54Shirley

Yogurt, s.f pudding mashed potatoes & Gravy, cottage cheese refried beans with some pureed salsa on it with some melted Mozzarella on it., Tuna salad chicken salad, egg salad, chili. on and on anything moist like chile that is thicker then soup. Including puree your own food.

I have a large jug of Muscle Milk listed on ebay if you are interested. Check out the price anyway. Flavor is Pina Colada. Hope this helps.

Then go ahead and cry ! Know one here is going to see you,,, If that will help then you know what to do. As far as losing your Motivation. I'm going to gather you have been running for a while, so your not going to loose the Drive, It might take you a little time to get back to where you were. Call your surgeons office, and tell him with all the working out that you do, you feel like you need to get some food in, and see what he say's. Worst is NO !

As food Addict. I know I hear people saying. "I just can't give up this, and I couldn't live without that. Or I just Love to EAT ! That all brings back Memories to me....... I am here to tell you that if,,, you come across certain foods that the band does not agree with ! You will get by... Food Addiction is hard to get over, because you must eat. So the Addiction is always in your face or Mouth your choice. A few times of getting stuck over a Hamburger, may just change your mind about having the bun. That might bother you now, but trust me when I tell you, you will get over it, and some things you will never miss. You also have to face the fact that this Disease can kill ! And it does. So you live in a world that lives to eat, you have to learn to eat to live ! That is a much healthier life, then Heart Disease, Diabetes, High Cholesterol, Artery Disease, Arthritis leading to joint replacement, CPAP Machine, and much, much more. So your lucky ! You at least have a choice to make. Allot of people that are 6 feet under, never got that chance .... Shirley

I'm glad to see that someone was given the same advise as I was. Plain and simple pop causes Band Erosion. I was told No Pop at all, and No caffeine at all, and No Gum at all. The gas in pop can hurt the stomach (I FOUND THAT OUT BY ACCIDENT, AND THE HARD WAY.) Caffeine can cause the Band to erode in time, and if you swallow gum by accident ! I will be the one going down to get what is stuck, So it better not be GUM ! I still live by those words.

I would talk to my Surgeon, and explain that you went the usual fill after fill route for the band, and it just didn't work ! You ended up in THE RED ZONE ! So, you would like to be filled under fluoroscope. Ask him if he does any fills that way, or can he arrange for you to go in the Hospital (as a Out Patient) and get your band checked out, and filled under Fluoroscope in there. See what he say's. If he won't do it ? Then your stuck with whatever he gives, unless you can find a different Dr. That fills under the Scope. Wish you Luck, Shirley.

You should really see someone ! You might have a slight fill at the time of banding. If they stick a needle in your Port, and fluid comes up into the syringe ? Then there is your small fill. They can look around and see what's wrong. Good Luck, Shirley.

For me, I have noticed that dry foods just won't go down. So I have eliminated them from my food menu. Turkey Breast, Chicken Breast, Bread , Pasta, Rice. Do you see the pattern of dry food here ? That's why they won't go down, they are way to dry.. So I eat the Dark meat, Beef is Tenderloin, Sea Food, Pork, Hot Dogs, and Burgers. In meats I drag them through a sauce for moisture so it goes down, Stak Sauce, BBQ Sauce, Cocktail Sauce, low cal, Ranch Dressing, etc. I order a turkey Burger Open Faced with sauteed onions, sliced tomato, and cheese, cover that in low cal 1000 Island dressing.(similar to a Big Boy Burger) I never eat the bun, but I sure do enjoy the burger. Take your time, chew till it's like applesauce, then swallow. If it's to dry use a sauce, a little Ketchup or Mustard never hurt a thing. It will make your meals more possible to swallow for you. Have Fun experimenting. Shirley.

Your question is really not that hard ! I know, I been where your at. In order to not get filled to tight, you have to be filed under Fluoroscope. It's a big X-RAY Machine for your Organs. The Band shows up Beautifully under Fluoroscope. As they start to fill you, they will look for your Fill Line ! Every band has one. and they won't go over. If they did ! you would be to full... That's it and your done. It's that easy. Most Dr.s don't want to do this because it's one trip to the Dr. and that's it. So No money maker. You may see some posts that say Fluoroscopic is the only way to go. I agree.

Homemade soups are great for flavor. Use the lipton sodium free flavors for the broth, there good. also. Lipton cup of soup CREAM OF CHICKEN is very good, and it's just enough. Down the road when you can eat carton soups. They are Great ! I still buy them, they are in the Organic area. ROASTED RED PEPPER has got to be the best. They also have a Mushroom, and the Butternut Squash is good. So check this stuff out, and see if it helps. They are Very Good.

See ! The band is a teaching Tool.. You learned something.

Sounds to me like your swollen. Stay on fluids for a few days, then try mushies. I would call the Doc. since you seen Blood, and se what he say's. Hope you are O.K., and that you learned something from this. Shirley.

The Loss is slow, but you already know that. My concern is with you not feeling restriction after about a week. I would say to go back, and make sure there is not a leak. Once you rule that out, then deal with the Meds. (THAT WOULD BE WHAT I WOULD DO.) I always like to look at the big picture. See where you are in 1 year. I know it's slower, but it still makes a difference. Are you exercising at all ? That helps also. Good Luck, keep us informed. Shirley.

Go to myfitnesspal.com and log on. It's free ! and you will count your calories, Protein, exercise etc. , it's all in memory, and you can view other peoples Diary to see what they are eating, and doing. As far as exercise. It goes hand in hand with the band ! You don't do it ! you'll only get so far, and that' it. (some people never exercise, and it still comes off, were all different, they are lucky!) so make the time for something, and check out the site. Shirley.

They do ! You can adjust the total calories daily. Sorry I don't remember how I did it, but as you go threw the process it will give you a choice, and you enter what you want. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful then that ! But go fishing around and you will see how. or ask a member there...

myfitnesspal.com

Go to myfitnesspal.com its free. You can journal your stuff on the internet. Keep track of all your calories, protein, exercise, and more. Everything that you put in stays in Memory and is accessible. I am Losingintime there, so look me up.

Well I have the original band, wich is the 4cc band. I have been told that it is not really used that much anymore, except for Mexico. I don't know if this is true or not. but I love that little Band. Your surgeon will decide what band is best for you. You should get some comments on here, and you will see how many different sizes that there are in the band. Should be interesting, Shirley.

Go to myfitnesspal.com its free, and you can keep track of all your calories, Protein, and exercise, You can also view other peoples Diary, and see what they are doing too. If your motivated at all, then this works. I am Losingintime on that site, contact me and I'll friend you in. I have gone threw this twice now, so I have lost the weight banded, then gained almost all of it back, while deflated, and I am now trying to get it off again. Trust me Yo YO Dieting with a Band is a B!TCH ! You don't want to even go there. If you need a fill get one, but work at trying to get back on the wagon by using the MFP site. Don't be a stranger, and hope this helps, Shirley.

DITTO !

Were you a little to tight from a fill, or did you have a cough like from a cold ? Chances are it is not a slip, but you can always call your Dr. and describe the issue. He can tell you his opinion.

I try to cut my foods into Dime size, that works for me. Because like elcee says, you can get your teeth into it, and chew. This way, you have more control of what your doing. Just remember Digestion begins in the mouth, so it's up to you to do it right.

3 days, Clear liquids. 2 weeks. Weak 1= Clear broths, s.f. Jello, s.f.Popsicle, s.f pudding only to take crushed meds with. . Protein shakes Weak 2= Thicker Soups like cream of chicken, In the organic section of the store I use to find Thick creamy soups in a tall box. Red pepper/Tomato was one of them. It was fantastic ! There Mushroom, and Butternut Squash is very good also. Anything the consistency of Gravy was fine. He needed to go to school for Bed Side Manners, and he didn't know much about filling the band at all. He use to grab the Port and pull on it so that it was straight, then b***h that I was the hardest person that he had to fill ! I told him "YOU PUT THE BAND IN ! YOU SHOULD KNOW WHERE EVERYTHING IS..... " He would just grumble and b***h. Best Surgeon I ever had. Look at my Blog and see what he did the day of surgery. He screwed up by over filling me. In his opinion He Blew the Balloon in the Band so he had to deflate me. After that he wouldn't see me any more.

Sounds like maybe they should band the brain instead ! It might help all kinds of head hunger.

Restriction will stop the quantity Some where down the road you will find that your taste for some things really don't mean that much to you anymore, and you will lose interest in it.. It's not a big deal! You will come to grips with certain things that you can't eat, and you will get over it. I was bread at every meal. I don't dare touch the stuff. I loved boneless chicken breast. I haven't had that in a very long time, but I eat the Dark meat instead. It's more juicy, so it doesn't get stuck that easy for me. You will learn to Adapt, and maybe make some sacrifices to have that band. But it's worth it ! For me the food was a addiction, so,,, giving it up, once use to it was like quitting smoking. It bugged you for a few times, and then it was gone. So I really don't miss the stuff that I don't eat. Hope that breaks it down for you.