jjsmiles

I didn't have to do the sleep test, but what the others have said sounds right on to what I have read here. In terms of pre-op diets, there seem to be as many out there as there are dr's . I had to do two weeks of Optifast Protein shakes, plus non starchy vegetables only. Others do a version of this plus maybe a lean cuisine a day. Others don't have to do a pre-op diet and others seem to be on an Atkins type where they eat very few carbs and only lean protein. Your best bet is to contact the clinic you will be using. Length of time on pre-op diet also varies. The explanation I was given is that to make the surgery easier on you and the surgeon, they want you to lose as much weight as possible before surgery - mainly to shrink your liver, which they have to work around and move in order to attach the lap band. I firmly belief that the unofficial reason is the clinic wants to see how committed you are - if you can't follow a two week plan, how are you going to manage the weeks of liquids and mushies after the surgery that are required for healing? I have never had real problems taking pills, so I take them whole. I do have one huge pill (Omega 3/6/9) that gets stuck about twice a week, but because it is fish oil, it usually slides down after a few minutes of intense pain. I am very stubborn and want to finish the whole costco bottle before I go to something else. It sounds strange, but taking the pills with less Water rather than more seems to make it easier for me to get them down. I only take one pill at a time and make sure it has passed before going on. The good news is that since banding I have come off of two diabetes medications and a reflux medication and am down to a thryroid pill, a Multivitamin and the dreaded Omega. Many people either crush their medicines or invest in a pill splitter, or get chewable or liquid forms if they are available. You need to check with your pharmacist though as some medications shouldn't be crushed or split.

Everybody looks so great! I was feeling good about myself today, so thought I would post pictures again: Dark sweater was Christmas 2005 (about 350 pounds), yellowy blouse was one month before surgery in August of 2007 (about 310 pounds) and the white/green top is today at 185 pounds.

Never heard of this dr. As far as I know, she is not associated with the CHR's Weight Management Clinic, which is the only place to get banded or referred for banding through provincial health care in Calgary. There are rumors that one of the Toronto clinics is planning to open a site in Calgary, but it will be all fee for service (rumor is $18- $20 k for the surgery). I don't know if she is associated with this clinic. The WMC in Calgary has been reduced to 25 surgeries in the next year, and I heard they had hundreds of people waiting and have discharged most of the people from the program. Before this lastest announcement of reduced surgeries, it was looking to be a number of years to wait before being considered for provincially covered lap band surgery. Now - who knows. I was banded thru the WMC and AB Health Care (one of the lucky 75 or so who have had it done in Calgary) and have had a wonderful experience, but don't know anything about Dr. McKenna. I had heard that another clinic had opened in Calgary that was supposed to be a one stop shop for obesity related issues, but that only the medical portion would be covered by AB health care - other services like dietician, psychologist, etc would be fee for service. This clinic was not associated with the lap band in any way. Maybe she is with this clinic? When I got referred to the WMC, it took six months to get a call back and appointment, and this was before any reduction in service and the WMC does not charge anything for any of their services.

Congratulations Musical Momma on your new beginning. :embaressed_smile: Not only are you being accountable to yourself, but you are an inspiration to many, many others!!!! Take care and keep on being true to yourself!!!!!

I am really surprised at how little a lot of newbies seem to know about the band and the reasons for the pre-op and post op diets. The main reason you drink all your food in the first 2-4 weeks is to allow your stomach to heal and to allow the band to settle into its proper place. The band is stitched to the outside of your stomach and you drink all your food so that your nutrition passes through the banded area with minimal churning of the stomach. By eating solids, you are causing your stomach lots of work and churning in order to digest the food you eat. By eating solids (no matter how well chewed) you are risking your band slipping out of its proper place right from the beginning. So you want to throw away your money and the major surgery you just underwent - go ahead and eat everything you want!!!!!

Thats great Laney !!!!!! Keep up the good work!

I don't think we are saying you shouldn't get the band. You haven't really said anything in your posts that would lead me to believe you are really any different from the rest of us when it comes to food. In my past life I could and would go an entire day without "real" food but would eat and eat and eat all the instant snacky foods with abandon and never get full. When I decided to get the band, I made choices that were my own. This has been one of the most difficult journey's of my life to date, but I have done the work, not the band. What you have said that leads us to to question whether you are ready for the band is that you are a victim to Snacks and carbs and you have no control over your behaviour around them and that you had hopes that the band would control that. It won't. As long as you have the belief that you have no control over yourself, there is no weight loss method that will help you. This isn't at all about dieting, it is about making conscious choices to make changes within and for ourselves. The band is a tool that can help with appetite and portion control, but not with the head stuff we all go through as obese people. What you need to do is explore how to reframe your attitudes from that of a victim to a survivor who can conquer themselves. I don't want to be mean or make you feel bad about yourself, but even in your posts today, you have made yourself a victim of our responses to you. You have said that is scary that we say this won't work for you (twice), that everyone here says you just have to diet, that your mom says this isn't going to work. What I hear you saying is that you have no personal responsibility in taking control of your life. Now it is our responsibility for your decision to possibly cancel getting the lap band. You need to do some work for yourself to honor the special person you are. I am positive you are very strong in many areas of your life. You need to find a way to use your strengths and apply them to this journey. You can do this!

Simply put, if you aren't willing to change your habit of constantly grazing small amounts, the band will not work for you. The band will easily let you eat what you say you are currently eating. As you said yourself, I believe you need to honestly journal everything you eat (time and quantity as well)- this way you could really know what you are actually eating. This is something you could/should do before being banded so that you have an honest account of what you eat and you can make your decisions from there. You also really need to address your ideas that you are a carb addict and that you eat because you are bored. As many people have said, you can get your stomach banded, but there is no band for your head. The band will not touch either of those issues. By the way, you are not alone. I would suggest that many if not most of us here can relate to either or both of those issues. Just being honest here, but if you aren't willing to look at your behaviours around eating, there isn't much point to going through major surgery. On the other hand, if you get the help you need to address those issues (perhaps therapy?), you can succeed. There is nothing inherently wrong with any food, it is generally the quantities we eat that causes us to be obese - even if we are only "grazing" small amounts continuously. Good luck with your decision.

Favorite snacks: Vitamuffin (the chocolate is to die for - 2 oz each - 100 calories) Edamame (I buy the ones in the shells and boil for about 3 minutes) 100 calorie snack pack of microwave popcorn sf/ff pudding cups turkey pepperoni (45 calories a stick) Rye crackers and ultra low fat cream cheese (or laughing cow light cheese) fruit dry Cereal (1 oz) I am an evening eater (head hunger) and couldn't make it without planning at least one snack. My opinion (as shared by my WLC) is that snacking is a normal part of life and during the weight loss phase I should be eating as I would for the rest of my life, so that my weight loss is sustainable. :redface:

Sorry Tyler, I only have life insurance through my employer, and since it is a small policy, I have never had to answer any questions, so I know very little about it. I am also single with no dependants, so I have never really worried about insurance. Maybe you should consider talking to an insurance broker? They can do the leg work for you and as far as I know, they don't charge anything as they get their commissions from the insurance companies. I know it can be very discouraging to have your weight held against you by every side you turn to (health, insurance, employment - you name it). You are doing the best you can for both you and your family, so you just have to keep at it. I always thought I got along just fine in life, even being super obese, as people generally have treated me very well. I sure am noticing a difference now. I do have to say that it may not be people treating me differently though - I think I am treating myself differently. I have way more confidence, I am much fitter and healthier and I think it somehow reflects in the "vibes" I give off. I know you are really searching out your options now. Take a deep breathe and have some patience. I know it is hard - when you make the decision to make a change, you want it to happen yesterday already. Been there, done that. You need to take the time to reflect on what you need to do and systematically approach what needs to happen to reach those goals. What is doable and how. I find it very helpful to focus on what I can do, versus what I can't, which can be discouraging and depressing. I think it is a real skill to reframe the negatives that can come with this journey into positives :redface:.

Thanks Dawnie - that was very nice of you!!! You know - I always thought that I liked food too much to give it up. What have I learned over the last year ? I don't have to give up the foods that I enjoy. In fact, as bizarre as it sounds, I enjoy eating way more than I ever did :smile:. I take the time to taste my food and savor it. I have learned such an appreciation for quality over quantity!!! To be honest, when I picked my goal of 180 - it was simply because it was an even number under 200. I couldn't even imagine getting that low. Now I need to adjust my goal to a more healthy BMI (but not until I reach 180 and can reflect in the glow for a while of actually reaching that goal :redface:). You can achieve your goals Dawnie and everyone else reading this.

Hi Tyler Thanks for the compliments. I have worked very hard at this and am very proud of myself. I had been on diabetes medication for about 10 years, but have not taken anything for the last six months and my blood sugars (including 3 month averages) have been completely normal. I am also off my reflux medication. In fact, the only drug I take now (except for a Multivitamin and a Calcium supplement) is synthroid for my under active thyroid. I just had my blood work done, and all my levels are "normal". YEAH!!!!!! Someone else I had contact with who was banded privately sees Dr. DesCoteaux and said a while back that he was trying to get coverage for fills for those that had been banded privately. I don't know what happened with that though - as far as I know he hasn't been successful. I think you should contact his office - they might know more. In terms of Ab. health care - I know it sucks, but I am not sure there is anything you can do about it. I know you can claim your expenses on your taxes (other people have posted about it on this forum), but you never get back dollar for dollar what you spent. I wish you all the luck and success in the world Tyler. Reach out and grasp for what you want and need. Just be prepared for the journey and know that it isn't an easy way to lose weight, but at least to me, it was totally worth it :redface:

I think Plain is right on. Head hunger is by far the largest issue I have had to face. You also need to consider that in order to lose weight you have to eat less calories than you take in. Science says that in order to lose just 1 pound a week, you need to cut your daily calorie intake by 500 (1 pound = 3500 calories). Some people who get banded just eat less of what they always ate. This may work for people who were maintaining their weight pre-surgery, but for those that were gaining weight every year, they would need to really cut back on quantity to effect weight loss. Also, when you first get banded, in all likelihood you will not experience much (if any) restriction. Some people take 6 months or more after surgery before they reach the restriction they are comfortable with. During that time, they need to carefully monitor what they eat and change their eating habits or they will not lose weight. This is often referred to as bandster hell. I have also read on many many many occasions where people talk about being so restricted that they can't eat solid food, but who are afraid to get a defill. It seems that many of those people stop losing weight, for whatever reason. I know for me personally, I don't seem to have any restriction when it comes to the foods that got me morbidly obese in the first place. As far as I can tell, chocolate melts through the band and potato chips get chewed into oblivion and also pass right on thru :confused_smile: so I can't rely on the band to control my portions. In my experience, what the band does for me is help me to not be ravenously hungry between meals. In fact I sometimes say that I am starving, but I don't really have the same insatiable hunger that I had continuously before. That does not stop the head hunger or the automatic stuffing my face if food is around. I am the only one who can make the choice of what I eat (or don't). One of the things I always suggest is that people journal what they are eating and how much, because I don't think we are often aware of how much we are really eating, because so much of it is unconscious. I exercise a lot, but I believe that exercise helps me get fit, feel good, and look better, but I am not convinced that it really helps me lose lots of weight. However, I am hoping that it will help me maintain my weight once I get to goal.

Hi Angie, I was banded September 25, 2007 by Dr. DesCoteaux through the CHR Weight Management Clinic. Surgery was done at the Peter Lougheed Hospital. I was in hospital overnight - total stay just over 24 hours. Tyler - Having been banded in Calgary, I am not sure how complications work. If it is not an emergency, I would suspect that you might be asked to go thru your clinic, but if it were an emergency, I think Ab Health care has to help you. You do need to go to the Peter Lougheed though as that is the only hospital that deals with the band in Calgary. My understanding is that the 4 band surgeons rotate being on call for emergencies. In terms of follow-up care, I go through my band surgeon, but if you are banded out of province you would need to arrange follow-up care. I would really recommend that you make those arrangements before getting banded as I have read about people not making arrangements and then having difficulty finding anyone to help them with fills after. I have heard from others who use Dr. DesCoteaux, but I am not sure if he does all follow-up care or just fills. Your best bet is to call his office. As far as I know the doc whose name I don't know is the only family doc who is dealing with the band. You can of course go through your family doc, but he/she may not know what to look for. I think the first step when there are suspected problems is usually a x-ray under fluoroscope, which is a pretty standard test. Your family doc can order it and it gets read by experts (again go through Peter Lougheed because no-one else will know anything about the band).

I love, love, love Dr. DesCoteaux. (no really :confused_smile:). He has done 2 surgeries for me (emergency ileostomy and the lapband). He also got stuck with me being in hosptial for 2 weeks in the fall after I had some complications, so I feel I know him as well as I could know a surgeon. He has always treated me with the utmost dignity and respect and is really encouraging (in a quiet way). He spends the time you need, and even if he is in a rush, he never projects that. I am sure he doesn't remember everything he is told, but I always feel very important to him. He is the most unsurgeony surgeon I have ever met (and I have had lots of surgery). He has a very gentle touch - others write how they want to be "numbed" before a fill and I have to say, I don't even feel it when he does one for me, and last time my port had flipped so he had to work to find it!!! I have also met with Dr. Church once for a second consult before surgery and I really liked him. I am not sure how involved he will continue to be in terms of follow-up, since I had the impression he is not as invested in the program as Dr. DesCoteaux and Dr. Mitchell. I have never actually read anywhere that he does private fills. I have never met Dr. Mitchell, from what I have read people either really like him or really don't. I don't know anything about Dr. Debru. The rumors I have been hearing is that Dr. Mitchell is trying to open a private lap band clinic in Calgary that would be associated with one the TO clinics. If it happens and you were banded in TO by that clinic, your fills would be covered here as well. I think it was Dr. Coburn, but I am not sure. There is also a family doc in Calgary that does fills for one of the TO clinics, but his name escapes me. What I have read about him has been positive. You might want to search historically on this forum, because it would have been here that I read about him.

Thanks Jachut I am not expecting miracles, but I have a lot of extra skin and fat in my belly area (well actually everywhere) that is not going to bounce back and so anything they can do to make me more comfortable, hygenic and make clothes fit better is a great big bonus. I am also curious to see how much gets taken away! With my gigantic peristomal hernia, it is really difficult to see how my body looks with all the weight loss (I am basically wearing my intestines in a gigantic bubble on the right outside of my body). I have to buy my clothes at least one size (maybe even bigger) too big so my oddly shaped body isn't too noticeable. It is interesting that wls is fairly new and uncommon in my community and so there isn't a lot of experience in dealing with the after effects of the skin. The plastic surgeon I am using does some public stuff, but mostly works through the hospital doing reconstructions and such. I am told he is very "thorough", whatever that means :confused_smile:. My bowel surgeon is the head surgeon at the hospital, so I figure he wouldn't refer me to someone he didn't trust. I also figure there must be a threshold of pain and discomfort in the abdominal area - as long as they are in there I might as well have it all at once, if possible. You are right amsderb - at least at hospital I will be in a hospital bed that I can raise and lower and have people take care of me :crying:. Thanks!!!!

Update: I have a date for the potential 4 in 1 surgery!!!!! September 9 - whoo hoo! :cursing: Of course I may wake up from surgery with only a bowel resection, but if the gods are with me I will also have hernia's repaired, ileostomy reversed and a tummy tuck. The plastic surgeon was pretty sceptical (he was concerned it was too much surgery at once), but I guess my bowel surgeon talked him into it. The bad news is that I will likely be in hospital between 5 day and 2 weeks :biggrin:. Wish me luck!!!!!

Hi Dawnie, I have heard others say that their restriction lessens as the day goes on. I am not overly restricted at all and don't really notice any changes throughout the day. I can eat lots at all times (I can easily eat 3-4 oz of meat and a cup of cooked veggies at dinner). Where I find the band useful for is that it keeps my hunger at bay between meals. I think the first thing you need to do is go and see your dr. to discuss. Maybe the clinic has some ideas of what will help you. If you can't eat in the morning, I don't really think getting more restricted will help - or maybe a very very small fill? You say you are embarassed, but the fact is that your dr. and clinic are there to help you and you need to use them - they are invested in seeing you succeed. Who are you hurting by refusing to go in? Not them that is for sure. You think they will be upset with you - sorry - they don't care that much about you to be upset. You know that you are having a lot of problems in the evenings so you need to think of strategies that will help you. You need to find a way to distinguish between real hunger (which you need to feed) and head hunger (which you need to heal). Your feeling "hollow" is not true physical hunger. Can you do something like join weight watchers so that you have to be accountable to others? Can you exercise in the evenings? Do you document everything you eat so that at least you are aware of everything you put in your mouth? Have you considered talking to a therapist about how to deal with your issues with food? What you seem to be saying in your post is that you are a victim of your hunger and your lack of restriction. You need to reframe this for yourself into what you can and will do to take control rather than letting food control you. Until 1 year ago I let food be my boss and I held the attitude that I was a victim. The reality is that I was just a victim of myself. I have "freed" the person I know myself to be in all the other areas of my life and allowed that person to control my relationship with food. I have to say I like myself a heck of a lot better now. You can do it.

My port is right under my rib cage and I never feel it, unless I am feeling for it :sad:. Since I have lost so much weight, it is quite close to the surface, but I can't see it sticking out under my skin at this point.

I think it is great that you are exploring your options and asking what other people think. Having weight loss surgery is one of the most serious decisions of your life, and you need to be fully informed and ready to commit to the changes you will need to make in your life in order to be successful. If you aren't sure, don't do it. Here is the ingredient list for 1 package of chocolate Optifast (I have some leftover): Total milk Protein, fructose, maltodextrin, canola oil, cocoa, soybean oil, sodium citrate, potassium citrate, sodium chloride, sodium caseinate, potassium phosphate, dibasic, citric acid, artificial flavour, mono and diglyerides, magnesium oxide, choline bitartate, aspartame, ascorbic acid, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, niacinamide, copper gluconate, manganese sulfate, d-calcium pantothenate, bha/bht (to preserve freshness), thiamine, hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin a palmitate, ribloflavin, chromium acetate, vitamin e acetate, folic acid, sodium molybdate, potassium iodide, sodium selenite, Biotin, vitamin d3, cyanocobalamin. Each package contains 61.3 mg aspartame and 500 mg sodium. All I can add to this is "YUM" :biggrin:

OK Tyler, You asked for opinions, so I will share mine - and I am pretty passionate about this topic. Going on a liquid diet like Optifast is no way to lose weight in any sustainable way. If it were effective, you would be able to buy it on every street corner. This form of weight loss is like any other "diet" that restricts you in some way (atkins, jenny craig, etc.). You do well while you are on it and then when you go off, 95% of people immediately gain the weight back, plus more. Why? 1. You haven't made any changes to your life style, so you go back to old patterns of eating almost immediately when you start eating real food. 2. The foods you have been denying yourself almost become drug like, so when you start eating them again it is very difficult to keep to small portions (see #1 about not learning anything about portion control or changing your lifestyle) 3. You will lose weight, but is it fat or is it Water? 4. As snowbird says - are you willing to drink all your food for the rest of your life? You made the point that your "full nerve" is broken. So is mine - I don't think I even have a "full nerve". A liquid diet will not repair that nerve and will not address the true issue (the brain) in any way. Elliminating eating will only delay the inevitable confrontation you need to have about your relationship with food. Why put yourself in a position where you know you aren't actually helping yourself in any meaningful way, but only slapping a temporary band aid on? Your reasoning that by not eating you are removing the problem seems to be quite faulty. Just because you are drinking your meals, don't kid yourself that you are not going to want to eat, or that you will feel full, which seems to be what you are saying are your issues. You may be able to stop yourself from actually putting solid food in your mouth, but it won't stop all the other urges you have to eat continuously. I am going to share a personal example with you. As part of my banding experience, I had to go on a 2 week optifast diet, then I was on 2 weeks of liquids after the surgery. In that 4 week period, I lost 55 pounds (about 1/2 before the surgery and about 1/2 after). I also got incredibly sick, dehydrated and ended up in hospital for 2 weeks because of dehydration and my electrolytes went dangerously out of wack. I am not blaming the liquid diet on my illness, but the fact is, while I was in hospital, I was on IV and ate very little. In that 2 weeks, I gained 57 pounds, so I was right back to my pre-optifast weight. IN 2 WEEKS!!!!!!!! Some of that weight was due to the massive amounts of fluids being pumped in my body, but the truth is after my release I lost 25 pounds in the next 4 weeks, but the other 32 pounds took 2 more months to lose. The weight I lost on liquid diets was not fat, but rather water. I wouldn't wish that experience on anyone. IMHO you would be better off investing in a psychologist than in optifast.

Congrats Nygmen, rabid and maincat. It feels great, doesn't it?:frown:

Hi Laney, Having the band is not a miracle cure for overeating and all our issues we face around food - as you are learning . You sound really down on yourself - but you CAN do this. I think one of the main issues that many of us face is that we have let food and our appetites control us for years (if not our entire lives). You need to take some steps to control food rather than it control you. Many people (including myself) had spent years saying that we couldn't control ourselves and were obese because we weren't able to stick to a diet. We have become victims of our own making and our tendancy is to give up when the band doesn't work as easily as we thought. The reality is that to be successful, we need to be mindful of what we are eating (even if we aren't dieting). The band isn't going to make our eating choices for us. There are some steps you can take to start to take control: 1. Start by documenting every bite of food you put in your mouth -either on line or with pen and paper (I have a little notebook - each page is a day). You don't necessarily have to write down the calorie count, but you do need to write down exactly how much you are eating. This is very helpful for many reasons: you start to realize how much you are actually eating; you can start to see some patterns in the choices of what you are eating; and by writing it down, you need to make a conscious choice to eat (and what you eat), rather than just eating obliviously. You don't need to share this with anyone, but remember if you don't write it down, you are just lying to yourself. 2. When you have done this for a couple of days, start to look at what you could change quite simply- can you take a little less for the snack? Can you choose something that is lower calorie or lower fat instead? Am I really hungry or do I just want to eat (head hunger). Will a glass of Water help? If I am not actually hungry - can I distract myself for 1/2 hour til the urge passes? I HATED journaling my food when I first started, but I think it has been a major key to my success. I found almost immediately that I would think twice before I ate something, I was more conscious of making healthier choices, I changed the quantity of what I ate, and I didn't eat out of habit or boredom as often. I was shocked at how much I ate unconsciously previous to this start to my journey. 3. You can make the choice to look at this journey as a change in your eating habits, not a diet. If you want to be successful, plan to eat now as you want to eat for the rest of your life. For me that means that I eat everything (yes I eat fruit, veggies, bread, Pasta and I still consider chocolate, cookes and pizza food groups). The difference now is that I don't eat them daily, and when I do eat them, I eat less and go for real quality vs. quantity. For example, pretty much every Sunday I have 2 homemade Cookies when I go to my Dad's for dinner. Most Sundays, I also have 2 really good chocolates for afternoon tea. I usually don't eat chocolate or cookies the rest of the week. I am not denying myself what I love and what I want, but I am planning on how and when I will eat it. 4. When going out to eat, if possible plan for what you are going to eat before you go, so you don't choose the bacon double cheeseburger with fries and gravy. Some restaurants have their menus online, but you usually know what will generally be on the menu. For example - order Soup and salad (dressing on the side), or order a plain piece of meat with veggies rather than pototos. If I order pasta, I try to order whole wheat, the lunch size if available and a tomato based sauce, rather than a cream based sauce. 5. Know your trouble times and plan for them. For example, I am an evening eater. History tells me that if I let myself, I will eat all evening, even if not hungry. It is not useful to try to make myself stop eating after 7 pm, etc, because I just feel deprived, I get angry and frustrated and then my tendancy will be to turn to food. What do I do? I excercise after work, so I don't get my dinner until 6:00 pm or 7:00 pm, which shortens my evening. I also plan for at least one if not two Snacks in the evening. My snacks are generally around or under 100 calories and are foods that satisfy my urges (turkey pepperoni, 100 calorie popcorn packs, no sugar added vanilla or chocolate pudding, ultra low fat cream cheese and crackers, etc). Please note that I am not choosing carrots or celery, because I know that will not satisfy my head. Sorry for the novel, but I just wanted to show that you can be successful and you can do this, but you need to make some choices. I celebrated my one year anniversary of starting this journey yesterday (June 12) and I have lost over 132 pounds in that year. The band has been a wonderful tool and help mate and I wouldn't trade it for anything, but the reality is that I did all the work and the band just helped me stay "stomach satisfied" for longer periods of time. I had to do all the physical and "head" work to make this work for me. :biggrin2:

Not to be mean, but you need to follow your dr's diet. The reason you only drink fluids for 1-2 weeks after surgery is to let your stomach heal and not have it work to digest solid food. Your band has been attached to your stomach with stitches and those stitches need to "set" so your band will stay in the correct position. When you eat solids, they may not "hurt" you, but your stomach is working away to digest those solids and could be dislodging the position of the band. You could cause yourself a slip. Don't feel bad about yourself, but please think about why you got banded and all the effort you went through to get here. Is it worth a slip right from the get go over a tiny bit of solid food? I am surprised that your clinic did not provide you with the information to be successful in this journey.