I was banding in Oct of 2009. I immediately did an amazing job of losing. I started at 302 and was down to 270 but never went below. since then i have fluctuated from 270-282. i have found all of the tricks. I feel like I can not eat a meal without a drink, which is a HUGE problem. the feeling of having the food sitting on top of the band is not a feeling I like so i feel like this is never going to work for me. I told my husband (who is VERY supportive) that i do not want it anymore and just want to get all of the saline taken out. he told me not to give up that i just need to start doing what i am supposed to be doing (while being supportive, he just doesn't understand how hard that can be) I am looking for someone in a similar situation or that has overcome this situation. i recently purchased the biggest loser game for the xbox kinect and like it a lot and have lost 3lb since i got it.

I have been a member but never really blogged. looking for new friends and support.

i feel like a weight loss failure at this point because not only can i not do it without help but i am not doing it WITH surgery....my self esteem is at the end....Help!! thanks for listening...

I appreciate everyone's kind words and wisdom. It is definitely a relief to hear that I am not the only one struggling after the surgery. Meats are really hard for me too so I usually stick to shredded chickens, tuna, or crab meats. If i cut pasta up small enough, it has seemed to be an easy food to keep unstuck. I think at this point in my journey, I am to the point that I would much rather grab for something that goes through easy like "junk" food then take the time to work on a high protein meat. I think one of my biggest issues in this situation is that now that I am over the immediate period and back to work and my daily routine, I find it hard to take the time to plan anything so I am just grabbing at what works. I am also the type of person that hates leftovers and gets bored easily with the same foods. I noticed that a lot of people have a routine down and eat the same foods for breakfast and lunch. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make it less boring???? Any websites/advice is welcome. I need to make this commitment to myself to take the time out of my busy day. I am a nurse and hear everyone else's stories and struggles all day. I care about people and their outcomes but somehow keep pushing myself to the back burner. We all need to put ourselves first.

Carrie, there's a daily thread over at Obesity Help in the Lapband Forum that people post what they're eating each day. You might get ideas from there.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/lapband/

Actually, it's not such a bad thing to get a little bored with food, we tend not to eat so much if it's the "same ole, same ole".

If this next part is "Preaching to the Choir", just skip on over it. Pasta generally isn't a good choice for weight loss. It's a high glycemic food and makes our blood sugar spike, then when the levels fall again, we're hungrier than we were before we ate the pasta. Pasta can also have a tendency to get stuck for some people. Other high glycemic foods to consider avoiding are bread, potatoes, and rice. Of course there are individual differences in people's reactions to these foods, but it might be worth trying some changes to see if your body reacts adversely to the white carbs.

Instead of pasta, I use spaghetti squash or grated zucchini and put my meat sauce over it. Other people have reported using shredded cabbage or french style green Beans. If you must use pasta, try to go for whole wheat and cook it al dente. The longer you cook pasta, the higher it registers on the GI (glycemic index).

Instead of Rice, try using Quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wah). It's a south american grain (really a seed) and has all 7 types of Protein in it. I've used it in place of rice when making stuffed peppers.

White potatoes while not evil in themselves, have more weight loss friendly cousins in the red and purple potatoes. Also sweet potatoes are lower glycemic.

You can learn more about the Glycemic Index at www.glycemicindex.com

There's a blog titled something like "The World according to Eggface" that is by a girl who had RNY.. she has lots of recipes for "bites", things that you can make and bake in muffin tins. Make a bunch and freeze and rotate them for your lunches. I make meatloaf for the family and make about 6 or 12 in muffin tin size. The family gets the regular and a muffin tin cup size is right around 3 to 4 oz.. perfect for me. When I make taco Soup or white chicken chili, a cup or two goes in the freezer for me for later.

I made Asian Glazed Chicken tonight with a pan of stir-fried broccoli/onion/mushrooms/beansprouts. The glazed chicken recipe is here:

http://www.recipesecrets.net/forums/your-favorite-recipes/39775-asian-glazed-drumsticks.html

I use thighs instead of drumsticks and splenda instead of sugar.. comes out very very tender. 1 thigh is about a bandster serving.

Hope some of this is helpful.. sorry if I rambled too much or said things you already know. I'm up because I was foolish and ate something I shouldn't have b4 bed.. it's finally passed on through so now I'm going to try to get some sleep. Even 2 years out we can be STOOPID. Nighters.

Quonia doesnt' get stuck? I'll have to try that. I see that there is a ton of protein in it, and I miss rice.

Quonia doesnt' get stuck? I'll have to try that. I see that there is a ton of Protein in it, and I miss rice.

Everyone is different. I'm sure someone somewhere has gotten Quinoa stuck, however it hasn't caused an issue for me. It doesn't swell after ingestion like other grains do.. as it is technically not a grain but a seed.

By petunia not having the band yet, it is hard for her to say what kind of experience she IS going to have. she is looking from the outside in at this point and cant say well this is what is going to happen and this is what you have to do. There are a lot of foods that work for some but do not work for others. God made us all different and we are going to be different with this.

I understand where Petunia and wheelchair are coming from but the problem with this is we are all here for SUPPORT and it sets a lot of people off because those words, even if they are harsh reality, are not SUPPORTIVE. People come on this forum to get encouragement and support and POSITIVE thoughts. The way it comes off is NEGATIVE. No one wants a person to tell them they are dumb, fat, and stupid. We all need help and maybe negative is the way wheelchair and petunia like their support but most of us prefer friendship and positive support.

Obviously not everyone that has had this procedure has the same experience.

I agree without being banded you really have no idea what it is like. Some days you can eat something and the next you can't .

One of the best things I have done was get my band I love it and it is hard, one of the hardest things I have had to do. For myself It's a learning process and an eye opener at least it has been for me. things I didn't know about myself in eating I sure found out about after I was banded.

This web site has got me though allot and it's been other people who have been banded that helped......... everyone on here. I need everyone it helps so much.

I was so great my first two years, then I started down hill. Lost 86 lbs and gained 22lbs back. Now I am back on track thanks to my band and to me and everyone on here. I lost 4 lbs now and 10lbs more to go and I am good. I got to thin looking funny to say but true I was loosing muscle mass and not looking right. Even though i was doing Zumba and weights. I look so much better healthier. Well also my port flipped and I wasn't able to hold food down or drinks and that's why I lost so much weight sooo fast. But now after my new port I am good to go and had to re train myself. here I am back to doing the right thing. I could never do this on my own I tried over and over and over again It's weird because your still on your own but you have this awesome band inside you that helps you and that is the sole purpose of this band. We have it and we are suppose to use it, we are suppose to get filled and we are suppose to do our best as best as we all can do. I know lots of people have been banded and totally didn't even try, and have gain their weight back and then some. But we have this so if we have a bad time we can go get a fill and try again. It's awesome

I LOVE MY BAND. I am always trying to do the right thing every day and for the rest of my life. Thanks to all who are on here and who are banded who understand we all need each other even if it's just to say hello and read every body's stuff it helps so much It's going to be 3 yrs Aug 5th awesome thanks for letting me rattle on lol

OP... are you an RN?

OP... are you an RN?

yes

Melissa- Thank you for all of the amazing references in your post. I started checking them out and I LOVE eggface. She has so many recipes and helpful hints. I appreciate your encouragement/advice and preaching is different than being negative haha.

I don't understand the "food sitting on top of the band" statement. food isn't supposed to stay in the upper stomach all that long. What eating is supposed to do is to stretch the upper portion just enough to stimulate a nerve that conveys to the brain that we're no longer hungry.

This might be helpful to you:

http://drsimpson.net...estriction.html

I wonder if maybe your band is a tad too tight? Best of luck to you.

Ugh the worse is having your food stuck and it hurts I believe thats eating too fast not chewing and it hurts bad. I have to stick my finger down my throat and get rid of it. But it does it sits on top at least that's what it feels like.

What is eggface and what recipes I need recipes please..........

I don't understand the "food sitting on top of the band" statement. food isn't supposed to stay in the upper stomach all that long. What eating is supposed to do is to stretch the upper portion just enough to stimulate a nerve that conveys to the brain that we're no longer hungry.

This might be helpful to you:

http://drsimpson.net...estriction.html

I wonder if maybe your band is a tad too tight? Best of luck to you.

OMG I just read that on the web page awesome and sp great to know wow thank you so much for posting that

the world according to eggface is the site and she is incredible! as soon as I started reading I told me husband we need an ice cream maker hahaha! She is a ton of information!!

Petunia-I appreciate your blunt honesty on this matter. there are a couple of things to say about it. First of all, you were not banded yet. If/when you are banded you will learn that it is MUCH easier said than done. The people that get banded do because they are having a difficult time losing weight. A lot of people (me included) have a warped perception of the band. It IS a TOOL not an easy way out. You need to make an ENTIRE life change which is what a lot of us have trouble with in the first place. The exercise and the dieting is still the main component. no one, including doctors come right out and tell you that. They tell you that you need to change it, they make it as important as it obviously is. Yes it will help you to not eat as much but at this point, if you eat slow enough and certain foods you can still eat the same amt at that you were previous to the band. I hope for your sake that it is as easy as you think it is because like you said, it is a procedure where you risk your life. Having the knowledge and following it are two totally different things. I am a nurse and definitely know what to be doing and what the risk are of going through my life the way I am. I am still young which is why i chose this route. I need the type of tough love that can be supportive as well. As far as "putting on my big girl pants" I agree with June May-we DID put them on which is why we chose to have this procedure in the first place. This forum is for SUPPORT which is why most of us come on here. While a lot of what you said was truthful it was not very SUPPORTIVE. I hope that everything works out the way you THINK it will but if it doesnt, you will need support and the people on here provide that. No one is perfect.