I'm a Bander, so I cannot talk about other surgeries, and that is why I'm posting this under the lap band section...

A lot of people talk about the fear of overeating by going with too much "Slider Food" The theory is, at least the way I understand it, is that no matter how much restriction you have, these type of foods will pass right through easily, thereby cheating the band, and eating around the benefits of having the surgery in the first place.

Yes, I get it...makes perfect sense to me....but there is something people fail to mention, and I remembered it the other day when I sat down in front of the TV with a pint of Ben and Jerry's "Cherry Garcia" Ice cream....

Over time, we loose all the weight, loose all the belly fat, exercise and get those rock hard ab muscles back, and in the process, from eating so little food for so long, our actual stomachs shrink in size!!!

So sitting there with the pint of ice cream, I would have polished off the entire pint, but I couldn't....just as the band prohibits me from overeating regular solid food, the fact that my stomach has gotten so small makes it impossible to overeat slider foods that get past the band with no problem.......

1/3rd of the way in, and I started to get a good old fashioned "belly ache!" I HAD TO STOP! As a matter of fact I felt a little miserable for a hour or two afterward....

And just like lessons learned with the band, I've learned another lesson, and unless I like like pain and feeling miserable, I won't attempt that anytime soon....behavior modification!!

I've noticed this with a few other things also, like beer....,Yes, I drink beer, my Dr knows it, I know how to do it, and I AM NOT saying you should do so either...follow your Dr.'s directions!!!! (you also can't do it if you're tight)

Anyway, back in the day I could drink beer all day...and I had the stomach size to prove it! Now, one beer and I'm finished....just don't have the stomach for it anymore.......

So it's a Win-Win situation....the band will help you (force you) to adapt a new lifestyle, and in return with that new lifestyle, many other benefits will follow. Things will develop into a NEW NORMAL.....no more eating like a pig....first because the band won't let you, and then, if you attempt to cheat and eat around the band, your improved smaller stomach won't let you!!!!

It does not get any better than this!!!! I love my band!!

And I quess I should say, if you are just starting out, it will take some time of eating very little food before your stomach shrinks....and you get that additional safety net.

Agreed. If I eat sliders, they go down easily but I very quickly find I am "full" in the same way I would have been with a much larger, pre-band stomach. That full feeling which is actually below the physical stomach, that we feel around the tummy button area!

Yes, over time, our stomachs do, as you say, provide a second safety net.

And I still love my band after almost nine years.

Thanks B52. It's very helpful for us just starting out to hear about a few years down the road. You always seem to post about something I have been thinking about.

Thanks for sharing. I have been eating more of what might be considered "slider" foods lately because my cholesterol came back 15 points higher now than it was back when I was almost 300 pounds? I've been getting my Protein from other sources other than animal products. I do find that I get satisfied on smaller amounts than I did pre band. Whether they are considered slider foods, I watch my portion sizes and am really enjoying eating Beans, peanut butter lately... I'm still learning how my band works, but I read as much as I can on it. I do miss using a straw or drinking a beer but vodka taste pretty good with lemon crystal light...

I couldn't agree with you more. When I crave sweets I eat nutella right out the jar. If I eat more than a few lick fulls of the knife, you can best believe I will feel miserable for the next hour or so. The band totally controls our intake. Great post