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Hi all, I was banded on June 3, 2009 and have been doing really well up until this weekend. Today mostly. Let me explain. I've lost almost 30 pounds since the 2 week pre-op liquid diet. I'm very pleased with the loss but I'm do for my first fill this coming friday 7/10 and I guess I'm afraid he won't give me a fill. I had mentioned to the dr just this past week that I have limitations when I eat. He mentioned that I must have restriction with the band in place even though I have no fluid in it. He also said we'll have to go slow with the fills. Now, I've been so good with my diet and exercising more than I would like and I think that's why the weight is coming off. Yes, I fill fast, but I do get hungry between meals. So, with this in mind, I set out to test the full limits of my band. I found out that what people say about chips, ice cream and sweet is true. They are definately slider foods. I also went and had a little mac salad and potato salad. I had veggie burger and turkey sausage for my meats. I ate no where need the amount of food I use too, but even when I did get full, I went a litle further. I experienced for the first time what I see people call PBing. Not much though, but I did. Here's what I don't understand........why do I do this? Is it normal? Before the band, I never felt full and would eat until I would almost vomit. NO CONTROLL. What is wrong with me? Can anyone relate to this absurd behavior? I'm so mad at myself. Here comes a five pound weight gain!!!

I had my surgery in April of 2008. I lost like mad until the beginning of this year. Then, I was able to maintain my weight for a number of months, but in May - I started gaining. Yikes. Some of the weight gain is due to eating the wrong foods - and I'm fixing that. I've been right on plan this week and I'm down an incredible 6 pounds. Part of the problem has also been finding that "sweet spot". It's been frustrating. I'll have .25 cc put in...and I'm too tight. Back to the doctor the next week to have .25 taken out...and then I'm hungry. I was back and forth like this for months (not every week, but definitely every 2-3 weeks for a few months). And..I just got tired of it. This week, I went in for a fill....the nurse said it was even less than .25 cc ("just a couple of drops") and it feels like this might be right. But I know....I know that right after ovulation, I will get too tight again. Then, the cycle begins. Go in to have some of it taken out, get too hungry, go back..blah blah blah. So. I don't know. It's frustrating...and I'm not the easily frustratable type of girl. I am thinking that in the couple of weeks before my period, I might switch to mostly shakes / soft foods. Think that would help? The hunger is real hunger. I'm sure of that. Obviously, I'm in control of what kinds of foods I put into my mouth and I've been making some bad decisions. I guess my question is - does anyone else who has had the band for awhile now experience this same thing? I've asked a couple of times at the doctor and they say that it sometimes takes a long time to get to that perfect level. And...has anyone else here gained some weight and then successfully lost it? I feel fortunate that I've "only" gained 20+ pounds in the past five months. In the bad old days, I would have regained every ounce much more quickly. But still. So...looking for some support and input. Thank you in advance for being kind. xo

have you ever gained inches? I did and can't understand how. Then when I was measured this month I lost alot of inches, but still having a hard time tring to figure out why i gained inches that one month. I like your rule for weight gain.

Because of anxiety, I have been on Zoloft for the past two months and it has really helped. I know a lot of people gain weight when taking antidepressents and I have certainly noticed I have gained a little weight since I started taking it. I am hoping to stop taking this altogether after my surgery because I don't want anything to impede weight loss. I was just wondering if anyone else had a similar situation and good give some feedback.

I haven't had weight gain issues but I have been very afraid of that...especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. I think my fear of turning back into "my old obese self" motivated me to keep exercising and watching what I eat (somewhat) throughout this whole thing. I wish you luck in taking that weight back off. You did it once and you can do it again!

ok..this blog may be somewhat disjointed but stuff i just want to offload somewhere.........so clearly this evening is not finding me in a happy state. I find myself feeling lonely and sad this evening. I would like to blame this on anything other than what it is..... Who among us has felt at one time or another: 1. third wheel 2. the "pretty" fat girl with the great personality 3. last single one of your friends 4. etc. etc. Now, I do know (but apparently have a hard time believing) that I am a wonderful smart, successful woman, who is beautiful and who has a lot to offer- recently been told by a few people and one bandster friend- things of the sort. I look in the mirror and see who I want to be,who I can be, but why can't I see that I am me no matter what. -there is just a better/healthier me hiding in all this somewhere. It's amazing what doing all of this stuff for preperation for surgery will do to your mind too.....I think about they why's of my weight gain, why I am not in a relationship currently, - and how I blame a statement made long ago by my dad(who said it because he cares...?? misguided as it was and hurtful all the same) "no one will want to be with you if you don't lose some weight"......digging deep here/unload,unload unload....did i say this would be disjointed? (great news though- my dad is very supportive of me through all of this and I have told him how hurtful that statement was. ) Anyway- what I look forward to most is this journey, despite the things that it may dredge up, may make me acknowledge and ultimately bring me to the point of fabulousness that is truly me. :party: I am inspired and so glad to have this forum to just share....and hopefully soon I will be able to share weight loss with you all. Ok...new day tomorrow. Going to Yoga this week, going to move ever forward. Thanks all! my rant is done :cursing:

Hi everyone! I'm from Mobile, AL and I'm considering the Lap Band surgery. I'm 25 years old and have been overweight all of my life. What lead me to the idea of Lap Band is the fact that I have tried diet and exercise and nothing seems to work. Being young of course I've tried the crash diets and the diet pills but where my heartbreak has come in is two separate times in my life when I worked my hardest with hard exercise and saw no results. I am currently divorced but before I got married I spend 3 straight months on a watchful diet but worked out in the gym about 4 days a week, over an hour each time. This included aerobics class, weights, treadmill and cycle. I never saw any results that I thought I would have for that amount of work but I didn't let it bother me. I was getting married to a man that loved me no matter what, right? Fast forward 5 years later. Left me for another woman, same ole sad story. So of course my already non-existent self confidence left-even though she was no beauty queen & was older than I was, it really hurt me. I lost a lot of weight right after I left, which I joking called the "divorce diet" but 3 months later I fell in the yard and got a very, very rare ankle injury. That mixed with a quack of a doctor left me almost unable to walk for over a year so physical activity was impossible. That did nothing but put me in a complete panic about gaining weight. So 3 months ago I saw a new doctor (sadly thanks to my dad breaking his leg & needing 2 metal plates & 7 screws) but there was no way I would allow my mother to take him to the same orthopedic clinic!!! So after they saw the professionalism they asked my dad's dr. to look over my records. He forwarded it on to a surgeon who specializes only with ankle injuries. So on May 24th I had a major surgery that involved removing an entire section of my talus bone and implanting a section of bone & cartilage from a cadaver & screwing it all back together. So from this I have not been allowed to walk for six weeks. Again, panic mode about weight gain. So my point of that was to say that before this surgery I had given up on them finding a solution and decided I was going back to the gym. I didn't care if my ankle hurt because it hurt regardless, even to walk. (Bare in mind I was only able to walk with the help of a leg brace/air cast) But I hit the gym. 4 times a week, around 10 miles the cycle put on random hill (so there was varied resistance) as well as a mile or so on the treadmill at about 3.5 miles an hour w/ slight 2% incline. Lifted arm weights at home, total of 120 lifts a day (I did 6 different arm exercises, 10 reps each exercise but did this twice a day). I cut out all soda, starting drinking Water (almost no diet drinks due to preservatives), ate amazing (I can't eat veggies because they make me vomit) but ate nothing fried, went to GNC and started taking OxyElite Pro (for appetite control) as well as CLA to help with the belly fat--even though it takes a long time to work. So 2 1/2 months.......almost NO results. I'm at my wits ends! I was working out, pouring buckets of sweat, feeling sore and being so very hungry. Thinking about food alllllll day long and being so very hungry. I discovered than when you cut out junk food, that hunger is not just hunger--it's pain. So I've been reading up on the Lap Band and I like the idea because it's done laparoscopically & doesn't involve cutting & sewing of organs. The reason for my recent work out kick was not to just simply loose weight, it was because I wanted to change my lifestyle. I'm not worried about dieting and simply dropping pounds, I want to change my life. I was ok with the results taking a long time to see because I don't weight myself. I'm more concerned about what I see in the mirror as results. A lady my mother works with is a nurse and she's talked before about the procedure and raves about it. I'm not sure if my insurance will cover it, although with my ankle now being a life-long condition (I'll have to go several times a year for the rest of my life because that section of bone could collapse) I feel that it is important for my health and for the well being of my walking condition LOL. My major fears are post-op. I'd like to get the surgery done within a few months so the time out of work is kind of scary because I've been out for 2 months already, but I'm a dispatcher so I sit for 12 hours & do little physical activity (which I hate...but in this instance it's helpful) and because I work shift work I have a crazy schedule so if I take 2 days it's actually a full week. But only a week. If I take 2 more days it ends up being almost 2 weeks (Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs) then back that next Fri. I'm also worried about the food afterwards, eating only liquids for a while seems like that would be tough and I'm scared I'd be hungry. Although after looking at some recipes on the Lap Band site I see I could easily make them ahead of time & freeze. I'm worried about how long the operation takes and how bad the pain level is. I'm concerned about getting band adjustments because I read it takes several times to get right and I'm scared I won't see the weight come off. I would be committed to living a better lifestyle that included a better diet and exercise but spending months in a gym 8 hours a week and seeing almost nothing isn't going to help me. I just want to feel good. I never have, I've always been self conscious and I just want to not be anymore. I'd like to shop in more than 2 stores in the mall & not feel embarrassed to go into the women's department where the styles are so limited I'd almost want to wear a garbage bag. I want to be social, I want to go out and I want to meet people. I want to go do things and I want to have fun and honestly I feel like a living Eeyore (from Winnie the Pooh) and I'm just not like that. Where I use to work (when I felt half way confident) my co-workers described me as "bubbly" and I am. I'm single so I want to be able to go out and not be embarrassed anymore, I want to try and find a better job, one that might involve travel and I don't want to see that "Oh, she's the fat girl" look on their faces when I go into an interview. I'm just ready to change my life and I know that simply losing weight won't do that and I'll probably need some cousiling too but I gotta take that first step. ANY and ALL comments, opinions, hints, tips, advice is MORE than WELCOME & WANTED!!! Thanks soooo much!

I feel like such a failure! I have now gained back more than half of my original weight lost back . I have been out of control for a long time now. I just looked back and in September I was planning to be back to plan. Now 7 months later I've gained more weight and still not losing. I have an appointment for May 21 to get a fill. I honestly feel like I have no idea what to do anymore. I need a step by step plan again. When I just try to eat when hungry, I just eat eat eat. I go from eating plan to plan with no avail. Any ideas how to get back on track before the dr appointment?

I looked this up, and the causes of weight gain from it are all general things like increased appetite, maybe slowing of the metabolism, etc. There is no reason to think bariatrics won't be effective. A slower metabolism means you just can't eat as many calories as someone with a faster metabolism. So you may always need to eat 1200 rather than 1800 calories. The good news is your new, smaller tummy will make 1200 calories a LOT more do-able than before the surgery.

I wish someone told me you could still gain weight with the band. I was always under the assumption that you wouldn't be able to eat enough to gain anything back. I gained 30 pounds!!! I have since lost 32 but, that was really through Nutrisystem. Band alone doesn't work for me. I need someone to tell me what to eat. Less food, less metabolism and weight gain for me.

I usually notice a pound to a pound and a half close to that time of the month and the cravings....:croc:they get me every time. Salty Snacks, sweet snacks, it doesn't seem to matter. But once "Flo" has completed her visit, usually the weight gain is a distant memory. I never really noticed it before surgery, but then again what was a pound or so when you weighed close to 300. Also, the scale was a bad word in my house at that time.:bandit

First, take a deep breath. It's going to be OK!!! It is not at all unusual to gain weight once you begin to transition off liquids and onto mushies and solids. Generally these foods have more calories, plus I know that once I was allowed something other than liquids, my appetite came back with a vengeance, so I just wanted to eat more. You should almost expect to gain some weight between surgery and starting to get fills, because your band is not yet operational!!! This is very important to remember. The band is designed not to work with liquids and mushies, but to work with SOLID foods like chicken or other meats, vegetables, etc. Liquids and mushies rush right through the band so it can't do much to control those portions. It CAN control portions of solid foods because they take longer to pass through the band and spend time sitting in the pouch, thereby creating the feeling of fullness. Right now, your band isn't working, it's just settling in and your body is still healing. Once you're healed and your doctor begins adding saline to your band to tighten it far enough to give you restriction, that's when you can expect to really see weight loss. That's why this period (between surgery and fill restriction) is called Bandster Hell. It's a struggle. Trust me. Now, if you're really freaked out about the gain, there are a few things you can do. First, make sure you're obeying all your doctor's/nutritionist's instructions, but if you've got that covered you can and should also be tracking your calories (I use MyFitnessPal and I LOVE it). Your nutritionist may have given you guidelines for how man y calories to eat, but if not, most women do fairly well eating somewhere between 800-1200 calories per day. Keeping in that range might require you to chose alternative foods (fat free cheese, a baked potato mashed with skim milk as opposed to mashed potatoes with butter and cream, low-calorie cream soups, for example). Also, definitely make sure you're drinking enough Water for many reasons: it can help curb hunger, thirst is sometimes mistaken for hunger, it aids healing and helps your metabolism work more efficiently, and more. If you control your calories and drink plenty of water, you should be able to control weight gain until you have restriction, but I won't lie that it will be easy. Remember, it's Bandster Hell. But I think the most important thing to remember is that it's NORMAL to not lose or to even gain weight at this stage. Once you're healed, on solid foods, and have enough fill to restrict your eating, the weight WILL start to come off. Good luck!

Hi, I understand how you feel about the weight gain after your HYST. I had a total one done when I was 35 and then I quit smoking.....oh boy what a combo. I am now 51. I had the Lap Band done Feb of 07. I have lost 76 lbs as of today. The weight came off nice and slow but now I am just sitting here not doing much. Partly my fault, just not as active as I should be. But I still lost 15 pounds over the winter so I am still very happy that I had it done or I would still be gaining instead of losing. I can tell you I feel a thousands times better than I did before. I have much more get up and go then I have in years. Go for it and have it done. Its not an easy fix, because you still have to work at it but it is one helpful tool. Good luck, Debbie

I weighed myself when I went to bed after being discharged and was up 3 pounds. It dropped right off within another couple of days as all of the fluids that I'd been pumped full of via IV worked through my body. Visiting nurse said between that and edema from inflammation, it is very common to see a momentary weight gain right after surgery.

Hi Justbanded, I have had PCOS for 28 years. I have struggled with my weight and all the other "wonderful" things that go along with PCOS -- insulin resistance (and then, type 2 diabetes), hair growth, weight gain, infertility... I was banded to help with my insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes, because my understanding, after talking to my PCP and bariatric surgeon, that weightloss will help correct that issue. Once my weight is down and my diabetes improves (which it already has!) or resolves completely, the hormone, ghrelin should not be a problem. I am always hungry -- but it is as always -- head hunger or food-seeking behavior. It is my hope that once I am filled and find my "sweet" spot, that my body will get into the groove and my head hunger will lessen. Also, there is a forum for PCOS on here that is pretty good. Good luck my "soul cyster"!

Thanks Beth. I have to remind myself so often. lately though I have been a little more relaxed when I go astray. I know if I eat bad foods that there will be a weight gain, and I know when I get back on track I will lose it plus some. Sometimes it feels like two steps forward and one step back...but at least I am still making progress!

You might have hit a stall which would explain not losing any more. But not having a bowel movement is serious and could possibly explain a weight gain. Try colace or your choice or laxative and if you still don't have a normal bowel movement in 3 more days, call your doctor.

Re the weight gain, you've added some healthy muscle. Congratulations. Chances are, your clothes are not any tighter and maybe even a little looser? Re the acne -- any chance you started taking B12 recently? That can suddenly create acne problems for some people. (Google it.) Re the hair -- so many possible reasons, including thyroid (which you've already been tested for). Iron deficiency is another possibility.

I am 3 months pregnant. Having the same thing going on. I have gained about 4 lbs. I gain and lose the same few lbs. Doc told me not to worry so much about weight gain till the end of the 2nd trimester. So for now I am not going to stress. I do feel restriction similar to what it was when I was just out of surgery some days. It's a chore to eat anything. Still battling morning sickness most days... Hoping to feel better soon.

I was told 85% also. If they do not take enough of the stomach, then the stretchy part of the stomach will remain and can stretch back out again causing weight gain. They have to take out enough to get down to the non-stretchy part to keep good restriction. (I'm not very eloquent tonight, cheeeez!)

I am feeling so good now! I made my 100 lb loss mark this week! I was banded 4/14/10, 5 months ago. I lost 28 lbs pre-op (starting in the middle of March) with a ketosis diet prescribed by Dr. Hollis. I was 265 on surgery day. I used to wear XXXL, now just a large, and sometimes a medium in shirts. I still have 22 more lbs to go, but I am not worried about it. I am feeling so energetic and full of life again. Before I was very depressed and hating myself. I was only operating at 50%. There were may things I would not/could not do anymore. The biggest thing that stood out to me was riding horses! I have been a horse-person since I was 8 yrs old, owning my first horse at age 14. I have been riding and owning horses ever since (I am 42 now). But I had to give it up with this weight gain I expereinced over a 2 year period. I have been heavy before, and lost the weight with various aids. I think my biggest weight loss before this was 85 lbs, another time it was 65. I could not keep it off! I am hoping this will change this time and I can keep it off. I just have to remind myself how miserable I was when I was like that. I kept a diary (still do), so I can go back and read it when I feel weak. I can ride again! I have sold my horses a while back, but a friend has extras for me to ride, so I do (no $$!):smile2: So I am back in the saddle again! I look forward to mowing the 2 huge lots we have, riding bikes, exercising, etc.. because I know when I am sweating (in Texas!), I am burning calories, raising my metabolism, and dropping pounds, I get a nice body-high afterwards, I feel very light on my feet and strong! I have not felt this in many years. I am glad to be sharing this journey with all of you, and I hope you have sucess as well, and overcome any obstacles that have gotten in your way. I knowthere are a lot of you out there who are struggling with this still (from reading other posts here), and I truely hope and pray that something will work for you to help it happen like it should. My biggest incentives are putting on a pair of my XXXL clothes I saved, looking at old photos, and re-reading my diary I have been keeping. Maybe you could try the same>? Bless you all on your journey! Jen

Just wondering if those of us who are already in menopause are sensing that losing weight even with VSG is more of a struggle than if we had done it at a younger age? It is so delightful to me to be past that time in my life and when I read of those who are struggling with that "TOM" and the associated Water retention/weight gain, I am grateful to not have to deal with that on top of the challenges of our new way of living. I do feel that my metabolism is slower that it used to be and I am a slow loser, but slow and steady and I feel better than I did in my 30's as I am much lighter on my feet and I feel more like my younger self. Interested to know what your take might be on this....

I was sleeved on September 10 pre op I was 293 and post op I was 273. Last week I I was 264 and my current weight is 270. Is it normal to gain weight back even when sticking to the diet? I'm feeling really discourage right now and I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong.

Definitely over-enjoyed my band freedom and regained 17 pounds eating without abandon. Some problems persist: Pills are still tough to get down. I can eat raw carrots and radishes, but they do get a bit stuck if I'm not careful. Had to give up tomato juice - acid reflux. Have to take an antacid before eating something with tomato sauce or anything remotely greasy - surprise! turkey bacon is a bit too fatty for me. Still feel banded when I eat with a bra on The weight gain gave me that out-of-control feeling and I started considering the gastric sleeve or the full bypass until it dawned on me that neither restricts your eating persay. It might take you longer to get it down and you might end up vomiting or dumping, but if you're an emotional and/or binge eater, you're likely to press on. Actually started missing my band with the thought that at least it kept me from blossoming back to 283. Then I started listening to myself and it sounded like I wasn't taking any responsibility for any of my weight issues, but I still decided I couldn't trust myself. I mentioned to my husband that I was thinking of going to an informational seminar at a new bariatrics practice which just opened locally with a highly respected surgeon. He said he thought I was, "nuts" but he'd go with me if I really wanted to go down this road again. Still on the fence when I got a call from an old friend who was aware I'd had the procedure, but not the complications. We got to talking. He begged me not to go through another surgery - he and his wife just lost a good friend who'd gone in for the sleeve and died several days later from a blood clot. Yes, I know, all surgery has risks but it sat in the back of my mind... About a week later, I had lunch with a new friend who didn't know I'd had the procedure, but was aware of my apparent inability to eat much of anything. When I ordred something besides my usual soup, she mentioned it was good to see me actually eating something. This opened the door and I told her about my band experience. Her response surprised me - she commented that I was "lucky" to have made it!? Apparently, she has a friend who'd used the same surgeon as I. Her friend also was banded, and ended up in the hospital for over a month with complications. She survived but continues to have troubles. Again, Yes - I know, all surgery has risks but it sat in the back of my mind... Yesterday sealed the deal. One of my business associates had sleeve surgery about six weeks ago. He seemed to be doing fine. We were schedule to meet yesterday afternoon to discuss a proposal. When he didn't show, I called his office. His assistant told me he'd collapsed at work in severe pain and they had to call 911. I'm still waiting to hear what happened - all I know is he's, "stable". Maybe it has nothing to do with his sleeve surgery - but is that likely? That old saying about things happening in threes got me thinking that maybe this is a sign and I should pay attention. I've decided it's time to parent myself. If I won't feed my nieces and nephews crap, why am I feeding it to myself? I've begun working through various self-help books on disordered eating. One amusingly but perhaps accurately pointed out that a binge is an adult form of a temper tantrum. I'm scared, angry, not getting my own way. I'm too old to throw myself on the floor kicking and screaming, so what can I do? I'll stuff myself with the kind of food that sooths the child in me - Candy! Ice Cream! Junk Food! until I stuff down the fear, anger or disappointment. Interesting idea. I've gone back to Weight Watchers and am embracing a more vegan diet. Not a bad idea as a cancer survivor with a family history of heart disease. I'm finding that by focusing on whole grains, limiting processed food and added sugar plus nixing coffee after 3pm, I'm not feeling bloated and sluggish. With meals in the 300-400 calorie range, I'm able to go about four hours without needing to snack. If I do need a little something, I've got string cheese, carrots, celery, fruit on hand. I don't feel guilty when I eat and I'm not skipping meals so that I get to the point that I'm ravenous and looking for candy and fast food. Am I a saint? No. Will I slip? Of course. But when I lay the cards out on the table, I realize it's up to me to save my health. So far, I've lost seven of the gained pounds. I'm taking it one day at a time.

Boy how time flies! As I approach my 4 year Bandiversary, I started thinking how the Lapband has changed my life or how I had to change my life to live with the Lapband. First off, I thank God every day for showing me there was an option and giving me the opportunity to have the Lapband procedure. Like most in my situation, I tried every diet that always ended in failure. I almost got to the point where I wouldn't want to diet because I KNEW I would gain the weight back and probably gain more. It was a horrible vicious cycle that I lived in for years. Living with the Lapband was a continual learning process for a while. I tested foods to see what I could eat and what gave me difficulties. I tested out drinking with meals and not drinking with meals. Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way on a lot of these issues, but the key is I learned and now the changes that I have made in living with the Lapband are part of my normal way of living. I don't even think about it anymore. One of the most frustrating things about the Lapband is obtaining proper restriction level. On one end, I wish doctor's would be a little more aggressive with the fill amounts, on the other hand, I think that working your way up to the proper restriction level is the way to go to avoid getting filled too tight which can be very uncomfortable and dangerous. I think that more discussion needs to be made about preparing one's self for life after the band which includes the cost of adjustments/fills and the expectation of how many fills it may require to achieve proper restriction. For self payers, many people use all their financial means to pay for the actual Lapband surgery and then don't have the funds to get adjustments afterwards. This creates frustration because you just paid a lot of money and went through surgery and now want to lose the weight. Sounds reasonable....... But many feel like they wasted money when they don't lose weight after the surgery or they feel like they can eat like they could before the surgery which is true until the band is adjusted properly. So if someone is scheduled for surgery and they ask me about the band, I make a point of preparing them for after surgery. I also try to tell them that their patience level will be tested to the max until they get their bands filled properly. I've heard this said by many and it's so true "It took us a long time to become this overweight, we're not going to lose it all overnight" It may take some time to lose weight with the Lapband, but with a little patience and following some very basic rules, you will lose weight and you will be successful. Things that have changed for me after I was banded: I don't drink with meals. I found that this flushes food from my small upper pouch into my lower pouch which enables me to eat more food. This kind of defeats the band doesn't it? I don't want to eat more food, because this little thing called weight gain occurs if I do . Not drinking with meals was probably the hardest thing for me to get used to, but now I don't even think about it. I still take small bites and have slowed down while eating. I found that taking smaller bites and slowing down while eating actually fills me up quicker. I also don't look like I'm inhaling my food anymore, which was a very unattractive habit that I got into pre-band. I listen to my band. It tells me when to stop eating. Oh, I've tried to argue with my band in the past and tell it that I could eat more even when it warned me that I have had enough, but for some reason the band was always right. I paid a small price for trying to fight the band. I would feel horrible until the food passed through the band. Sometimes I would PB (not pleasant) and learned very quickly that it's just not worth fighting the band. It knows best, so now I listen to it. I try to stick to protein foods first. I'm not always good at this, but it's something that I feel is very important for Lapbanders. I have also found that when I eat protein foods first like chicken, fish ect... then I don't require as much food to feel full and I stay fuller longer. Not to mention the benefits to my health for eating protein. Since I can't eat as much as I used to, my food choices have changed. Before the band, I would eat horribly. It's because I could eat a lot of anything I wanted. So if I wanted to snack on chips before dinner, no problem. I would still be hungry enough at dinner to eat it, then have enough room for dessert afterwards. I now chose quality over quantity. I do this because I know I can't eat a lot, so what I DO eat becomes very important. I have found that if I eat chips now, I will fill up on them, and I won't feel hungry to eat what I should be eating. Then I end up feeling awful because "foods" like chips drain my energy if I try to use them as my source of nutrition. Don't get me wrong, I still eat things like chips, but I make a point of not eating them when I'm hungry because I know that I will fill up on them and won't eat what I need to be eating. So I will have junk food occassionally, but usually with my meal and have very little. I don't eat dinner late in the evening. I have a cut off time for dinner. I make sure that I don't go to bed for about 3 hours after I eat. I also don't drink a lot of fluids at night and I religiously take 2 Pepsid AC chewables before I go to bed. I believe that these things have decreased my chances of having acid reflux at night. So yes, the Lapband has totally changed my life. With almost 140 pounds gone I'm feeling terrific! I feel that the minor things that I have changed in my life (with eating) due to the band are so minor and so worth it to help insure that I keep this weight off. Don't get me wrong, I don't struggle to keep the weight off, which is fantastic, but I believe that the minor changes that I have made have contributed to this. The Lapband won't do it all. You'll need to help it some, but once your band is adjusted properly, the band will work for/with you instead of you working for the band. Life is wonderful! Tricia