I love how far I have came with my band and I am even more excited to see what I will be able to do in the future with the band but sometimes I just wish I could eat normal again. I hate that I just cant grab something to eat and go I have to make sure its going to go down. Iam also having trouble finding veggies and fruits that work with my band any suggestions on what goes down easy or good side dishes?

For me I find that it's just experimenting. I thought eggplant parmesan would be a good food choice but for some reason it goes down REALLY slow. Then I tried no-noodle zucchini lasagna and I could eat it no problem! Bananas always cause me problems for some reason. It's more of just a trial and error thing because each dang band is so different. I've also learned certain tricks like for scrambled eggs, if they add water or milk to 'fluff' them up they are a lot harder to eat for me than if they just mixed the eggs by themselves and scrambled them. I've also learned that if I'm craving bread I can usually use a cracker instead. This works great for lunch meat, tuna salad, etc. It's taken me a long time to learn what my band can and cannot tolerate and it's still a work in progress but I don't miss foods nearly as much as I used to. Good luck with your journey!

I actually love the new 'normal'. spot on about the eggs Guy. Usually just plain scrambled go down fine but as soon as I start mixing it will other stuff I have issues. I actually love the fact I am learning more about foods thanks to my band it also helped brighten my horizons on the various choices available rather then eating the old junk food I used to woof down.

Funny thing the band. I would have thought an English Muffin would be hard to eat but no I have no issue with that but I try and eat a pita wrap....nothing but troubles toasted or not.

Only thing I miss now and again is a nice Guinness from the tap.

it depends on what you define as "normal" i hate having to steam my broccoli to death to be able to eat it otherwise it gets stuck. prior to the band i used to eat a lot of raw veggies that i cannot do so now without paying the price. a lot of the healthy "normal" foods are what i miss and i haven't found a substitute for breads. toasted or not they'll get stuck. same with pancakes, waffles. same with steak. i wish i had suggestions. i'm hoping someone has some good ones that will work for me. as was stated above, each band is different, and it also depends on the person. some people can eat steak. i haven't been able to since day one of the band when i have full restriction. =/

i must be the odd one.....but i eat as i always have (normal)

i just now choose to eat different things...

Once in a while I miss it. What I mainly miss is like you said being able to eat on the go. I have to take time to eat, which I guess is a good thing, but it's just hard when you are busy. Plus, trying anything new at a resturant is always a gamble, so that kinda sucks.

Steak is a tricky one for me as well...

yeah eating out is always a gamble

I actually love the new 'normal'. spot on about the eggs Guy. Usually just plain scrambled go down fine but as soon as I start mixing it will other stuff I have issues. I actually love the fact I am learning more about foods thanks to my band it also helped brighten my horizons on the various choices available rather then eating the old junk food I used to woof down.

Funny thing the band. I would have thought an English Muffin would be hard to eat but no I have no issue with that but I try and eat a pita wrap....nothing but troubles toasted or not.

Only thing I miss now and again is a nice Guinness from the tap.

Jim, I was just talking to my husband about Guinness. Do you not have it occasionally because of the carbonation, or the calories? Guinness doesn't have a lot of carbonation, and I was wondering if it would be an acceptable alternative to regular beer?

I actually feel like now I eat normal. Before I had the band and changed my lifestyle, I ate like a glutton.

Do I ever miss the gluttonous eating? Every once in a great while, I wish I could sit down and have a Big Mac, large fried, large Coke, and apple pie. It's usually when I'm upset over something. BUT... that is a very fleeting moment because then I look in the mirror. I love my new life since losing weight and wouldn't trade that in for the world.

I do not miss anything about my old eating habits. Nada! I used to feel bloated after every meal, and never felt "good". I feel good all the time now. I love eating slower, and I LOVE eating less. As Jim said.....it's the new normal.

Sometimes, if I'm feeling angst and totally compulsive, I will want to continue eating beyond what I'm physically comfortable with. Those days are difficult, but they don't happen often.

Regarding what foods go down easily, as mentioned by a few above, you have to try different things & see what works for you. So far, I don't have problems with anything, except honeydew melon. I used to LOVE honeydew, but now it gives me horrible stomach pain. It happens almost immediately when I start eating it. Go figure..... Maybe it's more about the plication than the band; don't really know. Maybe it's very gassy, and I never noticed before? I've thrown two melons in the trash already, and won't buy it again. The first time I thought maybe it was something else... The second time it was painfully clear

Jim, I was just talking to my husband about Guinness. Do you not have it occasionally because of the carbonation, or the calories? Guinness doesn't have a lot of carbonation, and I was wondering if it would be an acceptable alternative to regular beer?

I don't touch it or any beer for both reasons the carbonation and the calories. Same goes for soda. I haven't had a drop since Apr 2012. I was never a big drinker to begin with but I missed having a Guinness on St Patties day this year. I know I could have it but I made my choices and plan to stick to them.

yeah eating out is always a gamble

Seems no matter where I eat out or what I have I am guaranteed to have that scale go up the next morning. It is very frustrating because it seems even a house salad at a Chili's or something will make the scale go up. Damn Water weight kills me at times.

I don't miss any particular food, but I do missing drinking with my meals. I really miss drinking after a meal to clean my taste buds. I learned I can take a small sip and swish around.

I love how far I have came with my band and I am even more excited to see what I will be able to do in the future with the band but sometimes I just wish I could eat normal again. I hate that I just cant grab something to eat and go I have to make sure its going to go down. Iam also having trouble finding veggies and fruits that work with my band any suggestions on what goes down easy or good side dishes?

Sometimes I wish I didn't have to eat so dang slow and wait a minute between each bite. Everyone around me is eating "normal" and finished well before me. I'm also afraid one day I will forget to wait and pay the price!