Nyt

Howdy Y'all! Lets kick this group off with some intros of ourselves. What do you say? We're all friendly folks here, so don't be shy. Where are you located? Killeen When did/do you get your band? July 12th What do you like/look forward to do(ing) for exercise? Martial arts, weight training, swimming, hoop dance, fire spinning, dancing, belly dance. What's your fave thing to eat? My own cooking. Mostly restaurant type foods I make at home. Buffalo chicken in the crock-pot (for example). Asian cooking, italian cooking, creole/Cajun cooking, soul food, homestyle cooking, tex-mex cooking. Fave music groups/artists/types? techno, dark techno, hard rock, metal, alternative, pop, hip hop. If it has a good beat, I like it. I don't care what it is. What are you looking forward to? Being who I always dreamed I could be... a thinner, bad @$$ chick like I am now. Just a thinner version. Anything else you want to tell us? I'm a full time college student working towards my bachelor's in Business Administration. I miss Austin so much and I'm looking to get back there soon. Married with a great, supportive husband.

I came up with this recipe while pondering what I wanted to eat one day. Spanish Rice Beans Fajita meat Optional: Guacamole cheese Salsa Sour Cream Lettuce Tomato Jalapenos Whatever you like Spanish Rice: Brown Rice Tomato Sauce (8 oz. canned) Enchilada sauce seasoning packet Make sauce according to package directions. While making sauce, cook up the rice. Neither takes very long to make. Once both are prepared, add the rice to the sauce (or sauce to the rice, whichever). Fajita Meat Cut up the beef/chicken into strips and cook in a skillet on medium-high heat. Make sure it's cooked all the way through. While meat and rice are cooking, put canned beans in small pot and set to low-medium heat to cook while all else is cooking. When meat is cooked all the way through, the beans are heated, and the spanish rice is ready you're ready to eat. Layer the rice, beans, and meat in a bowl. Add toppings as desired. Enjoy!

I feel alone right now. I am the only one in my household that has any issues with my weight. I've been banded since July. I'm having trouble being motivated for exercise, eating better, portion control, and all out support. My spouse tries to help but he's not great at it. He tries to make things easier for me to eat and to cook better things but... he's still a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. I don't always have time to cook since I go to school at night. I try to make sensible, healthy choices but I feel like I'm faltering. I've started keeping a food diary at the recommendation of one of my aftercare specialists. I also get easily bored with food. I can't eat the same thing all the time. I can for a little while until I burn myself out on it but then I won't eat it for a long time. I don't like to sound like I'm whining but I feel utterly alone. My husband doesn't know what it feels like to want to eat, know you should eat, but if you don't eat slow or in small amounts that it hurts and you actually feel better throwing up than digesting what you ate. I don't think I understand what it's supposed to feel like right now. I've been banded for 3 months and I've only lost 20 lbs. I would ask if that's bad/good/okay/normal/etc. but I understand that everyone is different. I went to the clinic last week and we added some Fluid since I had no change in my weight. I didn't lose or gain anything; which is good but also bad. Normal day eating is as follows: Breakfast: Atkins Advantage Meal bar/light meal bar & coffee Lunch: Soup, crackers, water/tea Snack: jicama, cucumber, or beef Jerky. (Any one of those, not all) Dinner: some form of Protein, starch/carbs, vegetables Drinking: Water, tea, diet pepsi with lime juice, coffee Exercise: I walk around at work since I work a desk job, try to go to the gym and hit the weights or do some cardio but lacking motivation right now. Help!

Scrambled eggs or an omelet (eggs and cheese only) would be okay. Buffalo chicken salad would be good (cooked chicken through a blender, add buffalo sauce). Soup if you can have it, just chew it up really good. Mini lunch container of chef boyardee pastas; again make sure you chew it up really well. Bananas mashed up. Basic rule my nutritionist gave me was, if you can get it through the tines of a fork it's mushy enough to eat.

I sent an email to my the nutritionist at my doc's office and based off of what she said, I'm doing fine regarding what I'm consuming. The things she's cautioning me on is to move away from the soup and crackers at lunch and to decrease the starches and carbs at dinner. I'm still getting my Water and Protein. I'm trying to change up what I want/eat but it's hard. I usually fixate on something for a while then I get bored with it and move on to something else. Trying to continue eating healthy without getting bored is rather difficult. My nutritionist also suggested a blog called Bandfriendly recipes. I'm going to look there for some inspiration on dinners. I saw they have some delicious sounding breakfasts too. I'm supposed to only be getting around 1200 cals a day and I've been getting more than that up until last week when I got some Fluid added. I'm thinking I'm going to get more fluid added on the 29th too. I've got a small amount of restriction going on but I don't think it's enough yet.

I don't drink during meals any more. It's usually before or after. Everything is sugar free. coffee is once a day, if at all on the weekends. Beef jerky: yes it's dry and like shoe leather but it's something to gnaw on. That's what I've been wanting lately is something to gnaw on. Gum is a great substitute and I'm getting some later this week. Soups: progresso light or regular soup. I'm down to 1 cup now since it's mostly liquid. I bought some small storage bowls and I pour 1/2 my can of soup into the bowl then eat the other half. Crackers: baked goldfish that are tossed into the soup and it's always less than the serving size (55 crackers). Tea: 5 calorie drink mixes you add to a bottle of Water. Jicama: (root vegetable that is the consistency of a potato but semi sweet like an apple) They have crunch to them and that's good. I'm sure some of you are like "why not eat a salad?" I can only entertain that idea for so long before the food spoils or I can't stomach it.

The above feedback is what I was about to say. Talk to your doc about what's going on. Remember, they have no right to "judge" you based off of what you have done already and YOU know you have made the effort. It could be a slipped band or your band is too tight. I didn't have the exact same thing as you but mine was a little too tight for about a month. I had a hard time eating but I was actually hungry. I wanted to eat and would get so frustrated that I couldn't that I had an emotional breakdown one night. To not be able to do one of the few things you have to do to survive (eat) and not be able to is frustrating. Talk to the doc's and see what they think. If they try to chastise you for what you have done, then stand up for yourself. This is about support and guidance, not judgements.

What are you eating?

I'm having a hard time right now. Yes my life has quieted a little after a month of pure stress. Firgured out that my band was too tight so of course I was having a hard time eating. We removed some fluid and now I'm sitting comfortably at 5 ml (I have a 10ml band). I actually get hungry now and for the first time in YEARS! my stomach growls. It's rather odd sitting at your desk at work and then you feel your stomach vibrate. I'm back in school and trying desperately to get caught up since I'm behind in my short-term classes. All in all I guess I expect to be scolded. Food choices have sucked royally lately. Not eating what I should be eating. Not exercising like I should be. Just got a new job. Just moved from one place to another (that took days). I lost 3 pounds in 2 weeks last time I went to the clinic. I blame sweat on that additional 3rd pound. Normally I'm losing around a pound a week. I've become motivated to walk with some of my new co-workers. They have a chart and we all have a pedometer on our smartphones (accupedo [it's free]). So I walk more than I used to. I don't like to walk but it is what it is. I want to start doing weights but I'm paranoid of going to the gym I belong to. I don't know why I just am. Could be because it's less than ideal but I can't afford the "good" gym. For breakfast, I've resorted to Atkins meal replacement bars. Snacks, Atkins snack bars. Oddly enough they are really good and easy to digest. Lunch, is whatever I can grab and consume. Since I'm close to home I can get a protein shake if I'm running low on time at lunch. I know I shouldn't be doing this but my thinking is "eat something I'm allowed to eat or what I should be eating/consuming is better than not eating at all or rushing and whatever it is get stuck." I'm thinking I should start carrying around my "minute glass" (like an hour glass but only a minute long) for when I eat anything. I try to keep a food diary but I always end up leaving stuff off. I feel like I'm failing because I'm not keeping up my end of the bargain. I eat late at night (8-10pm) because we don't eat on a regular schedule. Most of the time we have no idea what to cook/eat for dinner. I have school at night and as soon as I get off from work I usually head straight there or try to start prepping a dinner that I have no idea of what to cook. Any ideas?

I drink coffee just like I used to. I stick to lower calorie versions of things I like. At home I make a pitcher of coffee with all the added stuff (sweetener, creamer) and stick it in the fridge. Since I like iced coffee, the cold coffee is ready to go for the week. If I need to make more, I do. I have 1 coffee a day and try to stick to water as much as possible. It doesn't always work. I also like energy drinks. I've found that the Monster Rehab ones are non-carbonated and have around 10 cals/serving. I keep drink mix packets with me to jazz up my water so I don't get bored. Just some ideas. Making your stuff at home is cheaper and you know EXACTLY what's going in it.

Now that I'm out of my "funk" I should be a little more active... possibly. Went to the clinic today and I'd lost another 3 pounds in the past 2 weeks. I blame that on stress, lack of food, and moving. We got a new place and it's a HUGE improvement over the previous. Just moved the last truckload of items yesterday, now it's time to unpack. If I do that while listening to music, it makes me more productive and it seems to go faster. Today is my birthday and I am officially 30 years old. Dear lord where did the time go?! I'm proud of my weight loss thus far. It's not a full 20 pounds but 19 is pretty damn close don't you think? We removed .03 cc's of fluid today. Figured out (after a month) that I'm not able to eat b/c there was too much fluid. Not a huge amount but just a small bit. I go back in 2 weeks to see where I'm at (if more needs to be added/removed). I had a melt down about 2 weeks ago. I was so frustrated with my band, my body, and everything else in my world at the time. I had gone through the trouble of making a healthy, delicious dinner(thai chicken [crock-pot, chicken, salsa, peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce; rice noodles and bean threads; baked eggrolls]) and I couldn't eat any of it. I was so sad and disappointed. I cried and cried for almost an hour. I knew something wasn't right because even though I was eating, taking my time, small portions, etc. Food was getting stuck and I was getting sick. I found I was sticking to softer foods and soups because they went down easiest. Frustrating when you can't even eat a friggin' salad! Anyway, so we'll see how I do and what happens. I was extended a job offer last week and I took it. I'm excited about it. Going to be helping others with putting together resume's, and helping them find jobs. School started back up last week and I'm back in the thick of it. Sucks I still have no internet at home until Saturday and all my spare time right now is being spent either unpacking or working on homework. I'm behind but I aim to get caught up somehow over the weekend. Anyway, I hope you are having a pleasant day!

I haven't talked to much less logged in here in about 2 weeks. My reasons... none. Something is wrong and I don't know what... well maybe I do. Got a notice last week that we need to find a new place to live. No problem, we were planning on moving anyway. I've lived in this same place of hell for i think 4 years. Yeah it's time to go. I don't want to deal with packing, moving, unpacking, sorting, getting rid of, keeping, re organizing none of it. Maybe I'm looking at it all wrong. Maybe I need to look at it as a chance to get rid of junk and move forward with less stuff... just means going through the stuff. We aren't pack rats/hoarders per se... I just live with folks that don't know how to give things up. If it was up to me, I'd be moving my couch, tv, dressers, bed, clothes, cats, kitchen and bath stuff. Nothing else. But It's not up to me and I have to work with others. *sigh* We'll get it done. Just hating having to be out of the new place by my birthday and it's a pseudo-big one this year. (30). Oh well. I've been starting new chapters and making changes in other ways, might as well leave this place of evil and sadness and get to places of happiness. Got my first fiil last week. I was started out with 4cc's at surgery (no idea why) and there wasn't much added. Trying to get motivated to work out/walk/weights/etc but I just don't have the energy for it. Have an interview this week. We'll see how it goes.

Nope. I'm not getting enough calories period. Need to eat but don't want to. Can't eat anything I want to even with adjustments. Tried vietnamese last night, got some meat down but not much else. Tried mexican, tortillas and enchiladas were a no go. Can't eat burgers due to the bread not working for me. Can't eat anything with carbs really. It gets stuck and irritates me. Just getting frustrated I guess with not being able to eat carbs. I'm sure it will just take some adjusting on my part but it's still frustrating. Or I can just go to one of the websites for recipes and get an idea of what to eat, and how to prepare it. Feel like I'm whining/complaining. I just have a bunch of inconvenient things going on at once. It's frustrating but nothing out of the ordinary.

I'm having a little pain in part of my abdomen. It's on the right side about 2-4 inches above my belly button on the right. There's no scar, port, or anything there. Just a layer of fat. I can lay on my stomach and on my side without issue. It's a dull pain and isn't always present. I'm going to the clinic for a fill tomorrow so I'm going to bring this up to them. Maybe they can tell me what is going on. Anyone have any ideas? I'm not overly worried just a little concerned.

I went in to get my first fill since surgery last month. I was super surprised that I had dropped another 6 pounds in 2 weeks. I've been panicking about my food intake increasing but with the help of this site and it's members, I've been able to keep myself from being so fearful. I knew when I went into the office today that it was possible I would not have lost anything, or that I might have gained a little. But when I looked at the scale and it said 280... I was so excited! To lose 13 pounds in about 6 weeks... that's never happened to me before. I've also been paying attention to what I consume. I'm proud that I stay away from junk food and don't crave things as often as I used to. If I have a craving for something sweet or salty I just substitute something healthy versus bad for you. I'm celebrating every little victory because no matter what it is... a victory is still a victory.

Losing isn't difficult if you follow your nutritionists' advice and exercise. Staying within the limits of what you should eat and making sure you exercise. Don't forget to get your fills too. Once you get good restriction, you will be able to feel it and it will help you keep within your portion size. Don't think you can eat like you used to. No more fried, fatty foods. Your new life needs you to stick to the guidelines laid out for you. Proteins, veggies, starches, and fruits. Water and crystal lite should be your new drinks. You can still have coffee or tea but beware of sugar. Make sure you use artficial sweeteners if you sweeten anything. Remember, everyone loses at different rates. If you are following the guidelines and exercising, you'll see the weight come off. Also the biggest advice I can give you is, Don't expect the weight to come off overnight. You didn't put on the weight overnight and you won't take it off overnight either. It's difficult to be patient right now. Celebrate every little victory. Set mini goals and celebrate your victories. If you happen to fall off the "bandwagon", (and you will) get right back on. Realize you made a mistake, don't beat yourself up over it too much, and make better choices. Everynight when you go to sleep, it's like hitting the reset button for the next day. So you can start over the next day. Just do your best to make good choices every time you eat.

Nope. I make sure I'm not constipated. I will see the doc tomorrow. Could be nothing, just some weird pain for no reason. I'll update tomorrow. Thanks for the feedback all.

People that lose weight through diet and exercise normally lose about 1-2 pounds a week. We are no different other than we have something helping us with reducing our appetite. We have to watch what we eat and how much we eat as well as exercise too. It sucks that it doesn't just melt away but remember... you didn't get this way overnight; you won't lose overnight either. Be patient with yourself and celebrate the little things.

Just remember, we didn't put weight on overnight, it's not going to come off overnight either. Everything will be fine. Read my quote in my signature. It applies to this too. Be strong and positive.

Agreed! It won't come off overnight and that's fine. Best wishes to you next week on your surgery.

Me too.

Oh my dear! My heart goes out to you. First, Take a deep breath, and say "IT WILL ALL BE OKAY". 1% milk vs. skim: you'll be fine. It's just a little less watery looking than skim. It will do what you need it to do. Work: You don't have to tell a soul what you are doing at the new place. Once you find some friends, then you can reveal to them at a time of your own choosing. Try to stay in touch with your friends from the high school since they will be supportive of you. If that doesn't work, you always have us here on the site. Husband: They don't exactly understand that what you are doing is going to take incredible willpower. To sit at a table, with people that are eating foods you want to be eating and are not allowed to partake from that's torture. That's like putting a steak infront of a hungry dog and telling it that it's not allowed to eat the steak, just look at it. It's easier to not feel deprived when you aren't around temptations. (I had to remove myself from some birthday cake at a party a couple weeks before my surgery. I was going to cave in and have a slice if I didn't get out of there). Remember, you CAN do this. We are here for you. Don't give up and try not to stress too much about this. Easier said than done.

That's awesome! Congrats on getting banded! I wish you all the success you deserve. I read you like fried foods. Try making stuff at home and not frying them. Breaded baked chicken is almost as good as fried chicken (a la shake and Bake). I know you are more than likely on liquid right now so my advice won't help much. I love buffalo chicken (breasts, wings, whatever). I found a great, easy recipe on allrecipes.com for buffalo chicken in the crockpot. It's not fried so that's good. I got away from frying stuff at home years ago. It's messy and I just feel icky after eating it. If you love french fries, cut up a sweet potato like you would fries, put them on a baking sheet, drizzle some olive oil and seasonings, cook at 350 for 30 minutes... divine and healthier than regular fries. I can give you some good tips and tricks on how to make restaurant style food at home if you want. We love to eat out at my place but who can afford to eat out ALL the time? So I take some of my fave foods and come up with a way to make it healthier at home. *** bonus tip: V8 fruit juice and vegetable juice are awesome ways to get some fruit and veggies into your body. Not to mention, they're good.