Hi Rhonda,
I was banded by Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana. I was considered a light weight as I'm 5'8" and was about 220lb at my time of banding (of course I didn't think I was a lightweight).
I worked extremely hard after banding. Protein is successful for me. Some body types respond to a low carb, higher protein diet (a semi Atkins formula) and I'm lucky enough to be one of them. I made the immediate decision after banding to remove as many carbs from my life as I could.
I completely stopped eating bread, rice, potatos. These are my trigger foods. I ate candy occasionally, creamy soups and even the occasional milkshake, but if 6 days a week, I kept to my regimine of small portions of protein and walked my 3 miles a day, the weight came off and stayed off. So, when I was unfilled after 6 years, of course bread was the first thing I wanted to eat. So I indulged in deli sandwiches, and bowls of rice with butter. These were the things that due to my band, I simply couldn't eat during that time. I soon found out, the control I lacked prior to banding was still there.
So, I was at 2cc's for the 6 years, then nothing for almost a year, gained the 25lbs, and I'm now back up to 1.8cc's, and will go back up to 2cc's probably by the end of next week. I have some restriction, but again for me, I have to eliminate the bread, rice etc., from my diet, and the 2cc fill makes it virtually impossible for me to slip up.
You guys will do great. It's a great tool, but still requires work. It's not like RNY, but you can get it under control without further surgery. Hang in there!