Search the Community

if you can't find my contact info check these things: 1. are you getting enough protein? 60 - 80 grams per day? 2. are you getting enough fluids (water) - 64 ounces per day? 3. Is there sugar in some of the things you are eating? That can make you hungry an hour after you eat? (yogurt is a big culprit int he sugar area) 4. Are you waiting 1/2 hour before and 1/2 hour after you eat to drink any liquids? Also, your surgical site where the band is has probably healed, all of the swelling is probably gone and you just don't have any restriction yet. Your first fill will help with that.. It is not unusual to be feeling hunger a month or so after surgery before your first fill.

This is encouraging. I'm definitely going to try this. I had already started upping my Water and changed my yogurt to Greek yogurt. So gonna make a few more changes and see where this goes...thanks. Will update you on Saturday! Sent from my iPad using VST

Hi there! Now, I don't make "gourmet" food or anything like that--I basically eat what "normal" people eat minus the fat, sodium, tons of carbs, and in smaller portions. No rocket science needed--I promise! If I can do this, you can do this! :girl_hug: The first thing I do is eat out of plastic containers that hold only a cup of food at the most to control portion sizes or I use a dessert sized plate rather than a dinner plate. It's a psychological thing! I usually aim for 1/2 cup of Protein at each meal then add in veggies, etc. Some people can eat more than a cup of food at a sitting which is fine--everyone is different. As long as you're still losing, it's all good! I eat three "meals" a day and I try my best not to eat at all after 6 PM. I don't snack between meals. Instead, I drink Water in various forms and strive to get in 64 ounces a day to flush out fat, keep from retaining too much water, and to stay hydrated. I don't really like plain water, so I got a PUR water filter and flavoring cartridge that I attached to my faucet. I either make flavored water by the glass or keep a pitcher in the fridge to fill up my water bottle. For dairy foods, I'll usually eat the low-carb 4 oz. yogurts although I find that yogurt does not do a very good job filling me up! I do still make Protein shakes with store brand skim lactaid milk (I'm still working on my bottomless container of Champion Nutrition whey Protein powder from a year ago)! I usually make it with about 8 ounces of liquid, 1 scoop of powder, and enough crushed ice to raise the volume to 10 ounces. I buy fat free cottage cheese and eat 1/2 cup with different things mixed in. I might add a teaspoon of sugar free strawberry jam (10 whole calories!) or a tablespoon of yogurt just to add some flavor. My doctor advised me not to add fruit like applesauce to it to avoid eating too many carbs. I eat string cheese sometimes with about 4 whole wheat crackers. I tried the lowfat version once, but wasn't too crazy about it. I also eat Egg Beaters for Breakfast often. Some stores sell flavored Egg Beaters--Southwest/Garden Vegetables, etc. Those are pretty good. I usually buy the plain kind and add something to it (chopped scallions, salsa, a sprinkle of cheese, chopped onions, peppers, and tomatoes, etc.). You can also play with spices as well. I eat refried Beans pretty often. I take a 1/2 cup of fat-free refried beans and combine it with a tablespoon or so of different types of salsa just to make it more interesting (peach salsa, pineapple salsa, etc.). Sometimes I add a teaspoon of fat free sour cream or a little sprinkle of shredded cheese on top (emphasis on little sprinkle--cheese can have a lot of fat). I also eat canned salmon a lot. I'll take a 1/2 cup of canned salmon and stir in different things (chopped scallions, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, dill, etc.). If you buy a couple of plum tomatoes instead of the big ones, that makes enough to mix in without having a lot of tomato left over to spoil. I add to that fat free mayonnaise or a fat free dressing that goes well with salmon. I do the same with canned tuna. I always rinse tuna (packed in water, not oil) in a collander to wash off the salt, too. That's an old habit I picked up from my dad's diet plan after he had a heart attack years ago. I also season salmon steaks with lemon juice and pepper and broil or bake it and then serve it with non-starchy veggies. I enjoy other types of fish as well (bake tilapia topped with salsa or canned chipotle peppers with adobe sauce which is very spicy, bake any white fish with a can of chopped tomatoes over it, etc.). All of these fish ideas can be split into smaller serving sizes and frozen. I make stir-fry often with chicken or shrimp and frozen stir-fry veggies. It's very quick and easy, and you can freeze the leftovers in small portions for another time. I find it's too salty if I use regular soy sauce, so I usually buy the low sodium kind. I make a basic soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and cornstarch sauce found in most cookbooks. I usually cook rice for my son, but I don't usually eat any because I eat the meat and veggies first in my little plastic container and I get filled up. For chicken, I have the best luck if I use chicken broth to cook it. Dry chicken and I don't get along well! Blech! Sometimes I'll cook a whole package of boneless chicken breast in my pressure cooker with 1 1/2 cups of low sodium chicken broth or a can of diced or stewed tomatoes to keep the meat moist. Once the meat cools, I'll chop it up and freeze it in 4 oz. serving sizes. I'll mix the cold or hot cubed chicken with all kinds of things. For warm meals, I'll heat the chicken up with some salsa, chopped tomatoes, or frozen non-starchy veggies. I'll add the cold chicken to salads, add fat free mayonnaise and scallions to make cold chicken salad, or grind it up with FF mayo and eat it on a few whole-wheat crackers. I use turkey the same way. I haven't quite mastered making pork easy to eat yet. I'm still working on it. I can't eat shake 'n Bake pork chops anymore. Again, if it's too dry, I gag on it! :puke:I do have beef on occasion, but I make an effort to eat fish, chicken, and dairy more often. I do purchase frozed meals sometimes (Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, etc.). I try to buy the ones that have just meat and veggies like steak tips and broccoli or turkey and veggies. If it's too much, I'll save the rest for another meal. If I buy a salad, I find that it lasts me for a good 2-3 meals. I dip my lettuce in the dressing as I eat rather than pouring the dressing all over the salad. It stays crisp a bit longer that way. You'll notice that I didn't mention the words bread or potato. I do eat some of these, but sparingly. I'll have a toast with Peanut Butter on occasion for breakfast. I can say now that I no longer eat doughy foods like doughnuts or cinnamon rolls. I avoid processed carbs as much as I can (chips, Snacks in the cookie/cracker aisle, etc.). I don't know if any of this babbling helps at all, but at least there's a few ideas in there that might appeal to you! Part of learning to live with the band is changing your thinking--the hardest part of this journey is overcoming what your brain is telling you from years and years of bad habits. If you make the food taste good and look good, you won't miss junk food at all. I feel like I'm a successful bandster not because I lost 100 lbs. in a year (which I most definitely haven't), but because I'm focusing on the good things I can eat and not bemoaning all of the foods I really shouldn't be eating in the first place. I'm choosing to lose weight at a slower pace than some folks--I'm not in a race with anyone but myself. I'm trying to make good choices to be healthy in order to change my lifestyle. I want to make lasting changes, not fall victim to the "fad diet" quick fix mentality if that makes sense. I didn't spend money to get banded and go back on the cabbage Soup diet, if you know what I mean! My band is just a tool to help me curb my appetite--the behavior modification and exercise is all up to me! Good luck!!!!

lite yogurt cream of chicken soup

I have to do a liquid diet tomorrow (day before surgery) and I am realizing I did not get everything I should for this 🤦‍♀️ anyways my surgeon said liquid diet, protein shakes are ok. That’s it. So can I have my decaf coffee with milk, or yogurt? Fruit or veggie smoothie? Jello? I have broths, Gatorade zero, decaf coffee, water but that’s it.

I have the unflavored and chicken soup Unjury. I didn't like the unflavored in everything but it wasn't bad in blended up soup or instant potatoes. I also put unflavored unjury in baby cereal and instead of mixing with water or milk i mixed in no sugar added 100% juice. I also added a bit of the strawberry protein powder to a berry based yogurt. I started out on the protein shakes and just couldn't get all that liquid in, and quite frankly got tired of it as well, but I did what i could fit in. Hang in there. When you get further along you can cut down on the amount of shakes you drink and get protein from other sources. BUT you will still need to drink some protein. I will be 7 weeks post op on Monday. I have Body Fortress Whey ISOLATE protein which is 30g per scoop. I throw some frozen or fresh strawberries and banana in my nutribullet with 100% cranberry juice and then shake in the powder once that is blended. I make up the rest with nuts, yogurt in the morning, cheese, cottage cheese and the P3s they have out is really good. I can eat beef jerky, which i love because there is a lot of protein there. It gets easier. Wish I had an answer for you, but really its just that part you have to get through right now. I thought the exact same thing though, lol. Try mixing unflavored in things with flavor and dont forget you can use any seasonings you want. Good luck!

Megan I'm not telling you what is right or wrong..but what I experienced at your stage. Please ask the advice of your Dr. Or Nut to be sure everything is ok. 1.) The nausea will go away eventually. I couldn't be any where near the smell of food the first couple of weeks. If you keep feline nauseated I would call your surgeons office. My Dr. Gave me suppositories to help. 2.) Your body may not be tolerating certain foods. So I would try changing it up and try those foods again later. I still to this day can not tolerate any yogurt. 3.) Telling when your full is tricky at this stage. For me it was a heavy feeling. I was never "hungry feeling" but I ate my three meals a day and had my Protein shakes in between. You may only be able to tolerate 2-3 bites at each meal. Most of all it does get better! Best wishes Deanna

Ok...mashed potatoes is just a supplement food to my protein. It's not all I eat but I can only do so much yogurt! Lol. Refried beans today for sure!

I did not do liquids, as he didn't ask me to. I lost 20 lbs in the two weeks of pre-op, but I cheated like there was no tomorrow (and if you think about it, that was reality). I had pizza four times, Italian sausage twice, clam chowder once, Belgian fries with all the dippings twice, and fell for Chipotle once. The rest of the time I had high-Fiber Cereal with greek yogurt, or else some extremely lean meat. I was sure to workout like hell while this occurred, because exercising was a lot easier for me than staying under 1000 calories a day (which was the requirement...and by the way, that is still hard now three months out, but I am losing weight just fine). There were no problems with my liver, and I was 286 (44 BMI) at my final pre-op appointment. Instances of cancellation are rare and occur in extreme cases (hundreds of pounds heavier than you or me), so I would take this day to relax and get in the zone...you've done it, and psychologically, you should be on the other side already. Congratulations.

i am on the kamakazi wedding diet- 900 calories a day. i am adding more foods as i find ones that fit in: breakfast: yogurt light 90 calories (i eat this everday anyway mmm key lime pie is fave) lunch choices: veggie burger, no bread, sauteed veggies, lite ranch- roughly 250 calories turkey hot dog-bread-condiments- 200 calories veggie corndog 1 w/mustard- 170 calories homeade tomatoe soup- 200 calories (if that!) 1.5 cup lentils 150 cal. hummus and wasa 250 cal snack- any fruit or what i have been having lately- splenda lite canned peaches WHOLE can is only 100 calories lite syrup included! dinner- any lunches OR: salad with 4 oz chicken- 400 calories 4 oz meat with sauteed mush, onions, red peppers - 400 calories lite tofu 4 oz and stirfry veggies all this plus 2 hours exercise a day. i finally saw TBL and they did super LOW cal and 3 hours exercise a day and lost ASTONISHING amounts of weight. i just want to lose as much as i can by 7-1-06! NO CHEATING!!! since i am allowing myself foods i love and eat normally anyway i think i can 'stick to it'. we'll see! i am down 3 in week 1!!!!!!!!!

Im in the middle of my liquid diet aswell. My surgeon requires 2 weeks of liquids. I am allowed 1200 calories and 130 carbs max - 2 glucerna Meal Replacement drinks - 1 scoop Protein powder - 2 cups milk - 4 fat free sugar free yogurts - 2 cups broth - 2 cups Gardennay soup unlimited Jello, crystal lite, and sugar free popsicles. No Caffine or carbonation. in the past 8 days I have lost 10 lbs. 8 days to go!! :smile1:

I had my surgery January 6th at tufts medical center in Boston MA. Everything has gone smooth so far. I came home from the hospital yesterday 1/8/14. I was 217 1/3 weighed in today 1/9 and I was 210.2. I have been very full. Today I had a carnation instant breakfast with 8 oz skim milk, a small decaf coffee with skim, and some diet cran grape juice for breakfast. Lunch time I had a Dannon light Greek cherry yogurt. That has 12 grams of protein. Dinner I had 1/2 c low fat cottage cheese (I couldn't quite finish it) I also sipped on 16 ounces of water with crystal light throughout the day. Tomorrow I will work on drinking more fluid. I did some walking today. Was shopping at Home Depot with my hubby. Feeling really good. The incision sights are sore, but I am taking my pain pills to it isn't too bad. I am not even tempted to eat anything I shouldn't have. I am 39 and have 3 kids 19, 12, and 9. My mother is staying with me and helping so I can rest and not have to cook for everyone just yet. So excited to start this journey. Now when it start getting smaller sizes I won't be too nervous to give away the big clothes. In fear I may need them again later.

I was baned on Oct 6th and today makes one week. The swelling went down but now I feel like fluids isnt keeping me full enough I am constantly drinking water and having yogurt and protein shakes but I feel like I am still hungry. I seen the dr. yesterday and told him. He said that was normal.. and he said he will see me in 4weeks for my first fill. What do u guys do when this happens.. how do you keep from being a starvin marvin! Thanks Connie

I'm a week out from surgery. Problems with my unfilled 11cc band led to numerous tests which pointed to the band needing to be removed. Not wanting to regain I mentioned to my surgeon, "if it can be saved, please do" - but he was 99% sure it needed to go. Surprised to came out of surgery with a hiatel hernia repair and the band still in. My follow up appointment is Wednesday, but I just don't feel right. I've got reflux like I never had before and this annoying need to clear my throat. I have a weird lump at the base of my neck which I can literally feel - thought maybe it was from being intubated for surgery, but shouldn't it be gone by now? Everything I drink - coffee, tea, water stops in my throat and then it sounds like a slow drain swirling down. Can do the same soft foods I did before surgery - yogurt, cottage cheese, but it did take 45 minutes to get down a bowl of thin oatmeal. After eating(if you can call it that) pain either spreads across the center of my chest and along my jaw or across my shoulder blades. Even drink water results in belching like I just had a beer! Anyone out there experience this and is it normal? Will it resolve in time?

I am four days out from surgery full liquids...my NUT has me eating every two hours...breakfast 1/4 cup (2oz)...then 4oz high protein shake....2oz lunch....4oz high protein shake...2pm snack....4pm snack high protein shake...6pm..dinner 1/4 cup ( usually greek lite less 6 grams sugar yogurt) then 8pm another 4 oz high protein shake...sips of water 30 mins before and after meals...so far don't feel hungry...in fact yestetday only did 3 shakes instead of four...goal is 50 to 60 gms of protein...400 to 500 calories..yesyerday I had 46 gms protein 333 calories....starting to feel little discomfort when eating. Found I do better with litte warm foods than colds but still doing well Sent from my LG-LS997 using BariatricPal mobile app Sent from my LG-LS997 using BariatricPal mobile app

Try Orgain organics premixed high Protein or their Protein powder. I actually used CVS whey protein and mixed it with Almond Breeze almond milk and Fage 0% greek yogurt. I tried premiere protein and found it much too sweet. It may be too much sugar giving you digestive issues.

So I found this yogurt at target today and it really appealed to me because it was the only yogurt I could find with an acceptable amount of sugar which is a gram because it is sweetened with stevia. My physician said anything above four grams of sugar was not something I should consume. Has anyone else heard anything about it? What kind of yogurt do you eat? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I feel pretty good. First thing after surgery in recovery room was a little rough, but nurses got my pain under control quickly. I think I got 3 or 4 doses of dilaudid via IV for pain the day of and day after surgery, but fter that I mainly used liquid tylenol to control pain. I did take a hit of liquid oxycodone at bedtime to help me sleep. But oral pain meds gave me nausea, but again nurses were quick with anti-nausea meds. Had surgery on Thursday morning and got discharged Saturday morning. I am on full iquid diet. Protein shakes, decaf coffee or tea, sugar free popsicles, smooth soups (no chunks, meat, nor pasta), skim milk, plain yogurt (can use artificial sweeteners in it), grits, runny oatmeal and sugar free pudding. I am on this for 2 weeks, then onto pureed foods where I can add low fat cottage & ricotta cheese, creamy soups, but no solids. Next 2 weeks is stage 3 soft foods progressing to regular foods. Then stage 4 to start integrating regular foods one at a time back into my diet. Right now I feel good. Sipping water to get my 64 oz in daily. I have zero hunger. Just a few little stomach cramps when I sip to fast, but again doctor prescribed levsin for cramps and it seems to be working. Haven't had to take anything for pain since I have been home. My incisions are pretty painless as well I only feel them if I really twist or bend to far. I guess am very lucky in that regard. My daily diet is one protein Shake first thing which takes me about 2 hours to sip down. Then I do sugar free pudding with protein powder added. Just add two scoops to the pudding mix and I mix with Fairlife fat free milk. That gives me about five 4 oz servings with about 15 grams of protein and 100 calories. I also do a protein water or fruit flavored protein mix in the afternoon to try and get 60 grams of protein each day.

I have not tried the unjury, but I have an unflavored one from GNC that I add in to my greek yogurt. It is unflavored, but it DOES have a flavor. I have to mask it with other flavors (I add in splenda and espresso powder to my yogurt) or else it has a very bad taste to it. I cannot add it in milk, etc, because of this. I really wanted to try the unjury, but I haven't had the money.

Hi everyone, I'm finally back for an update! I had been in the typical stall for quite some time, so was hesitant to post too much and come across pessimistic. Here's a recap. Had my surgery January 9th in Mexico. BMI was 29, weighed in at 153.4 (only 5'1) on January 1st when I started my pre-op. I had an easy pre-op, basically just did Protein shakes for Breakfast and lunch and then veggies and chicken for dinner. Three days before surgery was yogurt only diet, but I did add a Protein shake once a day just to keep my protein up and my carbs down. Day of surgery I weighed 148.4 lbs, which put my BMI at 28. I went down to Mexico on the day of surgery and spent a few days in San Diego afterwards. First time I weighed myself on my home scale I was 139.2 and that was on January 17th. Jan 18 - 137.2 Jan 19 - 137.0 Then my weight started to bounce around and stall out so I stopped weighing daily. Feb 1 - 137.6. I started working out Feb 1, scale was still moving super slow, so again just weighed every once in a while Feb 5 - 136.0 Feb 23 - 135.2 Then I went on vacation to California. Just got back last night and I weighed in this morning at .... 129.0!!!!!! That puts me at a BMI of 24.4, the high end of NORMAL WEIGHT. Why did I finally drop? I don't exactly know, but here's two things that probably helped. 1. I ate out a lot, and although I didn't eat lots at a time, my calories were definitely higher, so I think that actually helped boost my metabolism. 2. I got super sick the second last night, stuck in the bathroom (sorry if this is TMI - but basically all night pooping and puking --- although it was mostly dry heaving since there was no food in me). So I probably am down quite a bit of Water weight, and fully expect I may gain a couple pounds once I get hydrated again and eating somewhat normal. Anyways, I just wanted to post an update since it's been a while, and I feel like I may have finally broken this stall. I am less than 6 lbs above my lowest weight as an adult. Still 14 lbs above my goal weight, but that being said, I am looking forward to increasing my exercise and putting on muscle, so realize it may be difficult for the scale to drop steadily if I'm toning up. Hope everyone else is doing well! --I am going to copy and paste this post to a few of the other "low BMI" threads, so sorry for the repeat to those of you that follow those threads as well--

I love love love pureed cauliflower, with plain greek yogurt mixed in and shredded cheese (& garlic and chopped onion and crumbled bacon) I made the best loaded baked cauliflower ever, and it saved me during those days. Tastes just like loaded baked potato!! If you can't have the bacon, just pick it out. But it flavors the cauliflower very well!! You can google the recipe, it's a pretty popular recipe.

krogers carb master yogurt is really good !!!......you mentioned mio....i squirt a bit of mixed berry or orange/tangerine in my vanilla shake and thats about all ive been drinkin lately !!!

@@Countrygrrl dear speedy gonzales LOL old habits die hard but they must die i used to eat fast, fast too my "tool" was a shovel i kept digging myself in a deeper hole eating too fast??? KNOCK IT OFF!! eating too fast - its like hurry, hurry keep eating otherwise someone is gonna grab your plate from underneath you!! I frequently use a baby utensil when i eat you can only go so fast when you are using a baby spoon when i eat my yummy yogurt i have a teeny spoonful then i take a break - move the plate - and restart its great or using regular silverware taking your fork/spoonful after you are done chewing put utensil down for a couple of secs it DOES work/help - but you have to keep practicing you know what they say about practice you can do this you must and you will 41 lbs total down pre and post op that's great keep up the good work kathy congrats

I have staples. So no steri strips at all. I have had 5oz of protein drink and 4oz of chicken broth and 12oz of gaterade. I have also had one orange popcicle and 2 tbls of greek yogurt...and I guess that is still not enough..... Blech! When I stand up my belly pulls a HURTS! But I try to walk at least 10 min every 3 hours.... Still hurts

My name is Amy Workman and I am a bandster (everyone: HI Amy). I haven't posted on here in a long time and thought I might share with you my blog post from today. If any of you watched the recent Dr. Oz show about Lapband, I thought it might be nice for those of you just beginning to see a more realistic idea of the band. I was banded January 27th, 2009. I weighed 327 and today weight 159 pounds. I love my band. My before and after pictures on here are not updated, but you can find all my pictures on my blog. If you have any questions, please email me and ask away. Sometimes we forget when we were first beginning. Do you remember the first time you googled Lapband? Or the first time you logged into the forums...frantically searching for before and afters....looking at successes and getting pumped...stumbling upon a horror story and then getting scared? Do you remember the stupid questions you asked? I remember posting on lapbandtalk.com something like "is one cup of Wendy's chili bad for you?" Well, I am going to try and remember back to when I didn't know much about the band...and what information would have been helpful. Here goes... Did you know: I started at 327 pounds. My doctor, the wonderful and handsome Dr. Jeffrey Friedman, told me that the band is not always the best choice for someone who is a grazer. They find that the band is actually more successful for men, because men tend to eat in volume (sitting down for a huge dinner and getting really full, vs eating and munching on little things all day). Some doctors say that the band will not work as well for those of us who are or were really morbidly obese. I disagree. And there are plenty of us out here who are proving them wrong. Did you know: The band may not work for you? You could have the surgery and not lose much weight at all. It is not a sure thing. BUT, if you work with the band...it can and will work for most of us.What does "work with the band mean"? Every doctor has a different regimen they want you to follow. Every doc is different, as it almost every patient. Some say no pop/soda, some say it's fine. Some have a 2 week liquid preop and scare the sweet baby jebsus out of you about not shrinking your liver enough for surgery and not being able to operate (thank you Dr. Friedman). But, you will have to do your part with the band. You will have to watch what you eat. You will have to eventually get your ass up and exercise. You will have to make healthier choices and just be better. I know you are saying WHAT? That sounds like a diet to me. And I fail at diets!!! The band is a TOOL, not the Alpha and Omega of your weight loss journey. You can "cheat" the band by eating sliders and soft food. I for one could eat cheetos all day long and the band would sleep right through it. But with the right restriction, your band prevents you from eating that large pizza, the extra value meal, the entire bovine. You have to find a doctor that you can have a relationship with. They have to be open with you and you have to be open with them. You HAVE to go see them for fills. You have to follow up. You have to be a good patient. ASK QUESTIONS. What can you eat once you are banded? At this point in my journey, I can't think of one thing I CANT eat. However, there are somethings that I try to stay away from because they are difficult with my band. Example: Bowtie Pasta. It doesnt go down well. And then it just sits in my band and expands...causing me to PB (get to that in a second). I can't eat a sandwich, or a hamburger with a bun, but I could eat a roll if I tear off little pieces at a time. Hot dogs give me problems for some reason. Dry chicken or reheated meat (with the exception of a hamburger) often give me problems as well. I still drink soda, I still drink beer. I love Soups. I can eat veggies. I can eat fruit. Eating after being banded is about going slow. It's about chewing. They say with proper restriction that 4-6 ounces of solid Protein (a piece of meat about the size of your fist) should keep you full for 3-4 hours. Most docs want their patients to avoid "slider meals". Meaning, eating a bowl of Soup for lunch or yogurt for Breakfast isn't going to keep you full or satisfied because it will SLIDE right down. You want your food to stay in your pouch, and slowly drop down. Sometimes though...food may get stuck and then you get "sick". The Dreaded PB: A couple things may happen if a piece of food gets "stuck in your pipe" as Heather refers to it. You aren't going to die. It's not like it gets stuck and you need the Heimlich. But if a piece of food gets stuck, ain't nothing else going down until it moves or comes up. The first thing that may happen is a productive burp (PB). This is not throwing up. When something gets stuck, your slobber starts to build on top of it. For me, when this happens, I get a weird sensation in the back of my jaw. And if I wait long enough, I will have to get somewhere private (hopefully) and let it come up. What comes up is this weird slime/foam combo. It doesn't hurt. And hopefully...it moves whatever is stuck. Sometimes though, it takes a little more work. Sometimes that one piece of food I didnt chew enough will be down there for hours. And then, it's not PBing. It's sort of like dry heaving until that piece comes up. There is a tightness in the chest...a pressure. It's not fun. I will say that not everyone gets stuck or PB's. And most of us would agree that when we do get stuck...it's our fault. We eat without being present, we didn't chew, we ate too fast. Restriction and Tips for Eating: Unless you are extremely lucky, you will not awake from surgery with perfect restriction. Some docs put a little liquid in your band to start with, others wait. I had to wait 6 weeks for my first fill. And again, unless you are the rare case, you probably won't get restriction with your first fill. It took me several fills before I had good restriction. ASK your doctor what his/her fill policy is. Some docs are super restrictive with their fills. They only fill on a schedule. They don't care whether or not you have restriction. All I know is if Dr. Friedman hadn't let me tell him that I was ready for a fill...and if he had made me wait regardless of what I could eat...I wouldn't have been as successful as I was. You will know you have restriction when you have it. It's sort of like having sex. If you have to wonder if you had an orgasm or not...um...you probably didn't. Restriction will keep you full and satisfied for 3-4 hours. You will be able to eat less. Restriction DOES NOT RESTRICT YOUR BRAIN. You may still mentally crave things. You will have to learn the difference between head hunger and physical hunger. This is very hard. When you do have good restriction, you will have to change the way you eat. This is easier said than done. You should be taking small bites. For example, if you are eating steak, you need to cut that sucker up into pea sized bites. You need to chew. Then, set your fork down and wait a few seconds. You should eat sitting down. You should pay attention to what you are doing. You will learn that things like eating in the car is rarely going to end well. (Always have your emergency PB kit in your car. A couple of bags, some papertowels or handywipes. Trust me.) You probably shouldnt drink with your meal or for 30 minutes after. liquids can help push your food down...thus...cheating the band. How much weight will I lose? How quickly will I lose it? Now you know that there is no one answer for this. Statistically, Lapband patients lose around 40% of their excess weight. SO, if you are 100 pounds overweight, statistically you will lose 40 pounds. I hate statistics. And remember, they are an average. 17 more pounds lost and I will have lost 100% of my excess weight...and I am not alone. It can happen. However, there are so many factors that go into how much and how fast. Genetics, age, diet history, personal support, family life, exercise. Some weeks I lost 7 pounds. Some weeks I gained 5. The weeks I gained, I gained because I ate poorly. I cheated the band The weeks I lost, I ate and made healthy choices. There are some weeks, even when I WAS doing the right thing...I didn't lose. It can be frustrating. But you can't give up. You will have to keep upping your game. At some point, even with the band, you will either have to adjust your food or exercise. But, I feel like the band is "cheating". I feel like if I have WLS, I am weak. I'm gonna tell you what. Who gives a flying monkey's ass?! Cheating what? Cheating early death? Cheating sleep apena? Cheating high blood pressure, sore joints, diabetes? I say CHEAT AWAY then. There is no shame in WLS. It's not about will power. It's not about failing. It is about trying to find a tool that works to give you some power, give you your health. I tell whoever wants to know or will listen about the band. And yes, I have heard "Oh...well...I thought you did it the hard way"...or "hmmm...that must be nice". I say listen FOOL. There ain't nothing easy about the band. It makes some things easier but it is still work. And I find that people either give you 'tude about the band bc they are afraid or jealous or because they don't understand. Either way, that is okay. I will educate or I will ignore. I feel like if I were to say "oh, I am just watching my diet and working out"...that I would be lying by omission. AND, my real fear is that someone who is overweight will think "Well, Amy did it "the old fashioned way", and they will feel like a failure when they try and do not succeed. Will my relationship fall apart if I have the surgery? We all hear the stories of what happens when someone has WLS. The divorce rate and seperation rate is a little higher for us. There are several reasons. One, for some of us....when we lose weight, we become a different person...or the person we would have been if our bodies hadn't been our enemies so long. Our expectations may change, we may want more. OR, our partners may not be able to deal with the new us. OR, as in any relationship...sometimes it's just time to move on. I don't think that having WLS should make you fear losing or changing your partner anymore than the normal person. There are tons of bandsters out there still happy and maybe even happier with their significant other. Sometimes though, even though we can't see it or don't want to admit it...we have settled. And once you start to shed your cloak of security or denial...you realize you deserve more (too bad we don't realize that to begin with. Long story short...people change and grow...with or without weightloss surgery.Are you worried about complications: No. But most days I am not a worrier about things that may or may not happen. I heard recently that the stats for band slipping are about 5% and for erosion, about 1-2%. Slipping for example, can be avoided most of the time and according to the docs...is easy to fix. Erosion is of course a little more scary. But I hope that by always paying attention to my body, my band, and how I am feeling...I can avoid it or if it ever happens...catch it early.Do fills hurt? Mine never do. My doc has never done one under fluoro. He gives me a numbing shot and then the fill.How many fills do you have to have? To get restriction, it took me 4. My first year I had around 6 fills. My second year, I had 2.Will you ever have the band taken out? Lord I hope not. Even now that I am at goal weight and weight loss is more of what I do instead of what the band does for me...it's always there. It's my safety net. It will keep me from ever being 327 pounds again.Why did you choose the band over other options? I was 28 when I decided on the surgery. I didn't want my stomach cut apart. I still wanted to be able to absorb my nutrients. I wanted to be able to eat sugar and other things without getting physcially ill. I liked that the removal of the band was a possibility if something went wrong. I liked the idea of being able to control my restriction. And even though I bitched and complained along the way, I liked the idea of a slower weight loss (vs Gastric bypass). It gave my skin and my brain a little more time to adjust.Did you know there are different brands of lapbands? I have the Allegran Lapband. Ask you doctor your choices and the differences. Mine is a 10-11cc band. Some are smaller.Were you worried about the loose skin? Barely. I figured I may look like a saggy deflated sack after I lost my weight, but I would rather be deflated then morbidly obese. And I am lucky. My skin is nowhere as bad as it could have been. Again, so many factors go into skin. Age, genes, working out, sun...etc. Would you do it again? In a heartbeat my friends. In a heartbeat. It was the best decision of my life. It was a tremedous catalyst for change. I can't think of one negative consequence of the band.