So from time to time I come across a product that as a post-op lap band patient I can not imagine living without. Anything from a new food, book or appliance... Please share about the things you have found helped you with your journey!!!!!

Here are a few things that I love!!!

-Blender bottle.... great invention! Helps to blend drinks when you do not have time to use a blender..

-Bariatric eating.com - great source for Vitamins, protiens, foods etc!

Vitamin Water Zero - It has completely replaced my iced tea and soda from pre-surgery.

Calorieking.com - I use their Diary for food/exercise diary. It is fantastic to just drag your food from the search menu into the daily slots.

I couldnt live without my vitamix blender - but its a big investment. Whilst I had restriction, it enabled me to eat enough fruit and vegies - makes great Soups, smoothies etc. Now I'm on a low residue diet to manage chemotherapy and without it, all I could eat would be white bread, rice, Pasta and Protein, again, it pulverises the fruits and vegies so that I can eat them without them causing a huge workload for my gut.

I never tried baby cutlery, but by far the biggest and most effective tool I used in losing weight and in keeping it off unfilled are small dishes and plates. I have an array of them and they make portion control easy to do without weighing and measuring. For example, I buy yogurt in big tubs, because I'm feeding a family and we all eat it, but in days gone by the tub would be gone in a day. Now we serve into teeny little bowls that hold about 200 grams - the amount in an individual tub of yogurt. I find as long as I stick to 3 meals a day of proper portions, I can eat absolutely ANYTHING I fancy, and usually even a little bit of desseert, without worry about weight gain at all, so much so that I have no plans to refill my band at all.

I am loving the Wii! When I'm too busy to get to the gym, I can do Wii Fit followed by Just Dance 2 and feel like I've had a great workout.

I am also loving the Starfrit kitchen scale my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas (and she doesn't even know I've been banded!). It's very low profile and switches from grams to ounces. I use it almost every day as I get used to portion sizes.

About the Blender Bottle, besides great blending, does it help make it thicker, as a blender would?

And here's my contribution to great products: Harmonized Protein, http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/progressive/harmonizedprotein.html

Sweetened with Stevia, blends like a dream, tastes great, and doesn't change texture or clump when used in a hot beverage. The link above has the best prices.

So from time to time I come across a product that as a post-op lap band patient I can not imagine living without. Anything from a new food, book or appliance... Please share about the things you have found helped you with your journey!!!!!

Here are a few things that I love!!!

-Blender bottle.... great invention! Helps to blend drinks when you do not have time to use a blender..

-Bariatric eating.com - great source for Vitamins, protiens, foods etc!

Crystal Light (I am not a huge plain Water drinker and love the different flavors)

Wii Fit and Wii Sports Resort (yay for mad bicycling cardio, it gets my heart pumping)

Water Bottle to refill and take with me wherever I go. (which is not brand specific but still important for me)

Teriyaki Beef Jerky (my go to Protein snack when I feel I haven't hit my goal with other food or shakes for the day, I like Walmarts Great Value brand)

Chobani Greek Yogurt (best brand I have ever tasted, the pineapple is to die for and helps me get my protein grams in for the day)

Gas X pills (lol, I have been gassy since my surgery and I keep some in my purse for travel and here at home)

Fitday.com to keep track of my food nutrition for the day.

Lose It - App on my Ipod where I also keep track of my daily nutrition

South Beach Living protein fit bars (used rarely if I am going to have to miss out on a meal)

Genisoy Protein Crunch Bars (also used as an occasional meal replacement)

Chamomile Tea - For occasional stomach upsets (I am a big hot tea drinker on a daily basis anyway)

I am sure there are other things I am not thinking of offhand.