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Hey B-52, you're the only other person on here that I've seen talk about cardio coach! I love cardio coach (and My Treadmill Trainer)! As to what I eat , yesterday Breakfast - small bowl of muesli lunch - tuna, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and a bit of mayo on thin wholegrain bread afternoon - a cappucino dinner - steak, salad, a glass of wine and a few pieces of chocolate after dinner

This is what I ate yesterday Breakfast 2 eggs with 2 tablespoons of cheese and two slices of bacon Mid Morning Snack banana lunch Perdue Perfect chicken Breast Single cooked in Italian dressing (light) 1/2 cup of Steamed veggies Snack shredded lettuce with 1/4 cup of cheese / 1/2 cup of cooked chicken breast cut up / 2 tablespoons of light Ranch dressing dinner 85% hamburger patty with 1/2 slice of baby swiss cheese with mustard handful of french fries (baked) 1/4 cup of steamed veggies Snack Apple A hour of Zumba with weights last night for exercise Total Calories 1398 Total Carbs 102 Total Fat 60 Total Protein 101

Good for you! My opinion is that we ought to "out" this treatment for obesity and have it accepted for what it is - treatment for an issue that interferes with our being able to live a full life. If I remember right, it used to be that being treated for cancer was kept hush-hush and was thought to be embarassing. Illness and disease are a fact of life and getting treatment should be supported as taking life-affirming action - because it is! Won't happen until we who are getting the treatment talk about it as a matter-of-fact solution to a problem that millions share. End of sermon!

Hi, read the post Bandster Basics & A Day in The LIfe, under the Preoperation ??? and this post will settle all your worries 168 pounds down, and over 2 years out...

The band will help you lose weight by only allowing you to take in a half cup of food at a time. Some foods go down easier than others -- soft breads will tend to get stuck and then you feel like crap and then they come back up. If you eat too fast and try to eat too much they will get stuck and come back up. It isn't an easy fix and you have to learn how to eat -- small bites chewed very well and take your time. And make the right choices -- protein, veges and a little fruit -- I eat yogurt, fruit protein smoothies, I can occasionally eat a few bites of very tender steak, shrimp, salmon. It is a total commitment and an education - not just eating less. You need to commit to both and understand that it is a learning process. You will feel better overall if you choose the right foods and eat them in the small quantities. All of this is good information for you -- losing weight and keeping it off is not easy - but the lap band really is a great tool if you understand how to work it. I didn't end up exercising a ton, but kept walking and making good choices and definitely very small portions and 9 months after getting my band I am at my goal weight and have never felt better. With other diets like Lindora I felt deprived and starving -- I don't feel this with lap band. I can still "taste" foods I love, like a bite of apple pie, or a bite of mashed potatoes -- but I don't have to have a whole plate full. I feel more in control and that with the band I can really have the hope of keeping this weight off for good. Good luck to you -- I started at 232 and am now down to 148.

Sounds like Withdrawls to me. I am a food addict, and your ringing a bell to me. It's not uncommon, it really does happen allot. You will still be able to eat healthy foods, as far as being stuck ! If you chew it down to the consistency of Applesauce, you won't have a problem. Some things will be more difficult then others, but you will learn what you can, and can't have. !. Because it is not good in your calorie counting or low in Protein. 2. that type of food causes a stuck episode. 3, Believe me when I tell you you are not going to miss it ! You might be missing it now, but in time, that all goes away. You will eat out, at home, at work, wherever you need to. Just watch what you eat like Atkins, and keep your calorie intake low, and protein high. When you add in your exercise,,, you'll go far. You have to be patient though,,,, and consistency is the key.. So if I didn't need it "realistically" I would not have done it. Instead,, it was the Best Decision I ever made. Shirley

Also if you ate 1000 calories per day of twix you would still be hungry.That would be just over 3 bars per day. 1 for Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even with a band that would slide through really easily and you would be looking for something to satisfy you. If you eat 1000 calories per day of foods your Dr has told you to eat, Protein, vegies etc then you will be satisfied as those foods have a lot more substance, they satisfy you for longer and you won't have the urge to eat as much . So if you can stick to eating 3 twix bars a day and nothing else yes you will lose weight. No you won't be healthy. Yes you will be hungry. No your band won't help to suppress the hunger as this is not the way it is designed to be used. It would be like buying a chainsaw and trying to chop a tree down without switching it on. A complete waste of time and money.

IMO I find it very hard, if not impossible to stretch your pouch. My band is very tight, and I like it that way. Makes it very easy to manage what, and how I eat. In my case the food does sit in the pouch, and passes through the band very slowly, depending on the type of food I am eating. I can feel it with every swallow. I have to put the fork down between swallows and allow the food to go through. Eat to quickly, or too much, and the food accumulates and I am in pain, or stuck. Drinking fluids while eating will only compound the issue. Having said that, in order to stretch your pouch, you would first of all need a certain level of restriction for food to accumulate in the pouch. When this happens, you will know it. Too much and you are in a great deal of discomfort, and perhaps pain. To stretch your pouch, if possible, you would have to over do it from this point. I can tell you from personal experience it is not a pleasant thing to do. The food has no where to go, but back up from where it came!! The slimeing will begin! Not to mention the pain you may experience. Someone here described it as swallowing a golfball, and having it sit there! So, like I said, if it where possible, it would be very hard to do, IMO. As a side note, all these little things they teach you to do: Chewing, waiting between swallows, drinking while eating, etc, etc, I have now found to happen naturally because of the level of restriction I have. Many people will say I am too tight. But everything I was told before the surgery is now reality. There is a way to work around and cheat the band, but I will never give anyone here any ideas, so I will never talk about it.

I only had to take a few days off work. Had the procedure on a Thursday, went home from hospital Friday and could have gone back to work Monday, but had the time available so I took a couple more days.

This has been a concern for me too. I have been on maybe two dates since my band. I am not really interested in dating a whole lot right now because I am very focused on my own health and the changes I am making within myself, but being young and single, dates are bound to pop up from time to time. The first date I went on I ordered a small meal and just made sure to take a lot of time to converse in between bites so I did not end up throwing up in the bathroom. The second date, I decided to make it so it was not focused around food, so I went for tea and a walk on the beach. I honestly would not have a problem letting somebody know on the first date if it came up, but I don't think it would be something I would just throw out there if the opportunity did not arise. I am not ashamed of it at all, I actually have gotten very comfortable talking about it with people. I think if I were to go on a date with anyone who half sparked my interest it would be something important for me to get out because it is such a big part of my life right now. Anyways, just sharing my thoughts on it.