DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

As a A New Dawn said, you're supposed to brown and drain it before putting it in the crock pot. Did you possibly miss this step? Also, not all ground turkey is good for you, in fact if you're not careful about reading labels it can be much fattier than ground beef. You have to make sure the ground turkey is about 90% lean. I buy the 93% lean and it cooks up very nicely.

First, congratulations! Ask your OBGYN what is a healthy amount of weight to gain during pregnancy, this way you will have clear guidelines how much you should (and shouldn't) be gaining. I would also recommend a trip to your nutritionist. They can help come up with a food plan that's both healthy for you and the baby without resulting in your gaining 50 pounds. Best wishes to you!

Good luck on your journey. Just be sure to have a surgeon at home that will both treat and fill you after the surgery. It's imperative you do this before you have the surgery as many US surgeons won't touch someone banded in Mexico, so you must make sure you find one ahead of time so you don't come home without the necessary aftercare.

She still doesn't have texting since Hurricane Sandy, however I just sent her a PM on Facebook and told her this message.

Nope. I have far too much self esteem and pride to stoop to such a desperate level.

You should be pausing between small bites, so the pouch shouldn't be totally filled up ever. If you're PBing, then you're not taking small enough bites or you've found a food that simply doesn't agree with you anymore. You should never, ever be vomiting with the band.

Well, it is like having a new smaller stomach only they refer to it as the pouch. The pouch can only hold a maximum of a cup of food, hence why we're told all meals should be a cup of food or less. You want food to pause at the band but still move through without issue or prolonged lingering. Really, if you're taking small enough bites and chewing enough, you really don't even feel it or notice it.

You're most welcome! I don't think I'll stay on carb cycling indefinitely. For one thing, I struggle with the low carb days. But, I am going to stay with it through at least the end of the month. I figure then if I hit another plateau down the line, I can go back to carb cycling awhile.

Starkist makes these great little tuna and crackers pack. It comes with tuna salad already mixed and Ritz type crackers. I take them in my backpack when I chaperone field trips with my son's school. Believe it or not, Lunchables makes a really good fresh/healthy more adult meal. They come with stuff like turkey, low fat ranch, cheese, and pita bread to wrap it in. They also have apple slices in them. They're really good, low calorie and fat, and great for meals on the go. Even if you made up some chili and then brought a cup of it to school in a ziploc container. Pop it in the microwave for a minute and you're good to go.

All food and liquid is supposed to pass through the band, nothing is supposed to come back up. It only takes about a minute for food to pass through the band if the bite is small enough and chewed properly. The band constricts around your stomach and when properly placed, puts just enough pressure on the vagus nerve to help lessen the hunger response. You don't want slider foods because they immediately pass through so it doesn't trigger the "oh I'm not hungry" response. Slider foods are easily over-eaten and usually cause weight gain, like ice cream.

I honestly never dealt with that really. I think my first two low carb days I was a little "blah" but not enough to call it a crash. I guess I got lucky. I know some on here had a rough time with it.

Hi MiniMi! Yes, you're definitely supposed to exercise, it's strongly encouraged for sure. How long you do the carb cycling is up to you. I know when Chris Powell is trying to get morbidly obese people in shape, they are carb cycling the entire time they're losing weight. It's called the 7 day carb cycle because it's set up in 7 day segment. 6 days alternating between high and low carb days, then the 7th day is the "cheat day". I discovered this after being on a plateau for over 5 weeks. I was monitoring my calories and exercising but the scale wasn't budging. So, I started researching low carb (because I see so many on here doing low carb all the time) and I ended up stumbling onto carb cycling by chance. To me, it made sense, and the more I read the more I really wanted to try it. So, I did.

Yes, I think counting calories will help you a lot. Most people who don't count calories are shocked how much they're actually consuming once they start. The phone app will help make it really simple, too. I know it's not easy, but it's best to start keeping to a cup or less of food now. You have to remember, the band won't physically stop you from eating more than a cup of food even when you do have restriction. In fact, it's not supposed to stop you from eating anything. It will, however, allow you to go without hunger much longer on a cup of food. So, it's a very good habit to get into right away. Best wishes to you.

Actually for a low carb day, your fat is fine! In fact you did really good overall! Do you struggle to get in calories on low carb days? I do big time, I'm just full all the time.

Hi and welcome! That's good that you're not hungry all the time- that's exactly what the band is supposed to do. How many calories a day are you eating? Are you sticking to a cup or less of food per meal? Are you exercising?

Well, the easiest place to start is by asking,,, -How many calories a day are you eating? -Are you sticking to a cup of food or less per meal? -Are you exercising at all?

If you're eating slider foods because they're easier, meaning normal foods are too hard to eat, it's possible your band is too full. When is the last time you saw your surgeon? There are plenty of healthy and affordable choices for food. For instance, store brand food. I shop at Walmart and their store brands are a lot cheaper than the name brand yet taste just as good. Bulk frozen packaged meat, like chicken breasts or fish fillets, are much cheaper than individually packaged fresh meats. The bottom line is, you have to make healthy food decisions to lose weight. If you continue eating slider foods and junk just because it's cheap, you'll continue to gain. Best wishes.

Oh my gosh this looks SO good! I'm totally trying this!!!

Thanks, it's a lot of hard work, but I owe A LOT of the credit to my surgeon. He's been extremely supportive and encouraging through it all.

I was banded about 10 months ago, in January 2012. I've lost 168 pounds since then.

You need to tell you doctor everything immediately. Not telling him, or only giving partial information intentionally, is extremely irresponsible. You're putting yourself at major risk. Fills don't result in losing weight, burning more calories than you consume does. When you're too tight (which it sounds like you are), not only are you more likely to gain weight but you're at very high risk for a slip, too.

I agree with Jen, 6 days is no time at all. Plateaus happen. I know it's frustrating but as long as you're doing what you're supposed to do, it will pass. Best wishes to you.

I think the best advice I can offer is to ask yourself why you're snacking- are you physically hungry or are you head hungry? The band can help to appease your physical hunger but it can't and won't change your brain based urges to eat that have nothing to do with actually being hungry. Also, as far as getting stuck, is it possible you're not taking small enough bites? A lot of surgeons and nutritionists recommend bites no bigger than your fingernail, to chew them until mush, and pause between bites. For me, when I take small enough bites and chew thoroughly there isn't anything I can't eat. If I take too big a bite? I'm going to get stuck for sure. Hang in there, it's a huge ongoing learning experience

I just got back from my monthly appointment with my surgeon. He is thrilled with my results carb cycling and encouraged me to continue doing it! His nurse echoed his statement, saying she's known others with both the band as well as the sleeve who've had great results doing it.