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You still don't need to use shakes instead of food. My ex boss was a body builder and used to compete. He got all his Protein requirements from food. Yes he wasn't banded but he still didn't eat excessive amounts. he would eat egg white omelettes,tuna etc. Quoting Trudy Williams again. "About 14 - 25% of your energy intake can come from protein. That means about 60 - 105g protein each day for a 7000kj(1700 kcal)plan, which is ample for most people with a gastric band". If you are aiming for 80g that is well within the average. So you should be able to consume sufficient protein from a normal eating plan without supplementing with protein shakes. I tend to agree with jachuts opinion on shakes.I would rather eat real food .

I have no idea how much Protein I am getting and I don't really care.I am not focused on protein I am focused on getting a balanced diet that includes all food groups. However here is a sample menu from one of Trudy Williams books.(Trudy is a very well respected nutritionist specialising in banded diets and has written lots of books) Cereal + milk or an egg on toast 9g crackers with ham and salad 16g 2 pieces of fresh fruit 4g mince/chicken or salmon 19g with veg 4g yogurt 10g muesli bar 3g milk in tea and coffee 5g total 70g. All from a normal diet that includes all food groups and with no extra Protein shakes.

The only time I use a protein shake is when I have to do liquids after a fill.Other than that it's REAL food all the way.

It is possible that you could tear some of the stitches.I know someone that this happened to and she was in lots of pain. You DO need to be careful.

I agree with Cleo's Mum . I can't understand whyyou are getting another fill - it sounds as though you are doing fine with what you already have.

I disagree . I don't think this thread needs to be deleted at all. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I don't see the ugliness that some of you seem to see. Calling it straight is not being ugly.Yes some of the posts are a little strange but the majority have been useful and productive. There are far worse threads on here if you care to dig deep enough.

In theory yes that sounds fine. So let me set the scene.Friend in her 50s had a hysterectomy in her 20s so not something she has had to worry about for a while. Bin in guest loo = open wastepaper basket that is used for spare toilet rolls. Other bin probably in kitchen . Now as this was the first time I had been there for dinner I wasn't really game to walk through to kitchen with wrapped pad in front of other guests. I just find it really awkward and it's not something I've had to deal with for a while due to previously taking pill continuously to avoid periods altogether!

Sorry to hear about this. It must be awful to be having problems so soon. Erosion so early on does seem rather strange.Maybe it isn't erosion. Maybe you somehow picked up an infection at the time of surgery.This would seem to be a more likely scenario especially considering you have had an infected port as well. Or maybe the infection from the port travelled upto the band. The infection at the port site was quite possibly not present at the time of surgery but could have been something you picked up afterwards. This is very disappointing for you and I can understand you not wanting to go through further surgery. Have you thought of getting a second opinion? There is a possibility that your surgeon/surgical facility are at fault.If that is the case then I am not sure I would want the same team operating on me again. Another surgeon may be able to assist you.

As they say "jealousy makes you nasty".

Taking the saline out to check is not necessarily a good thing. In Aus they no longer routinely take it out unless they suspect a problem as it can cause problems and affect the pressure within the band. Makes sense really. Think about what happens to a balloon if you constantly inflate and deflate it.

Whillow, didn't i read another thread of yours a day or two ago where you said that your band is really tight but you like it that way because of the weight loss? It sounds as though your reflux is a direct consequence of you having your band too tight. The quick weight loss is not worth the damage that you are doing to yourself. you need to get and get some fill removed ASAP.Severe reflux can cause all sorts of problems and may even lead to you losing your band or worse. Please don't ignore this.

Sorry.:thumbup: Didn't think!

This is seriously weird. Just got an email with a reply to this thread from Savvy to herself which has now disappeared!

Fills are not a problem. In Australia they are covered by Medicare and we just have a small out of pocket expense.My concern is if there are problems in the future. The situation in Aus is vastly different from the US which is why I posted in the Aussie forum.

Yes warm liquids can help to loosen a tight band but as a few others have said cold is the way to go if you are stuck. I have found sucking on crushed ice helps me when I am stuck and am swollen. Same as sprains/strains/bruises. You put ice on them as it helps to reduce the swelling. If you apply heat it encourages the swelling. Think back to the first thing that you were given after surgery. It wasn't a nice warm drink - it was probably ice to suck on.

Isn't it great when you get to progress through the food stages.

I eat pasta no problems. I find something like canneloni stuffed with spinach and ricotta quite a good satisfying option.

Are you sure it is band related? You could be going down with something - sore throat - viral, bacterial etc. Maybe you sleep with your mouth open at night which can cause dryness and pain. It might be reflux but it could also be something else. but for some reason once we are banded we seem to blame everything on our bands and don't consider other possibilities.

You can try using something like Benefiber or metamucil. Just make sure that you have plenty of liquids with them. It is fairly normal for the change you are experiencing. With a lot less going in there is bound to be a lot less coming out!

Yes they banded your stomach not your brain! Your band does not stop you wanting yummy foods like icecream and sadly even when you get to the point of perfect restriction you will still be able to eat them. We all make bad choices from time to time, its not something to lose any sleep over.

Subway is fast food but I would consider it pretty healthy.Depends on what fillings you choose. I haven't tried a sub for a while but they give wraps as an option which are generally easier to eat. the last time I was there I had a salad. The salad costs more than the sub but when they served it I realised why - it was huge. they should have smaller size options as it was a complete waste.

The reason pork used to have to be overcooked was because of the risk of catching worms. I believe there used to be a high proportion of eggs in pork and they are only killed when thouroughly cooked. I also believe(but could be wrong) that this was part of the reason that pork was considered unclean and why jews and Muslims don't eat it.

No it is not all in your head. Lots of people have problems with leftovers.I don't know the exact reason but it is likely that the reduced moisture content is a big part of it. Sometimes though the food can be really moist but it still gets stuck. I think some foods actually change texture when they are refrigerated and then reheated.

I totally agree. It is always better to discuss something with your Dr than to just make up your own rules based on information that you have gathered from various sites on the net. A good example is the soda thing. I was chatting to my fill Dr the one day and said that I thought we weren't supposed to drink it.She was the one that told me that so long as it doesn't cause me any discomfort it is fine. Apparently some people find the carbonation too uncomfortable after banding but everyone is different. I have no problem with questioning what you have been told but I do have a problem when people have a total disregard for the Dr and decide to ignore their advice and just make up their own rules because they think that they know better.

Not odd but it's quite funny as I don't really have an aussie accent.I lived in the UK until I was 13, then South Africa for 2 years, back to Wales for 3 and then back to South Africa until 9 years ago when I moved here.So I have a really confused accent which a lot of people find hard to pick. Some pick English, some South African and some just have no idea. I certainly don't sound like your average aussie!