elcee

There could be a difference in interpretation of mushies here. For me ( in Aus) the second stage was called the transition diet. It consisted of minced/mashed foods. Examples minced red meat/fish/chicken mashed or overcooked veg eggs canned fish etc Nowhere did it say that I had to have meat that had been put in a blender! So depending where the OP is quite a lot of the foods she ate could be classified as muchies. The best advice is when in doubt refer back to the info given to you by your Dr.

For me popcorn is a slider.

I take pills with a big glug of water and they go down fine. Even those horrible krill oil things.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience and hope that you are better soon. Good luck too with maintaining all by yourself, I know that I could never do that. I don't have an issue eating healthy food - I do that all the time - I have an issue with the constant hunger that makes me look for food when I shouldn't really need any.

I made a batch of different veggie soups with beans etc added for protein, spiced to my liking , blended and then froze them. I think I had V8 juice once or twice but didn't really like it. I also ate custard,yogurt,jelly etc

The thought of baby food style meat was just too horrible. For mushies I ate things like tuna, ground beef etc - things that could be mashed with a fork - oh and lots of veg.

I used to follow that rule, now I'm not quite as strict. The problem is that I was banded 3 years ago and it seems that everything I was told about how a band works and what was necessary for it to work is no longer true! Frustrates the @@@@ out of me. It's as bad as the diet industry - low fat, no fat, low sugar, no sugar, low carb, high carb , butter is better than marg, marg is better..................... Seems like they don't really know what they are talking about and they make it up as they go along.

You can also try adding things like lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas(whatever you call them) etc to soups, before you blend them ,to increase the protein content.

I'm not sure why people have such a problem with having to have a fill. It almost seems to be like some kind of badge of honour if someone can lose without it. The band is designed to work with Fluid in, normally getting a fill is quick and easy so having to have 1 is not a problem. If you lose without 1 great but if you need fills it should not be viewed as some kind of failure, that is a normal part of the process.

You sleep in the position that is most comfortable for you. A lot of people find that if they position a pillow next to their stomach it helps them to be able to comfortably sleep on their side. A pillow can also help when sleeping on your back, put it under your knees to help give some extra support. Or put a pillow between your legs when sleeping on your side.

How long post op are you? What exactly are you eating, how many fills have you had, are you exercising...... More info needed to be able to offer any advice.

Didn't you notice that she did it on purpose?

I agree that for me those bites are too small. I need a bite that is big enough that I can still get my teeth into it and actually chew it. If the bite is too small it just slips straight past. But that is what works for ME. If Mis and others find that having smaller bites is what works for them then that is fine. This is a very individual process and everyone needs to figure out what works for them. Some other things that I don't do that others may include:- Following a low carb diet. Eating Protein first. Logging calories ( I've tried and it's way too much like hard work) Only eating a cup or half cup of food ( I don't measure I eyeball it) Some of these differences could be because I am in Australia and our Drs seem to approach WLS differently, but it is more proof that there is not a one size fits all solution.

Hospitals are the worst place to be sick - all that noise is not conducive to rest and recovery!

It seems to be a common problem a couple of years out and I have no idea why it happens. Something similar happened to me earlier this year too. It's really annoying as it seems that if there is enough fluid for some restriction then reflux occurs - if at a level where there is no reflux then there is no restriction either.I would love to know how and why the 2 are connected.

Remember everyone is different. I could not eat bites as small as those in the picture you are talking about. I find if a bite is too small , it is easier for it to slip down without being properly chewed. i need something that is big enough for me to get my teeth into.

That sounds like a lot of fun

You are eating less and losing weight so presumably the answer is yes the band is working.

Ours is around $1.40 per litre. Apparently there are 3.785 litres to the gallon so that means we are paying $5.30 per gallon and that is Aus $ which are currently higher than USD so we are really being ripped off.

Have you had your thyroid checked?

There are plenty of people on here that have had minor slips that have corrected themselves after an unfill. Fingers crossed that it's all going to be OK

As Mis says stomach growling does not = hunger. Mine growls all the time. Yogurt and almonds are slider foods they will not sustain you for very long. You also say that you are so tight that you are having a hard time getting anything down. I think that you may be too tight and may need some Fluid taken out. That might sound counterproductive but then you would probably be able to eat more satisfying foods such as chicken and meat that should sustain you for longer. Contrary to popular belief tight is not the best way for a band to be.

In Aus our Drs don't like us to use shakes - they prefer patients to eat their calories, not drink them.

The most widely used band is the Lapband by Allergan, the second most widely used is the Realize band which I think is also known as the swiss band. The other one I have never heard of but saying that i am sure that they are all much of a muchness. You should probably base your decision on the surgeon and the aftercare rather than the type of band.

I have been told this a couple of times lately. If you think about it then it's quite a strange thing for a person to say. I mean if I looked like a needed a band then that would mean that I was still overweight and therefore the band would not have worked. The fact that I don't look like I need/ed a band means that the band has done it's job!