says_simon

I should to go to my local food co-op and check out vegan protein shakes. I need bulgur wheat anyway, and Whole Paycheck doesn't have it for some reason.

Oh, and that book has nutrition information for all the recipes. You might try www.vegweb.com for free recipes.

I think I'm probably not getting enough calories because I eat so little. Is this a big deal? If I need more calories, how can I add them to my already small meals?

Eat when you're hungry. Stop when you're full. Listen carefully to that full signal.

I had complications with my band and required two extra surgeries. Right after that I had to take a drug that caused weight gain for a good stretch. I got discouraged because nothing was working and just had it completely unfilled. I tried losing weight in all sorts of ways over the years, nothing worked, and I finally came around to the band again. It's working this time!

I need to give more information. I was banded in 2006 but didn't get it filled until January this year. I am well restricted right now and experience very little hunger. I like it and I'm losing weight. I eat a vegan diet that is nutrient rich and low in fat. I try to take a long (one hour) walk three times a week, and other days I'm walking about 20 minutes with the dog. In another thread, they were talking about needing more calories than what I'm probably getting in order to really lose weight. Plus they were saying you could create a calorie deficit when you are exercising. It's very confusing advice to me. I like what I'm doing now, but now I'm questioning whether I'm doing things right. Then there's also the school of thought that says that longevity is encouraged by caloric restriction, even though your metabolism slows down, in fact, because of that. That would tend to justify my current eating plan. The only way I can see to increase my current calories is to add an avocado on some days, but avocados aren't always available.

I got the lap band in 2006. I had a hematoma develop over the port site soon after surgery. Once that resolved, I got another hematoma over the port site. My doctor said my port was infected. I had a surgery to remove it, and later, a surgery to replace it. That's three lap band surgeries. At the same time, I had just started my first real job. I had a lot of responsibility and had to work with some VERY difficult personalities. I had to take Zyprexa to handle my growing anxiety about being at work. Zyprexa causes weight gain and increases risk of early onset of Type 2 Diabetes. I was very discouraged at this point and lost all confidence in the band. I had it completely unfilled. Six years later, I've tried several interesting diets and lost no weight. Giving up hope again, I remembered I still have a lap band! I've had three fills since mid-January and have lost 36 pounds. I like the amount of restriction I have, but it's been a problem the past two days when it comes to morning pill taking time. I think I need to change from cold lattes to hot lattes. I just don't think I like hot soy milk. I will find out tomorrow. I thought I would have to give up my vegan lifestyle, and started out with meat to meet that all important Protein requirement, but I've found it's easy to be vegan on the band. Soy milk for Breakfast, chickpeas and tabbouleh for lunch, and homemade bean chili with TVP for dinner, or something from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Quinoa is a complete protein and is very filling even in small portions. I've found I've forgotten all the rules. I read Band Wagon and got a lot of answers. It's been a slow process getting back on board but I think I get better ideas every day. The last two days I had significant trouble with my morning pills. It felt like they just sat in my stomach all day and made me feel vomiting. Two days with headache, too. Must stop writing. Can't keep my eyes open

Lol, oh how I WISH it were only one pill! Or even just once a day!

Welterrn, I'm so glad to be of help to you. I know my story is atypical, but since I didn't find much on the topic, I wanted to share my experience. I also had trouble finding much about being vegan with the band. I took my pills with hot coffee this morning and they went down fine, but then I participated in some vigorous activity and got heartburn. I've never had heartburn before, and now I'm worried I'll have to get an unfill. I've just had a bad week :-/

I'm so sorry, I have no idea. I live in the same place and see my original surgeon.

This thread has convinced me to make an extra effort to exercise every day. I want to be one of the successful bandsters who lose all of their excess weight. Because of my situation, I can only walk. But I can walk for an hour, even with intense pain in my legs. That's a good start, right?

A really good cookbook is Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. She is a vegan magician. Anything can be band food if you choose the right portion and chew a lot. My favorite recipe from the book is Quinoa Puttanesca. It has quinoa, tomatoes, kalamata olives, and capers. It is very filling. You get a nice variety of recipes.

I had my band filled in January. I'm happy with my weight loss--36 pounds. I'm still having trouble figuring out what to eat and when, but for the most part, I can still eat the same things, just less. fwiw, I'm vegan, so getting enough nutrients is a concern for me. I am still able to eat greens and whole grains. I think you would have to give up beer because of the carbonation, but I still occasionally have mixed drinks with flat soda. If you have a well drink at a bar, it's usually flat anyway, lol. I just joined, but I saw a guy post who lost a ton of weight and has washboard abs now. I'll never be that guy, but hopefully I will still have enough success to satisfy me. Honestly, I would be happy just to get under 200, and I'm 219 right now.

Seems like you're a little young to make permanent changes to your body like you would with a bypass procedure. They don't seem to have a good success rate over time, and then you're stuck with malabsorption the rest of your life. I know that the long term success with band isn't amazing either, but at least it's adjustable and reversible.

Hi Tiffanie, I've been banded for six years, but for various reasons, left it unfilled until January this year. I find I'm having to relearn everything! There's so much I don't remember and I've had a lot of questions. I read a couple books to remind myself, but I'd still like to have someone around to ask questions sometimes. I looked on Obesity Help and all they do is trash the band. Someone referred to this site in a reply, and I hopped over. I'm hoping to get some actual support here.