niki

I eat bread, rice, pasta, and occasionally a burger with bun and fries. Never got any problem of being stuck or something like that (had 9 fills already). Of course I try avoinding all of those as much as possible, but occasionaly they won't harm me. I guess everyone is different and somedays we feel more restricted than others. niki

I love popcorn and eat them regularly, no problem. niki

Nine fills here, no fluoro and no numbing agent. My doc always gets it right at first try. niki

It would be much worse if you were craving for carbs :thumbup: proteins will help you feel «full» and satisfied, they won't harm you or your diet. Go for those chicken breast (no skin), canned tuna, hard boiled eggs - that is all highly recommended healthy stuff. niki

Xann, You probably heard it before but the band is not a miracle worker just by itself. I've been banded for over 3 yrs., had 8 fills, do correct food choices (most of the time), work out 4 or 5 days/week, and yet I'm loosing weight like a turtle or spend several months in a row on a stupid plateau not loosing at all - yes, I fully understand how frustrated you feel, I know exactly that feeling. But there's no way we can turn back now, we have to keep on going and along the way in this journey with our band, we learn there are some good days and some bad days. Giving up is not an option. This will take a little more effort from us than for most other bands, but we'll get there. Hang in there, niki

The idea with the band is to avoid mixing water and food at the same time. I've been banded for over 3 yrs. and always allow approx. 40minutes (before and after). When there's food in the band it is supposed to stay there for a while, without water, so that it makes you feel full and satisfied. If you add water, that will only help to «wash» the food out and you will feel hungry sooner than you're supposed to. This is valid even for people who don't have the band, plain dieters should not drink with their meal. niki

My doc says I shouldn't cut out carbs completely. I try to avoid them on the evening period, if I can manage, dinner usually is just protein+veggies, but every now and then i'll have rice or pasta. I eat allbran, oatmeal, and some other complex carbs, as it helps me avoidind compulsive eating and those terrible cravings. niki

Yep! went to the gym today and exercised for approx. 70 minutes (arms, legs, squats, ellyptical). Spent last 3 days without moving my butt, so it was high time I did something for myself. No pain, no gain! niki

Great information, Sunshine2! very helpful. the band will work, even if differently for each one of us. I guess we all have to find how to bet cope with it and work with it, not against it. niki

Guess we've all been there. You'll just have to face your fears and start learning how to better control yourself and head hunger. You've taken the first step, now it is time to put one foot after the other and proceed with the journey. Come here to LBT for support or whenever you're feeling down. Give yourself a chance. You'll be fine, best of luck, niki

Hey, Mike Congratulations! Good for you, you've taken the first step for your new life! I've been banded for over 3 years and no regrets here. I think most of us bandsters have all heard some of those stupid «easy way out» stories at some point on our journey, but it just doesn't really matter because most people that say such a thing they are probably not well aware or informed of what the band is or means, even if they are our loved ones. You seem to be pretty well informed and that's what matters. best of luck, niki

I try replacing carbs for veggies (lots of it!) but i still have carbs (complex ones, not hollow) I eat dark bread, wholegrain pasta/rice, oatmeal. Beans are good (all sorts, garbanzo beans, peas, lentils, etc) they're good source for healthy protein.

Many interesting advices here. I agree with lots that has been said previously. Keeping busy is the key for me, but sometime it simply doesn't work. Eating/drinking something cold (big glass of cold water or tea) or something frozen (low fat yogurt, bits of frozen banana) sometimes helps. niki

I've been banded for 3 years and 3 months now. Still didn't reach my ultimate goal. I've been loosing very slowly, even though I've been doing my share. I know that if I didn't have the band, it would have been impossible to loose any weight at all (I would have probably keep on gaining weight...). The band has been a tremendous help in changing my life style. I now pay attention to correct food choices (every now and then I still eat some «wrong» stuff, but I'm pretty aware of it and try to compensate afterwards), I exercise a lot, I have a goal and I keep saying to myself I'll get there someday. It takes effort and we can't rely on the band to do it by itself, it's not a miracle worker, but even so I still believe it's the best thing I ever did for myself. best of luck, niki