Can BAD "dieters" be GOOD "bandsters"????

There was a post yesterday about pre-op worries and several people mentioned how successful they were with getting weight off, but not keeping it off.  I wrote this in that post, but it was recommended I start a new one to maybe get more replies... so:

For those of you who were successful with "dieting"... how do you feel someone who has NOT been successful will do?  I have been on every diet from Grapefruit to Weigh****chers and never lost more than 15 pounds (out ofo over 100 I needed to lose).  The ONLY time I have ever lost was when I was going through a tough time personally.  

Do you think someone like me can even be successful with a band??

I have never been able to "diet" for mare than a day or two really whithout "cheating" and I am worried about sabbotaging my band!! Thanks,
Tonya

Tonya: There's no other way to put it: I was a SH*TTY dieter! IMHO, if you can't KEEP off the weight, there's no point in losing it in the first place. I could lose on a diet (and I always chose stupid ones, like the rice diet) but never keep it off once I went back to "regular" eating. Diets always want to keep you from something, and eventually you're gonna crack and eat a ton of that "something." And I did! The band allows me to live with "regular" eating  (meaning no "no-carb", no "no-fat", whatever.) I can eat the "good stuff", but in much smaller portions.  What can I say? It's worked for me! Bette

It sound like I am reading my story there. I am only 4 weeks out and it is the best thing I ever did. You can do it. I wish you luck on your journey

I also am a HORRIBLE dieter.   The longest I have stuck to a diet was 4 months (slimfast and just eating healthy) and BELIEVE me!!! I was AMAZED i did it so long!   I have done Weigh****chers, Body For Life, that 6 week body makeover diet, cabbage soup diet, Atkins, and a ton of other efforts on just pretty much starving myself! The most I have ever lost on a diet is 20 pounds too! Bette is a GREAT example of what the band can do for you! I think my biggest issue with dieting was ALWAYS being hungry.  So in that sense the band will be helpful to me. I cant answer anything other than pre-band but I really appreciate your question because I wonder the same things sometimes! I think pretty much NONE of the people on here have been successful with dieting or successful dieters! There are some that I have read that do well with losing weight just to gain it all back... personally I have never lost the weight to even GAIN it all back!

You know that is a very good question.   I think that anyone who has had WLS will have reservations about being successful.  I was a professional dieter.  Did I loose, yes I lost some, the only time I lost a significant amount of weight was through FA and following a low carb diet.  Did the weight come back on, yes it did and with a vengance. I waqs just recently banded and so far I have really been following my liquid phase to the T.  My reason for getting the band was because I felt like I need a tool that would help me to identify hunger, help me with portion control and at some point help me to be able to make better choices as it relates to food.  I have yoyo dieted alot, but I am so inspired by others that have gone before me and have felt the same way I have about food and not having control.  My surgeon told me that the band does not work alone that I have to do my part, he has to do his part and eventually the band will do it's part.  So just like I have been told, the band is just a tool.  I know it is a big decision, and I struggled with what I wanted to accomplish.  I need to learn how to eat.  I need a slower process so that I can GET IT in my head.  So good luck, continue to do your research.        

I was never good at dieting. I lost 50 pounds once in high school then never lost anything more than 10 pounds after that. I'm actually better at keeping it off than losing it. After losing that weight in high school I kept most of it off for 10 years. The band has helped me lose and maintain.

Thanks for posting this. I am awaiting approval (hopefully) and I have been good about sticking to diets, but like most, bad at keeping the weight off. I have been wondering this a lot lately. I am glad to hear there are other "bad dieters" out there who were successful, this definitely gives me more hope that the band will make a great improvement in my life.

The really PITA with diets is that if you lose, say, 50 pounds, you never just gain back 5 or 10 or even the original 50. Those 50 usually come back with 25 of their friends. The *******s!

OOOH! You said *******s and it didn't get ***********! That's my new word - *******! *******! *******!!! Carmen