Hi my name is dream to be slim ,

After years of struggling with my weight I decided to have a gastric band , something I never thought I would do , but in desperation decided to do . My surgery was done after much research at Nuffield hospital brentwood , Essex, uk on 23/11/2012 . I had a 10cc band fitted , not sure quite what my current fill level is as their is some uncertainty , but believe it is approx. 5.5 / 6 ? I have had various fills and unfills , the times I have had some taken out is due to pain I have had at the sight of my port , [ where bra fits ] sometimes really bad causing me to be sick / feel sick . I have lost 3 stone since my surgery but feel it has been a real slog , I have told very few people except close family , meals out are a big worry infact I dred them and big get togethers , as I have on occasions eaten very little and ended up in loo with pain /being sick , which I do my best to hide but does not make a pleasant experience so do my best to avoid . Does anyone else out there have an experience like mine ? I need some support as It has been getting me down , a barium xray proved band in correct place but at the time with some fill removed showed no restriction , more has been put in since . Any advice/suggestions/help greatly received .

Hi. Are you exercising at all? That helps with losing inches and sometimes the inches show up more than pounds lost. Also, maybe call your dietitian for advice on your food choices. As for eating out, I eat out all the time and try my best to order healthy foods and not over eat. When I get a stuck moment, I take a walk, I have left my husband in restaurants many many times, while I am out walking. I order from the children's menu a lot.

I don't know about the UK, but in the USA, I got a card from the lap band company asking if I can order smaller meals. I have used the card many times. Also, sometimes I go to the restaurant's web site and review the menu so I have an idea of what I should order.

Good luck and please don't give up.

thanks for replying , I have a home gym but admit lately have not done as much as I was although on the go due to work every day , the exercise does need to improve , starting tomorrow ! My biggest problem with eating seems to be with all meat no matter how much I chew it , managed to eat some fish yesterday but tried a small bar-b-que rib this evening but could not eat anymore as I started to feel the pain I experience , sucked a mint and it seemed to help

i order appetizers, instead of a meal. poach your fish and chicken. the added liquid helps. i add lemons, or red orange olive oil to the Water. oh yum. red meat has to be rare. our biggest Protein count for the day will come from meat. i hope you can try different ways of preparing them as they will fill you up the most and stay with you longer.