-love was covered by food. For me food was a cure all. I didn't have to search for answers anywhere else, I didn't have to look for solutions to deep and heavy issues in relationships because food cured those for me. Food, for me, simply made those things go away. Unfortunately the side effects were a catch 22. The food made me feel better in the moment but then almost as soon as I'd eat it I'd start to realize that I did not do myself any favors and of course would feel intrinsically bad and would search for more food to cure the problem...creating a catch 22. For me the answer came one day when i took a good hard look at myself. I realized that I really did love myself but what I was doing with food was inherently NOT loving to myself. I knew then and there that the best way to love myself was to overcome my addiction to food and start solving the little issues of life some other way other than food. But how? I attempted to gain control of my eating. I made health choices, exercised and foced on all foods I put into my body as a gift of love to myself. Food is fuel not medication, I would tell myself. Some days I would do very well, and others I would fail miserably. Days when emotional issues, fatigue, stress or other stressors increased I would feel myself quickly losing control over my new found 'self-love' mantra and back through the drive through I'd go. After many attempts to control increasing hunger after workouts & emotional eating I decided I needed help. I did my research on the lap band and decided that it was the right thing for me. I'm a natural health kinda person so the thought of surgery was not an easy prospspect for me but I knew this was the right thing to do. I did struggle a little with the thought that I SHOULD be able to hand this on my own, after all I did have good in-control days, sometimes. But my weight was getting dangerously high and I knew I had passed my personal point of no return, weight wise. So I chose the surgery. I came to the conculsion that I would probably always have an addiction to food deep down. Just like recovering alcoholics say...you are always recovering. I knew I'd always be recovering from my food addiction but made my peace with the fact that alcoholics get help, drug addicts get help, gamblers get help, why shouldn't people with food addictions get help. The lap band was my addiction help. I knew I'd have to do some work too but I figure that if I could get a little help on the really bad days I just might be able to fight this addiction. It has been a year and two months. I've lost 80 pounds. I struggled with new issues after the band such as exercise. I knew I was supposed to exercise but exercise never worked for me before. I feared failure or even muscle weight gain so I didn't exercise much. Yeah, a new issue to deal with. I feared I spent all that money on the band and it wouldn't work, because after all, nothing else had and this was (for me) an addiction which is all in the head right? But as weight slowly started to come off and I recieved support from friends and family who loved me (but admittedly knew nothing of how hard it is to struggle with food issues) I began to see the light. The band helped me gain control where I was simply ill-equipped to do so previously. Can you fail with a lap band? Probably. Can you sabotage yourself? Probably. Did I want to? Absolutely not. In my mind, this was my last chance and I was going to do whatever it took psychologically & physically to make it work. Even if that meant I'd have to search elsewhere, namely deep in my soul for answers to those daily stressors and emotional issues I avoided and had medicated with food for so long. Do I still crave food when I am angry, hungry, happy or stressed? Not really. Does it cross my mind? Yes, on occasion. Why? Because over the last 14 months the physical attributes of the band and intense personal exploration has helped me develop new habits. I use the band like alcoholics use Antibuse. I know that if I eat more than I should out of compulsion I will get sick and that's not good for me. So over time, I have come to the understanding that my band is there to help keep me in control of eating while I use my mind to solve emotional stressors. Of course I still need to eat, but out of nutrition needs, not emotional needs. I let the band help me get the proper nutrition and use it to assist me in dealing with stressors appropriately. It's sort of my version of 'tough love'. It won't let me have what I want because it knows it's not good for me and forces me to deal with the rest of life the way I should. And the only side effect is that I am losing weight. Recently my band became lose with weight loss & increased exercise. I was hungier than usual, could eat more and I did. I felt like I was a little out of control. I attempted to handle it on my own for a few weeks understanding that at some point in my life the band may not work well anymore and I needed to see how much progress I had made in my emotional journey. The answer to that was...only a little. I didn't feel bad however, after all, I'd spent a lifetime developing my food issues. I didn't expect them to disappear in 1 year. I found myself able to eat larger portions, reveling in it, & in truth thinking "Oh, I bet I could have a Sonic hamburger." In essence, I was having a relapse. I was thinking of all the wonderful things I could have to 'love myself' with. But! the funny thing was, that the food didn't have the same medicating response anymore. Nothing that I ate gave me that sensuous UMMMM! response I thought it would. I didn't have one of those...."Oh my God, I haven't had this in a year and it tastes incredible!" feeling. I simply just ate a little larger portion than ususal and felt kinda bad about it, simply for the fact that I was pretty sure I didn't need that extra portion. So I learned that just because I could eat more, I didn't really need to and in actuality I wasn't getting that response I had expected. And no, I never really did eat a Sonic hamburger. It was at this point I chose to get my band adjusted a little to give myself the assistance I needed. I know I am making progress and my goal is to some day get to the point where I am in control of all food issues band or no band. I think I'm well on my way. I no longer fear the day I may not have use of my band because I have seen progress and I know I will get there. So for those who still struggle with hunger, compulsion to overeat or cravings I feel for you. All I can suggest is that maybe you take a good hard look at what food means to you and how you are using is. Be honest with yourself, I know it's hard. Society doesn't make weight loss or body image easy. After all, simply take a look at your next restaurant portion and you'll see that. Your body probably only needs about a quarter of what is put on your plate to survive nicely. No one can come to these realizations for you. All I know is that I was tired with struggling with my love/hate relationship with food. I was tried of trying to bend food to my will skipping this, substituting that. I wanted my relationship with food to be normal. And I can honestly say that with the help of my lap band I'm as close to normal as I have ever been in 41 years, but still a work in progress. I am slowly making peace with food, using it for what it was intended & loving myself in the process. I used to tell people who said I need to love myself more...."I'll love myself when I'm a size 8 again." I finally realized I was missing their point. Loving who you are, doing things that honor & love the self is a process not a size destination. I am now 185 pounds, 41 years old, a size 12 and if I never lost another pound I honestly think I'd be perfectly happy with myself, physically and emotionally. If you have ever uttered the phrase "I love to eat." or "I just love food." I would highly suggest you take a good hard look at why you made those statements and you'll get some good insight as to your personal issue with food. It may not be like mine but it just might. Thank you for reading my story and I hope you have a wonderful learning experience with or without your band. Sincerely, Samantha Hall

I can only speak for myself but I realized that the compulsive part of overeating is separate from the band. Yes, the band helps with portion control, feeling full, feeling full longer & in truth it's my 'warden', meaning it doesn't really allow me to overeat. But does the band control my compulsion to overeat? No, not really it assists with other factors that contribute to compulsive overeating but it can't stop the compulsion. That comes from within the self. I control that or at least attempt to. What my band does is offer me more control over my 'actions' than I had alone. Do I still want to eat? Yes & no. Let me preface this by saying prior to my band I NEVER felt full. I never had that want, need or desire to push away from the table and say "I can't eat another bite." I could always eat another bite. The band helps me stay full longer on smaller portions so I have less of a need to overeat. In the past I was a famine/feast eater. I hated how food controlled me so much I would attempt to control it. I wouldn't eat for as long as I could because I just hated my relationship with food, then when I did it it was to much. My thought process was that if I could go most of the hours of the day without eating then there were fewer hours left for me to possibly overeat, but I did anyway. I couldn't follow the 3 meals/2 Snacks routine because I thought that any food I put into me was, well, just wrong. I knew it would increase my metabolism, make me hungrier, and in the end I wouldn't be able to control that hunger, even with proper portions, 'free foods', & lots of Water. That's why programs that allowed me to eat the 3/2 never worked for me. I just ended up focusing on the thing I hated, food. I preferred to ignore it for as long as I could each day. So does the band control the compulsion? It assists me. The outcome from weight loss & changing certain habits is what really controls the compulsion, for me that is. As I have mentioned in my post...I had an emotional melt down two nights ago and immediately wanted to turn to food. Compulsion,brought on my temporary inability to deal with an emotionally charged situation, yes. Controlled by the band, no? Did I overeat? No, the band kept me from doing massive ice-cream calorie damage. The band forced me to only go so far before I had to address the emotional issue. So it all works as a team. Needless to say, I addressed the issue, overcame it, major damage avoided. Do I have a healthy relationship with food now after having a band for 14 months. Honestly, no. I don't. Food is still my enemy. I don't eat the 3/2 combo like I should. I avoid food like the plague....well, maybe not that bad. Each day I get a little better. I keep my calories under control most days & I do a little exercise most days. But yes, I still hate my relationship with food. It's a step process. I've got the physical part of eating pretty much under control with the band but in reality I still have a skewed relationship & thought process on food. I'm working on that each day. I can sympathize with you about still wanting food. I hated that compulsion. I still do. My mind would say it's irrational, stupid and my personal strength should be able to overcome the desire for Chick Fil A. And when it didn't, I felt about 1 inch tall. I'm a strong person, I see amazing things each and every day. Things I won't even talk about because you'd think I was crazy. Of all the amazing things I know are real, true and supernatural why couldn't I get a hold of this one little compulsion? I still don't know the answer to that, but I work on it every day because I know that one day my band may not work anymore and the control will be all on my psyche and shoulders. For this reason I am slowly working on getting my perspective on food, my control over food, & my love/hate relationship with food into balance. I am slowly realizing that for me, the band isn't just about losing weight. In fact, that's just a nice side effect of the thing. The reality of what a lot of us are doing is using the band as a tool to help us understand ourselves and our relationship with food. In turn, this helps us understand ourselves. I think I am doing well with this process on my own, probably because of the nature of who I am and the fact that I have a background in therapy. I do highly recommend therapy for anyone who is still struggling to figure this whole mess out. A good therapist can help a lot. Nobody is perfect. And even when we grow we sometimes relapse. An just when I think I have it figured out I realize I don't, at least not all the way. Sometimes I think I'm doing fabulously well, then I write a post and realize I still have big issues to work on, issues I didn't see before..or refused to see. On my last post I felt like I had my food issues under control pretty well. Then as I wrote this one I realized, hey, I still have a skewed relationship with food. Not cool. I had better get to work on that. So just remember that this isn't just about losing weight, it's about getting to know and heal yourself. If you are on this board then you are obviously giving it your best shot and I commend everyone for that. I hope and pray that your attempts to get your issues under control are utterly successful. Big hugs and lots of love to you. Oh, and thank you for your post. As much as I hate to hear that people are struggling if I hadn't read your post and started this reply it may have been a longer time before I realized I'm still not completely Kosher with my relationship with food. I was thinking that because I was eating less, wanting less, and controlling it more easily I was fine. But I realize now that I am still need to get to a point where I don't hate food because I'm definately not there yet. So today, you helped me. A huge thank you! Today you were my therapist.

Please read my post on Making Peace With food. I am a self-professed recovering compulsive over eater/food addict. I think a lot of others here are also. We may or may not fit into the DSM V categories for addictive disorders but food can be an addiction. I'll just say this. Recovering from this is a daily battle. Some days we win, some days we lose. The band is there to help us gain a little control while we learn to deal. The band can be tricky, fickle & unpredictable but it's still a great tool. Hang in there and just keep seeking support and listen to your heart. It's been 14 months and I would say I've had a pretty easy time with it but it still throws me for a loop and confuses the heck out of me sometimes. One day I can eat a certain type of food and the next week I can't. I'll occasionally tighten unexpectedly then losen up. I'll get a fill, then unfill, then fill again. I've just learned that sometimes it can be a little bit of a high maintenance deal but it's worth it to help me with my eating issues. The band can be a tricky little bugger but it just takes time an patience to figure out how it works for you. I figure that some day I'll get the hang of it. BTW, did your doctor give you the Lap-Band Solution book by Paul O'Brien MD? You can get it on Amazon. That book answered a lot of the before and after questions for me. I actually bought a copy for my sister in law who had her surgery in another state and apparently had little to no follow up care from her doctor's office. The wonderful support staff at my doctor's office is probably one of the reasons my process went smoothly. Just have patience. You're doing fine. At about the 10th month I got online and started reading about people Youtube that had lost 100 pounds in 6 months. I freaked out and wondered if I was doing something wrong. Turns out my 4 to 6 pounds a month loss was right on target according to my doc. It's 14 months now, I'm down 90 pounds and have very, very little extra skin. Just a little in the belly area. Nothing a good pair of Spanx can't fix. So each person's process is different. You'll do great. Just have patience. Good luck. Best of luck.

Thank you all for your lovely posts. I'm a lemonade out of lemons kidna gal. Sometimes I think you have to be in this world if you don't want to be totally miserable. We are faced with challenges in life so we can grow but sometimes those challenges consume us...no eating pun intended. I wrote that post out of lemons. Earlier in that day I had some experiences where I felt like people were very cleverly trying to knit negativity into my life under the guise of veiled positive comments. You know the ones I mean, the ones that start with..."Don't take this the wrong way" or "I'm not trying to be insensitive but" comments. In general if you see or hear those caveats in a conversations there is psychological subversion going on. Not always, but a lot of the time it's true. Either the person doesn't know how to communicate what they truly mean, properly, and without the need for caveats or they actually mean what they are saying and are trying to cover their ass for the fallout. I was mad for a moment then decided that instead of defending myself and trying to fight off this negativity I'd just turn it into something positive for all to read. I wrote what I felt. I wrote part of what is in my book....which may or may not ever be finished. I figured that if it helped one person, just one person, know that they weren't alone in this food mess then it was worth baring my soul on the internet. My heart goes out to those (including myself) who are still struggling with the compulsion to overeat and/or the inability to properly handle our emotions. My prayers, love and light go out to them also. This eating issue is war as far as I'm concerned and I wake up every day ready to fight. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. I was challenged just last night beyond belief. I had an issue come up that played on my deepest darkest fears. The emotional equivalent to the end of the world. All I wanted to do wasy say the heck with it all and eat a ton of ice cream. This fear was bad, I mean really bad...take all of your money out of the bank & blow it all kinda bad. Evil must have known what it was doing because the Schwann's guy came that afternoon and I kept saying "for some reason I want to order ice cream" (which I never get) but yesterday I did. By 9pm I was in tears, fearing the worst, clutching a bowl of Cookies and cream and NOT the light kind either. I was so upset I didn't think I'd be able to sleep and if I did, I suspected a borage of nightmares to come. In all honesty I ate a bowl of ice cream and it went down quite well. I did eat a few bites to many and did get a little sick though. But later on I didn't beat myself up for it. I went into prayer, meditation, deep thought (whatever you choose to call it) to see what the real problem was and then went to bed. Long story short...I slept like a baby and by morning I understood the real issue, the real fear, discovered within myself that it was completely irrational and then felt a lightness come over me. Was this a test? Felt like it to me. I passed with what I would grade myself at, oh about a B+. I just find it funny that on the heels of writing that post I was challenged with what I would say was the biggest emotional challenge I have ever had to overcome. And what did I do? I turned to food, (a relapse so to speak) but not nearly as bad as I would have in the past. For sure the band helped with damage control but I let my real coping skills kick in after only minimal ice cream calorie damage. I feel it was a successful growth spurt. Anyway, I hope all of you have successful growth spurts and continue to learn about yourself & your relationship with food.

I hope you find what you are looking for through your therapist. In the military I worked as the military version of a therapist (called a psych tech) and my degree is in social work so I have a lot of time and experience digging around in other people's heads, as well as my own. But at the end of the day all that matters is how YOU are doing. I wish you the best of luck and hope you discover the key to overcoming overeating soon. It sure is a b+++ch! Sometimes I had to laugh and try to find the silver lining in all of it. I would thank God that my drug of choice was only food and not something worse. And while I knew overeating would kill me in the long run but I would laugh and say "at least it's not illegal." And as horrible as compulsive overeating is, with all it's sneaky evil little social hang ups, I'd say at least my skin looks great and I have all my own teeth still. It didn't stop me from going through the drive through but it did make me smile just a little. Just a split second of "Well, it could be worse" was often what I needed to help me through a high calorie day and give me the courage to go on to the next day. I often felt (about my food addiction) that I was being attacked from all sides by my addiction and I was screaming at the top of my lungs for help but for some reason no one could hear me. I hope you and have a great therapist that can help you get to the bottom of all this. It's a process. And like any addiction I think we may be fighting it for a while, but just know, there are others out there who suffer just like you and are willing to help in any way they can. Good luck and be good to yourself.

I am 14 months into my band and still don't understand why some foods work well when others don't. eggs don't work for me and I wouldn't touch a McDonalds french fry with a ten foot pole anymore, they just stick like crazy. Yes, I too find it odd that I can eat an oatmeal cookie but a bite of scrambled eggs really screws me up. I also find that in the AM my band seems less forgiving than the PM. My doctor says that everyone is different and the band can be fickle. All posts so far on this thread are excellent suggestions. Just keep experimenting with different foods. This might be a good opportunity to get online and find some recipes for things you've never tried before. I find it funny that whole & natural foods seem (in general) to work better for me than anything processed. If I could have stuck to that without the band I might not have gained so much weight. Just keep exercising and eat as well as you can and I'm sure you'll do fine. The band is a great tool, you just have to get the hang of it. Even after a year mine still throws me for a loop sometimes, but it's still my best friend.

No problem. I guess my doctor is a litle over ly optimistic when he says the band can work for everyone. He actually said that at a seminar this past Saturday. I just feel so bad for anyone it doesn't work for and my only consolation is the belief that there must be some other divine plan for those folks. I've struggled with food all my life, even when I was in the Army I struggled with weight. So I'll just send out lots of prayers for those who try the band and hope that they don't fall into any negativity or roadblocks. Thank you for clearing up some misconceptions I may have had. I have a tendency of focusing intently on the positive all the time. I just tend to be a very positive person and sometimes forget that things just don't work out well for everyone. Thanks for reminding me of that, Best of luck.

Oh do I know all about this one. I've been banded for over a year. I've lost 80 pounds. You can see me on www realresultswls.com under testimonials. I'm the last one on the page. Samantha. This was one of the first things my doctor told me about eating and exercise. I said, I exercise a lot but I can't get my hunger under control. He said it wasn't all my fault and that I was working against nature. If we want to lose weight we have to burn more calories than we take in so we exercise. When we exercise we produce the hormone Ghrelin which tells us to eat. Then we fight against that natural response and try to eat less thus producing an unproductive and difficult weight loss process. If you exercise that much you WILL be hungrier but you should still be eating three meals a day. But your portion size & length of satiety should remain the same if your band is properly adjusted. If you are ABLE to eat larger portions and are not feeling that full upper stomache satisfaction you may need some extra Fluid. Also realize that as the body shrinks in size over time so do the arrangements of the internal organs and your band may also need to be adjusted for that. Many times I have gone for months with my band perfect then all of a sudden I need it filled a little. On occasion due to unexplained body processes I've actually had it unfilled. It's a strange little device but I love it. If you are losing weight rapidly because of your fabulous exercise routines (I'm jealous) then you might need more frequent adjustments. Don't get discouraged, what you are going through is normal. The lap band can be kinda high maintenance at times but it works. You just have to devlop a relationship with it and go through some experiences over time before you get the hang of it. The point is...the lap band, when properly adjusted, should keep you feeling full much longer on far less food no matter how much you exercise. That's the point of the band after all. Make it work for you. It can take several adjustments to get it right but it's worth it. Just keep playing with it, keep in contact with your doctor's office and their support staff and you'll do great. Samantha Banded August 2009 265 pounds Size 24 Today Dec. 2010 185 pounds Size 12

Oh, and if you want to seem some before and after phots of me you can check me out on www .realresultswls.com click on testimonials. I'm the last person on the page. I even did a commercial for them and I wasn't even at my goal weight. The band works, it works for everyone. It will work for you too. Hugs, Samantha

Hang in there. You are doing fine. I am 14 months into my band. I've lost 80 pounds it it took me quite a while to get the hang of the band. I now speak at my doctor's monthly seminars because I am so pleased with the results. I could have lost more had I exercised harder but I didn't. I've had a lifelong love/hate relationship with food as I suspect many other banders did. I've taken the time to really explore this journey I'm on and feel that I understand the mind, body & spiritual aspects of the lap-band weight loss process. So if you need someone to talk to you can count on me. I know I'm a perfect stranger but sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger than your closest friend because they can be more objective. Let me say this, and of coure I am speaking only from my own personal experiences and can't speak for others....if you are still struggling with hunger or demons of the drive through your band may not be tight enough. The band works so well when it is adjusted properly that you really shouldn't even want that stuff. And frankly, if you do end up ordering, you should only be able to get in just a few bites before you feel uncomfortable. And honestly, at this point in your journey, if you overate those favorite foods until you threw I up because of the familiar and comforting taste, I'd truly understand. Been there. That too, will pass. If anyone ever told me I would no longer crave fast food, french fries, or carbs I would have told them they were full of it. But when my band is properly adjusted I don't. Here's the thing....you are new to this. It will take a while for you to develop a new relationship with food. They say it takes 30 days of doing something for the brain to develop a new 'habit'. The same goes for the lap band. Soon you will no longer crave & no longer care about food. Those familiar flavors you long for will simply just disappear. Trust me. It will happen. I can now pass up McDonalds french fries AND cheesecake for the simple fact that I don't want it. Wow, it still even sounds funny and almost impossible to believe as I type this, but it's true. I was 265 when I started. So I understand that 20-something pounds didn't even make a dent in how I looked. I barely noticed a difference at 50 pounds, but now I see a world of difference and you will too. I hated when would see advertisements on TV...."I lost 19 pounds and 7 dress sizes by doing XYZ program!" Poo! I think I didn't see a change in a single pants size until I had dropped over 30 pounds. So I know what frustration is. I know what psychological weightloss warfare is. I suspect you do too. The thing that drew my attention to your post was the emotion in your statements. If you were my friend sitting here next to me I'd have to ask you to look at why you chose the surgery. I have a suspicion that at this point you are simply scared. Scared that you went through this process and it is going to fail you as every other diet option has failed you. I'd speculate that you know that your true problem is never feeling full and compulsive (for lack of a better term) overeating. You've tried to control your hunger and eating before but every diet or program just made you focus on food even more. You felt out of control, you hate yourself for the string of 'failures' in weight loss and each time you tried you ended up adding extra weight. Now, you are even more scared because this seemed like the last straw for you and you don't think it's working. It is working and it will continue to work. You just need to understand that it takes time to figure out how you feel with the band, how it works for you, & how to make it work the most efficiently for you. It's kinda a high maintenance little device but I guarantee, IT DOES WORK! I've had my band for over a year now and it/my body still throws me little surprises now and then. You must remember that this is a life changing journey you are beginning. Mind, spirit, AND body will change. Take it slow, examine all levels of it and deal with one issue at a time and you'll do great. This board is a fabulous wealth of support and information, keep on it. If you need someone to talk to you can feel free to call me anytime. Normally I wouldn't pass out my number but I really feel like you need someone to talk to 678-431-2703 I'm in Georgia so I'm on Eastern time. Best of luck and I hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely, Samantha Hall Start August 2009 265 Size 24 Today December 2010 185 Size 12

Oh, and just an update because I'm not techno savvy enough to figure out how to adjust my ticker....I was 265 15 months ago. Now I'm 185 and a size 12 pant, top size M/L. I'm 5'6" and 41 years old. And despite what my silly bio says I AM a female. Tee, hee, hee. I don't know why it says male. I love my band, it changed my life!