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There is no "full" feeling, and you will always be able to eat normally unless food just starts getting stuck, but that isn't healthy. You just have to control what you eat. See, the thing w/ the band is you can eat less, and you won't be hungry, your band and your body doesn't know how much food you've eaten. The hunger hormone just isn't released, your body is satisfied with less food. I know I could probably physically eat half the food that I do.. and not be hungry. I just choose to eat more. I like volume. It's alllllll willpower, it's all mental. I found some willpower the last 2 days! Stuck to my diet, and exercised woohoo. Let's hope this sticks. I was trying to blame everything on my parents, and them eating out a lot and eating crap (since I moved back home), but that's dumb, I make my own decisions, if they want to ruin their diets then they can go ahead. It's hard, because they eat out of stress. Which is clearly where I learned it, but it's so frustrating.

I really like Campbells Soup at Hand. Its mostly broth and they have several to choose from. The sippable container makes it easy and portable. The downfall is theyre not low sodium but a few are only 70 calories.

I don't have a problem with chicken but I can't eat beef, pork or lamb. Everybody is different with what they can eat. You will find that what you can and can't eat can vary from fill to fill. There was a period of time when I couldn't eat potatoes. It didn't matter how it was cooked...baked, fried, boiled even mashed...I just could not eat it. Next time I went for a fill all of a sudden they didn't bother me anymore. I swear my band has a mind of its own!!

People are always quick to criticize what they don't understand. Do your best to explain it to her (or him) but don't feel like you have to defend your decision. You are doing what you feel is best for YOUR health. Opinions usually change as the weight starts falling off. In the meantime, tell her you respect her opinion but you are doing what you feel is necessary for yourself and really don't want to hear any negativity...then change the subject!

The Jesus Christ of the Bible is not the same as the Jesus Christ of the Book of Mormon. The Jesus Christ of the Bible is the son of God. The Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon is the brother of satan and a spirit child of God and one of his wives. Also, the God of the Bible is omnipotent and allpower and not a physical being. Also, Mormons get upset that they are not included as Christians. However, I, as a Christian, would be excluded in a Mormon group.

The old fashioned way is just that "old fashioned". We are the "in" people. Lol

I haven't been banded yet, but I have been through this thought before. When I lost 30 lbs, my whole attitude on life changed. I felt prettier, had more energy, volunteered more, worked out more, etc. I started losing "interest" in my husband because other men started noticing me and paid attention to me. It was the "new" feeling I got like when you start dating someone....you know, the butterflies. I almost made the worst decision of my life because of this, too. Even though all these things had changed the way I looked, felt, acted, etc...my husband didn't change. So I thought I deserved better, needed something to spruce up my life. One day it hit me. My husband was the one who supported me through my tough times, skinny and large. Stuck by me when I threw all my clothes on the floor and refused to go to a wedding because I was too fat. Encouraged me any way he could to help me lose the weight on my own. I didn't need a new guy. I had to find a way to rekindle what we had lost because of me and MY issues. I went to counseling to help get my attitude under control. To figure out why in the world I felt the need to move on when nothing was really wrong in the relationship, I just liked the new attention I was getting. Counseling really helped. That was 2 years ago. And even though I'm right back where I started (weight wise), my husband stands by me in my decision to have WLS. I could never repay him for how he's taken care of me, but I guarantee you, the grass isn't always as green as you think on the other side. Just a thought to keep in mine :-)

Hi there! I have a high BMI and am getting banded tomorrow morning. I didn't have a liquid diet, I had a goal. I was told to lose 20 lbs. They would THEN schedule surgery. I did this with a high Protein, low carb diet. It's very possible to do and I am a picky eater and did NOT want to live on salad. I ended up losing 23 lbs and was able to get my date. Guess what, I did VERY little exercise so adding that will speed up the process. Here's some foods I ate and some ideas: cheese sliced from a chunk (This is usually lower in fat than the string cheese but the string cheese was an alternative to convenience) * String Cheese * Cottage cheese (I would add garlic salt and some pepper, you can add fruit but keep in mind that fruit can have a high sugar content, especially if it's not fresh and has been sitting in syrup or juice * Cream Cheese (I would smear some on a piece of lunch meat and wrap it up. Make lettuce wraps with lunch meat and cheese!) You can even have sour cream! *eggs, I usually made an omelet with ham and cheese or had them scrambled. Meat- for dinner if I wasn't into a salad I would do the following: * Bake or BBQ chicken breast. My favorite was adding just a little virgin oil or spraying some Pam in a skillet and adding the breast with some Mrs. Dash. If your feeling crazy, I would mix a little mayo with some hot sauce and lightly spread that on, it was AWESOME! Stay away from BBQ sauce! Even Ketchup was something I avoided all together. * Bacon, Not the leanest but it was a treat and I enjoyed it with my eggs on occasion! * Beef, I would make a roast in my crock pot and add carrots, onion, garlic and celery. It's great by itself. * Ground beef, I would throw some in a skillet with garlic and drain the grease. You can also make a meatloaf and add veggies to it. * Ground Turkey, Bariatriceating.com has an amazing recipe for turkey strognoff meatballs. I made them on Easter and they were a hit! You can also just throw this in a skillet and get creative as well. Make a lettuce taco, add tomato, sour cream, onion! drinks *Crystal light became my best friend! You can even freeze some and make Popsicles. Refrain from using juice because of the carbs and sugar content. These come out more like ice cubes and are hard to bite BUT it keep the hand to mouth going and lasted longer so I felt like I had more going into my body. *Protein Drinks were a big help and my Breakfast on the go! I use Hydro whey from GNC in chocolate. It's 30 grams of protein, 2 carbs and no sugar. It tastes REALLY good in milk. I would even add some instant coffee crystals and it would taste just like a cold mocha! Let it sit in the fridge for a couple minutes to let the coffee crystals dissolve. You can buy some through GNC and if you don't like it, take it back for a FULL refund. Can't beat that! Work I work in an office with no break room or kitchen so the fridge and microwave was my friend. I also cut up summer sausage and would eat that with my cheese slices or my lunch meat wraps. An extra Protein Drink is essential for when you get a hunger kick. I always keep a variety of Crystal Light flavors in my desk. Raw Almonds or nuts would help with a crunch as well as pork rinds. Yep, pork rinds! I didn't want to kill everything I had been doing because I wanted chips, I wanted the crunch! They sell plain, BBQ, spicy and a variety of other flavors! No carbs in pork rinds and they have protein. Not something that will fill you up but will satisfy your need for a crunch! I DID NOT eat any of the Fiber bars, Protein Bars or anything like that. I was VERY strict with my carb intake and kept it a minimum! A lot of those still have a nice chunk of carbs. My Mom thought she was doing well with watching her intake until I pointed out the 20 something carbs per bar she was eating. I was having less than 20 carbs a day, let alone in one bar! Everyone is different and it's all a matter of getting creative! If you throw in some exercise, you will be in GREAT shape. Don't get frustrated with the scale. I would hit a plateau and get so upset, only to drop a couple pounds more the next week. You can do it! P.S. I was NEVER hungry and always allowed myself something to eat if I was. You do not have to starve. I am in fact glad things were done this way and I didn't have to deal with the liquid diet before. I will be on enough liquids after and since I'm working, even today, day before banding, I was afraid of being weak. Not the case and am glad things worked out the way they did!

Hi! I'm from North Jersey (Morris County) and my surgeon was Dr. Robert Barbalinardo. He has an office in Lk. Hopatcong, but my surgery was done at Mountainside Hospital in Montclair -- his main office is right next to the hospital -- everyone on staff is awesome and they helped me so much with insurance issues (there were many). I would recommend them. I think someone else on this thread said their doctor was Dr. Strom...he is in the same practice as Dr. Rob (Montclair Surgical Associates). I was banded on 4/26/11 and I'm going for my first fill tomorrow at Mountainside. Dr. Strom will be doing my fill. I'm totally happy with my decision to get banded and I'm looking forward to a healthier future! I'm down 15 lbs. and I know it could be more...so I'm hoping this fill helps me to find my "sweet spot"! Welcome to the site...all of your questions will be answered here...everyone is friendly and eager to share their experiences (good and bad). Good luck to you!!

i am in NJ too central jersey I went to SOCH in Manahawkin my dr is dr pasquarella (sp?) They are awesome there! and i've had no complications so far... I'm here if you wanna talk any time