Okay so I had something unexpected happen this morning. I took a big-o-drink of water. More like three consecutive drinks. Swallow, swallow, swallow….you get what I am saying. I actually felt the water being held up. Like not super drastic, but I felt it in my stoma and throat. I felt a mild alert over the situation. Um, never had that happen before! Wow! Until this happened this morning I have been able to chug-a-lug my water at a good rate, any time of day. I know, some don’t understand why people like me drink so fast, but we are all different. I am a fish! Ha! Just kidding but I have a habit of drinking a couple of swallows each drink. Not all the time now as I am working on slowing down….but I am a drinker.

I have been reading on this board for a while now, so there have been many subjects covered. Which I love, by the way, because it feels good to have working knowledge of the band, even if it is not my own working knowledge. : ) So, thank you all for sharing your band experiences! You are appreciated! That being said, I’ve thought it is strange when people talk about having a hard time getting there liquids in. Sipping through out the day….sucking on ice cubes, ect. I’ve read many posts about not being able to tolerate food in the mornings. Even some posts about not being able to eat anything solid until evening.

That being said, I know our bands are fickle. Each person can have there band affected differently. Some talk about weather, flying, stress, their monthly visitor, a bad PB episode, drinking cold liquids, and much more, and how it can affect the bands tightness. What I would really like to know is how tight you prefer to keep your bands’? Do you keep your band snug enough to feel water back up if you drink a big ol’ drink? Are you a sipper? Can you eat in the mornings, or afternoons? Do you have to wait on your band to loosen up before a meal? Can you put into words what band restriction means to you?

I am curious on what the “norm” is and if is varies a great deal from person to person. I am working on getting to my sweet spot or being in the green zone. For me, I can enjoy breakfast everyday. Depending on the food, I can eat a cup to ¾ cup of food at a meal. I focus mainly on protein and often feel like I leave out veggies and fruits almost completely. I seem to have better success when I eat steamed veggies vs. fresh veggies using broccoli and carrots as a good example of this. My band tolerates muffins and cake well, wish came as a surprise to me. We had treats at work and I tried these yummies and had no issues. I have no idea if I can eat bread, because I have cut it completely out of my diet. I no longer eat a sandwich or anything like that. I stick to the guts, the insides of a sandwich. Protein, protein, protein…

I am planning on posting this in the forum as well as a blog entry. Please reply and share how you like your band, and what works best for you. Last monthish there were some great posts about a few gals feeling there bands were too tight. I know from your posts that being to tight does not equal weight loss or a safe way to keep your band. So all experience is valuable! I am scheduled for an up coming fill in December and I have

WELL HELLO....I AM 4 WEEKS OUT NOW AND I CAN CHUG A LUG ALL DAY LONG. IN FACT I AN SITTING HERE DRINKING CRYSTAL LITE AS IF IM A CAMEL. I HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM DRINKING,,,,OR EATING FOR THAT FACT. I HAVE YET TO "CHEAT" AND EAT ANYTHING OUT OF THE PROTEIN-RICH DIET IM SUPPOSED TO BE EATING, AND I AM A CRAZY SWEET PERSON. I LOOOVE ME SOME CANDY, COOKIES, CAKES ALL THAT STUFF WE ALL LOOOVE. BUT SO FAR I HAVENT HAD ANY PROBLEMS TOLERATING ANY AMOUNTS OF FOOD OR DRINKING. THE ONLY TIME I EVER PAID ATTENTION WAS WHEN I FIRST CAME HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL AND NOW I JUST DRINK WITHOUT EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT. OF COURSE I STICK TO THE "NO DRINKING 10 MIN B4 EATING/ 30 MIN AFTER EATING" RULE. I DO FEEL A RESTRICTION WITH THE FOOD, BUT HAVE YET TO GET SICK/SLIME OR PB. AND AS FAR AS BREAD IS CONCERNED, I HAVENT EVEN TRIED IT YET! WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT I WOULD GO A MONTH WITHOUT BREAD!! WELL, HOPE THIS HEPLS!!

I could chug at first...but after my last fill, no way. Have to sip, and on tight days rely on warm drinks. It takes effort to get all the liquid I should.

I had my fill couple of days ago for second time, I have a hard time to eat or drink, i have to sip my water. i was wondering if it will be ok by time and get loser or not? ihave a hard time to find any fill location in San diego CA, i had my band in Mexico and fill too, but I don't want to go there any more.

anu suggestion will help

Thanks