August

Unfortunately I didn't learn. I started out good but had a bad middle part of the day. B - 1/4 c leftover lasagna w/ zucchini noodles L - 12 Wheat thins fiber selects crackers w/ Velveeta of all things. Why???? S1 – FF iced latte S2 – Too many potato and lentil curls from Trader Joes. At least I got plenty of fiber today between these and the fiber wheat thins, but way too many carbs!!! D – 4 oz fish…just fish because I had so little protein today.

B – 1/3 c taco meat w/ sprinkle of cheese, 100 cal pack of guacamole, and 7 corn chips. S – Protein smoothie L – Protein smoothie (it was hot. all I wanted was something frozen. beats ice cream!) S – 5 morningstar farms veggie buffalo wings. Should have had this or something else solid for lunch and I would have eaten less today. Live and learn. D – baked chicken drumstick, broccoli, few bites of mashed potato

I don't know that I've ever had traditional wheat farina, but I imagine just like oatmeal it can be jazzed up to make it tasty. Plain would probably be gross just like plain oatmeal is. The farina I eat is made with brown rice. Bob's Red Mill makes it. I use it as a much healthier substitute for grits. I actually like it better than grits, which is saying a lot for a southern girl! It has a delicious flavor, with all of the nutty goodness of brown rice and the texture of grits. I usually serve it with light butter, s&p, and sometimes a little cheese, topped with a sunny side up egg. I would love to eat it every day for breakfast but it's kind of runny and I can eat more than I should. It's great for the full liquids and the mushy stage. Sometimes I can find it at the grocery store in the health food section, but it has become increasingly hard to find. Fortunately Bob's Red Mill sells it on their website, Creamy Brown Rice Farina - Bob's Red Mill. I just noticed that they also make a version of grits out of millet. I think I'll give that a try.

B – 1 cup total of: leftover chicken, leftover mashed potatoes, frozen corn and peas, 1tsp light butter) L – protein shake made w/ ½ c. frozen strawberries, 30 minutes later I had 2tbs light vege cream cheese and 12 wheat thins high fiber crackers S – 15 almonds, 1 sf oreo D – 1 c. lasagna made w/ zucchini “noodles” instead of pasta. Rest of the family had spaghetti and meat sauce…mine was better!! S – Might have a protein shake or a sf fudge pop

Protein shakes made with tons of ice and extra sf sweetener save me from ice cream. I sometimes add 1/2 a frozen banana or other frozen fruit. I make them with water instead of milk because adding the milk gets the calories close to a serving of ice cream.

Skipped day 5 of the 5-day pouch diet. The 5th day is white meat chicken and steak, both of which I cannot eat at all. I can’t eat nearly as much as I could before going on the pouch diet, so it must shrink the pouch. I feel like I just got a fill. I think days 1-3 are the key. B – 1/3 c. taco meat, 1tbs. Guacamole, 1tbs. Salsa, 1tbs cheese L – ½ c. cobb salad S – 2 bites of Lite and Fit watermelon yogurt (Threw the rest away..gross! The cantaloupe flavor is good.) D – Most of a grilled chicken thigh, 3 bites coleslaw, 2 bites mashed potatoes

B1 – 1/3 C. sloppy joe meat B2 – 1/3 C. sloppy joe meat L – 5 morning star farms vegetarian buffalo wings (surprisingly not bad). 2 cucumber spears. Lite ranch dressing. S – 1oz almonds, 7 small high Fiber crackers D – will be a small hamburger patty w/ cheese and condiments – no bun. Maybe a slice or two of tomato as well. Today was supposed to be day 4 of the pouch diet, but at lunchtime I was sick of meat so I had the veggie wings and cucumber. It was similar density and calorie content to the day 4 recommended foods, but slightly higher in carbs. The almonds and crackers were definitely not on the plan. Even though I strayed a little I can definitely tell that I fill up faster. The early stages of the diet must shrink the pouch a little. Maybe I’ll try a couple of days of liquids every month or so. I have an appointment next week for a follow-up and fill if needed. No fill for me! I still like to get the follow-up visits even if I don’t need a fill because they keep my honest. When I know I’ll have to get on a scale in front of others I’m going to make darn sure it says less than it did the last time I stepped on it!

Barbie and Sherry, I was still able to eat up the whole house until I got the right amount of fill. OK, maybe only half the house. Before the band it was mine AND my neighbor’s house! I had some restriction with the first fills but then they finally got it right. It was like hitting the wall...hard! Then I really understood what it was like to feel full and stay full after just a tiny amount of food. It was like a miracle. Lately I've slipped into the habit of eating food that goes down easy, not so much that I was trying to eat more than I was trying to eat without that feeling of the food slipping through the band. I really dislike that feeling. My weight loss has been good, but I know that isn't the right way to eat. Plus, I need to concentrate on more nutritious foods. When you can’t eat much nutrition is twice as important!

Today (day 3 of 5-day pouch diet) B – plain omelet (ick) L – white fish patty (ick) S – 3oz tuna w/ 1tsp light mayo (ick) D – salmon patty (double ick) I’m sick of patties and getting sick of the 5 day pouch diet. I’m hungry too often after eating nothing except liquid and soft foods. I guess that’s the idea to teach you not to eat them. Tomorrow is more solid protein so maybe it will be better. I think I’ve learned my lesson. I promise to stay out of the Sun Chips! I was limiting the portion to a ½ serving but it’s still not something that I should be eating every day. I wasn’t even eating them because I liked them so much as because they were easy to eat, which I know is the WRONG reason to eat something! I have a question for everybody..... All day I ate foods that I really didn’t want because that’s what I had on hand that worked for day 3 of the pouch diet. This caused me to ask myself what I really DID want to eat, but I just didn’t know. That's why I started reading this thread, because I thought maybe I'd see something that sounded good. This afternoon a friend told me she went for sushi which used to be my favorite food above all other foods. I realized today that I no longer care about eating sushi or really anything. This is a big thing for a person who used to go crazy craving sushi and would have happily eaten it every day. I tried to think of what my favorite food is now that it apparently isn't sushi, but I came up blank. I couldn’t think of a single food that I couldn’t live without. Yes, of course I want to eat and food still tastes good, but it just isn’t the same. I don’t get the same pleasure from food that I used to get. I get a little pleasure, don’t get me wrong, but it’s definitely not at the level it used to be. I suppose it’s because I can only eat tiny amount of it and typically causes me at least a little discomfort. Most of the time it isn’t painful but the band does make me aware that it is there and I dislike the feeling of food slipping past it. I believe my changed attitude towards food is due to the negative reinforcement from the band. It’s not a bad thing at all. In fact for a food addict like me it’s probably the best thing that I could do to break my addiction. It’s exactly like an alcoholic taking Antabuse, which makes them sick if they drink alcohol. I’m not sure now that I’ve come to this realization how I feel about it. Do I miss my old buddy, food? Maybe, but I’m caring less and less about the loss. Has anybody else noticed the same loss of interest in food?

Today….day 1.5 of the 5 day pouch diet (started at dinner last night out of disgust) B – Protein shake w/ PB2 S – Protein latte shake L – Cream of zucchini soup: 2 zucchini chopped and cooked with 2 cloves of garlic, salt and pepper, in chicken broth (enough to cover vegetables plus 1 inch). Boil covered until squash is soft, about 20 minutes. Throw in a handful of assorted herbs (I used mint, cilantro, and basil, but any herb would work even parsley). Blend with a stick blender or in a regular blender until smooth. Add 1 cup FF Greek yogurt. Blend again. Adjust seasoning and add water if too thick. Reheat gently until just simmering and serve. Makes 3-4 cups of soup depending on how big your zucchini was. This soup was so delicious!! I use this same recipe with all kinds of vegetables…broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, parsnips, winter squash, leeks and potatoes, celery root, etc. D – Haven’t had it yet, but plan to have more soup and another shake if I’m still hungry.

That sounds great! Thanks for posting this. I adore regular falafel, but it's loaded with carbs and while it has some protein it doesn't have enough to be worth the carb/fat content. Also, falafel doesn’t seem to agree with me the way it did pre-surgery. I get a heartburn type feeling in my pouch if I eat greasy high carb foods. I guess that isn't such a bad problem to have. It definitely keeps me away from a lot of things I shouldn’t eat! I enjoy tofu but typically only if it's made Asian style. I guess the inventors of tofu know best how to use it. The Korean market near me has fried tofu that has a texture like puffy omelet on the outside and is creamy in the middle. It's great added to a stir fry. I was surprised to see that the fat content wasn't high even though the package said it was fried. I guess it tofu does not absorb much grease when frying. Does the tofu falafel get crispy like regular falafel?

I revisited the chocolate flavor today in my shake. It tasted the same to me as the plain, still good but the same. I will use up what I bought but next time I'll just get the plain because it's more versatile. I was never a fan of chocolate peanut butter as a spread, but oh boy do I love Nutella! Nutella is not only full of fat but it's full of sugar too and not nearly as much protein as peanut butter. I suspect they add a lot of fillers to it which cuts the protein content. Too bad the same company doesn't make a chocolate hazelnut powder. I may have to write them with the suggestion. Imagine a Nutella shake!! MMMMMMM

I had no idea it was carried in regular grocery stores. I ordered it from Netrition.com. Their shipping charges were reasonable and they shipped fast. I'll have to check out the manufacturer's website to see if it's sold in a store near me for next time. I ordered the plain and the chocolate. The chocolate was OK, but if found it pointless because the chocolate flavor was not strong enough. You can always add chocolate flavor with sf Hershey's syrup. Next time I'd just buy the plain. So far I've only used it in protein shakes and once reconstituted. I think it would be great in recipes too, like Thai peanut sauce. I love peanut sauce on chicken but never eat it because it's so fattening. It would be good for peanut noodle salad too but noodles and I don't get along very well these days. For some reason the Dreamfield's low carb pasta is easier for me to tolerate. I guess it doesn't turn to paste and swell in the stomach. Trying to continue with liquids today for the 5 day pouch diet. We'll see how that goes.

B- coffee Protein shake: 1/2 frozen banana, 1tbs defatted peanut powder, sf chocolate syrup, stevia, chocolate protein powder L- 1.5oz roast chicken, 1/6 sm apple-sliced, 1oz brie, 1/3 c. potato salad .5oz Sunchips S- 1oz smoked almonds, 2 hard candies D – Protein shake Still no veggies today. The unplanned potato salad at lunch derailed me. There was the potato salad and I love potato salad. I couldn’t resist it. I was supposed to eat my chicken, apple, and brie on a 100 cal thin bun. I skipped the bun after having the potato salad. No question the bun has fewer calories and fat than the potato salad had, plus the bun has 5 grams fiber and 4 grams protein. I had a protein shake for dinner and will call it a night. I think I’ll let that shake be the start of the 5 day pouch diet, or at least a 24 hour liquid fast. I definitely need to be reminded how I should be eating!

I have some of the powdered peanut butter. The one I have is called PB2. I bought it from Netrition.com. I love it! I was using full fat peanut butter in my chocolate "Elvis" protein shakes (chocolate protein powder, 1/2 frozen banana, sf chocolate syrup, stevia or splenda, and 1 tbs peanut butter). Using the PB2 really cut the calories and tastes exactly the same. I also tried reconstituting it with water. The peanut butter it makes tastes close enough to the real thing and seemed to be more filling. I highly recommend it! :smile:

Today: Breakfast coffee Protein shake: 1 sm nectarine cut up and frozen, vanilla protein powder, stevia Lunch mini sandwich:1.5oz roast chicken, 1/6 sm apple-sliced, 1oz brie on 100 cal thin bun, grilled w/ Pam until brie melted. 5oz Sunchips Snack 1oz smoked almonds Dinner 3oz roast chicken 1/2 C. broccoli, rice, and cheese casserole Lacking vegetables today! Will try to have extra tomorrow.

Hi, I have been lurking reading this thread for a while. I seem to do better when I log what I eat, but have trouble being consistent about it. Maybe posting here will make me more accountable. Since banding I tend to graze which the band experts say isn't good, but it is recommended by traditional diet experts. Who knows if it's good or bad, but for me it's the only way I can get in enough calories/protein and stay sane. My weight loss is good so I guess the grazing works for me. I average around 7lbs loss a month. It was 10lbs or more a month for the first few months but I knew that wouldn't last for long (nor should it to remain healthy!). My weight loss seems to come in quick spurts, I'll hold steady for a few weeks or even gain a couple of pounds, then BAM I'll lose 5+lbs overnight. I wish it was steadier because the non-loss and gain times are discouraging. Today I ate: Breakfast 2 cups coffee 6 crackers w/ lf veggie cream cheese: Came back up, remembered why I have shakes for b'fast Breakfast second try, much better protein shake w/ 1/2 frozen banana, 1 tbs defatted peanut powder, 1tbs. SF chocolate syrup, chocolate Unjury powder, stevia Lunch - eaten in two batches 2 hours apart mini sandwich: 100 cal thin bun, krab, lf cream cheese, sprouts handful of Trader Joe's popped potato chips lunch was good, will make this again Snack protein frozen latte - vanilla Unjury powder, cold coffee, stevia, ice Dinner - 3 small homemade potstickers 1 cup tofu + veggie stir fry (no rice) Snack 1 serving (3 cookies) All Bran rolled fiber wafers (not bad for fiber supplement. 130cal, 10g Fiber, 8g sugar. Supposed to be like Pirouline cookies. They kind of miss on that front but not bad if you don't try to compare to the real thing. Snack #2 sf fudge pop, too much late night snacking!

I am in the Atlanta, Georgia area. I've seen True Results in Atlanta and at this point plan to do my surgery through them. They originally wanted to send me to their Dallas facility to have Dr. Benevides do my surgery because I have a high BMI (62.5). They even made it attractive to go to Dallas. They said they would pay for the flight and hotel. My insurance covers the surgery. They didn't even have supervised weight loss visit requirements. I have the insurance approval and have done all of the tests, cardiac, sleep study, chest x-ray, etc. My surgery was supposed to be in early October. I had even started the pre-op diet. Then I get a call from TR today. They said that they are no longer sending people to Dallas and I'd have to have my surgery here with Dr. Hart. The catch? Dr. Hart wants me to lose 30lbs before he'll perform the surgery. He also wanted me to have an upper GI to see if I have a hiatal hernia that he would fix during the surgery, which is fine. Having to lose 30lbs in itself isn't a big deal. I've done that many times. Obviously I can't lose 30lbs by early October unless I amputated a limb. I was anxious to have the surgery this year because I've already met my insurance deductible and it would mean less out of pocket. Although even that isn't cause for much more than annoyance. Then a co-worker told me later today that our company is changing insurance carriers. I don't yet know who the carrier is and I can't count on them covering the surgery. So the urgency to have it this year is even greater. Even if they did cover the surgery, they might not have the loose requirements that my current insurance has. I didn't even have to go to weight loss visits. The way I see it I'd need to lose the 30lbs by the beginning of December because I imagine the doctor takes some time off over the holidays. That gives me a little over 2 months, or about 9 weeks. That's approximately 3.5lbs per week. Yes, it's definitely possible to lose weight that quickly but is it possible to do it safely? I gathered that the idea of losing 30lbs was to get me in better shape for the surgery, not in worse shape. I like True Results and appreciate the fact that Lapbands is all they do. I picked them because they seemed like the best qualified for the surgery and the after-care. However, now that they are delaying things and I have the pending insurance change, I feel like I should at least investigate other options. I would not consider RNY. I'd like to have a baby one day and I simply don't like the idea of rerouting things. My issue isn't with the type of food I eat as much as it is with the quantity. I overeat lots of organic healthy foods....lol. I really think the lapband would be perfect for somebody like me. Does anybody know a doctor in Atlanta that isn't afraid of higher BMI patients? I appreciate any input or advice. Sorry for venting so much. I am just extremely frustrated and anxious.