Summerrain

As some if the others have said you probably have irritation. I've also been told if I get stuck to try coke as the bubbles should make you burp and dislodge the stuck food, I've never had to try it as eventually it just comes out on its own like a projectile vomit, ewww lol and it hurts. Maybe get your Vitamin levels checked out. When my son or husband are run down or low on vitamin b's they suffer from those painful ulcers. I can't even begin to imagine how painful your mouth must be ATM, I hope you get back in track quickly.

By restriction do you mean the green zone? If so to me it means I have to take very small bites of food, wait a minute at least between bites otherwise I get stuck. I don't wake up hungry and eat my first meal of the day between 10 am and 11 am. I don't get hungry again for at least five to six hours. I'm satisfied on just over half a cup of food per meal. I no longer get that urge to snack at night either. I do from time to time still get a chocolate craving and when I do I eat my chocolate. My hunger is finally in control with the amount of restriction I have. That's what restriction/ greenzone is to me.

What you're feeling/ experiencing is normal, it's hard and I remember having lots if down days because I thought I would have restriction with a few fills. It takes many fills to get the band to where it needs to be. Some people are lucky and only need a few fills others need many more. The first few fills I felt no different and was hungry all the time and could eat much more than the cup full that was recommended. As I got more and more fills I got more restriction was able to eat less and go longer between meals. Patience is the key with lapband, this I have had to learn also. Some days I'd say why did you do this to yourself when it feels no different to not having a band. I'm three and a half months out now, have enough fills to have my band working as it should. So please don't be discourage and understand its a slow process with the fills to get to the green zone and so much easier when you get there.

It sounds like you have swelling and irritation from pbing, it's happened to me twice so I just had liquids for a few days till it settled then slowly moved back to soft mushies for a few days then back to solids. If you keep trying to eat whilst you have the swelling and irritation you'll keep making it even worse. Of course let your doctor know but maybe till you speak see him/ her just stick to liquids. Oh and try not to stress out as stress can tighten the band too. I hope you get it sorted out quickly it's not pleasant.

Yes you are blind, you look fantastic and you can see a huge difference in the photos.

I had no appetite either till just after three weeks. I was able to progress to mushies by second week, I'd prepare it then leave it. Keep your fluids up, that's important so you don't dehydrate. You'll eventually start to want solids, you're still healing and swollen now. Only eat when hungry otherwise you can make yourself sick, I tired to do that.

As the other poster said being banded is not a joke. What we all typed was a clarification that the band doesn't move around that way. There have been times I wasn't sure about some things when I was newly banded and reading the forums helped me immensely. Sure there is a lot of wrong info posted and some members will be kind enough to correct us. I'm grateful to those more experienced bandsters, especially when this was so new to me. So if they are weird, including myself so be it, I'm appreciative of the advice and clarifications. Signed, a weird one!

Awesome losses for both of you!! Sorry the band didn't workout for you and had to have more surgery but sounds like your doing amazingly now!

I had it too for the first few weeks. If we are only drinking fluids it makes sense, fluid in, fluid out. Once I started on more solid foods I settled. Just make sure you keep your water intake up so you don't dehydrate and if it doesn't settle in a week or so contact your clinic.

It's a frustrating process, you definitely need more fill to get to green zone. Hopefully you're close. I was there for two whole weeks and this last week I've noticed I've slipped out if the zone. I seem to be loosing a lot ofy weight Fromm tummy area do that's affecting my fills. I'm going in this Tuesday for another very small fill to get me back in the zone. Hang in there, there is no magic amount of fill that is the same for everyone. Some people are fine with a few cc's others need more. Fingers crossed you get your full next appointment and it makes a difference for you. Great weightloss so far too!!

Was going to say if you're band is sliding like that you're in trouble! The reason why the band tightens overnight is that Fluid settles around the band whilst sleeping. Once you're up and about that fluid drains away that's why you're so much looser hours later.

Can I yell woooooohooooo too!!! Great job!!

The answer is simple, you need a fill to get to the green zone. Once there you'll be satisfied on a cup of food or less and you will go four to five hours or more not being hungry. Now if its head hunger that makes you eat more when you're not hungry then that's something you have to work hard on to overcome it. Being banded is not a diet but a healthy lifestyle change for life with occasional treats in moderation. Also when you are in the green zone you will need to take smaller bites and chew and swallow and wait a minute before doing it all again till you hit satiety ( around twenty mins or less for some people). Get your band fine tuned and you will see how much easier it is to eat less!

Ignorant people like your friend really annoy me. We can all loose weight with weightwatchers, healthy choices blah blah blah blah. You have worked just as hard as her and she should be proud of your loss as she is if her own loss. Like we all know we can loose the weight, every single diet out there works if you stick to it BUT once you come off of it, well we all know what happens. Did you point out to her that once she gets comfortable that it may all creep back on but your tool, if you continue using it as the tool your weight won't creep back on? Today is a perfect example for me, my daughter is in hospital, she had to have an operation to screw her big toe back together as she had an accident at gymnastics a few nights back and had a nasty break. I've been at the hospital most of last night and all day today. Hadn't eaten anything since the previous night as I wasn't hungry and have been silently stressed out. Tonight by five pm I was so hungry all I could think of was stuffing my face with junk food, I even went through all the junk drive ins in my head to see what I would get on the way home ( I'm obviously still wanting to turn to food as a comfort). The comfort urges were there but I drove past every single one of them, came home and made myself a healthy tuna salad and only ate half. The band kicked in for me when I needed it most. So let people spew out the words you all took the easy way out. Let us think, stuff you, you have no idea what you're talking about and give them a big I'm banded and proud smile!!!

You are welcome, glad I could be of some help. I've taken a picture of one of my tuna salads (because it looked so pretty and colorful lol) when I get on my comp later ill post it. If you can find some time google high Protein recipes, there are so many, I sifted through a lot and picked the ones that were around the 300 calories and printed them out and made my own cookbook for the times I'm at a loss as to what to cook. Another if my favs is prawns ( think you guys call them shrimp). I buy a kilo if the frozen green ones and take out as many as I need for a meal. Defrost , rinse them, put them in a bowl with a bit of garlic, sprinkle of chilli flakes, fresh or dried chives and just a teeny bit if olive oil, cover put in fridge till I need to cook them. It takes only a few minutes to stir fry them over high heat and I toss them over a garden salad. ( that's if you can eat lettuce other wise stirfry with other vegetables). You may also need a fill if you're getting hungrier between meals. Ill post some of my recipes for you later also. Btw you've done fantastic with your weightloss so far.

Yes, sounds like a bug especially if you have a fever. Hope you feel better soon!

My fill person told me the same thing but as you've probably read on the forum it varies greatly. Some people only need a couple of cc's, some don't even need a fill and others struggle to fine that sweet spot.

It takes a while to get the hang if it all. You are right about the slider food part, sliders don't work with the band you need the right textured foods to be squeezed through the band so it can send those messages to your brain to trick it into believing you're full. Also Protein keeps you full longer. What I always do is always have canned tuna or canned Beans in my pantry and if I'm limited with time to cook myself chicken, eggs, fish etc I quickly make a yummy tuna, tomato and onion salad with just a drizzle of olive oil, you meet the texture and protein requirement. Have you seen a nutritionist? If not maybe a couple of meetings with one to guide you how to eat with a band might be a good idea. I only had two appointments because it was part of my aftercare program but if I have any issues or queries she is always available via email or phone. It's just a matter of fine tuning your diet and knowing what to always eat and once you've got that sorted it does make things a lot easier. Do a search on the Internet for high protein foods, print it out and refer to it, I've done this and have it stuck on my fridge.

I love my chocolate and will never give it up lapband or no lapband. My nutritionist allows it everyday if I need it but it has to be a small amount and counted into your portion controls or calories ( if you count calories). I don't have it every day but at least twice a week and at the moment it's a small cadburys Turkish delight bar which isn't all chocolate. I find any other chocolate to sweet. I do however walk everyday, thirty min high intensity walk on the treadmill. Are you drinking at least eight glasses if Water a day? Also if your weight fluctuates so much every day it could be Fluid retention due to too much salt, hormonal etc. Our bodies also hit plateaus, mine seems too every few weeks and when that happens I just change my exercise around and fine tune what I'm eating and it starts to move again.

Nooooooo too much salt!! If you go to the movies and you have to have popcorn, pop it from home and put it in a ziplock bag, probably cheaper too.

Reading your last post answered the getting stuck on food. Two bites of toast is way to much at one time, a spoon full is too big. A teaspoon full is the amount you should be taking at a time and its important to slow right down, chew well, swallow, wait a minute for the food to pass through and only then take another bite. Your bites should be about the size of a finger nail. I'm at green zone and I can eat everything with no stuck episodes unless I take too big of a bite. There are some foods some can tolerate and others can't, it's an individual thing so it will be trial and error for you. Try not to let yourself get too hungry, that way you won't be tempted to take too big a bite. Slow right down and see if that helps. You say sadly slowing down us not an option, sorry to say this but you have no choice but to slow down your eating unless you want to keep getting stuck episodes constantly. I have three kids, run my own business and a big house to keep clean. When it comes to me eating I can squish in the twenty mins I need to for myself. If you have a partner tell him to watch the kids while you eat in peace. The food part is about planning ahead and that helps immensely.

I had my first fill at three weeks post op, it made a slight difference but only for a few days. My fills continued every two weeks after that. Until you get to the green zone, which will take multiple fills its going to be about willpower and portion control and making sure you eat your Protein first, vegetables second. Some people are luckily enough to need no fills or only a few. It can be a lengthy process to hit the green zone but once you're there it's such a relief. There is no harm in asking to start the fill process before November, call and discuss it with them. Remember whip out that will power! Now is a good time to make those bites smaller and smaller, good practice for when you have no choice but to take teeny bites. If you haven't started exercising maybe some walking, I used to find it would help curb my hunger.

Congratulations!!!!!

Yes but only the popcorn you pop yourself. All the store bought ones have too many preservatives, salt. My nutritionist said it can be used as a healthy snack when needed. I would assume once you are on solids and doing fine with them. Popcorn can also be classed as a slider food as it melts to nothing and slides right through the band. So even as a healthy snack you need to limit the portion. Happy popping!!