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Cooking methods. If you tolerated a saucy chicken pot-pie, it doesn’t mean roast chicken will go down just as comfortably. Dryer methods of cooking (like broiling, roasting, grilling, and pan-frying) tend to be more difficult to tolerate. Moist cooking methods on the other hand (like steaming, braising, stewing, simmering, poaching) that involve liquids or a sauce are typically better tolerated. Also, be careful when microwaving, as the process of reheating foods can dry them out. A good way to keep the moisture in is by resting the lid on the container (not sealed) and stir after each minute until ready. If you’re reheating dry foods remember to sprinkle in some water, broth, tomato juice, milk, or low-fat gravy to add additional moisture. Mechanical reasons like not chewing well enough and taking large bites. You should always be sure to cut your food into small pieces—as small as your pinky fingernail to start—and chew your food until it’s puree in your mouth before swallowing. Remember that digestion starts in the mouth! Emotional stress and anxiety can tighten the upper digestive system which makes food more difficult to tolerate. Do you find you eat more comfortably at home or on the weekends compared to at work? If so, your tolerance issues could be related to stress or anxiety. Always be sure to eat in a calm environment and start your meals by taking a few deep breaths to relax and decompress. Some patients feel more comfortable eating alone at first (i.e. in their office instead of in the cafeteria). Eating while multitasking! When you are eating, you should only be eating. We know that this is a tough one to practice, but eating while driving, watching TV, cleaning, working through lunch, etc. can distract you from taking small bites and chewing well. Do your best to put away distractions during meal times. If you choose to eat lunch in your office, mute the volume on your computer and turn off the monitor so you’re not tempted to check your email in between bites. Posture. It sounds silly to discuss, but it’s true, poor posture can negatively affect digestion. If you are eating while slouched or reclined on the couch or awkwardly propped up on pillows in bed, chances are that you will experience some tolerance issues. When you are eating, you should ideally be sitting in a chair pulled close to the table with your bum as far back as possible and with your back nice and straight. Eating at the table in your kitchen or dining room will also give your meals and snacks more structure. Generally speaking, it’s a good habit to limit food and eating to only the kitchen and dining room. Excerpt from "The Complete Guide to Weight Loss Surgery: Your questions finally answered". Available on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, or our website (PDF download).

Love at First Sight I was enthusiastic about the promise of the lap-band from the moment I first heard about you. Could you be the tool that could end my struggles with weight? Could it be possible that there could be an end to my unhealthy relationship with food? Could I say goodbye to the liquid diets, the low-carb diets, the fat-free diets, and all the other fad diets I had tried? You had worked for my friend; could you work magic for me, too? I dared to hope. I got surgery in July of 2003. Honeymoon and Beyond Surgery went as expected, and you lived up to your promise. I lost weight – nearly 100 lbs. – and hit a healthy BMI. I felt better than I ever had. Sure, you made me work hard for every pound, but each victory was so sweet that there was no question that I would not follow your guidance. In so many ways, the honeymoon period did not seem to end. Life has gotten better and better as I have gained confidence that I can maintain goal weight and prevent regain. Not once did I look back with regret. A Helping Hand for a New Lease on Life With the lap-band, I was able to gain control of myself and my life. I enjoy life’s events for themselves, and not for the food that comes with or after them. I am able to keep up with my children, who are my greatest joys. I have energy and confidence. You have made my relationship with food better, and that is liberating. I eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full. I give in to my cravings and become satisfied with only a reasonable amount of the food I craved. There have been bumps along the way, but you have been my dependable gauge and silent cheerleader throughout. My Life and My Livelihood Along with my health, you also gave me my career. Out of necessity, I started LapBandTalk.com as soon as I came home from the hospital after surgery because I needed the help of other patients. Not in my wildest dreams did I think that impromptu discussion forum would become my career. To LapBandTalk, I added other boards for the other weight loss surgery types, and they eventually became BariatricPal to recognize that we are all in this together. I am now honored and grateful to be able to call my life’s work my true passion – helping people through weight loss surgery. Nearly 15 years after I started a discussion board to help myself, BariatricPal now includes the forums, the store with protein products and bariatric vitamins, and even a full-service program for weight loss surgery in Mexico – at BariatricPal’s own hospital. I have gotten to meet and work with all kinds of wonderful patients, surgeons, and others in the weight loss surgery community. Time to Part Ways It is on a bittersweet note that I bid you, my lap-band, farewell. I have no real choice; multiple medical professionals agree that the safest decision is for us to part ways. I have been struggling with acid reflux (GERD) for a few years, and symptoms are getting worse, especially after my Lap-Band slipped. I also have been diagnosed with pre-Barrett’s esophagus and severe erosive gastritis, most likely caused by my lap-band. I will get my lap-band removed and opt for gastric bypass to help me maintain my goal weight. The lap-band may not last forever, as it was meant to. I know the I will succeed with the Gastric Bypass because I already have the skills I need to eat right. Of course, I am a little worried. How could I not be, after having been so successful with you as my partner for 15 years? But as is necessary with anything in life, I will do my best. I will take what I have gained from you, my lap-band, and carry it forward. Thank you, and farewell.