niki

I believe that if we chew, and chew, and chew it really WELL , in the end no matter what we eat will be turned into something «soft» and mushy stuff, therefore it's OK. It has been 15 months I have been banded, but on every meal I still have to focus on this slow chewing process... niki

I love fish but only got it on the soft food stage (just to bet on the safe side...) but I guess it is OK as long as you chew really very well in your mouth before swallowing it. niki

Hi, I guess the more we read and research about this, or other questions, the more we'll notice how things can vary from one doctor to the other or from one patient to another. I think the best is to follow whatever instructions your doctor give you and do as he says. In any case, liquid and mushy food is certainly less «aggressive» to your stomach and one thing is sure: after you get your band, you will have to learn to chew all your food really well: chew, chew, chew! it's a whole new concept and it's true that old habits die hard, but it's quite a challenge! best of luck! niki

I take a big bowl of «green» Soup everyday: just put all sorts of vegetables and greens (carrots, turnip, zuchinni, squash/pumpkin, celery, onions, cauli flower, broccoli, spinach leaves, aubergine, whatever there's in the fridge) in a pan and let it boil. Put it in the mixer and turn it into a creamy pulp, add a little olive oil (one or 2 spoons are enough just for flavour's sake) and that's it! :clap2: It tastes really good, specially on those cold winter days and with time you'll learn to make some fantastic combinations with all sorts of vegetables. It's very nutritious (lots of Vitamins, minerals) and lots of FIBRE! I even bring it with me to the office and eat it at lunch time or late in the afternoon (very helpful to make you feel quite full...). I find a good glass of orange juice or grapefuit also very helpful as far as fibre is concerned. hope this will work well for you! niki

Great advice! thanks! I've got my lap band for 14 months now, lost very little (22 lbs...), had 3 or 4 fills, I'm already with 6cc on a 10cc band... and still feel very little or no restriction at all. My dr says there's nothing wrong with my band, I'm pretty sure that I'm being careful with what I eat (healthy food but still in too large quantities because it's hardly enough, so I keep eating...), and I've been exercising a lot (3 times/week at the gym + long walks). So I guess it is just a matter of finding the right restriction, and I still consider my lap band as my best friend and never regret that I got it! It may take time, longer maybe than most lap banded people I know, but I'll get there! in any case, it's great to get all this precious information and support here at LBT! Thanks! :clap2:

When I'm at the office, I always have a big bottle of water on my desk and every time I look at it, I know I have to drink some... Also drink lots of tea and herbal infusions (feels so good & relaxing on those cold winter days). Whenever I feel hungry, I drink a huge portion and then wait 30 or 40 minutes, just to check if it's real hunger or just the need of feeling something in my stomach...

Hi newbander, sorry if it sounded as if I was «attacking» the idea of «open» surgery technique mentioned earlier... there are surely many new things and facts coming up constantly everyday in this specific area and we lapbanders, with time and a bit of research here and there, we soon come up to the conclusion that each one of us is a different case from lapbander next door, just as one doctor will do something different from some other doctor doing the same surgery somewhere else... The important thing is that having a lapband is a major step on our lives and from that moment on, with our help, we can have a new perspective on things and believe me, that feels great! I wish you lots of success with your surgery! hope everything will work out for you! niki

I've been lapbanded for 14 months and my surgery has been done here in Europe (I live here). I am in touch with several lapbanded people in different european countries where the surgery is done (France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, etc) and never heard of doing this with an «open» surgery... niki

Hi there Misti - you're right, my dr is also the type of doctor that likes to take his time and he keeps telling me to be patient because results, as far as loosing weight is concerned, will be so much better if we do things slowly... but I guess this is far too slowly... I'm not getting quite there I guess still have to keep on hoping to feel more restriction next fill, as nothing much is happening with these 6cc I have right now. Kim - thanks for your input! I'm always open to other's sugestions. Actually, I'm not paying for these fills (I've done 4 till now). Last fill I had was on 1/19 but I only felt the restriction during first couple of days. Now I don't feel restricted at all... It's really strange how fills kick in differently from one person to the other. I guess we all have different ways to react. maybe if next time my Dr gets me to 7cc I'll feel it differently.I'll let you know. Thank you all, niki

Hello everyone, This my first time here. I live in Europe, I'm 40 years old, had my lap band surgery a year ago. Unfortunately I didn't lost as much as I would have expected (approximately 10 Kilos - I promise I'll look for a place where I learn to convert kilogrammes to pounds). I found this great place of yours, filled with extremely useful information and ideal for sharing so many experiences, when I was researching on how many ccs it is still possible to fill in my band. I now have a total of 6cc in my band but I still feel that food goes through too quickly and in too big quantity. So many of you here are doing such a great job with your bands! hopefully, that will work as an inspiration for me too! Thanks, niki

Hi there, Thank you so much for making me feel welcome to LBT! All this information sharing is really precious for me and I've been learning a lot here! :clap2: I'll be asking my doctor (I'll be seeing him in May) what type of band I have. I already started a list with all sorts of questions and doubts for him to clarify. It's rather frustrating not feeling any restriction whatsoever. At least I try to eat healthy and I go two or three times a week to the gym, but I always feel depressed when I get on the scale as I'm almost sure that nothing much happenend from last time (I get on the scale every two weeks or so). Anyway, I won't quit so I guess the only thing to do is keep fighting this damned overweight till I finally find my «sweet spot» (I didn't know the expression, but surely sounds wonderful! :biggrin1: ) It's a pleasure to meet you, I'll see you around, niki

Even before I had my band, my nutrionist always told me never to eat and drink at the same time, and this is valid for everybody I guess, whether they are obese or not, as drinking will make your digestion process much faster and evidently as soon as you stop feeling full (your stomach empties so much faster if you put liquid along with chewed food in it), you will start thinking about food again. I know, it's a nasty habit we get since we're children, and allover the world, having a glass in front of your dish on the table. We should avoid that, and it is easy to do it at home: no drinking during meals; either you drink before (1 hour, 30 minutes at least) or after (same period of time). niki

Hi there, I'm not sure what type of band I have (I'll ask my DR next visit in May)but I know it goes up to 10cc. I had my surgery in January 2005 and had 4 fills till now. I have a total of 6cc and feel no restriction at all... very frustrating because even though I try to eat properly (good food) I know I'm eating HUGE amounts, so much more than I am supposed to do...:phanvan My Doctors says it is better to go step by step and he fills little quantity at a time; and then I have to wait several months till I get to see him on a next visit and in the meantime my weight stays the same! niki