Cindy C

There's a big difference between black and dark brown. It can difficult to distinguish between the two. If it really is black you should be concerned. It can be a sign of internal bleeding. Call your doctor!!

If you are feeling like that after the first bite you are probably too tight. How's your weight loss been? When I feel "full" it's no longer a feeling in my stomach like the old days. Now I feel it in my esophagus. It's a completely different feeling.

Centrum makes a liquid one.

I don't miss risking a $65 ticket for not wearing the seatbelt. Darn thing wouldn't fit around my gut!!

Walking after surgery will help ward off blood clots. They can also insert a "screen" to stop a clot from traveling. I would discuss it with your surgeon before making a definite decision. Good luck with whatever you decide!

I've had mine 3 years and have had no problems. My BFF has had hers for 8 years. She went from over 300 pounds to about 155 and has maintained it. She even battled and beat (knock on wood) ovarian cancer during that time.

Don't feel bad. Sometimes I do the same thing and it's been 3 years!!

To add a friend, go to their profile and click "Add me as a friend". It's the first link under their picture. The easiest way to add a ticker is to click on someone else's and follow the instructions to create your own.

My doctor told me there's no problem with coffee. He even suggests drinking it in the morning to help loosen the band. I drink a pot every day!

Nice, Wheelchair! Brie, feel free to ask whatever you want. We are here to help each other. Yes, practically every topic under the sun has been discussed here but, good luck finding the answers you're looking for. No one here minds answering again.

liquid anti nausea meds. S/F hard candy. Minute Maid makes a light lemonade. It only has 10 calories and the lemon in it helps the nasty taste you get in your mouth from being on the liquid diet.

There are dozens of posts here every day. I see you've only posted twice ever. Maybe you should try starting some threads on topics that interest you instead of just lurking.

Food gets stuck in your band causing nothing to be able to go through it. Not even your own saliva. It's caused by eating too fast, eating too much, not chewing well enough... Sometimes it feels like someone parked their Buick on my chest. It's not pleasant!! You avoid it by taking time between bites, stopping when full, chewing the heck out of every bite and staying away from you own personal list of things that cause it which you will figure out in time. For most of us that list includes bread, pasta and rice.

You can also try mixing the powder with applesauce, pudding or yogurt.

If I eat to "full" I get that left side pain too. It's horrible! I no longer eat to that point. I eat very slowly, taking several moments between bites. As soon as the hunger pain goes away, I stop.

Don't think of it as cheating. This is not a diet. It's a lifestyle change and life happens. If you feel like you fell off the horse today, just get back on it tomorrow. That's the beauty of it....there's always tomorrow!

Go to amazon.com and search "no chew cookbook". There are a bunch of them.

Congrats everyone. Onederland is a onederful place to be!

Try cream style corn. You won't have to chew so well. My worst problem food is red meat. It doesn't matter how tender and moist it is, it's not going! I'm fine with poultry but beef, pork and lamb always give me trouble. We all have to just learn what we can and cannot eat.

Great job. Keep up the good work.

Unless you owe your brothers money they shouldn't get a vote. Do what's right for you. They'll change their tunes when the weight starts falling off of you!

Fill or unfill it doesn't matter with my doctor. It's 12-24 hours of liquid either way!

I use mylapbandjourney at lapband.com. It's the Allergan site.

...and they were right!

I've always been the same way. I even tried to refuse to let lap band center take a before of me. Now I'm the complete opposite. If there's a photo op, I'm in. Today is my BF's birthday so we went to a ball game. (Anybody who knows me knows that's how I celebrate everything from April to September!) The fan photographers were out in force and we were all passing around our cell phones taking each others pictures. I'll post a couple of them on my profile if anyone wants to see them! My willingness to smile for the birdie is one of the best parts of weight loss!