Hi All. I am loving all the posts especially from the last few weeks as we go through the banding together. Everytime I have a concern or comment, turns out someone else has also gone through it:) I am two weeks post-op (12/20/2010), down 7 pounds since surgery and 17 total since starting the pre-op diet. I do not have a fill yet but see my doc tomorrow. I started eating regular food within the last 3-4 days except no bread, no pasta, no rice, no chips (you get the picture...) and cannot get meat down without sipping during the meal (not supposed to drink for an hour before and after meals) even though I chew until my jaw hurts! So, does anyone have suggestions on how to work meat (chicken, steak, pork--I can do bits of hamburger OK) back into the diet? I.e. should I plan on something really mushy to eat at the same time (like mashed sweet potato with steak)? For now, I get my protein primarily through adding it to the 48-64 oz. of water I drink each day and eggs. Thanks for any help.