this sucks

I eat almost everything, but I do still have trouble with pasta. If I eat a very small noodle like orzo, I'm okay but I cannot tolerate spaghetti-whole wheat, regular, high fiber, I've tried them all. I do eat salads every day but like everyone else said, just chew it well!

You might find it helps to have more savory type liquids. I got so tired of sweet protein shakes post-op! I ended up having homemade broth. I felt more "normal" since I don't eat sweet every meal normally. You are right, this is hard... Hang in there. Liquids will be over before you know it!

I gave up trying to find the elusive green zone about eight months ago. After nearly three years, I know that a lot of things can impact how tight my band feels. It changes day to day, hour to hour sometimes. If I eat too much sodium, don't drink enough water, it's that time of the month, if there are huge barometric pressure changes....the list goes on and on. Instead of searching for the magic spot, I just do my best each day to work with my band. I journal everything I eat, I exercise, I eat 60-80 grams of protein and I drink my water. No magic, no excuses, just doing my best day by day.

You and I were banded the same month, same year and I'm happy to tell you that you CAN start things over again and be successful. Due to some health issues (Vitamin deficiencies caused by really bad food choices) I stopped using my band for almost a year. I "re-started" last August and am happy to say that I'm only five pounds away from hitting the goal that was set for me by my weight loss center. My weight loss has been very slow, but I've finally learned what fill level works for me (looser instead of too tight), how important logging my food is (I use the My Fitness Pal app religiously) and most importantly, how exercise plays a key role in keeping me healthy and happy. I've lost 25 pounds since my restart, but I've dropped four clothing sizes and many, many inches because of the exercise. Best of luck to you. Please feel free to PM me if you'd like to chat.

I really like the Kraft Olive oil mayo. Great flavor and nutritional bang for your buck.

I'm so sad to hear that you've given up...my heart goes out to you and the complications that you are dealing with as a result of your band. I would love to keep in touch with you, if you are interested. Just PM me.

Please don't take this the wrong way...you were only banded about a month ago right? You have a lot to learn about the reality of living with your band. Some of your points are valid, but you should not judge anyone or their journey...you haven't lived through any of the challenges of being banded yet so it's very unfair of you to tell others what they should or shouldn't do. Exactly whose rules do you believe we should all follow? If you've been on LBT for long, you will see people tell variations of their pre-op diet, their post-op progression from liquids to regular food and the instructions they are given after a fill ( or even an unfill). The only rules that anyone should follow are the ones given by their own doctor. Lastly, your point about cheating the people here on LBT is really challenging for me to understand. If I choose at this time in MY journey to eat something, I am not cheating anyone besides myself. I record everything that I eat, so should I now feel guilty because you wouldn't approve of my choice? Sorry, but at nearly three years out, I don't worry about too much about anyone's approval. Just saying all of this in my humble opinion.

I'm in sales so I set my own schedule. I keep a fully stocked gym bag in my car every day so I can hit the gym after sales calls are done but before I go home to finish paperwork. If I don't go while I'm out, I know that it's highly unlikely that I will go back. Old sales saying is "failing to plan is planning to fail" so if I always have my gym stuff with me, I am planning for success.

You can order it on line, but I buy it at my weight loss center. Try Amazon. They make both a peanut butter and a chocolate peanut butter-I recommend you get both!

Better still, use the PB2 peanut butter powder in the Greek yogurt. Can you say YUM??? PB2 is powdered peanut butter with all of the fat removed. It is absolutely delicious added to a protein shake too!

Keep one pair of your heaviest pants...someday it will make you feel really good when you need an emotional lift! I took a picture the day before my surgery and kept the pants that I was wearing. I can now pull them on over another pair of pants without unzipping them or anything. I have donated everything else though. Like you, I have no plan to return to my original size.

I had Anthem when I was banded almost three years ago. If the paperwork is complete, they will approve you with a BMI of 45 even without comorbidities. I was approved at BMI of 40 with sleep apnea, hypertension and pre-diabetes with no problem. Best of luck to you!!!

I travel a lot for work so I carry a cooler every day. I bring Mix1 Chocolate Protein Shakes (90 calories, 9 grams protein), Isopure Zero Carb Shakes (60 calories, 15 grams of protein),Greek Yogurt, lowfat string cheese or lowfat sharp cheddar sticks from Sargento Cheese, Doctor Kracker Crisp Breads/ Crackers (100 calories, 5 grams of protein) and even hard cooked eggs. Have a good trip!

Just a note...ground turkey is only "better" for you when you are using product labeled "Ground Turkey Breast". The other ground turkey products use dark meat and even fat or skin. Read the label closely. I'm in the food business and the old saying of buyer beware applies in ground meat-of all kinds!

I eat ground beef weekly, but like Mis said, I use it as an ingredient, not straight up cooked as a hamburger patty. I make chili, spaghetti sauce and taco meat, use the 92% lean or higher and I make sure to break it up really well when it's cooking. Another trick to keep it "healthier" is to rinse the ground beef after it cooks with hot water. A dietitian told me about doing that years ago and I've done it ever since. I am approaching my three year anniversary and have never had problems with it. Just like any other food, chew well and take small bites and it shouldn't cause you any trouble.

Almost three years post banding and I still get hiccups. Yes, they are my "soft stop" signal. If I keep eating after the hiccups, it's usually not good news. You just need to learn to listen to your body. You may be drinking the protein shake too quickly. Slow down and take smaller sips and if you start to hiccup, don't take it as a challenge, stop drinking !

It took me a lot longer to learn the honest lesson than you. That being said, I wholeheartedly agree! My mantra is "If I eat it, I own it". No excuses, just keep journaling accurately and honestly... I am not perfect, just human.

Great job! Keep it up!!!

I am a big fan of MFP, but I have to say that I honestly don't use the pie chart as a basis for my daily eating. My goal is 60-80 grams of Protein daily. I try to amp that up if I've had a really hard workout. I don't pay attention to the other numbers except total calories. You can easily focus way too much on finding the magic number (just like the elusive "green zone") and not learn how to make your new lifestyle work. I eat about 1200 calories per day, drink lots of Water, exercise every other day and honestly log everything I eat. That's what works for me. No magic number, no magic wand, just hard work. That being said, I almost three years out from surgery and still actively losing since last August when I discovered MFP. Add me as a friend-there are lots of LBT positive supporters on there! rkimom is my user name.

Great article! I completely agree that it sounds like my life these days. Keep the articles coming! You find some really interesting articles to share.

Bandsters DO have vitamin deficiency issues and I'm here to tell you that it is no fun to go through. B12, Iron, D all became very low about a year and a half post banding. Just because we aren't re-routed doesn't mean that we can absorb all the vitamins we need. I will take some blame for mine though. I thought it was better to use meal replacement bars and shakes rather than learn to eat real food. Learned that we need real food to stay healthy. Take your vitamins!!!

I kept one pair of pants from my heaviest. Size 26W to currently a 16 ( regular department!!!). I like to put the old pants on every so often to keep motivated

Not in honor of Cinco...ate sautéed Lake Perch in honor of my oldest Son's college graduation instead.

Accepted. I am working hard at this life and I was offended that Elcee made that generalization. I have lots of banded friends on MFP and to call us lazy was unacceptable on a support site.

Excuse me, but I'm not the one calling people lazy...read Elcees post. She says people who use MFP are too lazy to cook and eat all their meals out. I am offended at HER generalization.