I, too, was banded on the 28th. It was really rough at first with the pain, but each day has gotten better and today, I did 1.5 miles on the treadmill. The first 3 days, I used gas-x strips, which I think really helped. I feel pretty much back to normal now, with just a tiny bit of discomfort at the port site. My dr put me on soft foods starting 7/1, and I have tolerated them very well. I typicall eat hb egg with turkey sausage and then chicken or fish for my other meals. (all meals are protein only, with soft cheese, cottage cheese and yogurt also being options) A good tip I learned from the nutritionist should your food feel stuck is to swallow a bite of yogurt. She says some even eat a couple of bites at the beginning of their meal to coat the esophagus. I believe that my stomach is no longer swollen inside so there really is no restriction, and basically I'm "dieting" using my own willpower for the next month till I get my fill. I'm down 10.5 pounds in a week and another 7 post op for a 17.5 total. I'm liking that, but I must admit the first few days were so hard I was wondering if I'd made a mistake. I don't think that way anymore. The way our psychologist explained it yesterday is that there are 3 stages, in stage one (prefill) you are a dieter, stage two (losing weight) you are a weight manager and stage 3 (goal) you are a health manager. Makes sense to me and makes it easier to navigate through these testy waters right now!