DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

I eat rice regularly with no problem. But I don't restrict/count carbs either.

That's definitely not normal. I'd get some removed if I were you.

For me, it did become second nature. I still measure all my portions when at home but when I'm out I've gotten really good at "eyeballing" things for size. Plus, I've learned to listen to my band, which is really the biggest thing. I know when I've had enough immediately- and I know when I reach the point if I keep eating it's not going to be pleasant. Without the band? I'd never be able to happily stop after so little food. But, without the band, there was nothing inside me going "hey chic, you take another bite and I'm gonna make you regret it" either. The band is the reason I can stop, and be satisfied, with the small portions. It's a learning experience.

Oh we totally "get it"! Awesome NSV!!! Congratulations!

Honestly, no. My main source of exercise is walking. When I started this journey I walked with a cane and could barely get around my house. I started slowly going down my street and back, then further and further as I got stronger and lost weight. Now, I walk 2 miles a day and haven't needed a cane in over a year.

For me, it's walking. I walk 2 miles a day anyway, but if I'm struggling with food demons I'll put on my sneakers and just start walking more. Some days I log as many as 5 miles because of it.

It is very little but normal for the phase you're in. Like you, I was on clear liquids for 2 full weeks. It wasn't easy and I had a lot of dizzy spells and headaches. One thing I did to help increase protein and calories- I added clear, unflavored protein powder to my chicken broth. Unjury also makes a protein chicken broth that isn't great but it's not awful either. Hang in there!

It's heartbreaking but common. I was teased a lot as a teen, too. I remember wearing size L shirts and feeling gigantic. In retrospect, I think I felt so giant because it was drilled into my head that I was. All that teasing starts to wear you down after awhile. Fast forward a couple decades to now- I am THRILLED to be in L shirts. Just to be out of plus sizes made me jump for joy. I still have a minimum of 40 more pounds to lose yet I actually got called "tiny" a couple days ago. Granted, I looked at her like she had 2 heads because I'm NOT tiny...but...wow! 25 years ago I was teased for being this size yet now I'm called "tiny". It makes no sense.

I just turned 40. I've lost 222 pound in 18 months. You might have better luck than me because of your age- I hope for your sake you do. But be prepared because when losing so much, some excess skin is kinda inevitable. This is particularly true if your tummy already "hangs". (just being honest).

This is actually a really good point. It's not often my bills are under $30 for my family of 4- but I do similar. If the bill is low I tip considerably more than 20% for good service. This is particularly true in states like mine where wait staff are only paid like $3/hour. They literally live off tips. (for the record, I tip hair stylists the same way for the same reason)

I'll be honest, I tried everything. Vitamin E, Keratin, Collagen, Retinol, Alpha Hydroxy, etc. If they make it in a cream or as a supplement, I tried it. I've lost over 200 pounds and despite all my efforts still have a ton of loose skin. In fact, I just had over 12 pounds of skin removed from my tummy 2 months ago. Whether or not you have excess skin really boils down to genetics, how much weight you lose, age, and how long you've been overweight. Some people get lucky and don't have skin issues but others (like me) do regardless of what we try. But here is what I tell people: I'd rather have excess skin than excess fat. I can hide the extra skin with clothes. I couldn't hide 200+ pounds of excess fat. The skin is totally worth it.

I agree with Mike70. I typically tip 20% for good service.

Yes, in fact a lot of us did exactly what you're doing. Think of puree as the constancy food needs to be. So, if you can puree it, you can eat it. One of my favorites at that phase was taking some chili and pureeing it with a bit of cream cheese. I also took chicken and puree'd it with chicken broth. ...I called it the "baby food" stage lol.

Thanks! And yes, I have MAJOR loose skin issues. I just had 12 pounds of skin removed from my tummy 2 months ago. You can see how bad it was here: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/169905-tummy-tuck-before-after-pics/ I still have considerable excess skin on my arms and legs. It's not pretty but it's still tons better than weighing what I used to. My logic is, I can hide excess skin with clothes. I couldn't "hide" over 200 extra pounds. The extra skin is worth it.

Thanks, I get told that a lot in RL. Part of it is I have already had 12 pounds of excess skin removed from my abdomen so that helps a lot. I immediately dropped 2 sizes after that surgery. That was 2 months ago.

Very awesome! Congratulations!!

Is it possible you need to take smaller sips? Some people can't "gulp" liquids anymore. Learning to eat with the band can be extremely challenging. A lot of doctors recommend bites the size of your fingernail. Perhaps you need smaller bites?

Yes, I saw what you wrote and as others stated here, you're really risking serious complications and damage to your stomach by eating this stuff right after surgery. I was starving right after surgery too but I still stayed on liquids for the first 4 weeks after surgery regardless. Why? Because that was my surgeon's instructions and my hunger was totally irrelevant. I didn't want risk damaging my stomach or the band. If you were given a post op diet to follow, then you best get back on it ASAP. It's for your own safety.

Ok seriously... why in the world would you eat that 38 hours after surgery? Weren't you given a post op diet to follow?

I don't know if this will help, but I love the unjury chocolate Splendor Protein shakes. The only downfall is you can only get it online. Much to my shock, I actually like the Slimfast low carb shake. The low carb ones have 20g of protein per serving (their normal ones only have 10g). I've been drinking them for quite awhile. Atkins Protein Shakes are downright yummy- I have Caramel Latte and Chocolate Mocha ones in my fridge right now. The downfall to them is they only have 15g of protein. But, it's still better than nothing or vomiting.

I didn't after my Lap Band surgery, but I did have an infected incision where a drain was after I had a strangulated hernia last summer. Being as it hasn't cleared up with a course of antibiotics, I would request they do a culture on it to make sure you don't have a staph infection. That's what I ended up having and once they got me on the appropriate antibiotics it cleared right up.

The only other thing I can think of is getting unflavored Protein powder and adding it to juice or broth. But...even the supposedly "unflavored" seems to have a bit of a taste. What brand shakes have you tried?

I think it's great you're logging your food. I use Lose It, too. I absolutely love it, it's become my "food bible" in a way. When you go see your NUT, definitely show her your logs because it will really help a lot. Just to be safe, I might also make an appointment with your primary care physician. There could be a medical reason you're not losing too, like something hormonal or thyroid in nature. Best wishes!

Wow I can see a huge difference! Congratulations!