My name is Tom. I'm about two and a half years into having my band. I started out at 555lbs, and after surgery got all the way down to 417lbs.

Last May my partner and I moved for me to take a job and things are very different. We lived with my parents prior to moving and now I'm the primary cook. I'm not doing what I should be doing... I'm up to 470lbs, since moving!

I make quick meals for me that band slide and good stuff for my partner. My excuse is I don't want things to get stuck. I've got to get back on track.

Any advice, words of wisdom or support in general would be helpful and welcomed! I'm sick of being a fat pig.

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I don't have any advice for you as I haven't had my surgery yet but I wanted to say welcome. I'm sure you will find lots of great advice here.

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Hey...

As a previous bander. . I know what it is like to choose slider foods over normal foods so they do not get stuck.

I would suggest you go in for an adjustment and meet with your nutritionist... (i am not sure if you have an after care plan)

The only advice i can give is stop choosing the sliders... choose food that is nutritionally dense yet moist... eg fish, veggie bakes, mashed cauliflower, stews etc.

I found the more liquid the meat had, the less likely it was to get stuck.

What kind of things are you eating now?

Having food get stuck is definitely painful! That's one of the reasons I like the lap band, though. It's a staunch enforcer of two key rules, "slow down" and "chew well." When you eat, make sure you're eating Protein first, then veggies. Chew as well as you can and pause between bites. Then the food won't get stuck and it won't hurt, but you'll get full faster.

If you're still getting stuck even after eating slowly and chewing well I'd visit your doctor and see if you need to get the band loosened a little. If you're too tight, you'll resort to slider foods which go down easy but are higher in carbs and calories.

Don't call yourself names - that's not going to help anything! Some folks opt to do a liquid or pureed diet for a few days to get back on track. Good luck!

Thank you all for your support! I appreciate it! So my biggest issue is even after losing my most amount of weight (140lbs) I never needed a fill. My surgeon said some people just never need one. He also said he wouldn't give a fill until dry chicken went down with ease. That's NEVER happened. I have to be better at cutting meat smaller and eating slower. Right now I've been eating a lot of Soups and pastina. Not great at all due to the carbs and sodium content. I need to plan meals better and actually eat during the whole day. Often I run out of the house with my iced coffee and have nothing til I'm home from work.

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@@tvitale1128

In all the years i had the band dry meat never stayed down, so i wouldn't rely on that for getting an adjustment.

I had probably 20 adjustments... fills and unfills... and dry meat was always an issue regardless of how tight or loose it was.

If you are gaining weight then you are not in the green zone... i would say it is too loose...

how is your restriction if you eat something that isn't a slider? What are your portion sizes like?

@@tvitale1128

In all the years i had the band dry meat never stayed down, so i wouldn't rely on that for getting an adjustment.

I had probably 20 adjustments... fills and unfills... and dry meat was always an issue regardless of how tight or loose it was.

If you are gaining weight then you are not in the green zone... i would say it is too loose...

how is your restriction if you eat something that isn't a slider? What are your portion sizes like?

If it's not a slider food... it's pretty small, for instance for dinner tonight I had a 3 ounce chicken breast stuffed with brie and apples and 4 small pickled beets. It took me about 1.5 hours to eat all of it. I cut everything very small and after each bute, put my fork down and waited. I ate the chicken first, then the beets. It's about an hour later and I'm having a glass of 2% milk. Nothing is stuck. I'm proud of myself. This morning I had 2 eggs scrambled with 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese, it was creamy but took a good hour to eat. It didn't get stuck. I think I just haven't been putting any effort into things for a while.

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Hmm your portion sizes sound normal.

Are you drinking Water in the morning and prior to eating by 20 mins or so.

I found that if i drink earlier in the morning before Breakfast. I would loosen the restriction a little so things don't get stuck... also having a small cup of water.. like a 1/4 cup around 20 mins before eating helps the food not get stuck as much.

Try that a couple of times, i found that just a small amount helps lubricate things a little so stuck episodes are less frequent.

Eating slider foods isn't the best thing for your weightloss... cause most slider foods aren't very nutritionally or Protein dense

Thank you for the tips Aussie Girl! I do need to increase my Water consumption. I'm feeling empowered and ready to make another go of it!

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You can do it!! Just take each day as exactly that... one day....

Make a list of small goals that you would like to reach and reward yourself as you meet them.

Eg. I made mini goals... like..

If i exercise for 30 mins each day i will treat myself to a movie.

If i loose x amount by x date i will buy a new top

If i don't eat bad food for x amount of time i will allow myself a small treat

It really helps keep me motivated and gives me something to work towards and benefits me as well.

Keep me updated on your progress... you've got this!!! You can do it!

Hey...

As a previous bander. . I know what it is like to choose slider foods over normal foods so they do not get stuck.

I would suggest you go in for an adjustment and meet with your nutritionist... (i am not sure if you have an after care plan)

The only advice i can give is stop choosing the sliders... choose food that is nutritionally dense yet moist... eg fish, veggie bakes, mashed cauliflower, stews etc.

I found the more liquid the meat had, the less likely it was to get stuck.

What kind of things are you eating now?

What do you mean more liquid in meat. I'm having problems and that might be a good tip for me. Could you please explain. Thanks

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Basically keeping the meat moist, stews, casseroles, slow cooking, pressure cooking etc ... try and use cooking methods that do not dry the meat out.

I found those types of foods actually stayed down.. and were healthy and Protein rich

Edited July 30, 201610 yr by AussieGirl81

Thank you all for your support! I appreciate it! So my biggest issue is even after losing my most amount of weight (140lbs) I never needed a fill. My surgeon said some people just never need one. He also said he wouldn't give a fill until dry chicken went down with ease. That's NEVER happened. I have to be better at cutting meat smaller and eating slower. Right now I've been eating a lot of Soups and pastina. Not great at all due to the carbs and sodium content. I need to plan meals better and actually eat during the whole day. Often I run out of the house with my iced coffee and have nothing til I'm home from work.

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I know this sounds weird but set a timer and take a full minute between bites. My nurse told me this and i thought that was crazy. I was desperate and tried it. You can't believe how fast you normally eat. IT WORKS WONDERS.

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