For those of you that have been banded for over a year....

[gloriadiaz1 14]

Hi everyone, I just want it to hear how are you doing and your story, mine: I have been banded for 17 months, have lost 54 pounds, struggle on every single pound.. Took my doctor a full year to get me in to any restriction, I have a 14cc band and now I have 11.7cc on it... Feel restriction now, with that said my journey hasn't been a walk in the park, I believe I have lost this 54 pounds by dieting and watching what I eat most of them because like I said I had no restriction... For the last week or so ever since I went for a feel again. I feel a really good restriction, satisfied, not looking for food... I don't even think of food anymore... The reason that I put this post up there is because I feel very discurage, disappointed at my self for not succeeding with my band, sometimes I really think of getting it removed and going for the gastric sleeve surgery.... But I gotta put my feet in ground and stop my self from negative thoughts... Please let me know how you are doing....

[JACKIEO85 308]

Hi everyone, I just want it to hear how are you doing and your story, mine: I have been banded for 17 months, have lost 54 pounds,AWESOME!!! struggle on every single pound., totally understandable,it took me 9 months to lose 70 lbs and reflux put an abrupt stop to my continued loss Took my doctor a full year to get me in to any restriction, ;)going slowly for fills is not a bad thing, helps to reduce complications. I have a 14cc band and now I have 11.7cc on it... Feel restriction now, with that said my journey hasn't been a walk in the park, I believe I have lost this 54 pounds by dieting and watching what I eat most of them because like I said I had no restriction..hopefully now that your experiencing restricition your loss will increase and be a little easier? When I felt restriction I was able to lose 10-12 lbs a month. For the last week or so ever since I went for a feel again. I feel a really good restriction, satisfied, not looking for food... I don't even think of food anymore... The reason that I put this post up there is because I feel very discurage, disappointed at my self for not succeeding with my band WHAT? you absolutely have been successful! if your not gaining your succeeding..sometimes I really think of getting it removed and going for the gastric sleeve surgery I too have researched the sleeve but honestly can't bear the thought of removing 3/4 of my stomach. I know some say the sleeve is restriction without the BAND, But ALL WLS's have complications. I'm 100% that if I fail I'm NOT having another WLS, but that's me. But I gotta put my feet in ground and stop my self from negative thoughts... Please let me know how you are doing... . KEEP GOING....your doing ...Great!!! Our emotions tend to get the better of us at times Were ALL Human...It's going to take time to get from HERE to THERE

[gloriadiaz1 14]

Jackie thank you so much,, I really need those words of encouraging, I really love when you said " if your not gaining your succeeding". That's true... I really wanna give my self and my band to make it work... I know or the most part it was because I had no restriction.. But now I really feel in the green zone... I'm so glad your doing wonderful.. 10-12 pound a month.. Woooww it all I can say.. Keep up the good work... Congratulation and yes I'm looking forward to loose those pounds too...

[B-52 7,113]

I have been baned for 2 -1/2 years, and I have not had a single problem.....I have not struggled with my weight loss either....

Granted, the first 4-6 months were "Hell"...going through the band adjustments, learning how and what to eat all over again, stuck episodes sometimes 2-3 times per day...all part of the learning curve, and behavior modification on my part.....

But once I got through that rough start, the band...and myself, began to behave the way it was attended to....and although it bothers many people here on this forum (jealousy?) it has been then easiest thing I have ever done.....once in the Green Zone th weight steadily and consistently came off and I reached my goal in a year.....but it is now a lifestyle so the body determines when it is done loosing and I continued to loose until there is simply nothing left to loose....body fat% is normal if not athletic, everything reached a point of equilibrium....

Today, I simply live my life day to day, don't think about the band all that much...never count calories or worry about portion sizes..(Have not done so since 3 months post surgery)

To this day as it was the first day I settled into the Green Zone, I am very rarely hungry...food simply does not interest me so I don't have cravings like I used to....and the band still controls my portion sizes.....dos not matter where I'm at, or what food is offered me, the band is still the band and that will not change....short of some medical condition that would change things...but for now it's all good....could not have expected anything better.....

I read and talk to many people who "Struggle" with this surgery and I have noticed certain common themes, and I have my suspicions why it is so....but it not my place, nor any one else's to tell other people what they should or should not do with their lives, let alone their health...so I keep my mouth shut....and would be happy to share my success story and my first hand experiences.

I am glad I did not find this website untill AFTER I had my WLS....otherwise I am not sure where my head would have been..confused I'm sure from all the mixed messages one can find here....and I may not have been successful as I am if I followed some peoples examples here....

But in a sea of negativity I will continue to tell MY story because people need to know that this thing DOES WORK, and can work, just the way it was intended to....

A lot of people who have succeeded, adapted to their new life, move on and way from this website...for varied reasons...I know, I still talk to them on other (private) forums, and many vow they will never come back here.

[gloriadiaz1 14]

Thank you B-52 for sharing your story with me and for those words of encouragement... I'm so glad to hear from you, I do want to give my band and my self a chance... I have seen so many successful stories... I believe that I'm so discurage because it took my doctors so long to put me on the green zone, hopefully from now on I will start seing this pounds melt away.... Thank you...

[sparker919 1]

I am five years out and right at 100 pounds down. Some days are harder than others, but any weight loss journey and maintaining is work. The band alone can't do all the work. Hang in there. I love my band!

[SashaWLS 412]

B-52, on good "non-addict" days I feel exactly as you do. No particular interest in food, effortless, controlled.

What I have though, and I'm guessing you don't, is a serious addiction problem on the bad days. Not a "food" addiction per se, but straight up compulsive twitchiness... And I've realized this since access to my "fix" has been interrupted. I find that I play a lot of computer games now, have insomnia, could understand how someone smokes!

Overeating for me is not about food, it's about filling a need to compulsively think about something.