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The sweet spot is a term that I think should be banned. It's a bit like the G Spot or the Holy Graille - some swear it exists but it can be very elusive. It is supposedly the magical point at which you can eat a small portion of food and not feel any hunger for hours and hours. Many people end up being way too tight because they are chasing that magical sweet spot. In reality every time you have a fill you should find that you are able to be satisfied on smaller portions and go for a couple of hours without being hungry.With every fill your portions will decrease and time between meals will increase for a while. Do not expect that there is a point whereby you will be satisfied on 3 meals of about 1/2 cup per day.That is what some people seem to believe the sweet spot to be and their Quest for this leads to them being too tight.Too tight is a problem as you can't eat proper food, you resort to high cal slider foods, you are constantly hungry and you don't lose weight! Too tight can also cause reflux, slips etc.

You may have first bite syndrome. What you may need to do is drink something warm before you start eating to help relax your band/throat. Take a small initial bite of something that you know should go down fine, make sure you chew it really well and then wait a couple of minutes before you carry on eating. Also make sure the food that you are choosing is moist as dry food often causes problems.

vegemite is actually yummy and really good for you, you just have to know how to eat it properly.You spread it very thinly - more a scraping than a layer . It tastes great on toast with a poached egg or with grilled cheese or whatever. And it's not really exclusively Aussie. In the UK and South Africa they have Marmite which is basically the same but made by a different manufacturer. Now being a Brit I have never understood the Peanut Butter thing. So it all depends what you are brought up on.

This is way too mathematical for me especially this early in the morning! I have lost more than 100% but can't figure how to calculate the percentage. I have lost a total of 23kg. Starting weight 74kg - current 51kg. Top of the normal range would have been 58.5kg so I have lost an additional 7.5kg. Most of this was lost within the first 9 months.

What are his motives for preferring bypass? Is it because he genuinely feels that it is better for you or because he makes more money? That is something you need to find out. I'm really happy with my band. I have lost all my excess weight plus more and am living a normal life eating a well balanced, healthy (most of the time) diet.

No idea, I don't count them.

Hi and welcome. Glad to hear that you are doing well so far. Please note that if you do not feel ready to move onto the next food stage yet you don't have to. If you want to do a few more days of liquids that is fine. Normally people are trying to move through them quicker which is not recommended but slower is fine.

Sorry that you are struggling so much. I hope you work it out soon and start seeing results again. It is so hard to know which diet is the best.

I didn't have problems with either.

I agree, ice helps heaps when you are swollen.Also speak to your surgeon, maybe he put some fill in when he did the surgery, if he did you may need it removed as for some people the combination of fill and post surgery swelling is too much.

How long have you been banded? Getting used to it can take a while and getting to a point where you are not hungry takes a number of fills . Ask your questions on here. Find a buddy if you can and if you are really getting no support from your surgeon and his team then find another practice that will give you support. You have just gone through the huge process of being banded you don't want to go through another surgery now to take it out just because you haven't got the hang of it yet. Be patient and you will achieve the results that you desire. If you want to pm me I am more than happy to answer specific questions. It may seem hard at the moment but YOU WILL get there. All the best.

Have you tried doing an an internet search for Bariatric specialists? Or try searching for some of the major private hospitals and then contact them to see if they have anyone.

Yes it is a gradual process. After each fill you will notice that you eat a little less and can go a little longer before you get hungry. The best and safest way to do it is with small frequent fills until you get to a comfortable level.Filling too much too quickly can lead to all sorts of problems.

LOL I don't doubt that but men's hormones don't tend to fluctuate as much as women's do. You don't generally have to put up with PMT, bloating, Water retention etc etc!:thumbup:

Generally you will only get an immediate blockage if you take too big a bite or don't chew properly. This often happens if you wait until you are really hungry before you eat as then you tend to eat too fast. Leftovers often cause a problem as they are a different consistency to when they were originally cooked.they can be a lot drier and tougher. yes somedays the band is tighter than others but that is generally caused by hormones, stress or dehydration. I assume (though I could be wrong) that you are male so the hormones shouldn't be as big an issue for you.

That's exciting.

Make good food choices , stick to the rules and exercise. If you are already exercising maybe you need to do a different type or exercise harder/faster.

Twiggy sticks. They are sort of thin sausage type things, normally spicy. I tried twice last week and had problems both times. Probably good as they are high cal, high fat,low nutrition and probably a bit like eating plastic if you consider the skin etc.

I'm a grazer and I have been successful with the band. Do I still eat between meals? Yes - but a lot less than previously and I try to make healthy choices - 90% of the time. Any eating plan should not be all or nothing, often success comes from doing the right thing 90% of the time. If you put foods off limits completely you will crave them more. So now I eat much smaller meals than before and I eat far less between meals. I am not running back and fore to the fridge every 5 minutes. I agree with Phranp. You need to stop making excuses and realise that there is no magic cure for being overweight. So far they have not come up with the magic WLS that allows you to eat what you want , when you want and still lose.You are still in charge of what you put in your mouth. You have the band which is a marvellous tool if YOU WORK WITH IT. If you don't then you have put your body through surgery for nothing.

I agree with Cleosmum. It sounds like you are too tight and you need to get some fill taken out.

Hope everyone is doing well. Shammah my condolences on your loss. My parents have a lot to answer for with that last bite. As a child i was a very fussy eater (not good I know) then my Mum got remarried. My Dad used to make me sit at the table until I had finished everything. Somedays I would be there for hours and I was told if I didn't finish I would get it for breakfast. The line about those starving Ethiopians was brought out regularly! I'm sure a couple of times I offered to put the food into an envelope and send it to them. I don't know how me eating all my food including stuff I didn't like was supposed to help them. I have to admit that I do now eat a very wide variety of foods but I also have issues with leaving stuff.One food I still cannot stand though is peas, as a child I would cover them in tomato sauce(ketchup) and swallow them whole! The last few days my band seems to have tightened up for no apparent reason.(Last fill was months ago) I am not stressed and it's not that TOM! Maybe it is due to being menopausal or perimenopausal. I was fine until dinner time and then 2 nights in a row couldn't get food down that I normally eat fine - major sliming episodes. Today I had to have a liquid breakfast which for me is very unusual. I'm hoping it improves as we are going out for dinner tonight to celebrate my son's 16th Birthday which is tomorrow.I can't believe that my baby is so old already. My daughter who is 21 has come home from uni for the occassion. It's great to have her around. Yesterday we went to see "Eat, Pray,Love". It was OK but a bit boring. Hope you all have a very happy Hallowwen and don't eat too much candy.

I'm not a guy but thought I would chip in anyway. Dr's tend to have very contradictory ideas on what is/isn't OK after banding and that includes carbonation. I asked my Dr why you are not allowed any a couple of months after my surgery and was told that it is a very individual thing. For some people the carbonation causes a lot of discomfort whilst for others they can handle it without a problem. So long as it doesn't cause you pain or discomfort there is nothing wrong with having an occasional beer. Tips to make it easier include:- Do not drink it from the bottle. Pour it into a glass and let it stand for a while. Don't try to gulp it down. And of course don't drink it with or straight after food. Also be aware that some days it may go down fine and then the next it doesn't. I had a very uncomfortable evening after a couple of glasses of champagne a couple of months back.

Its a "no no" because it is a slider food.i.e. goes down easily and has low nutrition.

I do this too. I figure I have only served up a small portion that one more bite won't hurt......................... I am getting better at leaving food on my plate though. Depends what it is and sometimes when. I am more inclined to leave some of my dinner but really like to eat all my Breakfast if I can!

Most people at this stage are still on a liquid diet. If you are finding it hard to get down the things that your Dr has recommended try going back to liquids. Protein shakes,thin Soups,fruit and veggie juices etc. The focus at this stage is on healing not weight loss so generally it is OK to drink things such as juice which are not recommended later on. If you are struggling with the yogurt try thinning it out a little with some extra milk. HTH