bootsie40

I find that I can eat whatever I want if I take the time & chewing effort to do it. You're working around your band. Limit the amount of time you let yourself eat. others have told me to watch for signals that ur full...burping, sighs, food not as appealing....things my nutritionist didn't tell me since I can't tell by feeling that I'm full. I also talk myself out of my healthy choices that I had already pre-planned. I'm in the process of getting back on the wagon myself! I've filled my snack cubby at home with filling, high Protein Snacks & I take only what I know I can tolerate in a planned, focused sitting. exp: 1 two ounce bag of nuts will give me two carefully eaten snacks during my workday...no liquid in that snack. Timing seems to be a really big part also. I can't do solids in the am until about 11, so I'm doing my Protein shake or smoothie about 8:30 & I'm not hungry again till about 11. Depending on my work schedule, I might eat lunch then if I can. If not, I'm hitting the protein snack, then lunch will happen around 1:30, another snack about 3:30, & dinner at 6:30. If I miss my protein, I'm wanting to chow down on whatever cookie, donut, candy bar or burger that might be close by. It really boils down to finding where your cravings attack & making a habit of choosing the foods that will squash those cravings. Then fighting temptations will be a little easier. Am I tempted to go through the drive through...of course! Do I? Well, not today. Take the temptations one day at a time, but plan ahead to beat those temptations to the ground!

. Wow! No fills and you've lost this much weight!

Yes, breakfast is a real issue for me. I just found out that our bands are tighter in the morning....after three years of struggling. It sometimes takes me as long as 11 am to get where I can eat something solid. This is something my nutritionist never told me....she's not really a nutritionist, but a nurse. I'm actually looking for a real nutritionist now.

Hey CC...I have tried weight watchers, but only because I was abusing my band & wanted to get back on track. I went the prepackaged meal route & found I couldn't eat the whole meal most of the time, so as far as keeping you from eating too much, it might. I enjoy cooking too much to give it up. Just the process of making something fresh & healthy for my family makes me feel good. For now, it's prepackaged at work...sometimes....& fresh at home. I need that connection with my family. Good luck!

I'm in a similar boat! I've developed some bad habits & joined this forum today just like u seeking advice, encouragement & accountability. You lost 90 lbs without the band! That is something Awesome!! I told myself yesterday "I have the power, but do I have the will". I wanted to have a Protein shake & fruit for lunch...that was the plan. But I was out of the office running errands, hungry & I actually talked myself into a burger!! Knowing I'd pay for it later. You can do this...2muchfun told me to RESET! So RESET, & lets do this!

Sorry, this is Tanya, the author of the original thread. Apparently the iPad app & regular computer registration doesn't pull together...

You guys are great! Amazing what a little accountability has done for me in one day! Very few people know I have a band, & in just confiding in all of you I see what I need to change & why. It never occurred to me that my band might be too tight. My nutritionist keeps suggesting I should be getting filled every few months till I reach my sweet spot, and that I will start feeling satisfied once I get to that sweet spot. I had a nervous stomach for about three months after surgery. The least little stress & I was vomiting my toes up. It took me a full month post surgery to make a full day at work. And that was only after my doc prescribed lorazepam to calm my nerves. It got easier to deal with the sick stomach. I learned what didn't irritate the stomach & I went with it. my first fill was 6 months post-op. I should have known then it might be too tight, because the nervous stomach started again & the sweet cravings started. again, I learned to deal. Again, it got better. My second fill was 1 year post-op...no problems except sweet cravings again & more food getting stuck. Today...No lorazepam & the sweet craving s are under control. I chew the death out of my food, & I certainly don't drink with food, it would get stuck for sure. I tend to graze from early afternoon till just after dinner and I eat "easy" food for the most part. I actually started the day with the determination to use my band the way it's supposed to be used, and the reminders about the signs of getting full & thinking about someone watching my eating habits really helped get me through the day. I realized that the thought of eating certain foods strikes a little fear in me of it getting stuck. I think I gravitate toward the easy foods without thinking & I've gotten in the habit of eating slower for longer periods of time because in the beginning I had too to get all of the small amounts of food my doc said I should be eating. My limit of food in a sitting is actually lower than I thought...less than a cup...closer to a half cup. Ok...day one of reset: eat real food, eat slowly, but limit the time period for eating and don't eat outside those times, watch for signs of getting full & STOP! & confide in a buddy that will hold me accountable & know what those accountability measures are. I even kept a date to walk with a neighbor-friend and managed a full 45 minutes because it's one of the good days! I confided in her too. She's a nurse & promised to kick my butt in person once in a while if I need it! Lol!