enjoythetime

In my honest opinion I wouldn't try to eat beef t this point. You are still recovering from major surgery and it's extremely important to follow your dr.'s post-op diet so that there are no issues in the healing process. I know this is a tough situation and of course you don't want to disappoint anyone but the most important thing is for you to heal properly and when you start progressing too fast some times that can cause problems. So you may have to think outside the box on this one. So there will be cheese, sour cream and salsa I'm assuming??? Any refried Beans???? If so what I would do is take some refried beans mash them up the best you can with your fork, top with cheese, sour cream and salsa and there you go. If there are no beans I would do the same thing but maybe stand in front of the meat like you're getting some and then quickly run for the cheese and put some one your plate. Once you start eating no one is going to examine what you have in your pile. I hope this works. Congrats on your promotion!!!

Christy929, This is a very common fear when starting out. Everyone of course is different but I think the most important thing to do is take your time when eating so you can get the chance to listen to your band and your stomach and not your head. Sometimes we go so fast that the signs are consistantly missed. There's also a fine line because you should be finishing your meals within 20 min. regardless I always walk away from my plate at that time limit. As far as finding your mark mine is a burp but it can be a tricky thing because at times it comes before I've finished my plate so I stop even if I still feel a little hungry I give it time but at other times I finished my portioned plate and feel satisfied but my burp may come 15-30 min. later so it's kind of weird for me I rely more heavily upon the portion sizes my Dr. laid out for me. 3-4oz of Protein per meal, 1/2 cup veggies, 1 serving of starch (if I have room) and I always eat my plate in that order. I think that as long as you eat the correct portion sizes dictated by your doctor then you will do just fine. Some times I feel statisfied before I've finsihed my veggies and if so I stop, some times I still feel hungry and I've finished my entire plate, BUT i know that after my hour is up after eating and i can have something to drink I fill up very quickly and know that if I would have eaten any more it would have over flowed:-) I hope this helps! Good luch you'll do great!

Any time. It's hard for me too so what I did was I started pinning health recipies on Pinterest and then modifying them even further ifto my taste or if I thought other substitutions would be better health wise and by doing this I've come up with several different recipies I even have a not so healthy board that I try to tweak when I get really crazy:-) @@enjoythetime Thanks so much for posting your eating ideas. I've had the dumbest reaction about what to eat once I get onto a regular diet. I think fear of the unknown and fear about giving up my favorite foods caused me to sort of blank out ideas about how to eat. The guidebook given to me by my surgeon lists nothing but plain foods, not the recipe stuff I've always eaten, and I was beginning to think I'd be stuck with 3 oz of plain chicken or whatever day after day. I don't think the surgeon means I can't eat other things, I think that was simply the easy way to explain it. I know plenty of healthy recipes, but I couldn't visualize them in my post-op life. You've helped me a lot!

Awe thank you Sharpie! YOU'RE A HUGE SUCCESS!!! YOU LOOK AMAZING!! DON'T EVER DOUBT YOUR ABILITY, IF YOU WANT TO GET OFF 15 MORE LBS YOU WILL!!! LOOK AT HOW FAR YOU'VE COME YOU SHOULD BE OVER JOYED AND SO PROUD!! I'M HONORED THAT YOU TOOK TIME TO COMMENT AND READ THIS. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!!!!!!!!

Thank you chasingadream for your support and kind words! It means alot! Youre doing awesome yourself!!

Don't stop, get it, get it!!!!!! Have a great day everyone!!!!

Hillarious!!! Been there done that. I love that u put this out there! Have fun!!!!!!

Congrats on your awesome loss! Perfectly said!

This is awesome!! Thanks for sharing!

Might is the key word here. Everyone is different, and responds to food differently, some do fine others dont. I don't think we should discourage others from trying nutrious Protein because they "might" have an issue. My doctor never told me to rule out or avoid any food other than doughy bread. In fact he encouraged me to try problem foods a couple of different times before completely ruling them out.

@ pink dahlia Wow! This brought tears to my eyes!!! I hope you never find yourself in a dark alley at midnight BUT if you do, I definitely got your back!!!!! You're doing an amazing job yourself girl!!! Thanks again for the words of encoragement!!! People like you make this site a wonderful place to be!! All I can say is if I ever have to walk down a dark alley at midnight, id want you by my side ! Attitude is everything !! Congrats! You look amazing and should be very proud of yourself for your hard work ! You are a great inspiration to others !! Way to go !!

YAY!! I'm super excited for you! May is a GREEEAT month to be banded Keep in touch and let me know how you're doing!!!

That ah girl! You've got this in the bag! You have the right attitude and frame of mind! When is your surgery?

Everyone is different but overall I think we all have this to some degree or another. The amount depends on the elasticity of your skin, how much you work out, what kind of exercise, your age, sex, etc., etc., But no matter how much skin you do or dont end up hanging around its crazy to think you're going to hate yourself or that you're going to be disappointed I mean you just lost a TON of weight which more than likely means you just lost a TON of serious health issues, your energy will be through the roof. So if you have excess skin and you're unhappy with it, get a tummy tuck, buy some spanx or a gurdle to hold it together;), tuck it in whatever works;)

Why no shrimp Martha? I eat shrimp and do just fine. Its low in cal and a great Protein...just windering what the reason behind this. Thx

takuwinds, So glad you made this post. I was literally just wondering about how you've been doing! Glad you went to your Dr.'s to find out what was going on! It's good you have answers now and that you went and got yourself taken care of! Hypothyroidism will definitely throw you off track. Stay strong and keep pushing through. You're doing all the right things for all the pieces to fall into place! Keep in touch!

booflu, I'm so excited for you! I know you're nervous right now which is completely normal, if anyone likes having surgery that's when we need to be concerned:-) I'm 11 months post-op and am thrilled with the decision I made to have the lapband! It's changed my life in more ways than I could have ever imagined! You're going to do great. Just follow your doctors instructions to the T and you will be successful! Please keep us posted on how you're doing!

Very Beautiful!!!

We actually eat out about 2-3 times at week. There's typically ALWAYS something on the menu that has lean Protein, low in carbs, etc. even if I have to modifify it like ordering without the bun, picking out all the chicken in my salad first, ordering the dressings on the side, asking for substitutions etc. I do try to take a look at the menu prior to going to a new place so I can decide what I'm going to order before I get there. So if you make the healtiest choice possible and eat until you're statisfied you should do just fine.

Oh no, sorry to hear this happened!!! Oddly enough ground hamburger has been the hardest thing for me to eat. I can eat it, and I've never gotten stuck on it but I can tell that if I don't chew it to a pulp then I will. Beef in general is harder for me to digest, again I still eat it just not very often because it wears me out:-) but when I do I take teenie tiny bites and chew chew chew. I hope you get better and things get back on track. Please keep us posted!!!

Yes! I love these, such a great make ahead for the week, super simple and yummo!! I use spiniach, mushrooms, onions and cheese and either crumble up low sodium bacon or sausage to ramp up the Protein. I think I'm going to make these Sunday, its been awhile;)

Went from a size 20-22 in pants and a 3x shirt to a 5/6 in pants and a m/l in tops. Going swimsuit shopping and not needing to buy a tent to get everything covered;) Going to the dr and having my blood pressure be normal and not stroke range at 34, no more fatty liver, no more high chol. Self confidence is back

Yay you did it!!! Congrats to moving on to the next phase!

Everone is different and "restriction" varies from person to person. For me personally my band was pre filled before surgery not sure how much. I've had 3.5cc's added after surgery.

Breakfast: Dannon Light Greek Yogurt is still what I eat every morning. lunch I would do steamed cauliflouer and mix in a wedge of laughing cow cheese, salt and pepper and puree or Cottage cheese- small curd or Vegetable Soup pureed Dinner: Refried Beans, pureed or Cottage Cheese- small curd or Vegetable soup pureed Of course you can still do your Protein shakes to get in your protein SF Jello Puddings- 60 cal I'm sure there are many others but these were my staples through this stage. Best of luck and congrats on moving on to the next stage!!:-)