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Willow you got banded at about the same time as me. Most of those foods on your list I can eat easily although I may not have been able to when initially banded. What may have happened is that a food gave you trouble early on and as a result you decided never to eat it again - if so that is a mistake. The band changes over time and after about 3 - 4 years it is possible to eat many things that were difficult early on. Now that is not necessarily a good thing.......... If you haven't tried some of these foods for a while then give them another go, just stick to the small bites, chewed well etc (that is something else that changes over time, it seems to get easier to eat bigger bites). The only foods I void or am ultra careful with now are things like dried apricots (they swell) and steak and pork chops.

Hi Just thought I would let everyone know that I am still around - I have been very quiet lately. The past 2.5 months have been huge and as a result I haven't had a lot of time to checks the forums although I have popped in occasionally. My son turned 18 at the end of Oct so my parents ( who live in South Africa) came to visit. As it is a long way to travel and expensive they stayed until 2 Jan so that they could also Celebrate my 50th and Christmas and New Year with us. My sister and her 3 children (who also live in SA) came for 2 weeks to celebrate my Birthday. My house is a reasonable size but it was full to bursting with 10 people instead of the usual 4! I wanted everyone to have a fabulous time and see lots of new places and make lots of memories so the majority of the 2 months was spent out and about. We visited nature reserves, lakes, historic towns and villages, the beach, kid friendly activities, coffee shops, restaurants etc etc. We even went on a short trip to Darwin which is at the other end of Australia. My party was great. The theme was a night at the musicals and I dressed as a saloon girl in a hot pink sequinned dress. I have posted pics in my gallery. The downside is that I now have extra weight to shift. Although my scales tell me that I haven't really gained since my last Dr's visit in Oct my clothes tell me otherwise. Anything with a waist is too tight and so are my bra's! My lowest weight was between 50 -51 kg and I am currently sitting at approx 54.5kg.(It took me approx 6 months to lose most of my weight and I then lost a little more over the next 6 months and then easily maintained that until early this year). Now that everything is back to normal I have no more excuses. Step 1 is to cut out alcohol as I have drunk more than my fair share of calories over the holiday, step 2 is to stop eating chocolate, biscuits and cake and step 3 is to try to eat fresh , healthy unprocessed foods. If that doesn't help I may try a few days on shakes whilst contemplating my next step. Oh and of course I also need to move more. The scary thing for me is how easy it is at this point to eat the things I shouldn't be. I know that the band doesn't stop you eating things you shouldn't and that a lot of the control is in your head but for the first 3 years I didn't have the desire to eat the way I have been. I have been through a number of Christmases, overseas holidays etc and not gained weight. Yes I would have the occasional treat but most of the time the desire wasn't there and I found it easy to say no. Well now the honeymoon is well and truly over. The last year has been so much harder and I am beginning to understand why people say that the band only works for "X" years and then you regain. Of course when I was initially banded I refused to believe this and many of you probably will too. I have discussed this with my Dr who says that it does not stop working but generally you lose what you are going to lose within the first 18 months and then the loss stops, there are of course exceptions. I don't know if my age and being menopausal have anything to do with it but I am not going to let that be an excuse. I have way too many clothes that I need to be able to get back into. I refuse to go out and buy bigger sizes. I do know that it is going to be far harder to lose now than previously but I am determined that i won't be beaten.

A couple of years back we were told that the band created a pouch which would hold the food for 20 minutes or even longer before it would pass through. When eating something that was not properly chewed or was too big etc the stuck feeling would be felt instantly. This was confusing because if the food was supposed to be sitting there then the discomfort should only have been felt later. We are now told that the band only slows the process of the food down, that it does not sit in the pouch that it in fact passes through the band very quickly. This would explain why the stuck feeling is felt instantly. When you are stuck the food is blocking the stoma ( band site) Technically a Protein drink doesn't work. Most people are advised to only use them for the preop and postop healing stages. After that we are supposed to eat our calories not drink them.

Alcohol dehydrates you. Most people when dehydrated find that their band tightens and it is harder to eat.

And the scary thing is it is far easier to eat than we wish.....

There is no such thing as being so restricted that you won't be tempted, I wish there was. Sweets will always go down easily. You have to find a way to deal with the temptations.

Anne Diamond and Fern Britton ( they are both British TV personalities)

The fact that your band has tightened suddenly could indicate a problem. I would be concerned that it has either slipped or eroded, especially as you appear to be vomiting blood. The best advice is for you to go and see your DR ASAP and let him/her run some tests to check that all is in order.

I don't think a diet of just animal protein is really good for you. You miss out on too many essential vitamins and minerals.

Congratulations on such an amazing achievemnet and commiserations that it didn't end the way it should have. Glad that your injuries are relatively minor, hope you heal 100% really soon.

If you are immediately post surgery then this is not unusual. Your organs tend to get a little sleepy! Make sure you are drinking plenty and you should soon be back to normal.

If that is the only thing stopping you I would investigate having your port changed to a low profile one and possibly repositioned.

Sorry to hear that. All the best with your op - wishing you a speedy recovery

It depends on how bad the slip is. What makes you ask, do you think your's has slipped?

If you can't get in 3 meals and you don't want them then don't have them. You do not have to eat 3, if 2 works for you , then stick with 2.

I still don't know how people eat a cup of food. For instance I might have a poached egg on toast for Breakfast. How on earth does one equate that back to cups? I eyeball what I eat based on recommendations by my surgeon and nutritionist. So a small plate with lots of veg, a small portion of carb and some Protein. To me that is easier to live with , especially when out, than trying to work out if it is a cup or more.

You can lose weight eating crap, wasn't there some guy who just ate twinkies for a month or something and he lost.Obviously you won't be very healthy at the end of it but a calorie is a calorie.If you choose to eat good calories then you will be healthier than if you eat bad ones but for losing weight it doesn't really matter if you eat 1000 calories worth of raw carrots or 1000 calories worth of chocolate.

Glad that you got it fixed quickly. Being too tight or stuck overnight is no fun. @ heather - couldn't ER do the unfill ? It seems odd that you went there and now have to go to your Dr's as well.

Agreed , the band somehow makes you more gassy. Sometimes it comes out of the top and sometimes it comes out of the bottom. It can be really annoying but there isn't really a lot that can be done about it.

I read this or something similar on FB a while ago and it really strikes a chord.

I lost my weight with minimal exercise. I went to a Bollywood class once a week and for a while I did a bellydancing class but that was it. I don't think it was enough exercise to make a difference, I was obviously eating less than I was expending and that is why I lost.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/health/report-control-underwear-like-spanx-can-cause-health-problems http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-421422/Bridget-Jones-style-underwear-health-risk.html

What happened beforehand? Did you get something stuck? Did you go to bed too soon after eating? Glad that you are going straight to the Dr, hopefully a partial will be all that is needed. unfill

You should not wear Spanx or other control wear daily as daily wear can cause health issues. Save it for when you have a special occasion and want to look extra good. Be thankful that we have progressed (theoretically) since Victorian times and we are not expected to be tightly laced into our underwear before we are fit to be seen in public.