what's wrong with this picture??????

 Ok, I've had my lap band since Dec. 21st 2010 and I'm so grateful for it! Down almost 30 pounds....

The problem is, the band simply does not like when I eat regular food. NO burgers, pizza, steaks, fries, fish, chicken, fruits, veggies,  (unless I puree them enough).

The REAL problem is that my band has NO ISSUES with me indulging on CAKE, CANDIES, or COOKIES once in a while....

Truth is I don't INDULGE often, but when I do I feel real guilty, like old habits die hard!

So why can I eat junk food and real food gives me a problem!!!??? I'm confused.....

I'm baffled!!!!

Suzanne, It sound like your band may be a bit too tight, and you may want to go back to the surgeon. Of course there are some foods that some of us find difficult to eat, chicken is my enemy now, and I practically lived on it before my lapband. The cookies, cakes , candies and chips are more of a "slider food", and due to the way they can be chewed they literally slid right past the band, giving you no appetite reduction, and allowing you to eat larger amount. Hope this helps a little : )

 I never heard of "slider foods" but that is a great saying!

I think my band is just right. I am realizing now that I'm not being PATIENT with the regular foods that need to be eaten and chewed SLOWLY over the 20 minutes or longer. 

I tend to be a FAST eater due to my lifestyle. I will slow it down and get the healthy foods into me.

Thanks for the help!

Personally I would be delighted if my band stopped me eating burger, pizza and fries! And many of us find steak needs a lot of great care and some fruits are very fibrous.

But if you are not able to eat proper food, you may be too tight. We should always be able to eat dense protein, as long as it is not too dry. You should not need to puree things.

And we can always eat slider foods like cake and cookies!

One of the problems with being tight is that people tend to get fed up with trying to eat "real" food and start on slider foods. And being too tight is one of the recognised causes of later slips.

Kate

 I had the same problems for the first few months. I ate a lot of egg salad and softer foods. As time went on it got better. I have no idea why. I would say slow down, eat 1/4 of the burger, no bun, 2 fries slowly. I also ate a lot of purreed soups to get my vegetables in. I still proceed with caution, and try to not get too hungry bc then I eat too fast. 30 lbs is great. Be patient it will get better. Change is hard. 

 Thanks for reminding me to be patient and to slow down my eating. I tend to eat like 100 miles an hour and that does NOT work with a lap band. Slow and steady wins the reace!

Change is hard as you say but I'm willing to live and learn new healthier habits!

 I tend to agree with Kate on this one... 
I had the same thing happen where I could not eat beef, or chicken... Only soup and refried beans (and of course cookie dough)...  I thought it was perfect... could not eat so therefore I would lose... backfire... if you cannot eat good things, you end up making bad choices... Not being able to eat the right dense proteins is not a good thing...
I figured it out - when reading on here, I realized i might be too tight... One bite of chicken is NOT suposed to make you over full....

So I had my PA take out .3cc and it was great... I can eat the healthy food I am suposed to ....

 Also, try a warm drink before eating. My doc said drinking before was OK, I still wait 30 min after. 

I think this is one of the "Dirty Little Secrets" they don't tell you about before surgery.   Thank God I can eat chocolate cake, I wouldn't be able to function if I couldn't .   The longer you are out the easier it is to eat these foods.  It takes awhile, you do have to chew well.

I'm one day ahead of you, having gotten my band on Dec. 20.  :D

I can't do bread of any kind - i've tried it twice, with painfully disastrous results both times, not about to go for a third try.  I can eat steak if it's a good cut, but got a horrid little sirloin today that was full of gristle and fat and incorrectly cooked, and after the third bite it was set aside to be taken home to the dogs.  Fries are like bread - no bueno.  However, a baked potato goes down easy, as do most fruits.  No asparagus for me, though - another one i found out the hard way.

I have learned that i have to chew everything quite well.  If i skimp on the chewing, i'm in trouble quickly.  And no waiting too long to eat, either.  If i let myself get ravenous, then i rush, and bam! Stuck and miserable and likely to be on liquids for the next 24 hours.

A hot drink is often a lifesaver - i have one first thing every morning, and often before dinner as well.  Luckily, i've never been a big cake or other baked good eater, so i haven't had to find out if those would go down easily.  But a nice bit of dark chocolate here and there is a treat.  :P

One of the things that aggravates me is that, sometimes, a food that i eat regularly will decide to give me grief.  Ground burger seems to be the biggest culprit there - sometimes i can eat it, other times, it's not going.  I've learned not to force it - after a bite or two, if it's not working, i find something else to eat.

You have to have an occasional treat.  Don't beat yourself up for it.  But don't let it become a daily thing, either.  Moderation in all things, except exercise.  You can have as much of that as you like.  :D