luluc

hey taby - not single but was born/raised on Long Island - college NYU, now in TX 15yrs. your social life will pick up once your healed & more mobile....MORE so when you start loosing!!! come here often - lots of great advise & persons to guide you through the process!!!

Brandy I think this will change for you. My husband (also banded) and I are big time cooks - before the band, and after. I had no desire for food till 10-12wks out, now we're turning into health nuts & take turns each wkend trying new menus for the family. We thought it odd the other night when we were talking w/another banded couple - they HATE food / preparing; rather have protein shakes & they're almost a year out. Hubby and I have a different approach - we ENJOY our meals so much more now. Great quality meats / fish / poultry / veggies / fruits - we incorporate it all, and our friends & family enjoy what we prepare. Some have commented they're now loosing weight from our dishes VS what we "use" to prepare.... It will come - if you love cooking like I do; finding great quality items & recipes becomes fun. Good luck !!

If it's something you like - Egg Drop Soup. Great source of Protein, and I couldn't get enough of it during the "soup" stage....Still get a quart the day of my fills.

You need to give your body a break. I remember my trainer pulling me aside one day, saying he's seen me 9 days in a row at the gym (3 w/him + extra days) and I NEED to give my muscles time to recoup the stress I'm putting on it. IndioGirl gave similar advise I would. Change your meals up; Every other wk I give my trainer my "Calorie Counter Mea Plan" and he marks it up like he's grading a test. Add this / Scrap that, almost like our routines - every 2 wks the workout changes. I had to start adding carbs, and was scared - but he was right; you have to have certain fuel if your going to workout consistently & hard. Your also at the end of your weightloss - so it might go at a snails pace, don't be too hard on yourself...You've done amazing.. Good luck w/the PS

funny you mention this - today was my "last day of boot camp" & the last half hr was nothing but interval training on the elliptical. Along the lines of the C5K - 30 sec resistance 5 / 1min res. 13 - back & forth for 30 minutes...I was WHIPPED, not to mention we already did 60mins of weight training. i mentioned before that i signed back up w/my trainer for twice a wk - i just know myself too well, that i'll NEVER push myself or mix things up w/out one (at least for now). so results of 6 wk boot camp: lbs lost - 14 body fat - 7% inches (all over) - 23 increase of stamina - HUGE i hated i needed to pay someone to kick my A$$ in gear - but i also had to pay for my band....no regrets other than wishing i started sooner. 2lbs from my dr's goal - 17lbs from my own personal goal, all under 7months..YAH ...ready for May challenge; i'm on a mens' over 40 soccer league in dallas starting up in 2wks; snuck in under the age (brother is coach)...can't wait to play w/the big boys:tongue: my college soccer days were a LONG time ago.LOL

Go to the Thread Header "Food & Nutrition" - you will see 2 sticky links to food stages / good protein choices; you should be able to get some ideas there. For me, I follow a version of "South Beach" meal plan - not exclusively, but closer to that than any other. The book and website have great recipes. Hope this helps,

yesterday - b- 1lg meatball l- 1c grilled shrimp salad d- 1 slice colby jack cheese & 4oz LF blueberry yogurt s- 1/2 apple w/peanut butter

a 103 calorie proten shake in the am when your too tight to eat is perfectly fine & many do the same. most breakfasts (Cereal / oatmeal w/fruit) are higher in calories than that shake - i think it's good to at least get something in the AM to keep your metabolism moving.

congrats ceradad!!!! can't believe the snow:eek:

yesterday - b- half slice of toast w/peanut butter l- cup of tea & apple d- 1/2c wheat pasta & 1 meatball w/sauce s- 1/4c wasabi peas

I love I can be competitive again...Played College Soccer / Tennis / Lacrosse & I'm really enjoying sports at almost 40. I'll be starting a tennis league this summer while joining a "over 40 mens soccer team next wk"....my brother is the coach, but I taught him how to kick the damn ball ...LOL 5 yrs ago - I let myself physically go; stopped ice skating / sky diving / surfing - you name it; I let my weight determine what I did....Now my Husband is struggling to get time off for my "extreme sport trips" I've got planned....

It is really not that uncommon for the larger bands - 10cc+ to be filled during surgery; it actually helps for many in advancing fills & getting to restriction sooner. I had 5cc's put in surgery - I could not imagine having none & waiting what took (In my mind = forever) longer than 5 months to get to the proper restriction. For me, I needed 8.5cc's in my 10cc band before I recognized "true restriction".

It can be - but there are alternatives. In my mushie stage FF refried Beans w/LF sour cream were a staple. I make homemade guac A LOT and use fresh ingredients, avacados are a great source of Protein & use often in salads or sandwhiches. I brown ground turkey frequently to make taco salad - again using LF sour cream / FF refried beans .... Living in TX , you can find a LOT of Mexican low fat alternatives to get your fix in. There is no subsitute for cheese - it is what it is..Yum

coffee & tea were part of my post op liquids & that's great because i could never give up my 8/10oz's each morning. gave up my diet coke & dont' miss it one bit - coffee, i think i'd hurt someone if i couldn't have that in the AM. i've read that many dr's say NO to caffeine due to dehydration & other variables - it's not affected my weightloss or diet to date. Good Luck~

Bikini - I've not heard that, but I too never had a sweet tooth. Give me some chips / queso & large margarita,...that was more my style. I'll say this - I lost a LOT of my chip / bread / cheese cravings after being banded. I can't remeber the last potato chip I've had - or Slab of bread w/butter....I will on occassion have some tortillas w/queso - but that's not too often - LOVE mexican food. Hopefully if these are your problem foods like they were for me - the craving will pass, and you won't miss them too much:rolleyes:

I never really found a powder I cared for - and I tried a bunch. I will add a protein shake on the days I meet my trainer for extra protein & in those instances EAS Low Carb (110 calories / 17grams of protein) chocolate / carmel latte are my choice. This doesn't replace a meal for me, rather I treat is as a "snack" in my calorie count for the day. Since burning off over 700 calories in the trainer workouts; I actually need the extra calories & these taste like a latte or chocolate milk with an added bonus of protein. Good Luck!!

Bunko is SO much fun. My girlfriends & I go through too much wine sometimes playing - but it's a great way to interract - decompress from kids / hubby etc. & meet new people. There is always a new player it seems each month (new neighbor / work colleague / etc.) Since DH and I moved to the country, and I'm "Out there - no stop light town" - I force myself to meet my gfriends in town for lunch / yoga classes etc. weekly. I joke to my husband that I want to run for mayor of my small little TX town, and he just laughs - I'm VERY outgoing, will talk to anyone - I prefer strangers sometimes to family...HA! To me being on an Internet Forum is more diffiult to interact with than "live persons" (this is my first forum of any kind). I like being able to look someone face to face and engage - hard to read someones written words and get the "gist" sometimes....but that's me...

once i moved to solid food, my hunger pangs subsided before my first fill - which was 4 wks after surgery. do you have your fill scheduled? you may find that you may take several fills (me 7) to get the restriction level where you don't think about food & when you do eat - your satisfied easily / for a longer period of time. hang in - it's what some call bandster hell; and it is at times.

That's a lot of calories for a drink. Does it have any protein? If it's something you account for in your calories once a wk or everyother wk - might not be such a problem if it's something you really enjoy. I'm not a big fan of drinking my calories (unless a glass of wine here / there) - but I do count them in the daily counter for the day and get an "extra hard" workout in. Maybe going for an extra walk the day of your "drink" might be an option??

yesterday - b- 1/2c fiber one squares w/2% milk & blueberries l- 1 slice kashi mediteranean pizza d- 2grilled shrimp & 2oz ribeye steak s- 1/4c wasabi peas

cindy - i've put my scale out in my barn many times...cause it was just plain evil!!! i do rely a bunch on my tape measure & how my clothes fit. with exercise & working out hard - i notice the clothing sizes dropping even when the scale won't budge. muscle will do that & plateaus do and WILL occur - it's good not to get fixated on the number everyday....& will help curb your "crazy modes"...LOL bbk - i feel like i'm writing to you on every post w/you looking down...:smile2: good luck on the PS!!!

yesterday - 90minute class w/my red heeler dog in her agility training class. she LOVES her frizbees!!! today - 1 mile walk w/2 labs gym: 30min elliptical 30min abs/leg workout 1/2 mile walk w/1 lab (training going on w/invisible fence - testing the waters:biggrin: & shock collar )

Gadget it was extremely easy to donate (our preference would have been to donate for stem cell research - I know, another topic, but that was not an available choice). No fees, we paid enough to go through the process which I find a reason some don't donate. Many couples try to find a suitable surrogate, which takes a LOT of time, so therefore they hold on to their embryos longer than some would think/expect & never think to donate. In Vitro is extremely costly & a LOT of families aren't willing to part easily - none I know have destroyed. I'm not overly familiar with the demand side of these donor embroys; I'm guessing they're wanted. All we had to do was sign legal forms to donate and we were done. No kids for us now (niece miscarried) - Animal only house, which has set in & comfortable with at this time. Have my eye on another pup, but that might take some extra convincing:)

bpenney - yes most are different, would depend on how much restriction your prefer. me, i prefer to eat 3 balanced meals plus a snack. i work out regularly, and hit a point that i was not getting enough calories in to sustain training sessions....so i didn't not have a fill the last time i had an appt because i feel i'm at a perfect spot for me (8.5ccs in a 10cc band). my meals are such: Breakfast - either a Protein shake & piece of fruit or Cereal w/berries 2%milk lunch - approx 2/3oz of deli meat or tuna/egg/chicken salad on a wasa bread cracker with 1/4-1/2cup of some type of salad **not always a salad - depending how hungry that day** dinner- 3/4oz of lean meat / fish / poultry with some type of veggies or salad & sometimes a whole grain rice / wheat Pasta Snacks - raw nuts / edamame / Jerky & glass of wine sometimes:tongue: hope this helps~ lulu