SageTracey

Why not pop over to myfitnesspal.com and have a look at the lap banders group on there. Most have their diaries open and you will be able to get an idea of what we are all able to eat. Just remember that people are at different stages of their journey so may be logging for liquids or mushies. If you are not sure, do as you did here and ask. FYI - I cannot eat breads or red meat because they get stuck. Rice is a day by day proposition. Most other foods are in smaller quantities with no issues. good luck

I am the original party/social animal and being banded has not affected my enjoyment of life at all. Actually, just the opposite. Now that I have lost 54kg I have the energy to socialise more and for longer. I am even starting to not think about the food and drink and only have what I need rather than fearing that I am missing out if I don't dive and gorge myself. Now I can dance all night, cycle all day, walk for hours. My knees don't hurt anymore, no more indigestion, back pain is minimal and usually stress-related.

Getting active is the best way to kick start your weight loss. The good news is that the less active you are at the moment, the less activity you have to do to get results! I hope you can find some form of exercise that doesn't aggravate your joint issues but helps you on your way.

I can't eat toast or bread but I can usually tolerate flat bread or wraps so long as I take it very slowly. Good luck.

Fantastic! I was moving closer to my hubby's weight but he has become my champion and joined me in exercising and eating right so now he is losing weight too! He doesn't need to lose weight but he is toning up and looking hot! I may never catch him, but hey, I am so much closer than I have ever been!

How sad that people you believe are friends will judge you by your weight and your success in losing it! I am happy to say that my friends have all been supportive, although I am only just now, nine months post-op, telling many of them that I have the band. I wasn't ashamed of getting WLS but I didn't want to be judged for it. So far only one person has referred to it as taking the easy way out and I put him straight very quickly!

You clearly know where you have gone wrong so you also know where you need to make changes. That's the logical answer but for most of us obesity is an emotional issue and it seems that that is where you are really struggling. Do you have anyone nearby who can provide you with support? My husband is my best supporter and I would be really struggling without him! If you really are looking for advice then try this....make small changes. You have climbed a huge mountain to get to your surgery so it probably feels like it should be easy from here. Sorry, it's not. but you can make it easier on yourself by making small changes, one at a time until you are enjoying the cumulative benefits. Decide to walk for 10 minutes a day and then after a week, increase to 15 or 20 minutes a day. Or decide to concentrate on drinking all of your water until it becomes a habit. Remember, you didn't gain your weight overnight and it won't come off overnight. Good luck.

Try eating much more slowly than you could have ever imagined possible. Tiny bites etc and see if that makes a difference.

I think a fit bit is very similar to the BodyMedia Fit - maybe even the same thing by a different name. I have the latter and love it, and I am on MFP. I log all my food on MFP and at the end of each day I plug in my BMF to determine how many calories I have burnt for each exercise. It lets me slide the slider to the start and finish times and shows the calories burnt in that window of time. Then I enter those exercises as my exercises in MFP. I believe it is more accurate than the MFP exercise calculations. Good luck.

I have good restriction and find bananas are very easy to take. Maybe try just a little bit at a time to see how you go.

My wise words (you may not like or agree, but what the heck!) - Have patience! The band won't help you to reduce the amount you eat until you achieve restriction and that may take a number of fills. Until then you will find yourself wondering, just as you are, why you bothered and why doesn't this band thing work for you. If you can, modify your diet to start getting used to smaller portions. I have good restriction at the moment and can only eat small meals which keep me satisfied for a number of hours. What the band can't do for you (and me...) is stop me wanting to eat for the wrong reasons or feeling head hunger. I am nine months post op today and although I have lost 54kg, I still think about eating at the wrong times and for the wrong reasons. Logically I know that I can only eat a small meal but emotionally I think that I am starving so I fill my plate - and then end up leaving two-thirds of it. So, have patience, restriction will come and you will work with the band to achieve your goals.

No pain at all. In fact, I don't watch then I don't even know if it's been done or not.

Sounds to me as though you are too tight but your dr will tell you for sure. Sometimes it can take a day or two for you to get used to a new fill level but you should be able to tolerate fluids without vomiting or feeling so bad!

Great advice from Elcee as usual!

Please don't eat solid foods while you are still in the mushy stage. You are not helping yourself at all. Once your are on real foods again, you will most likely feel as though you can eat anything and as much of it as before your surgery. This is because your swelling from the surgery will have gone down (that is why you are easily satisfied at the moment.) Once you achieve restriction with fills (the number varies from person to person), you will only be able to eat smaller portions, very slowly and extremely well chewed. Even then, there may be some foods which you simply can't eat anymore. For me, they are breads and red meat. Rice is also becoming more difficult. I have learned (the hard way!) to recognise my soft stop signals and then to stop eating. When I feel as though I have had enough - I must stop. No more cleaning my plate or eating just another couple of bites. No more rushing my meals. No more drinking with and immediately after eating. Being stuck is painful, uncomfortable and a very good reminder of why I need to eat properly. The other great reason is my success. I have lost 54kg in 9 months by following my dr's rules on eating and exercising as closely as possible (no, I am not perfect but I am working very hard with my band.) Good luck!

Can't help you there but maybe you could call your dr again?

I can't do bread at all - sandwiches are guaranteed to get stuck as is toast. This morning I spotted the English muffins in the freezer and thought, yummy, I'll toast one of those. Well, I did and I ate it and I paid for it. I just have to accept that bread is no longer on my menu! But it is a very small price to pay for the rewards I am gaining.

www.myfitnesspal.com There are literally thousands of foods and exercises already in the database. You can add and edit both. You can do it on your PC or smart phone but most importantly, there is a wonderfully supportive community on MFP, including a group for lapbanders.

Kind of off topic but the fact that you have to think about the cost of going to your ER makes me extremely grateful for Australia's public health system. I may have to wait a few hours unless I am the most seriously person there, but I know I can see a Dr and get the treatment I need without having to pay a cent. hope you are feeling better

nine months next week and I'm down 54kg

I don't really know what you are hoping for because a really rocking body is subjective. However, I have lost 54kg and despite some excess skin, I feel damn good about my body (greatly helped by my husband telling me how hot I am now.)

Slow down and give your body a chance to recover from your surgery. You didn't put your weight on in a couple of months and it won't all come off in a couple of months. Work very hard at following your doctor's guidelines re eating and exercising and you will see the success that you crave. This isn't a quick fix nor a necessarily easy journey but you can do it. You can also come here for support and the occasional home truth.

This happens when you are using an older version of Internet Explorer. Its a bit of a pain as I cannot upgrade my IE at work due to compatibility with critical business software. Chrome is fine

Seems to me you have made a lifetime decision to be with your husband and now you want to make another decision which will ensure that that lifetime is long and healthy. Gaining control of your weight will make it easier to conceive if that is your plan. Tell him that you need to change this part of your life and that he will benefit. My husband is my greatest champion and I hope that yours will be too.

Do get at least one support person in real life. My husband's my champion. We exercise together, even though he doesn't need to lose weight. He points out when my clothes are getting baggy, celebrates my scale and non-scale victories, and openly tells people how proud of me he is. I started this journey for me but it makes such a big difference to know that he is on my team.