Sai

I take a bite right away as long as I'm not feeling stuck. If I feel even a little bit of pressure, I wait till it passes.

Semi-small bites (a little larger than a pinky nail) and I chew 20 to 30 times. I once told my doctor I could not finish a cup in 20 minutes taking such small bites and chewing 20 times each bite. His response was... Learn to chew faster. lol. So I've been working on it since.

You're in our thoughts!

You're doing great! Congrats on your band anniversary. You have lost more than 1/3 of what you want to lose. That's fantastic.

I get that when I either drink a little bit too much liquid or ate a little too much. It hurts to breathe in... I found a strange solution. What I did was no matter how painful, I took the larger inhales (i.e. stretching my ribcage) over and over, and the pain goes away. I'm not sure if it's the same thing but mine is always on the left side underneath the left ribcage. I hope this helps. (hugs)

A good test whether you need a fill or not is to eat 4 oz of lean protein (by volume) and 6 oz of vegetables (by volume) and no liquids for an hour after your meal, if you get hungry within 4 hrs, you need a fill. Hope this helps.

You're very welcome. I, too, for the first year or so was very confused. Maybe ask your doctor to check you under fluoroscopy. The barium drink that you swallow should take about 14 secs to exit your upper pouch. When I had it done, I could see the barium just sitting there and it didn't pass the whole time I was standing there until he took some Fluid out. I was really tight! Once you get to where you can eat 4 oz meat and 6 oz vegetables comfortably and not get hungry till 4 hrs or more, you're at your sweet spot! Good luck to you. ((Hugs))

Love hearing stories like this, Adrianna. I love spinning my rings on my fingers, the same ones that cut off my circulation years ago hehe. Congrats!

Sounds like you're too tight. You should be able to eat almost everything without pain or sliming (if you chew it 20 times and take smaller bites), and what the band does is it keeps you feeling full for at least 4 hrs. I was too tight for a year as well. I resorted to soft foods or forcing it down little by little. The result was an enlarged esophagus. They had to remove my liquid for a month or so... I was taught that the general rule isn't the "restriction" feeling but how long before you get hungry. I'm guessing your doctor will unfill you a little bit so you can eat again, and if you get hungry within 4 hrs, you need a fill and if you don't, you're in your sweet spot. The problem with being too tight, one never really gets full because you are not eating properly. Good luck and listen to your doctor if he advises that you remove a little liquid.

I'm sorry you are feeling all those things . I too was anxious about the lifelong changes, not just in eating habits but the emotional and mental side as well. The eating habits are the easiest ones to get used to. Even if I wanted to scarf down a whole bag of chips now, my band says "um... sorry you can't do that anymore." For me, the most torture I have had to endure is being morbidly obese most of my adult life. The not being able to fit in the airplane seats properly, not being able to breathe after a long walk from my car to the grocery store door, not being able to get on a ride at Magic Mountain. Those types of anxiety are all gone now. The chewing 20 times vs 3 is nothing compared to it. ((hugs))

I put one scoop of muscle milk light chocolate in my protein shake every morning for the past year so I believe so

High calorie foods that are good for you if you like them are peanut butter, cheese and avocados. Can also make protein smoothies with a scoop of protein powder to drink as snacks if you're trying to get some extra calories in.

What is being stuck? Stuck is something you will definitely know it is happening. To me, it's like everything in the world no longer matters except the feeling of this block in my throat. My voice even pitches down and I can barely talk. The result is either it finally goes down or I get a lot of saliva built up and it flushes it out (i.e. Pb'ing or slime city lol). What can I eat? I can eat almost everything. I just have to chew at least 20 times per chew. When I was too tight, I couldn't eat bread and many solids without pain. When to get a fill? The band isn't meant to put a chokehold on your stomach (aka restriction) but to free you from that all day hunger which many of us were prisoners to before we got our lap band. The key is: When you start getting hungry within 4 hrs., time for a fill.

sounds like you're too tight if your'e having problems swallowing. Definitely contact your doctor, you shouldn't be in pain

It sounds like you are far too tight. You should be able to eat 4 oz of meat and 6 oz of vegetables without any problem, and then not get hungry for another 4 hrs or longer. I was too tight for a year and because of that I kept eating soft foods or soup. Because of being too tight, I got an enlarged esophagus which made them take the liquid out for awhile to recover.

As a general rule, if you're hungry within 4 hrs, you need a fill. Having said that, I was too tight for a long time and most of my calories were from liquids, Soups, soft foods...etc. During that time, I was hungry after a couple of hours (only because I was not eating solid foods like I should). I kept thinking that I needed more saline in my band... So it can be tricky.

Had a history pf eating disorders. I was anorexic (14 to ~22) and was admitted to a hospital/program being diagnosed as exercise bulimic/anorexic. A few years later after being released, I became a compulsive overeater. Been going to OA off and on since my program and sometimes still go to the online meetings.

Mine took a couple of weeks... And welcome

People like you Alex make a difference in the world. A sincere Thank you.

I smoked the entire time, over three years with the band... I quit last November though for band unrelated reasons.

I like fitday.com. They have wonderful reports that other places don't offer, and I can go back years to see what I ate or how much I exercised. For example, I just recently looked up the average calories I ate when I first got the band in 2009. I really like myfitnesspal and sparkpeople, but I stay with fitday for the better graphs and analysis, and the long term data it provides. Many are not into that so it all depends what you're looking for in a calorie diary.