Happy but frustrated!

Okay I had the band put in September 2005. I am two years and nine months out. I have lost 85 lbs and wear a size 16. I am tall so I carry my weight well. I do consider my lap band surgery a success but do have a problem. Here is my dilemma and tell me if anyone else has this problem? I will never be able to get to my sweet spot. At 1.5cc's I am at the highest that my band will go without giving me major issues meaning slimming or getting things stuck. Even at 1.5cc's I can have issues. My answer to this problem is to graze all day. I have met with a nutritionist and she says my problem is that I never feel full.  When I look back on it even before the band I was a grazer. By the time the meal would come I had snitched so much out of the pot that I wasn't hungry. The good news is that having the band has been a God scent for me. I know I am the type of person that would already be guessing if my pouch was working if I had gastric. Knowing that I have the option to get it tightened (even though I would only be able to eat soup) is very comforting to me.  Any insight?  Do any of you get sick of worrying about getting things stuck? When I watch my kids eat something too big I keep yelling at them to eat smaller pieces and they keep reminding me that they don't have the band.   Thanks for listening! Donna Marie

Marie, I have a 7 year old that has a bit of a stomach pouch, but not fat - YET. What I tell her is that she will enjoy her food much more if she slows down and it will KEEP HER from getting a big stomach. Usually works, but kids are stubborn. Just keep it positive and remind your kids that the band is just a tool like a tight belt, you are still a normal human being and therefore have the right to advise them to slow down. You could try a fun trick I learned on tv.......one night everyone eats while wearing a scarf covering their eyes. You eat A LOT less and the kids will get a kick out of it. You are relying on your true hunger and not your visual hunger. Good Luck!

Hey Donna  ~wendy

Hi, Congrats on your success thus far! I might suggest posting this on the lap band board to get more responses.  You have to get your mind set to not graze.  Eat 3 meals a day.  That's it.  Follow your basic band rules and you'll start losing again.  (Easy to say - doing it is tough, I know!) Best wishes. Eileen