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This was a hard thing for me too. I was a perfect eater for about a year after my surgery, and then I started bingeing out of no where. It got bad and I was scared that I was going to ruin my band. So I decided that I needed to be in control and decided to see a therapist to work on my binge eating disorder. It was something that was a problem before surgery, but sort of "magically" disappeared after, but then came back, rearing it's ugly head. One very helpful thing that made me feel more in control when I wanted to binge was a tracking sheet she had given me. It makes you write down on a chart the date and time, hunger level (scale of 1-10, 10=stuffed 1=starving), feelings and thoughts, food/quantity, place/context, if it was planned or unplanned, was the eating mindful or reactive, hunger level after, and feelings and thoughts AFTER eating. The hardest part for me was that you are supposed to start writing down the first 3 things (listed above) WHILE it's happening. For me, this made me feel like I might have the power to be in control because it made me actually think about it/face it WHILE it was going on. That then made me feel empowered to have something small and gave me the will power to wait the binge out and know that I would be okay. Maybe this would be helpful? I just know that it really helped me, so maybe my sharing this will help others. I will see if I can scan and upload a copy of the chart at work tomorrow if anyone is interested.

The BEST bars I have come across are Quest protein bars. You can typically only get them online (they are sold in very few stores) but in my opinion are SO worth the money. Once you find a free shipping code, they balance out to be about $2/bar. They are made of real ingredients. Some bars are made with sucralose (splenda) and there is a new "all natural" line that is made with stevia and erythritol. They are SO SO yummy!!!!

I am looking for any suggestions for what to eat for breakfast besides shakes and eggs! Eggs have started to give me problems and I'm bummed bc it's such an easy source of protein, but I pb every time now. Any ideas? Thanks!!

I like plain greek yogurt. I sweeten it up with a few drops of liquid stevia, then add some fresh fruit and sometimes a pinch of cereal. It's great! I do love the fage 0% ones with the mix in, but I only get those once in a while because of the sugar.

PB stands for Productive Burp and sliming is not short for anything, it's just sliming. When something gets stuck while you're eating, you start sliming. It's a mucousy "slime" that's the result of an influx of the enzyme used to break down your food because it's trying to get rid of it. Sometimes the slime helps get it down, but sometimes it comes back up, which brings us to the PB. If the sliming doesn't get the food down, then it will come back up, which is what people are referring to as a productive burp. It's not quite like vomiting, but it is a regurgitation of the food, and the slime will come up with the food. <when sliming happens, I wouldn't really say that you can feel it happening, but you do feel a thick mucous in the back of your throat> Hopefully whatever was stuck will become dislodged and then you will fee MUCH better. When you are stuck it is a very uncomfortable feeling and it's like someone is sitting on you/you're having a heart attack. I didn't experience being stuck stuck until my third fill (6 cc's in a 10 cc band). I just have to make sure I chew my meat up before swallowing. The old habit of inhaling food or starting off eating fast because of being super hungry CAN NOT happen anymore. I have had to consciously think about slowing down my eating and chewing more.

I feel like I've been stuck around 190 since my fill almost 2 weeks ago!!! This is out of the norm for me. I usually lose 1-2 pounds/wk, but am at a stand still! Any suggestions?

I'm am struggling with the same thing right now! I am trying so hard to stick to three protein filled meals, but sometimes I over eat or graze! It's a problem!! lol The other part of my problem is that right now I'm staying at someone else's house for the week and they keep LOTS of food here! In my home, I only keep exactly what I'm eating for the week (for the most part) and no snack food. It keeps me from going crazy with eating and eliminates my snacking. So maybe remove temptation?

hmm I would say I'm about 40-50 pounds away from goal...doesn't feel that close! lol 190 isn't doing it for me!

I feel like I've been stuck around 190 since my fill almost 2 weeks ago!!! This is out of the norm for me. I usually lose 1-2 pounds/wk, but am at a stand still! Any suggestions?

If you have stretch marks, there's nothing you will be able to do abt that skin. It has been stretched beyond it's limit and won't rebound. I don't mean to be the downer, but it's realistic. You will still shrink, but stretch marked skin will sag

If you make food or certain foods "bad" you will eventually binge on them. It's cake. Everything in MODERATION. It looks like you're doing great. Take a deep breath and realize you're okay. You're not going to gain all of your weight back from 2 pieces of cake. The all or nothing mindset will kill you in the long run.

It sounds like you might be a little too tight if you are unable to tolerate "good for you" foods. You should be able to eat solid proteins. Maybe a slight unfil? I would talk with your doctor

I was in the water shortly after my surgery because I am a swim instructor. I used the waterproof bandaids and they worked great

Sometimes (and this will sound crazy) you need to up your calories to get the scale to move. Play around for a few days and try adding 50-100 calories to see if that helps you. The body needs fuel or else it starts to break down your lean muscle mass.

you must read www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com !!!! She has so many awesome protein recipes for COFFEE protein shakes! The protein powder is called Click!

not to brag but I'm at 202 as of this morning and very excited!! Keep up the good work guys!

Sometimes once you get the band (self-pay), the insurance won't cover anything having to do with it sadly even for removal. you'd have to call...

My surgery cost $14,500 and this included hospital stay, anesthesiologist fees, any x-rays they ran at the hospital, 2 fluro's, free fills for the first year, and a 90 day "warranty" if you will. I had $2,000 in savings that I used. Then I used a credit card that has 0% and wrote a check from it bc my surgeon's office charges 4.6% on the amt you charge to credit. I then opened another credit card to charge the remaining amount. This card has 0% 24 months, so in my mind, it's kind of like paying same as cash. I am very careful with money and put all of my extra on these cards. I had surgery on April 25th and I've paid back about $1,500 so far. Mind you I'm in my early 20's still working 3 part time jobs, so if I can afford it, I'm sure you can find a way to do it on a salary! Good luck!!

I was told they wanted me to lose 5% of my weight before surgery. They feel that those who lose weight before surgery have better overall success losing weight after. 10% might feel like a lot, but let's say you're 250lbs, that's only 25lbs. A lot of surgeons require a 2 week (or 1) liquid protein shake diet before surgery to reduce the liver. So many people drop weight like hotcakes when they do this. I started at 230 and lost 9lbs in my 2wk liquid diet. If you have one year to do this, I think you can do it without being drastic. OR if you wanted to do it fast, I'd suggest the liquid diet. The only other thing is that most surgeons don't want to see a weight gain before surgery, so you'd kind of have to plan that out...or if it's just for insurance approval, go liquid.

I personally love any of the EAS (makers of myoplex) shakes. They come pre-made and you can get a 4 pack at Target for $4.99. It sounds expensive, but that's the cheapest I've been able to find them. The EAS CardAdvantage shakes are 110 calories with 17g's of protein for the perfect small meal or snack. The Myoplex Light Shakes are good too, but are 170 cals with 20g's of protein, 2g fat, and 20g carbs. I love the strawberry the best. It's like drinking strawberry milk! I'm not a big chocolate person, so I've never tried it, but the vanilla is good too! I personally hate muscle milk light (sorry sweetbaker! lol). In my opinion they have an awful syrup-y taste that I can NOT get past.

Why did you get the lapband if you didn't want to do the work? In all seriousness (not even saying it to be rude) but didn't you know that it would take an effort on your part? It's like saying you want to get all A's just for showing up to school...not going to happen right? You have to do the work to earn your grade. Yes, we would all love for the weight to just fall off, but for 9 out of 10 it takes time. My advice is start simple. If you want Mcdonalds, then budget it into your calories for the day. Counting calories isn't very hard, but it will take a little effort on your part. Once you begin to do it, it will become a habit and you'll have things memorized. And as far as working out goes, why not start with walking? Do something that your body can handle and something that you can build upon. You could start off by walking for 15 minutes then just add a minute or a few every week or so.

I just want to say this...don't be discouraged if it starts off S-L-O-W. You haven't done anything wrong, you're not failing, but it sucks. It's just the time between surgery and your first fill where you will drop slowly. But be encouraged! It will get better!!! After my first fill I've been losing abt 2-3 lbs/wk

just ate some delicious pancakes! They are super easy and yummy!! I used 4 egg whites and 1/4c of oatmeal. Blend these together (I did it in magic bullet) and added some frozen mixed berries and a dash of cinnamon. You could add 1 packet of splenda or truvia to sweeten it up a little. They are thin and cook up fast, but are so good! I sprayed with some I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray and 2 tbsp of sugarfree syrup.

It's only been three days....give your body time to adjust to working out!

Chewable Gas-X should give you a little bit of relief, but the best thing you can do is WALK WALK WALK! Be sure to get the chewable, not the strips bc the chewable have more simethicone which will give you more relief.