Thanx Christine... What you said is true... The band is a tool used to help be successful in dieting and in keeping the weight off. There is no miracle cure for Obesity. You need a hammer to build a house, but a hammer needs you to get the work done. It can't build the house on it's own, right?Gastric Bypass patients lose the weight faster but also gain it back faster... If they don't change their eating habits, that is. Once they are past the 15-18 month period of non-absorbtion... You are on your own. It would be nice to have that long to learn good eating habits but our bands can be adjusted forever. When you start to gain weight, or decide to lose more weight you just get an adjustment. If you decide that you've lost enough weight and want less restriction, you can have some of the liquid in your band removed. The band is adjustable so it changes with your changing body. I have lost 44 pounds as of 2 weeks ago and in 2 weeks when i visit my surgeon again, I will have lost more. Maybe it will only be 5 or 10 pounds but a loss is a loss... I feel better, have more energy, I'm off all my meds, and I feel like the Monkey(Carbs) is finally off my back.... I am a recovering carb/food addict and I treat it just like a drug detox... I don't eat alot of carbs mostly Protein and some green vegetables... I thought it would be hard but so far it has been wonderful. The hardest part for most of us to overcome is the psychological part... We eat to fill a hole inside us because of something that happened to us, a trauma or depression that has us confusing food with comfort or love. I miss the feelings that the food gave me and have to find comfort in other things. I eat to live now...I no longer live to eat. :thumbup: