mindwing

It took me a few months to start losing. I had to change doctors to get a fill. as the surgery doctor said I didn't need fills. He said most of his patients lost just fine without them. ???? Not me. But once I got my fills, I started losing. This is the time to train your body to eat right so when you are healed you can lose.

I understand every body is different. I'm sorry it came across as judgemental. I percieved your post as judgemental, and reacted to that. I 'm sorry if I misinterpreted your post. I totally agree that there are many ways if eating and each body is different. I'm glad you found your way. But it seemed you were putting down my way of eating. There are a lot of variations on Keto now, and some of them are strange. But the main definition of keto is to lower your ketones by giving up carbs. Usually, those carbs are replaced by fat--i.e. cream instead of milk, cooking in a healthy fat instead of just using a nonstick spray, etc.. Some of the ways I hear about keto seem gimmicky, but, (as you said, and I agree,) every body is different. The main thing many people don't realize is that keto is a lifestyle, not just a diet to go on and quit when you reach your goal. Unfortunately, it is hard to make it a lifestyle with so many delicious carbs out there, tempting you--sigh. But it is the only diet that works for me long term, even if I fall off often. One benefit for me is that I never developed diabetes, even though my weight went up (gained a lot of weight due to medications).

I've tried many braneds. After cancer I was more sensitive to odd tastes in the protein powder. The best one I've tasted is BSN Synthra Edge. Make sure it says edge. Regular synthra has sugar, and I accidentally bought the sugared one, and couldn't taste the difference.

I don't know who told you to eat bacon all day--that's not how keto works. I eat over 4 cups of green veggies every day, I know of other keto dieters who eat more, but the lapband means I can't eat large amounts of food. Breakfast is usually a protein drink, made with 1/3 cream, 2/3 water plus my protein powder. Lunch may be a salad or a low carb veggie, and I might have a piece or two of bacon or a boiled egg in it for added protein and satiety. Dinner is a protein dish (always has veggies mixed with the meat,) and a side of veggies. I sometimes have one or two "fat bombs" which is a fancy way of saying sugar free candy in a bite sized serving--and I mean small bites. Yes, there is a deficit, but when I'm on keto, I don't crave sweets or carbs. I am not tempted by my husbands high carbohydrate foods. It isn't a gimmick. There's lots of science behind why it works and how to do it properly. It isn't for everyone, but please don't look down on those of us it helps. Also, many people are sick the first week or so of the diet. Changing from burning carbohydrates to burning fat sometimes takes a bit ot time. But it does pass. It is called the "keto flu"

I live in a small town and milk is fine for me. I sometimes mix it with cream to lower the carbs a bit. I think the only thing we can do is stick to it. If one thing in the keto diet doesn't work, I try another. We have a choice, find a way that works to lose the weight, or give up and never find success. There are a lot of excuses out there, and I've used them--too busy, too broke, too tired, My disability has taken everything else from me, I'm not giving up this. But they were excuses. Unfortunately, losing weight has never helped me feel better. I might have lost it sooner if it did. I feel the same, no matter what. I understand that isn't normal. And at my age and health, I just get feeling worse as time goes by. At least I know I'm not getting worse as fast as I could.

I live in Clearlake. It's too bad you live so far away. I'd love to have you come by and taste my protein drinks. I imagine you talked to Dr. Hanna. There are two doctors in Ukiah, and when I had an emergency with my band, he wasn't able to help me, though he tried very hard several times. I had to stay in the hospital for three days, and when Dr. Hanna came in, it took him ten minutes to solve the problem. But, there isn't a lot of support there. I will say, I've tried several protein powders. I actually gave away several after only one drink. I wouldn't use the ones available in stores like walmart. I buy mine online. I haven't tried the ones available on this site, they might be tasty.

I'm very sedentary due to physical problems and living in or near ketosis makes a big difference in my life. I feel better and have lots fewer food cravings. I've lost 160 pounds with the lapband, and have about 100 more to go. Because of my physical weakness, I can't do much cooking. If I wasn't careful, I would buy cookies, crackers, candy and ice cream to fill my belly. Ready made food is so much easier. Here is my basic meal plan.Right now I am limiting my carb intake to about 50 carbs a day. For Breakfast I have a protein shake made with milk. (I have vanilla, chocolate, strawberry,cookies and cream and cinnamon bun flavored protein). Lunch time is a hearty salad--lots of greens, cucumber, bell pepper, mushrooms, avocado, and occasionally artichoke hearts. I often add some cheese. I use a low carb dressing. For dinner, I have a source of protein--chicken, hamburger,eggs or something similar. I often mix it with veggies, like adding onion, celery, pickles and garlic to make a chicken salad, or cooking it with onions,garlic, mushrooms, peppers, squash, tomatoes or eggplant. With my protein dish, I have a cooked vegetable--often cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, or artichoke hearts with cheese. If I get hungry later in the evening, I will have another protein shake or I will whip up 1/2 cup of cream, and when it gets soft peaks, I add a scoop of protein powder and mix it in. That sometimes puts me just over my limit, but not enough to cause a problem. I lived this way for five years, and lost most of my weight in those years. I suddenly lost control, craving sweets like they would be removed from the planet tomorrow. I believe this is when my cancer was growing fast, but didn't realize I had it. Once the surgery removed my cancer, it took a while to get back to eating right, but I wasn't to lose weight because of the chemo. Now I am once again living the low carb life, and I like how I feel

Back before the band, I started doing weight training. I was serious about it and planned on entering a contest. I worked at it hard for 18 months. I didn't have time or energy to do both when I started. But as I built muscle, I began feeling better, moving better and just getting active. Unfortunately, I didn't lose weight. But I figured 350 pounds of muscle would look better than 350 pounds of fat. That was true. My body shrank and soon I was wearing hand-me-downs from a woman 100 pounds less than me. I was running up and down stairs just for fun. My doctor friend said I was going to be the healthiest fat person in town. Unfortunately, the story has a sad ending. I contracted Epstein Barr, which progressed into Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, soon to be joined by Fibromyalgia. I got sicker by the day until I thought I would die. I put on 100 pounds during this time. Eventually, I became stronger. Fast forward to now, I have tried and tried to get back to weight training, with no success. But the attempts have kept my core strong. I've gone through breast cancer with both chemo and radiation, and a stroke. Because I had lapband surgery, I now weigh 280, and hope to lose 30 - 50 more pounds. I'm still huge, but I've lost 160 pounds. Once again, I am too weak from the stroke to do carsio, but I am trying to do a bit of weightlifting. I'm starting slowly, and I know If I keep it up, the cardio will follow, just like it did before. Once the muscle is built, it is just so much fun to use it.

Long before I got my band, I had a similar problem. My belly would swell and I had to belch for almost an hour for it to go away. Turns out it was a problem with my gall bladder. I thought it was nothing serious, but after a few years, other symptoms cropped up and I ended up getting my gall bladder removed. So, if you have this problem and still have your gall bladder, you might want to get it checked, just to be safe. It might not be a band problem.

My DR is in Ukiah. I was wrong when I said there was nothing wrong with my band. When I came out of the anesthesia, they said my band was okay. But when I went to the Dr, he said it has definitely slipped, and it cannot be filled again. (sob!!). So I will be managing the next 6 months with no fill. It will be a lot harder to lose that way. There have been times when it seemed the band wouldn't let much through for weeks at a time, It really scared my husband when I urped up half my meal because a piece got stuck. My solution was to chop everything very small and drink a protein drink every day. Even with the food chopped small, sometimes a bit would get stuck. I think it was also related to how fast I ate because there were times I seemed to get stuck even on water. Each bite I swallowed took a bit of air, and that air can build up. I learned the air would keep the food out of my pouch and bring it up when it came up. I kept sandwich sized bags with a zipper lock in my purse and on my computer table all the time to deal with the guck. I live in Lake County, where are you? Protein drinks are a delicate subject, and some people can get very emotional about them. But I love them. Right now my taste buds have changed because of the cancer treatments and the only brand I can drink is BSN. I always pick the sugar free ones, and make them with milk, mostly. Every few days I add 1/2 banana and maybe some strawberries or blueberries, or kiwi. I also add ice and blend it into a lovely milk shake--or more ice and get great ice cream. (My kids loved it, and always ate it in the morning so they could tell the other kids I let them have ice cream for breakfast.) Nowadays, I live alone with my husband and can barely hobble into the kitchen because of arthritis. So I pour some milk in a shaker cup with a scoop of protein powder (I have 5 flavors) and maybe a tablespoon or so of DaVinci sugar free syrup (I have seven flavors). It has to be shaken immediately, or it will be lumpy. Then I have a breakfast to go, or not. The rest of my day's eating is a large salad for lunch, and meat and a veggie for dinner. If I am still hungry at night, I make another protein drink. When I get ready to lose weight, I will probably have half water/half milk in the drink, and will likely have only one drink a day. As long as I keep my carb intake fairly low, that is enough. But if it goes too high I will crave candy, cookies, and crackers by the box. I am sedentary, so I can't eat much. But my appetite thinks I'm a marathon runner. I tried low carb dieting before the band with limited success. Now I have become so sick and sedentary I have to live low carb just to keep from gaining. The joy of living low carb means I can have a splurge now and then--a low carb splurge. Bacon, a cocktail sausage dipped in cheese sauce, cheese on my salad, an avocado-- all these high calorie foods can be eaten to get me through a rough day. If you are having trouble keeping things down, I would suggest you live on protein drinks and soups for a few weeks. The liquid diet will let your band rest. My favorite protein powders through the years have been EAS Whey (Pure whey with stevia for sweetening) and Syntrax Matrix (one of the best tasting and lots of flavors,) and of course, BSN Syntha 6 Edge.😉 Good luck. Are you on facebook?

Sophrosyne, I agree with your method of eating. That is the only way I can lose weight. Fortunately, there are many recipes available online for low carb. I use several of the Atkins diet sauces to 'grease the meat' so it goes through the band properly. And the vegetable recipes are great. Of course, my favorites are the sweets. I make a wonderful ice cream with my vitamix. I take a cup of liquid (usually milk or cream, but sometimes yogurt) add a scoop of protein powder and sometimes an ounce of DaVinci sugar free syrup. Then I add a few cups of ice and blend. If you don't have a powerful blender, use less ice and have a milkshake. That recipe has saved me through many a problem with the band, but I used to make them before the band. My child loved drinking these for breakfast. A milkshake with the protein of a steak.

I find it interesting that those on this thread that are so confident that the lapband will work again and will continue to work are those that have had the band for the shortest amount of time. I disagree. I've had my lapband for ten years, and it has worked great--that is to say, I have learned to work the band. I haven't made my healthy weight yet, but I am a lot smaller than I was. It took me a while to learn to work the band. Eating small amounts of food chopped into tiny bites took a while--unless I was foolish enough to eat too much and ended up tossing my meal. I went through several episodes where I went for days with a swollen, sensitive band. I cheated sometimes, but when I went through spells where I couldn't eat solids, I managed a protein powder drink instead of going for ice cream. Oooh, do I love crackers and cookies. But working the band meant saying no to those treats most of the time. I've had my cheat months, and even cheat years when I went through cancer. But I always returned to proper eating--just like my first weeks with the band. Now I am at the time in my band life where it is likely to cause trouble. I just had an MRI and endoscopy over the last several months, and my band is fine. Want to get some fill in it and start losing again. But in late spring I will have the band replaced with a sleeve. I think it is good I had the band first. It taught me what I need to know to lose weight.

I AM NOT MY SIZE, I really believe you can do it, but it might take time. I hope you can let go of your bad doctor experience. Believe me, being as enormous as I became, I met some doozys. Recently I had to get a new doctor, who mentioned I was "fluffy." I told her I wasn't fluffy, I was fat. But I had lost 140 pounds. I once was the size of small shed and now I'm only the size of a young elephant (who are 200 pounds at birth). One doctor at ER had trouble seeing past the weight several months ago after my stroke. (Yes, I have really gone through a lot.) and another doctor that saw me during the stroke, apparently didn't believe in Fibromyalgia, because he took me off my Lyrica. I'm learning to train them or reject them. And I'd let go of my anger, If a doctor is a cow's anus with his patients, he's bound to be worse at home. And that hurts him more than it hurts us. If you can go back and start back at the beginning and stay very disciplined in following the rules, I'm sure you will find what works for you. Be sure to make sure you get enough sleep. Feel free to write me if you have a question.

You haven't made an update so I am hoping you got things under control. I recently had to have my band checked out--three doctors were certain my stomach problems were caused by the band. They gave me an MRI. and sent me to my lapband doctor. I had to have an endoscopy. My lapband doctor said he had to do it because only a bariatric doctor with band experience knew exactly what to look for. Had it yesterday, and there is nothing wrong my band. So it looks like you need to find a lapband doctor near you who will take you as a patient. I'm in N CA and the only lapband doctors I know about are in Ukiah and Sacramento. There are probably a few in the Bay area, but I am north of that.

I have a lapband, but I understand your pain. I want to tell you, failing to lose has many causes--I know, I lived on less than 1000 calories a day for years and never lost an ounce. My lapband didn't help me lose much and my first doctor wouldn't give me a fill. So I found another who did. I am practically wheelchair bound (can only hobble around the house). So I started to lose--slowly. the big help was I didn't regain what I lost. One thing I've never heard a doctor explain to me is that excessive hunger can be giving you a message. So many diets I went on ended with me lying in bed, weak and starving within weeks. What I didn't realize was that my body was telling me those diets weren't nutritionally what I needed. I've tried low fat-high fiber, low calorie, vegetarian, all raw salads, lot's of nuts, praying the weight away, self-hypnosis, bodybuilding, lots of exercise...you get the idea. All of them failed because I wasn't listening to my body. When I got so hungry I would eat nails if there was ketchup to put on them, my body was telling me I was on the wrong diet. This isn't a normal,"Gee, that looks tasty." But was more like a weak pathetic cry from my bed that I was dying and had to eat. I kept experimenting and discovered a ketogenic diet helped, but I gained everything back quickly. As I worked with the keto diet, I learned I wasn't drinking enough water, and I wasn't sleeping enough. But the high protein with lots of greens was definitely a better choice than the others. Then I got the lapband, and the slow weight loss with no restriction was discouraging. But it was a tool. And once I got restriction, I used that tool. I mostly stayed on the ketogenic diet. Lots of protein was just a necessity for me. The fat I ate made the diet more enjoyable. The lapband made me eat small bites, or I spent days puking. If I got sick, I had to reduce what I ate because sickness caused my stomach to swell, and I puked. Over the last ten years I've lived on the ketogenic diet, except for two years when I lost control, (I gained 50 pounds and found I had cancer. I believe the sugar cravings after being in control so long were a result of the cancer.) Back in control, and the 50 pounds went away. I've managed to lose 160 pounds. Not a large amount, and I still have over 100 pounds to go. But I am happy not to be the woman I was. I don't know if the ketogenic diet will help you, but I'm sharing my experience to show you have to experiment to find the right diet. And you have to sleep enough to lose weight. So, get the junk out of your house--the chips, crackers, cake mixes, candy, soda, snack food, juices (fruit juice is just liquid sugar water with a few minerals, eat whole fruit instead), and the alcohol (You can go back to 1 drink a day after you've lost weight). And start the eating pattern you feel best on. Just practice eating a healthy diet for a bit. Don't eat much at a time and keep any easy to snack on food (like grapes or nuts) in the refrigerator. Then start working your tool. go longer between small meals, see what happens when you delete starches, or what foods change how you feel. I had to stop vegetarian because beans make me uncontrollably hungry(love those beans, yumm, yumm). Your body is unique, and just because you haven't found what works for you doesn't mean you're a failure. It just means you haven't found the balance of diet, sleep and exercise that works for you. The important thing is NEVER GIVE UP. After 10 years with the band, I'm revising to a sleeve this spring. I love my band, but there is evidence it doesn't do well after 10 years or so. I feel I will do even better on the sleeve.

I am one who disappeared. I lived on this site for several months in 2008 (when I got my band. I actually lived here for over several months before, learning what I had to do and getting new habits in place. Stopping soda was hard. Going completely sugar free was harder. By the time I had the surgery done, I was already eating like a bandster. I think I stayed active on the site for a year or so after that. I wasn't an ideal lapband candidate because I spent so much time in a wheelchair due to Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Weight loss was slow, but after the first year I found a doctor locally who gave me fills. Did the lapband force me to lose weight?-- no. But it kept me from regaining much. That was fine with me. I'd dieted and lost weight hundreds of times, but it always came back with more. So I lived a low carbohydrate life-- green veggies, an occasional tiny slice of melon or bowl of berries, protein powder smoothies and meat and eggs. I could only lose weight if I went below 1000 calories, and I did that a few weeks at a time. I tried many exercise programs, but my health prevented most of them, so my weight loss was slow. Sometimes I cheated and ate normally, and gained a few pounds. But mostly, the weight loss held. Fast forward to now. I have lost 160 pounds, and have 100 more I should lose. But my band has slipped and I can't have fills until it is checked. Tomorrow I go in for the endoscopy. I've read a lot of stories about how problems can develop after 8-10 years. And I am there. So I have decided to opt for the sleeve. My doctor says I need to wait until spring because I had a stroke, and he wants my body to recover. I hear there isn't the problem of being stuck. I feel I will have to be careful not to make my stomach stretch, but that was a consideration with the band also. I'm already used to chew, chew, chew, and having my food cut into tiny pieces. I know that hobbling helps food go down (I can't walk right anymore) The band has been good to me and I've developed good habits. I think it might be easier to lose weight with the sleeve. My doctor actually wanted me to have a sleeve ten years ago, but insurance wouldn't cover it. I hope they don't have to remove the band early and let my body heal before switching to the sleeve. But if they do, I hope my good habits will keep me from regaining much. I can't encourage people enough, early in their band journey they need to follow the rules and make them habit. I was told by my doctor to cut everything the size of a pencil eraser. I still make mistakes and get stuck, but it always goes down. The only time the band swelled completely shut was during cancer treatment, the week before I started chemo. I had an appointment to get the band emptied, but it swelled shut 4 days before. Couldn't even swallow my saliva. Something everyone should know--when you get sick, the band swells. be it the flu or cancer, the stress from your body will cause the band to swell. Sometimes, food getting stuck was the first symptom I'd notice. So if you get sick, eat more liquid food--smoothies, soups, and drinks allowed on your diet plan. I make my smoothies with milk/cream, a carrot (not exactly okay on low carb, but I can get away with it) protein powder, and maybe a leaf of chard. I never could stomach a green smoothie, but a dab of greens in the smoothies is not noticeable. So I'll haunt the place for a bit and disappear again. For me, the lapband has been a good experience.

Hi Armartin, I have had the lapband for ten years, and am having it switched to a sleeve. The lapband resolved my GERD-- I had a small hiatal hernia and they corrected that when they put in the lapband. I imagine they would also do that for the sleeve. Sorry about the insurance issues. But I had to go through a 4 month prep and they almost flunked me on the psychology test. I had to lose 10% of my weight, to prove the weight would go down with calorie restriction. Not all people can lose weight well with diet and exercise. One reason I'm glad to get the sleeve is I can't manage travelling to see a specific doctor every two months. Lapband doctors and hospitals that deal with lapbands are few and far between here in N CA.

unfortunately, there is no one answer to losing weight. I have had my band for ten years, and have s-l-o-w-l-y lost weight(160 pounds). I'm almost wheelchair bound, and exercise is difficult. But my band still works if I work at it. You don't need to go on a diet, but change your way of eating. Some people do well on a low calorie diet, others on a low carbohydrate diet. For me it is low carb. I wonder if you have time to plan menus and always have proper food available. Have you been able to empty your house of foods that tempt you to overeat? I've noticed I always blow it if certain foods are in the house. My husband is the opposite of me and thrives on healthy, high carb food. So I am careful what I allow in the house. His high carb foods have to be cooked, which helps me not to cheat. I don't allow sweets, and we have few processed foods. I once gained 50 lbs in a month, and the doctor told me it was impossible. Later, I read of a study done on a tribe of Indians that live near the Mexican border. They tend to put on a lot of weight on few calories. They can also gain a lot of weight in a month, but the researchers learned they weren't overeating when the weight gain happened, but over the next few months their eating increased to maintain the weight. What I'm saying is there are weird genetic factors that influence how you gain or lose weight. And the band requires work. Before you condemn yourself, ask if you've really had the time or energy to make up menus, keep your kitchen free of tempting foods, and keep a food diary. Also, are you getting enough sleep. I had so many diet failures because I tried to live on 6 hours of sleep a day, or cut my calories too low. I'd recommend you get your family on a healthy diet and work on your eating plan from there. I agree, luck is not an issue. But if you really want to lose weight, keep trying until you find a way that works. I've known of bypass patients who lost a lot of weight the first year, and gained it right back. Others lost weigh and kept it off. The main difference is that the ones who kept it off took the time to learn what and when to eat and never stopped following the rules. No shortcuts, no "this is probably close enough", but follow the rules as closely as you possibly can. But because we are all different, you need to pay attention to what helps you lose weight and what makes you want to cheat. Maybe the rules say sweet potatoes are okay, but you find yourself grazing in the kitchen every time you eat them. Then sweet potatoes are a no no for you. For me it is beans--beautiful, delicious, healthy beans. But they cause me to crave more and more and I will eat until I am ready to burst, and try to eat more. Find What Works. Look at what you've been doing and start making changes. What did you do the first year that you aren't doing now? start making choices, and if they don't work, make other choices. I was a horrible candidate for a lapband, and the doctor apologized to me, because he doubted I had what it took to make it work. almost housebound, using a wheelchair, to sick to cook food for more than 5-10 minutes a day, too weak to do much of anything. I am losing slowly, and had to stop trying to lose weight for a couple of years due to cancer (and gained 50 pounds, but lost it again). But losing 160 pounds is an accomplishment, and I'm planning on going on a strict diet and losing 50 more pounds over the next few months. The lapband has been a great tool. But that's all it is, a tool that I have to work.

1. What made you choose the Lap Band over the Sleeve? My doctor wanted to do the sleeve, but 10 years ago my insurance wouldn't cover it. The bypass was a no, no because some reports indicated it could have adverse effects on Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. 2. Have you had Hair loss with the Lap Band? No. Plenty of hair loss with chemo, but not with the band. 3. What can you absolutely NOT eat now with the Lap Band? Bread is a big problem. So is any solid meat, like steak or chops unless the meat is cut tiny (pencil erasure size) AND has a sauce to help it go down. Rice and pasta are iffy. 4. At what point did you know you made the right decision with the Lap Band surgery? When I realized I didn't regain the weight. I have to go to extremes to lose weight--Atkins below 1000 calories a day. If I do it right, I lose a lot of weight fast. But if I go to say 1100 calories a day, the scale doesn't move. When I lose, I lose fast, but can only keep it up a short time. So my weight loss has been s-l-o-w and intermittent. But I don't gain it back easily Over the last ten years I've lost 160 pounds. I did have a regain, after cancer treatments, of 50 pounds (I wasn't paying much attention to what I ate then) However, the weight came off over the next few months. I still have 100 pounds to go. 5. What as been the best tool you've used in keeping your weight loss progressing? Following the bandster rules. Eat small amounts of food, cut very tiny. No drinks with meals. Watch your body for a sign it's full, then STOP eating. For me it is a small belch. Always have a sauce for your meat. Be very careful with eggs or hot dogs. If you aren't paying attention you could get stuck. Keep forbidden foods out of your kitchen if possible. (Not possible with me, but...) If you have a gain, go right back to what you did at the beginning. For me, I eat a ketogenic diet, tightening it and loosening it. I do allow myself 5 cheat times a year. Christmas, Easter, my birthday, and two other holidays. When I see an ice cream flavor or a candy bar, or something I know I can't have, I tell myself I will have it at the next cheat day. It is important to keep that promise to yourself. If I had been given a choice, I would have taken the sleeve. But I have learned a new way of eating with the band, and I believe it will help me with the sleeve.

I have a policy--eat food as close to what it is found in nature as possible. So meat, veggies, fruit and most dairy is fine. Processed food of any kind is a big caution flag--or maybe a red one. I eat protein first, of course, then veggies, then maybe fruit. That said, our garden has been producing lots of fruit and I have heartily enjoyed it all summer. I have practically no fill because of health issues, and the fruits trigger my other carb cravings and I have been inhaling chocolate like there is no tomorrow. I have gained 30 lbs. So the sooner I get the fruit and grains out of my diet, the better for me. I don't know so many people think low carb means no veggies. I eat my meat first, then veggies. Or I make eggs with veggies or meat and veggie stir frys. I probable eat more veggies than the average American--not than vegans , of course.

Diet pizza!! I take a beefsteak type tomato and slice it thick. Set it on an oven tray (for my toaster oven) and top it with cheese, a bit of pepperoni cut small, and a few mushroom and olive slices. Toast it in the oven until the cheese melts. A bit messy, but very yummy. I understand the slippery slope. For me it is fruit or any grain. The desserts only work for me if my carbs are very low or else they become a slippery slope also. That said, I do love summer and all the fruit. Don't lose any weight--actually, I gain. But the fruits are so yummy. I make low to no-sugar-added fruit rollups. Now the fruit in our yard is about gone, so am putting up tomatoes, freezing peppers and dehydrating shredded zucchini. The shredded zucchini makes great zucchini bread. Yes, I know it has grain, but my husband loves it. It is time to go back to low carb and lots of Protein for me. I need to lose about 100 more pounds, which doesn’t sound so overwhelming as it did before I’d lost over 150 lbs. It won’t be as easy as the first 150 lbs., but it will happen.

I just had a pannelectomy last month. My pannus kept me from walking. It hung to an inch below my knees and had a large ball of fat at the bottom. The more weight I lost, the longer it grew. It had already stretched the skin so my scar was over an inch below my port--and the port was above the incision when I had surgery. I lost 130 lbs before the pannelectomy, and it was two years past my surgery date. I have read that they don't like to do it until at least one year past the original surgery, no matter how much weight you lose because there are serious problems. The doctor removed 27 lbs. I developed a serious kidney infection after because I had such severe diarrhea that by the time I got it cleaned up, the germs were already to my bladder. The antibiotics hid the symptoms, but didn't kill the infection. My advice to anyone who gets any symptom of a bladder infection is to go to their GP. The surgeon is a wonderful man, but the GP is more familiar with you and deals with bladder infections all the time. I wish I had done it. :ph34r: I have lost twenty pounds in the month since the surgery, mostly because I couldn't eat. My doctor unfilled my band, he said for at least two months. I will decide then if I want more liquid in it. I've eaten a few things I shouldn't, but am mostly eating like I did before. I am really pushing the protein. The doctor in the hospital says I need to eat 134 gms a day to properly heal the surgery. By the time I get that much down with a few veggies, I am stuffed. I can walk a bit more, and expect to walk more as time goes by. It is great to get out of the wheelchair part of the day. Being able to move around will make it easier to lose the next 75 lbs. I will be at 180 lbs then, which is my first goal. Mindwing

Finding what works for you is important. Being happy with your eating plan is good. It makes it easier to stick to it during those inevitable plateaus we run into. Sounds like you have found a winning solution.

Every body is different. Some people do well with lots of healthy carbs, others don't. I had the lapband almost two years ago because I couldn't lose the weight and keep it off. I understood I would have to have a diet of some sort because the lapband doesn't make people lose weight like the gastric bypass does. I am in a wheelchair and have chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, so I have a few challenges. I can't get up and exercise like most people. So I have to keep my calories around 1000 and my carbs around 30. (not total carbs, I get to subtract Fiber from the total carbs.) I eat tons of veggies, but very little fruit. There are lots of healthy foods I love (like Beans and fruits) that I can't eat until I lose another 50 pounds. When I have pizza, I just eat the toppings and leave the crust. When I have a burger, I give my bun to my dog and just eat the insides. Every two months, I have fun eating. I eat whatever I've been craving--ice cream, chips, french fries, Cookies, granola bars. For one week I indulge. Then I go back to low carbing it. That makes it easier to resist cravings. If I really want something, I just tell myself I will have it for Chritmas, or Easter. I know I will have to eat low carb the rest of my life--not as low carb as now, maybe controlled carb is a better way to phrase it. But before, I couldn't lose weight and keep it off at all. With the band, the low carb way of eating is getting me to goal weight. mindwing

When I eat carbs, I start craving them like crazy. The only way to stop the craving is to go very low carb for three days. Once the excess sugar in the liver burns up, the cravings leave. For pre-op patients, I read that low carb eating helps shrink the liver, which makes surgery easier. Wish I could remember where I read that. minding