starting over with lapband

[karebare714 14]

The best thing about the band is that is a tool that never stops assisting. The band will not lose the weight for you but help whenever you put it to use correctly. Just by having a hammer doesnt mean that nails will always be in place. You have to pick up that hammer and use it as intended. But if you get lazy and dont use that hammer for a year it will still work when you pick it up and use it. I didn't want to have gastric bypass because once you stretch your stomach out its done. With LapBand once you begin to follow the rules again you start losing again. I have been banded for 2 1/2 yrs and am still not at goal. I'm sure to some that I am a failure. But I am much healthier and happier than I have ever been in my life. We can all do this and will do it when we put in the effort and use this tool. Good Luck everyone!

[luckyfive101 6]

The best thing about the band is that is a tool that never stops assisting. The band will not lose the weight for you but help whenever you put it to use correctly. Just by having a hammer doesnt mean that nails will always be in place. You have to pick up that hammer and use it as intended. But if you get lazy and dont use that hammer for a year it will still work when you pick it up and use it. I didn't want to have gastric bypass because once you stretch your stomach out its done. With LapBand once you begin to follow the rules again you start losing again. I have been banded for 2 1/2 yrs and am still not at goal. I'm sure to some that I am a failure. But I am much healthier and happier than I have ever been in my life. We can all do this and will do it when we put in the effort and use this tool. Good Luck everyone!

you are certainly NOT A FAILURE! You have done great! I am not at goal either and was banded 4 months before you. the good thing as you stated above is that we still have the tool to get there! Keep up the good work. I don't intend to quit until I get there! Hope to see "less of you" soon! God Bless!

[KATHLEENW 7]

You guys are all so awesome, encouraging, kind and loving. Thank you for giving us all renewed hope. I am almost three years banded and have not reached my goal yet either. I can start over and begin using my tool anew. Let's stick together and stay strong!

you are certainly NOT A FAILURE! You have done great! I am not at goal either and was banded 4 months before you. the good thing as you stated above is that we still have the tool to get there! Keep up the good work. I don't intend to quit until I get there! Hope to see "less of you" soon! God Bless!

[Formerly Fluffy 5]

i went through this over the Christmas holidays. I can tell you how I gained (have gotten it back off now, but I STILL was able to gain even with restriction)............ Egg Nog!... In other words, eatting/drinking the wrong things (sliders they are called)... As so often we have heard/said on here, the band is a TOOL - not a quick fix! Still have to work with it, and I have been as guilty as anyone else in working my way around it at times.. Just have to get back in the saddle and start over when that happens! Good luck and congrats on your new journey!

I love a good egg nog! I bought some this Christmas and read the label. Very high cal/sugar content. And that was for just a 4 oz. serving instead of 8 oz.! Needless to say........my egg nog drinking was very limited! :-(

[Subie66 6]

As I sit here reading this- all about egg nog- I too feel the way you guys felt.

I have my appt tomorrow with my LB doc. I got up the nerve and emailed his assistant and she said never be ashamed - come on in -for us to help you- so tomorrow I face him.

I have only gained 7 pounds since June- but those 7 pounds are a huge burden for me. Slowly creeping back to 200.

I have had some pretty crappy things happen in my life since getting my band- my DH and I no longer have any contact with the inlaws- as they are creeps and we cut the negativity out of out lives- but it still lingers in the back of our minds. Lots of religion crap attached to it- like a cult- really- that we left behind.

My mother died in June and that has been hard.

I know deep down - I just have to push forward and get on track.

Good to see - we can start over with the band.

[rjo132 17]

I hope this tread is still alive! I had a complete unfill last Thurs and had barium tests this afternoon. Thankfully, I can say everything is still well with my band. I was banded in May '06 and did great, was 7 pounds from goal June '09. Went for my ck that month and my doc decided I had lost 17 lbs too quickly from the previous 3 month ck and flouroscopy showed I was a bit too tight in his opinion. He unfilled me against my wimpers and I've gained 20 lbs over the past 2 years. I think that unfill messed with my sweet spot. I just can't get that same restriction.

Since it has been a slow gain, I've lost good habits and am no longer the best companion to my band that I was. So I am here to join everyone else on the journey back. I am recommitting to my band, myself and my size 4's. (I will wear you again!)

Let's try to motivate each other, lift spirits and be kind to one another. I welcome any one who would like to friend me! Hugs to all!

[spicergroup 1]

As others have said, I am glad I am not alone. I was banded in May 2004. My surgery was covered by my insurance, BC/BS. Went in for my first fill, and was told the charge was approximately $120. I did not have it, but paid, and hoped for the best with the one fill. Never went back. Not in 7 years. I simply could not afford it! To say that I was dissapointed is to underestimate my feelings. I had lost 30 lbs, and it seemed my journey was over. I became depressed, and got a "whatever, I will die overweight" attitude. Nothing mattered. I gave up caring about myself or my health. Of course, I gained every pound back, plus one. This October, I called the clinic, in tears. I knew something had to be done. At this point, the money was the least of my problems. The abject SHAME I felt was overwhelming. I was embarrassed to call, embarrassed to go in, yet desperate enough to beg my wonderful Dr., Dr. Bhesania, to see me. I went in on 10-3-11, received a 1cc fill. (He told me the band was dry.) I have been back twice for more fills, 1cc then .5cc. To date, I have re-lost the 30 lbs., and 10 more. I must add here that the compassion I received at the clinic was astounding. Never was I made to feel a failure. I know I failed the band. But the band did not fail me. The tool is working, and I am back on my way. If I can inspire just one person who has fallen off the lap-bandwagon to get back on, I will be satisfied!

[Liasia2484 0]

Hello, I was banded in March 2006. My starting weight was 245 and I went down to 190. Within the last year I have gained all but 15 pounds back. I know why, I'm Back to all pf my old eating habits, junk food. I'm so disgusted with myself and need to get back on track. Tommorow I am starting from the begining. I know I can do it I just need a little motivation. So in 2 weeks I will weigh myself and see if my regimen is working. Wish me luck

[Formerly Fluffy 5]

Hello, I was banded in March 2006. My starting weight was 245 and I went down to 190. Within the last year I have gained all but 15 pounds back. I know why, I'm Back to all pf my old eating habits, junk food. I'm so disgusted with myself and need to get back on track. Tommorow I am starting from the begining. I know I can do it I just need a little motivation. So in 2 weeks I will weigh myself and see if my regimen is working. Wish me luck

Just wondering...........you 've had the band almost 6 yrs. and are only down 15 pounds. Why would you not want to revise???

[Liasia2484 0]

I don't want to revise because I don't want to drop below 150 so my mindset is firm and I want this so its time to use my band what is for a tool. But I originally lost 50, I also was dealing with thyroid issues the past year and I recently had my thyroid removed. I also don't want to revise because I am scared of the complications.

[rjo132 17]

Felicia, hang in there and continue to do your best!

[Liasia2484 0]

Tks rjo132. Today was good all liquids no thought of food. On to day Two.

[gMommy 4]

I could use some motivation. I was banded last April. I lost 30 pounds by late June. Then life came up. I have kept the 30 off, fluctuating back and forth with the same 4 pounds. One of my coworkers had Gastric bypass about 4 weeks before I had the band surgery. She is now down 100lbs and looks fantastic. Everybody is taking notice of her. Then they look at me. I haven't had a change in 6 months. Another coworker asked me last week "So how is that band working for you? Have you seen "other lady", she looks amazing!". Ugh!

I have OK restriction. I only get hungry once or twice a day, but I still eat 3 meals, Breakfast being a Protein Shake. My portions are 1 to 1.5 cups. The problem is that I allowed my addiction to sugar take over again. Since my split (and divorce) from my husband last June I have not been able to go to my OA meetings. I just can't get into the phone or online meetings. I haven't moved my butt enough to exercise either. I have been going through counseling though. Last week he said that maybe I have an agreement with myself that I don't deserve to loose weight. I don't know, maybe?

Anyway, I read that I should do a 5 day liquid diet to shrink my pouch back down. My kids gave me the answer to the exercise thing. They want to do the Taebo DVD with me at night. And I bought an exercise ball for toning and stretching.

I think what helped me before was having an OA sponsor. I had to call in my food everyday. I hated it. But after a couple of weeks I was able to cut out all sugar and stayed that way for 2 months! I think I need that support again. Is there anybody out there that would like to be my band buddy? We can help to keep each other accountable each day for food and exercise.

We all deserve to have success with this. I am grateful for this website and for this string. Thank you for starting it.

[sparkplug 106]

I am glad I found this site, I am 3 years banded, 12/20/08 and down 90 pounds but last year I gained 5-7 pounds that will not go away. I have no fills and do not plan on getting any since I have so many days that I am stressed and can't eat with the band. I love my band and want to get these last few pounds off again but I am addicted to food and popcorn. I still do not do bread, sugar or high carb foods but this weight is getting the best of me and I do not want those 5 pounds to turn into 10 and 20 and 30. I am trying to keep focused and go back to the beginning of why I did this to begin with. WE ARE ALL FOOD ADDICTS and we can win!!! Take it one day at a time and remember why we got banded to begin with. Think positive and do not let anybody's negatives remarks deter you away from your journey. Negativity makes me want to prove them wrong all the more. We can all do this!! Good luck

[grumpynonna 11]

Hi All, it's me, Grumpynonna, again...haven't posted to this thread for about a year, and it still appears to be the one that I need to being sharing on.

I am feeling cranky and fat and really don't want my FNP to tell me [again] when I see her week after next that I need to exercise and eat less and that it's really about not eating around the band and following the rules etc etc etc.

Harumph. Just because I ate all the leftover cookie-butts [the ones I couldn't possibly put into the Christmas cookie gifts, and they looked so left behind!] and have to have dessert after every meal [hey, I eat my Protein and veggies, how can dessert be a problem, if I have ROOM for it!?!?], I should still be able to lose weight, right?

Harumph again.

As you can probably tell, I am in Pity Party hell, especially since I was at 200 lbs yesterday, the first time in several years. To summarize what I said when I posted here last year, I was banded in November 2007, lost 100 lbs of the 130 I needed to lose in about 1 1/2 years, and was doing really well, was down to about 173-175. Then in summer of 2010, started having symptoms of being overfilled [pain, lots of regurgitation of meals, couldn't keep Water down,etc], so was mostly unfilled for a couple of months to give everything time to unspasm/calm down/let swelling and inflammation go down. Started being refilled early 2011, and about the time I last posted I was on my way in the struggle to re-lose the 20 lbs I had gained while being at a lower fill. All well and good. Found Happy Spot. Lost about 15 of the 20 lbs, hopeful of maybe losing the rest and continuing with weight loss. Lost Happy Spot. Symptoms started again, couldn't find the Happy Spot, had fills/unfills, yadda yadda.

Basically, was pretty much unfilled from just before Thanksgiving [oh, yay!] until last month, had to slow down re-filling because I had the Virus-from-Hell in December, and who knew what my innards really needed? [Anyone who says that throwing up with a lapband when you need to throw up because of stomach flu or whatever is just like throwing up without a lapband....well, not in my experience!]. Then had cataract surgery twice in January [very successful!] so just not focused on what I was eating or not.

ANYhow, am now about 1/2 cc short of the Happy Spot of Summer of 2011, but I feel very little restriction. I eat what I want when I want it. [Oh, don't start, yes, I know better.] Dessert makes me happy. If one piece of something is good, then two must be twice as good.

Sigh.

I do know what the "rules" are, I do know what worked the first time around, but I can't seem to get going again. Anything that occurs to me to try just feels like another diet....and I know in my heart of hearts that diets of any kind don't work for me...been there, done that. It seems that I have lost that "spark" that I had when I first started this whole process, that time of preparation [physical, mental and emotional] pre-op, and that whole first two years of success.

I just can't quite find "it"...and I can't bear the idea that my clothes are getting tight again, and I can't bear the thought of buying Big Clothes with X's in the Size again.

So thought I'd share/vent with you all, as you are pretty much the only ones who have a clue what this is about. And if anyone knows what might work to get me going again, it will be much appreciated. [Do you have ANY idea what happens to a body over 60 years old when it loses 100 lbs? Sagging? Ha! Never mind double chins [[now just double flaps!]], I seem to have triple knees....do they do knee tucks?]

Thanks to all of you for support....hopefully I can at least slow down the process and get through a summer without a repeat!.....Diane