Hello, I'm a july bandster also. July 23, 08. I just wanted to write and say plz. make sure you try and keep your Doctor appt. Try not to be ashamed, your dr. wants you to succeed also. This is a learning process, every month something changes with my band, one month I have trouble eatting chicken and the next it might be salad that gives me problem. I myself have had troubles with slider food and at one time I wasnt losing much weight and found that it was my over drinking of OJ that was full of sugar and loaded with liquid cals. So i was eating well but messing myself up with drink too many cals. So if you dont mind me giving you some advice i would like to suggest a few things that might help. 1st. get a food log, log every single thing that goes into your month and I mean everything. You will be very surprised on just how many cals you are really taking in. Next make sure you make it to all of your appts. Next i know you said something about having pains during working out and I was the same way when I started out so plz. move more even if it is just sitting down and stretching out. get a rubber band and just move your arms more. Try to walk for 5 to 10 minutes a day but do it 5 to 6 times a day so you are getting in your 30 minutes moving but not all at one time. Moving and burning cals is so important. its not just what is going into you body but what you are burning. Next you are great! YOU ARE GREAT! and dont let anyones else make you feel bad about your progress. The road you decided to take is not the easy road that other might think it is, even thou we have the band we have to work just as hard as any other diet to make it work. If you need someone to talk to I and others are here for you so plz ask if you need a hand. so count your input, try to move more, hold your head up, no slider foods, use your dr., use your friends on LBT. Oh and I am a disabled Vet so I have limitation to what I could do at first but the more I walked and the more I moved the more easier it got to move more. I am doing yoga now and Im not walking for many miles but you would be surprised at how just leaning or holding a pose can make you sweat. Find that one thing you really like to do and do it. I hope i have helped a little and dont sound like i am crazy...lol...goood luck