mindwing

I like a Muffin in a Minute for a change some mornings. Muffin in a minute 1/4 Cup Flaxseed Meal 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon Splenda (optional) 1 tablespoon butter 1 egg Mix everything together in a coffee cup. Cook for one minute in the microwave. Turn the cup upside down to take the muffin out. If it looks wet, let it sit for a minute or so. I have these for breakfast. You can add blueberries, or try other additions. Some people add a tablespoon of cream cheese before cooking. Calories 215 Fat 9 gram Protein 12 gram Carbs 9 grams Fiber 8 grams Sugars 0 grams Frosted Cinnamon Icing 1 TB Ground Cinnamon 1/3 cup Splenda 1/2 pk (4 oz) softened cream cheese Mix ingredients by spoon until well mixed. Spread on top of flax muffins (works well with the many different varities) if you grind your own flax seed, it takes 2 Tbl of unground to make the 1/4c. of ground. I like to add a scoop of Protein Powder and two tablespoons of DaVinci SF syrup before I bake. some people add a tbsp of pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, or 1/3 of a banana mashed, or ginger. The possibilities are endless. I never get bored. Mindwing

Also, be sure to drink lots of Water while low carbing it. You won't lose much if you don't drink enough. Mindwing

Any weight lost by low carb dieting quickly comes back when you return to high carb eating. That said, low carb eating is a great way to lose and maintain weight. If you decide to go low carb, don't jump back to normal eating. Dr. Atkins is very clear about this in his books. Add carbs gradually back into your diet until you start to gain, then cut back just a bit. That is the carb level your body does well at. If you stay at or below that level, you won't gain your weight back. mindwing

This web site has tons of great recipes http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/ Explore it--you won't get bored.

Spent a day on the low carb recipe sites and found oodles of recipes I want to try. Here is a recipe you might like. Low Carb Pumpkin cheese Cake Introduction Oh My Gosh Is This Good Minutes to Prepare: 15 Minutes to Cook: 55 Number of Servings: 8 Ingredients 16 oz cream cheese 6 eggs 1/2 cup sugar free maple syrup 1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin 3/8 tsp Stevia extract powder 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg Directions Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a mixer and blend until smooth. Pour into a deep dish pie pan that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Bake for 50 - 55 minuts or until center is set. Remove from oven. let cool then chill completely. You may serve with whipped cream but be sure to adjust nutrients Number of Servings: 8 Nutritional Info Servings Per Recipe: 8 Amount Per Serving Calories: 267.8 Total Fat: 23.6 g Cholesterol: 221.7 mg Sodium: 246.7 mg Total Carbs: 5.7 g Dietary Fiber: 1.1 g Protein: 9.3 g mndwing

I have lost over 100 lbs, and all my tops are way too big, as in indecently big. But my pannus is so huge that I am still in the same size pants. Actually, I am losing weight in the top of the pannus, so it hangs lower each month. If I sit (which I do always because I am in a wheelchair) the pannus peeks out from under my floor length skirt. It almost reaches my ankles. Money is extremely tight, so buying new clothes as I lose weight isn't possible. As it is, I sew my clothes to save money. My solution--I use the pants I have worn for years to cover the pannus. This summer I cut them into shorts because it is too hot for long pants under a skirt. Wearing the pants alone isn't an option because the pannus is so large. When I am standing, it hangs below my knees. I have some very hard fat at the bottom that refuses to melt, so the bottom of it is huge. I made simple floor length skirts--elastic in a sleeve at the top. As I lose weight, I need to cut some of the fullness out of them or they will get caught in my wheelchair. I've already cut a foot out, and need to cut out another 6 inches in the next month. Blouses were the big problem. Then my 90 lb neightbor showed me a dress she wears that she thought would be perfect for me. I thought "yeah, right!" but checked it out anyway. It is perfect. It is simply a piece of material folded over with a hole cut out for the head, and sewed up on the sides right by the outer edges. I use 45" material, so it covers my batwings. I used a zigzag stitch around the neckline and hemmed the bottom. The side seams are 3" from the sides of the material. It looks great on me, and I know it will be just fine as I shrink--The sleeves will get longer, but no seams to make it look too big. When I lose enough weight, I will sew another seam up the sides 2 inches in from the first. I only buy 2 yards of material for each blouse, so it is a blouse instead of a dress. That just leaves a chest binder--those things are so expensive. I sew seams in my old ones to take them in, and use one of those plastic things that hook the two straps together in the middle to make it fit tighter. I will still have to get a new one, but I figure the plastic strap holder will give me an extra month or two. The good news for me is that they won't make me wait until I am at goal to remove the pannus. When I lose another 50 lbs. they will take it off. I figure I should lose about 30 pounds from that surgery. I can hardly wait because I can't drive or walk or do anything active until it is gone. mindwing

I mix the shots with water--one shot with three tubes of Water and pour over ice. not the greatest, but it helps. Watch out on the sugar free candies. Some people get diarrhea from them-ick!! Foul smelling gas, too. I add Davinci sugar free syrups to my shakes, and it helps. Also, buying Atkins shakes or EAS advantage helps. Mindwing

I gained ten pounds with my surgery. Apparently, the liquid diet they put you on before surgery causes you to be dehydrated, so by the time they pumped me full of liquid and operated, I was a full ten pounds heavier. I was horrified. But I kept telling myself this was a time for healing, not for weight loss. Your body has a lot to adjust to. I've had a lot of challenges, but I eventually began losing (only after getting fills) and have already lost over 100 lbs. since I started. I had dreams of being the fastest loser ever, and I ended up being the slowest, but it was all worth it. Relax and heal. If you are like me, you will have to 'diet' to lose weight, but the band makes it much easier. mindwing

I felt like a failure my first year after getting the band because my doctor didn't believe in giving fills. I only lost 5 lbs.during the whole year. Now that I have changed doctors and have a good fill, I am losing weight. I have always felt the lapband is a tool, and I have to work at losing weight. So I am careful to eat only Protein and vegetables. I find the more carbs I eat, the more out of control my eating is. I don't worry about fat, since a large amount of fat in the diet comes from processed foods, and I avoid them. I do eat Atkins bars: and I drink shakes, either Atkins or EAS Advantage--They are a great low carb meal when I am busy. When I have time to cook, I take 2-3 ounces of chopped meat or fish fillets and cook them with vegetables (onions, celery, peppers, chard, sorrel, or tomatoes) Sometimes I make a gourmet frittatta- sliced mushrooms, onions and tomatoe with two eggs and an ounce of cheese. Of course, most of the time I can only eat half of the frittatta at a time. I average between 800 and 1100 calories a day. Chewing my food to goo is a large challenge because I have very few teeth, so most food is pre-chopped, giving it a mushy texture. I avoid anything with sugar, and avoid most fruits (except for berries and melons). Eating Beans is a no-no for me on such a low calorie diet. I can hardly wait until I lose enough weight to be able to add them back. It should be noted that when you first remove carbs from your diet, you are overly hungry for three to four days. Then the appetite slows. I eat small Snacks of meat, fish or cheese during that time--or drink shakes. I don't worry about calories or weight loss at first because I know my body is adjusting to the new eating pattern. Eating the vegetables is critical, because a meat only diet constipates you. I get a lot of recipes from the low carb group on yahoo and the atkins site. But often I just mix the meat and whatever vegetables I have on hand. The good thing about eating this way is that it reduces the fat in your liver. A fatty liver causes you to crave food and put on fat according to recent studies. I plan a few free days every other month when I eat ice cream, sugar free candy(good to clean out the system) and snack crackers. I gobble down fruit, and have mashed potatoes and gravy. Real homemade whipped cream (no sugar, just sugar free daVinci syrups), sugar free hot cocoa. I don't eat enough to have a PB, but I eat small amounts and really enjoy. It makes it easier to stick to the strict eating pattern if I know I get a break every now and them. mindwing

Falcon, You may be one of the lucky ones that don't have to do a pre-op diet. Michele, I haven't been banded yet- havent even seen the surgeon. But my doctor does demand a 6 month supervised diet. (Only 1 doctoer in 200 miles takes my insurance.) So I decided to spend one week each month on just liquids so it won't be a big deal when I had to do it. First thing-- drink something nourishing every two hours, I had broth or tomato Soup or a Protein shake. By having "meals" so often, the body doesn't have a lot of time to get hungry. I didn't make it the whole week. I got so hungry I just had to eat something. So one day I ate shrimp, another I ate two rolls of string cheese. Since they were pure protein, they didn't affect the weight and Water loss. I didn't think of SF Jello, pudding or popsicles. They might make it so I can go the whole week without cheating. I mostly did Protein drinks, broth and soup. Plus I drank 3-4 quarts of water a day. Drinking water when I felt hungry helped a lot. mindwing

My doctor said they wanted details on the past three years of dieting. The paperwork I filled out wanted info on the last three diets. Further back, just use your memory unless you happen to have receipts. Any receipts from any diet program are a real help. I am still waiting for my doctor to send it all in, so I can't tell you how it all worked. mindwing

I have to do a 6 month supervised diet also. I found fitday.com. In it I list every bite I eat and all my activities. At the end of the month I go to the overview page and print it out for my doctor. At the appt I tell him I am on a diet similar to south beach. Sounds like your doctor might want a little more. so maybe you can get a notebook and write down thigs like "ate right today" or "Had a problem resisting crackers" or "emotional day- ate like a pig". You might also jog down your exercise since fitday doesn't have that on it's overview page. Good luck mindwing:shades_smile:

Bradley18, I currently drink EAS whey Protein. I also use DaVinci sugar free syrups to vary the flavors. They come in like 20 flavors or more. I buy them at lollicups.com. I got my order three or four days after I placed the order. Today I used chocolate whey with butterscotch syrup. Yesterday I had strawberry whey with toasted hazelnut. My favorites so far are choc or vanilla with caramel.:wub: I buy whey from vitaglo.com. You can probably buy whey from a nearby hralth food store, but we have practically nothing in our little town. I am also a fanatic when it comes to finding low prices. But I don't like the cheap whey found at walmart. By the way, Davinci's syrups are carried by Target, Walmart, and some drink stores. Look in the coffe aisles if you don't find it in the diet section. Be sure you get sugar free, they also make a full sugar version. I think starbucks use them to flavor coffee. (We have none of those stores.) An even better tasting whey is BSN lean Dessert. I love choc coconut, and am trying banana nut this month.:smile2: Good luck. Maybe if you take the jug in, the doctor will let you use a better tasting variety. mindwing:shades_smile:

Wickedme. You are doing great. I never tried to keep my calories real low, just training my body to eat the right foods. My congrats. This last week I went on a practice liquid diet. I didn't quite make it. each day I had a little cheat- one stick of string cheese, some shrimp. I kept my calories under 1200. I am so glad it ends this afternoon and I can eat again. I will try it again in a few weeks. You mention you are drinking Protein shakes. I use the EAS whey. what protein do you use? I am planning on continuing them after my surgery. I don't get hungry for 4 or 5 hours after drinking one. I flavor mine with DaVinci sugar free syrups, so have a tremendous variety. Today I had chocolate whey with butterscotch flavoring- Yum!:smile2: I know what you mean about salad. Lots of protein is easy to eat, but lots of salad is rough on the stomach. Fortunately, once we get the band we won't have to eat a lot of salad to feel full. I am so glad you are losing weight. Hang in there. The band will make things easier and is worth all the sacrifices we have to make. Next visit is with the surgeon? Congrats. I am meeting my PCP to write up my refferal to the surgeon, so I am just beginning the journey. mindwing:shades_smile:

Hi all, I wonder how everyone is doing. Is this way of eating working for you? Is it hard? easy? What foods do you miss the most? Do you cheat a bit, or have you given up until you get the band? looking forward to hearing from some of you, or others who are trying to eat this way. Mindwing:shades_smile:

I have been doing the research also, and it seems to me you can eventually lose more with the band. What I read seems to say the RNY people lose fast for about a year and then level out. People with the band and the proper fills should lose at least half of their excess weight. But those are averages. I have seen many band people who have really stayed on top of their band, and been faithful to exercise and not eat crackers, Cookies and Pasta, and they have lost all their weight and kept it off- sometimes over 300 lbs. I have chosen the band because I want something reversible if my body doesn't agree with it down the road. But I hope to never have it removed. I read the book "Before and After" by Susan Leach and she says that if a person with a band wants to lose like a person with RNY, they just have to eat like a RNY patient. The nurse tried to get you to have RNY? No mention of the gastric sleeve? Maybe their clinic does mostly RNY and isn't as experienced with other surgeries. If that is true, get another doctor, one who is comfortable doing the lap-band. mindwing:shades_smile:

I've been told Protein bullets count as a clear liquid. they are about 3 oz. have 42 gms of protein, and don't taste great plain. But they are okay mixed with Water, crystal light or made into sugar free Jello. They can be bought at GNC. mindwing:shades_smile:

Dear wvgal, I have heard that Protein bullets are good to use while you are on clear liquids. You can buy them in 20 or 42 gm vials. The taste isn't very good, but you can mix them with your Water or make sugar free Jello with them/ I've also heard of mixing them with Crystal Light. Everyone I've read about does better if they start drinking bullets as soon as possible. They are available in several flavors at GNC, and maybe other stores that cater to bodybuilders. Unfortunately, they run about $3 each. But we don't need too many the first few weeks. One a day would help a lot. Good luck on your surgery. I am just starting my trip and my doctor demands a 6 months supervised diet. But I will get there. Mindwing.:tt1:

I used to keep my weight a secret, but once I got over 300 lbs, it seemed sorta stupid. I mean, I was the size of a small house. Anyone who couldn't see how fat I was had a vision problem. So my hubby has always known my weight if I did. I became too fat to weigh at the doctor's. whose scale only went to 350. By the time they got scales that weighted to 400. I was well past it. Finally they got a scale to weigh me, and by then I had lost enough that I only weighed 432. Now I weigh 404. I am working towards getting a band, and I hope to lose 30-50 pounds more by the time I get banded. mindwing:shades_smile:

Welcome lapbandgirlforlife. I am almost at the same place you are. I am going next week to have my doctor write the letter of recommendation, and to write my dieting results for the first month. I like your human weeble-wobble image. I am Jabba the Hut with a neck. :crying: I weigh 404 with a BMI of 68.3 I am already preparing for surgery. I bought my first case of Protein bullets today- to have on hand for the post op diet. I don't see any other way to get my protein in on Clear liquids. I am also buying Da Vinci sugar free syrups, and they really make my whey taste great. Next month I plan on buying some unflavored whey to mix with broth and stuff for the liquid stage. I agree with you, I'm totally serious about this. I am spending this week on liquids, and plan on doing that one week a month until my surgery. I've already given up sodas, and maybe candy (time will tell on that one). I hope your supervised diet is succesful. mindwing:shades_smile:

I've read that some bandsters use Protein bullets during the first few weeks. They are a clear liquid and taste good mixed with Crystal Light or made into sf Jello. They should be available at GNC. I am planning on buying them when I get closer to my surgery. There are two kinds. One has 22 gms of protein and the other has 42. I'm getting the 42. The advantage is that we can use them the first day of surgery, and the whole first week, when other Protein shakes aren't allowed. For that, I will manage to force them down, even if they taste bad. But from other bandsters, they don't sound like they tase bad. Once I taste them, I will probably buy them at Amazon. They have so many things I will need as a bandster. The prices are good, too. mindwing:shades_smile:

I haven't been banded yet, but I read on lots of forums, and there sre many kinds of signs. some people burp, others get a runny nose. A few sneeze. I hope I get a sign as obviou as yours once I get my band. mindwing:shades_smile:

I find amazon.com has a great selection and low prices. mindwing:shades_smile:

Welcome Ara. It is nice you are getting the surgery so soon. Hope everything goes smoothly. mindwing

I'm not on the preop diet yet, but am trying new recipes so I can enjoy it as much as possible. Here are a few I found: Creamy cucumber drink:smile: 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt 1 cup cucumber chunks 1 tablespoon fresh chopped onion Salt and pepper to taste ice cubes. put in blender and blend well. Add a little Water if necessary. makes about a cup and a half. Citurs carrot:cool: 1 cup chopped or crushed pineapple with juice- chilled !/2 cup chopped carrots !/8 inch slice lemon with peel ice cubes Blend in blender . Makes almost two cups. Celery w/citrus:smile: 1/2 cup celery 1 cup pineapple juice- chilled 1 tbsp lemon juice ice cubes Blend well makes almost two cups. now I need to find some warm recipes.:thumbdown: mindwing:shades_smile: Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.