Hi i was banded may 31,2011. It took me 4months to get my first fill 4.8 cc. Recently 2wks ago i had another fill less 1.7 cc. I am going back and forth with losing and gaining. I now have high blood pressure and arthritis. My problem is not beong able to afford healthy food and no snacking. Plzzz help. Thx

What do you consider healthy food? All food is more expensive this last year but healthy food is still quite reasonable. Why did you have fluid removed?

My heart goes out to you. Unless someone has ever lived on a very tight budget, they usually don't understand how much more expensive it is to eat healthy food than cheap unhealthy foods. It's a heck of a lot cheaper to brown some high fat ground beef and make Hamburger Helper than to cook a meal with fresh veggies and chicken breasts.

My advice is to buy the healthy food in bulk. For instance, budget stores like Aldi and Save-A-Lot usually will sell big bags of chicken breasts. Not only is it cheaper there, but then you just thaw one or two at a time as you need them. You can do the same with fish. The whole Hamburger Helper example? Use lean ground turkey instead of ground beef, get the whole grain varieties, use skim milk and "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter". Yes it does cost a little more, but once you buy the extras you have it on hand for other meals too. Even good old meatloaf, just use lean ground turkey instead of beef, and make a tomato sauce and ketchup version rather than fatty brown gravy.

I find if I look at a lot of the cheap foods I'm used to, minor changes can really make them a lot healthier with a little creativity.

Oh and if your problem is staying full without snacking, it could be you need another fill. I'd definitely tell your doc to be sure.

Best wishes to you!