Mayasgram

Some folks here have suffered through bander Hell. I started losing weight on the pre op and never had a struggle with food after. I know I am so lucky but at the time I followed word for word what they told me to do and I was never starving hunger. Thank God since in the past I absolutely tried every diet, pill, fad, and support system and I lost only to gain, Lap band was a huge sacrifice for me even though my insurance paid I had to jump through their hoops for 1 year and watch my asthma get worse my reflux and breathing get worse. And so once I decided to have the band I was damn sure it was a new lease on my life and I was going to have what I never had before success . Over 3 years out. had I not had the band I would be heavier and Lord only knows how much money or diets would have gone down the drain.

The above poster said it best " when you start to cheat it gets easier the next time. " Your stomache must heal.. Potatoes are like crack to bamders they slide down, they are easily accessible and they might have been a favorite food. Down the road you will be able to have somethings and somethings will be part of your past..... your fat past. Hang in there do what they tell you. Thin is better then anything you ever eat it will still be there tomorrow when the tempting food is flushed . You are on liquids to eat after surgery to heal and you also get an opportunity to break old habits. You can do that . Best of Luck.

Benadryl cream works I am allergic to latex . adhesive and the glue . you can also take a benadryl capsule. Both help .

Well I look a lot better with 1 chin then 3 .... I used to be in denial about how fat I was until I would catch a glimpse of myself in a glass door or mirror while out shopping it was enough to ruin the day. Post op and weight loss I saw someone in a tv monitor while standing in line at CVS and I thought oh she has the same shirt on as me..................... it was me. *I looked okay before I was well put together for a fat lad y... now People compliment me on my outfit not my jewelry They tell fat folks to wear Jewelry to bring the eye up now they can even look down. YAY so keep telling me I look better I love it and I earned it.............

You said something that has given me pause.. why didn't someone have an intervention..............I had lapband 3 years ago and my son is way overweight. I would do anything for him but I can not convince him to do SOMETHING about his weight.. and I do not think my talking about it (intervention) would help. I am so afraid he will die or have a stroke, He knows he is grossly overweight he dosen't need me to tell him.. you made a decision to save your life when you were ready I pray he does too. Good Luck to you replace food with something you enjoy so you don't go back..

So you are eating to live instead of living to eat............It is a hard thing ..eating to us fatties was a social occasion, a comfort when we were sad, a way to celebrate. food provided us with some of our best times and caused us to hate ourselves. We spent so many hours planning what we were going to eat when we were going to eat and where we were going to eat it. So when thats gone we think wow I miss that food... but do you miss wearing bigger clothes every season? do you miss not being able to walk with out hard breathing? do you miss shopping at Omar the tent makers shop,? Do you miss a stroke a heart attack or diabetes? Do you miss pills? Do you misss the moments when you re all alone and you hate what you see reflected in the mirror? Do you miss trying to find something to wear that looks halfway decent on you, and cover those rolls. I think you are just missing the party in your mouth that food gave you for a few minutes then I bet you regretted that too. You may be giving up something now that is familiar but you can replace it with something so much better then that food ever gave you.

I hesitate to write this .........but as I read some of the post on here I can almost pinpoint who is going to make it and who isn't. And it is all about attitude. The folks who post asking how can they twist the rules to eat something that is not on the pre or post diet. The worry about the liquid diet parts. I don't mean to be a smart a$$ but come on thats why every diet we have ever been on has failed we cheated, we ate what wasn't on the diet then we figured we blew it and we might as well eat. I want to say look your Dr, PA, Nutritionist, Physch, know what they are doing your paying the big bucks why not just listen to them and try to follow the rules just like they gave them too you. I try really hard to be kind but honestly it isn't always easy, guess I am a TOUGH LOVE kind of Lady. Some folks can sugar coat things but we all got FAT doing the things we wanted. THe band is a tool, sometimes you get hungry, No one ever died from hunger carrying around 100 extra lbs. The band opens the door to control , but you have to still walk through it . It's a gift but you do have to unwrap it.

Put the water in the pan add salt (they will peel easy ) add eggs and let boil for 8 mins. run under cold water let sit 15 mins and peel older eggs peel easiest.

My refering Dr said this is crazy .............don't you lose a pound as I was borderline BMI. I had to go for a year so 6 monthes sounds a lot better. It was hard to wait but worth it in the long run.. I spent lots of nights crying while I tried to be patient..

When I have to much fill or eat to much I get an itch in my back between my shoulder blades. It is like inside my skin itches that no amount of scratching helps anyone else ever get this ever get this.

Once you are banded and get with the program it's not about the food . For the first time in my life I eat to live not live to eat. We all go through this food grieving thing, a waffle is not that important in the grand scheme of things . You can have one but is it important, if so once in a great while go for it, you might just be surprised how unimportant it is and unappealing it taste..

Some one last week quoted their Dr as saying mashed potatoes are known as banders Crack . Yup when ever I don't know what to eat I order mashed potatoes. which by the way are not a Protein food. My advice you can eat them at mushies but don't learn to love them, hence no recipes needed..

Oh bet you are claustraphobic.. I am and that was one of my main fears what if I can't breathe. Well that is not a problem .. you can not feel the band , you do not choke. My biggest fear when I went to surgery was nothing about the surgery but since I was in a strange hospital where was the door, If you have a stuck episode you still are not choking so rest easy...

I to can never eat bread and sometimes I just can not get that through my head and I try and always with the same results I am in the bathroom. You did not say why you couldn't bring it up. If it was you saying I don't like to erp ... well that is why you are still in pain this AM it is probably stuck... If that is the case drink lots and lots of water go into the bathroom lean way over and bring it up . I have found when something gets caught I slime alot and as most banders will tell you it does not go away just go in a bathroom and take care of it. Until I got the hang of what I could and could not eat I was very familiar with every bathroom in town. Good Luck

The Lap band is not a diet . It is a life changing event and it is not a walk in the park it takes lots of dedication and a life style change. I wish I had a dollar for everytime someone says wow I want one, it must be so easy and I explained to them what the process involves and that the surgery is the easy part. There are foods I just can not eat anymore,1. I don't go out and order what everyone elses orders, 2. the portions are just huge, 3. I eat Protein first and by the time I chew it to pass my band I am full. 4. certain food are NO No's for me Bread just doesn't go down for some people it does never has for me. 5. liquids with a meal defeats your purpose. 6. You still have to eat healthy. 7. You have to excercise and be active.8. You can and will get stuck at sometime. 9. you will have moments when you wonder why you did this.10. eventually it will cost you $$ for fills and unfils. I love my band, but I always tell people who think it"s the answer for them the truth , it takes dedication, and it is definently not for some one who wants to just lose weight. You need to be ready to change your life, for me it was the best thing I ever did for me..but if you read this site some folks have a difficult time living the banded life..........

My Doc gave me a choice food or liquid diet I opted for Liquid because that was it you drank it and you were done. No measuring, no counting cals. just drink it and do it. You are going to have to learn that you can not have things others have might as well start with the liquids, that which doiesn't kill you makes you stronger. At this point in your life food is so important, you will find life is so much fuller when you let that part go.. the Lap Band can do that for you. So don't build the liquid part up in your mind you can do it and your liver will love you for it....

I have found there are going to be times in my life that I can not eat what everyone else is eating. And at times I have eaten what they are eating like a $45.00 dinner that I promptly threw up 3 times in the resturaunt bathroom and then was on liquids for three days waiting for the swelling that the vomiting caused to go down. I can very rarely eat shrimp deep fried is easiest, mussels and oysters are no no... This is your life now you can follow the diet that they gave you or you can eat things not on the plan and take the chance of getting stuck or letting it slide down and gain weight. No food at this event will taste good an hour later, but losing weight will feel wonderful forever. Good Luck...

If you have been stuck before then I think you get stuck leary, and the stress of that worry builds. I was stuck over a Holiday weekend could not get it up ended up with an unfill to let it pass that was crazy . IF you are chewing chewing and not eating huge amts you should be fine. If in doubt go on liquids for a few days and see if the feeling goes away... Blend your food see if that stops the feeling. Sometimes it can just be in your head after a stuck incident. Good Luck

I lost 10 lbs every month about 2lbs a week and until I got on this site never realized other people didn't, maybe mine was just mental, but I believed I couldn't eat more so I didn't. I ate what they told me I could eat and stopped when I felt full, often leaving some on the plate,,, I always ate protein first and was so tired from chewing that I just stopped. I am glad I didn"t know about bander hell.........But everryone is different .

My Doctor told me to open a time release capsule pour it over applesauce and eat that.. it workes and no after taste. Good Luck

I can not eat bread ... yesterday we were out to eat and I thought maybe I would try a slider at Steak and Shake small little bites, was in the bathroom twice before we left. The way my PA explains it bread no matter how well chewed is a dough ball and dough balls get stuck. And rice is a sometimes thing. Salads with lettuce and vegtables well chewed go down pretty easy . Pastas is not a favorite of mine so I eat it slowly. I have heard of people eating 6 inch subways and that just makes me hurt to hear it..everyone is different.. getting stuck is not any fun .So I approach everything slowly ....

You are really putting your self at risk with all this throwing up . Sometimes we get a mind set if I eat that I will throw up. SO it is a mind over matter. You really don't say how full you are , or how much you are eating.... You said you didn't want the band but got it to please someone else grandma... Suggest you go to the DR. and tell him what you told us... what is happening to you is not normal and you need to get your band adjusted. and maybe decide if this band is really what you want...Good Luck...

Support is a wonderful thing .............. but taking control of your own life and body is even better. You will look better whether you have lose skin or not. but you will be 100% healthier , My husband was worried about the operation part, which is a piece of cake compared to learning the lifestyle that banded people must learn. If he doesn't get onboard well do whats best for you.. if you don't you may really regret it. Happy wife Happy life....

I wanted to lose 100lbs, I lost 80 and I fight with that last 20, . One of the Drs said you women you get to 20lbs from goal and your head goes on vacation. My head has been travling for 18 monthes. but I still love my band. I have found that when my band is very restrictive I am getting stuck several times a day and I feel pretty crappy so I have just not gone back for more fill I am at 5.5 and I have maintained my weight loss with no problems...

You had Lapband and you needed to lose 36 lbs? Did I read that right. If so where did you have your surgery ??