this sucks

Because you swallow a lot of air when you use a straw. After almost three years, I have to admit that I do use a straw occasionally. Not every time I drink, but sometimes.

Why wait until you return? I travel a lot and find that I feel a lot better if I hop on the treadmill for a little while each day. I'm not a fan of the pool because I don't think anyone wants/needs to see me in a swimsuit, but you can also get a little exercise there if you are not shy. I motivate myself to exercise because my clothes are looser than they've ever been and I love seeing my body get stronger. Plus, I feel a LOT better physically and emotionally when I get a hard workout in.

Nope, can't say that I have any aversion. Couldn't imagine starting my day without my cup of coffee with sugar free French vanilla creamer...

I've always been tight in the morning with a lot of mucus buildup. I just drink something warm about an hour before I eat. I still have a protein shake every morning and don't have any problem as the day goes on. It's just the nature of the beast ( your band beast!).

I don't understand why you would judge anyone on their journey. Just saying...find something positive and offer some support.

You should go back to liquids for the next 24 hours. Lets any swelling that was caused by being stuck go down.

Oh yeah, forgot about the sticky pancakes!

Your success is incredible. You must be so proud of yourself!

I have trouble with pasta and rice but I eat almost everything else without trouble, including salads and fresh fruits and vegetables. In my case, it all comes down to taking time to chew, chew, chew.

I weigh daily and record it on My Fitness Pal. I don't stress about the daily fluctuations anymore, but I do watch the trend. MFP has a 30, 60, and 90 day graph that you can look at and as long as the number is trending generally down, I'm happy. When I got rid of my scale the last time, I ended up the heaviest in my life.

Only a very small percentage of people have a slip. Usually due to forceful vomiting, doesn't typically happen for no reason.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. AN UNFILL IS NOT AN INDICATOR OF FAILURE!!! If you are too tight, you can damage your gut and you can gain weight! Tight doesn't mean successful! I was banded over 2 1/2 years ago and spent some time with a too tight band because I believed that was how it was supposed to work. Wrong.... I still journal everything that I eat, take in about 1200 calories a day, and am still losing.

If your band had slipped, you would be having symptoms. Don't stress out about things that "might" happen, deal with the things that do!

If I am extra hungry because of an intense workout, I will eat some of the earned calories but for the most part, I just leave them as they are. I exercise to help my body be healthy, not to earn extra calories. Besides, I think MFP calorie burns are a little high. Just my opinion.

Unfills are not a bad thing. I have had three or four over my banded life and each of them made me healthier in the long run. I am always sad to see when people see an unfill as a failure. If you are too tight, like you were, you only end up hurting yourself. You either have reflux or heartburn, or end up eating slider foods because they are all you can tolerate. My doctor has taken the stance that if you can't tolerate salad (well chewed of course) or other real foods, you are too tight and need an unfill, Stay healthy! I hope you get relief with your adjustment.

Procal shakes from my WL center and Isopure protein powder from GNC. I also like the Zero Carb individual bottles of Isopure with 60 calories/15 grams of protein. They don't need to be refrigerated so I can take them with me when I travel overnight.

I had surgery over 2 1/2 years ago and I also still have a protein shake for breakfast. The few occasions that I've tried to eat a "regular" breakfast, it has almost always come back to bite me in the backside! Not a big deal to handle, just accept it and move on! Coffee first to relax the band a little and then a delicious protein shake a while later.

I puréed everything! It didn't look great, but after a week of liquids, I was craving savory foods. I even put ravioli into the blender! My favorite was taco meat made with turkey with salsa added to provide the liquid necessary to purée enough. I also used fat free refried beans in the mix.

I didn't gain all of my weight back, but I did put some of it back on. I've been banded 2 years 8 months and basically restarted last August. I am down a little more than 20 lbs. since I recommitted. You just need to start. Doesn't matter where you are, you just need to be ready to work hard. Go back to the basics. Protein, protein, protein. Water. Write it all down. I'm not saying its been easy, but I sure feel better than I did last summer! Ready?

I LOVE the stuff! It makes my protein shakes taste like candy! Yummy in a chocolate shake with banana!

I wish that I had asked about how important eating "real" food was. I thought I was supposed to use shakes and meal replacement products and ended up having MAJOR vitamin issues because I was missing the nutrients from real food.

Wow, sounds like we have a similar exciting day planned! 8:20 with my bariatric center internist, followed by a dietitian appointment followed by my PCP for my annual physical at 11:30. I was released by my endocrinologist about a year ago along with my sleep disorders specialist, lucky me! I don't expect too much in the way of changes needed, just need a little boost to get past the last pounds needed to move me to my initial goal weight. Hoping for a good workout today too. I have been sick for the last five days and have missed my routine, but am hoping for the energy to get a little exercise in! Good luck on the appointments!

Hi ladies! Sorry I haven't been on much lately. I've been crazy busy with work since returning from my company National Sales Meeting at the end of January. LOTS of things on the work "to do" list! I'm just plugging along-sounds like a lot of you too. I think it's time for a very small fill. I am not staying full for as long as I was and I am eating some junk. I have been exercising a lot more and am feeling good about that though. I can now do a plank for a full minute! When I started working out in November, I could only hold it for 10-15 seconds. I think I've hit a point where a fill makes sense. I'm at a new low-down 65 pounds total-but I've stalled out in the last two weeks or so. I know my clothes are fitting differently with the exercise, but since I didn't measure myself before getting hard core on my exercise, I don't know how many inches I've lost. Just the stupid scale isn't budging... I've checked in on all of you a few times, but haven't taken the time to drop a note. Nicki-wish I could offer some magic answer about the ice cream, but I can't. Sounds like you are making some progress with it though so keep up the hard work! Ladybandito-completely understand the testing of foods! I also know how much challenge a cold can bring. I have been under the weather the last few days too. Nicole- I know your pain with work! I have been traveling every week and yes, the cookies in the hotel lobby always call my name. I have been good about keeping my gym bag in the car and using it, even when I travel but it doesn't off set the 10-15 cookies. Well ladies, gotta run. See you later. Doctor appointment, dietitian appt and potential fill in the next week so I should be busy!!!

I eat just the toppings off the pizza plus a little bit of the crunchy part of the crust. I don't like to be deprived and I agree with all the other posters. Eat what you love, just eat a moderate amount and keep track of the calories.

Great willpower! I eat popcorn 3-4 times a week. It's not movie theater popcorn, just plain old microwave stuff, but I don't have any trouble with it. It's a great filler for me.