vickyd

Also keep in mind that the majority of people with bands eat more than 1,000 calories per day. Not everyone can lose effectively on less calories.

In order to get in enough Protein, you need to make each meal protein-focused. Eat your protein first before anything else and track what you are eating to make sure you are getting enough. You can also try adding unflavored protein to yogurt or crystal lite to help. By getting your protein levels up where they should be, you will probably find that you don't feel hungry as soon after you eat. If you still feel hungry then you might want to try adding a small protein snack - string cheese, deli slices rolled up with cheese, greek yogurt, etc. As far as how much you can eat...just because you can eat as much as you want doesn't mean you should. The idea of eating until you feel full doesn't work for everyone...for me, I don't get the "full" feeling until I am actually over-full so if I eat until I get that feeling I know that I will feel horrible later. My suggestion would be to weigh and measure your food (4 oz protein, 1/2 cup veggies...1/2 cup starch if you need it) and then stop when your plate is empty. That will help with the portion control...you won't feel "full" when you are finished but you should no longer feel hungry. This is what is working for me. HTH!

I'm checking in at 240 (down 1.8 from last week)...I've been bouncing around between 240 and 238 since the weekend so I am hoping that next week will find me firmly in the 230's!

Here is a typical day for me: Breakfast - 1/2 cup egg beaters, 1 slice 2% American cheese, 1 turkey sausage patty (scrambled with Pam) other common breakfasts are: greek yogurt, oatmeal (1pkg made with light soy milk), or a Protein shake (if I'm tight in the morning or in a hurry) lunch - 3-4 oz lean protein, 1/2 cup non-starchy veggies (usually leftovers from dinner) other common lunches are: frozen meatballs with low sugar marinara sauce or 1 cup salad with 3-4 oz protein. dinner - same as lunch for the most part. Snacks - Lately, I have found that I am having trouble getting in enough calories each day (1,000-1,100) so I usually add 2 snacks each day even though I'm not hungry. My normal morning and afternoon snack are normally either light string cheese or babybel light cheese.

First of all, I'm not going to read you the riot act about what you are eating...you know what you are doing wrong. The problem I see is that you have unrealistic expectations of what the band will do for you. That said, the fact is that you have already had surgery so what can you do to put things back in the right place? 1. Stop comparing your weight loss to your mother's. You had different surgeries and trying to compare your weight loss to hers is just going to frustrate you. 2. I realize that you don't want to count calories but, quite frankly, not counting calories isn't working for you the way you would like it to so maybe you need to try it. I use myfitnesspal.com to track mine (they also have an app for IPhone and Blackberry)...it is really not too difficult to use because you just need to type in what you are eating and select the item (I have rarely found any foods that are not already listed) and it is really easy to keep track of. 3. As far as exercise goes, I know what it is like to live in a place where it gets very hot...you need to find something you can do inside at home that is fun. Do you have a Wii or an XBox? I have a lot of fun exercising with both - I bought the Kinect for my son's XBox - because it is more like playing a game than exercising. I know you don't want to do it, but reality is that you will need to do it at some point in order to reach your goal. 4. Recognize that although you haven't lost the amount of weight you would have like to have lost, you have still lost 40 lbs, which averages out to 1.82 lbs per week. That rate of weight loss is right in line with what you should be losing with the band (1-2 lbs per week). You are actually losing faster that many people have lost after surgery so be proud of what you have accomplished! In the end, the band probably wasn't the best surgery for you because it will never allow you to lose weight without some work on your part so you have two choices...get a revision to the sleeve or bypass or decide that you are willing to put the work into making the most of the band you have. Good Luck! edited to add: You don't say how much fill you have in your band, but if you can eat a double cheeseburger and a medium fry then you definately need a fill...

Not until recently...but when I looked back on my food journals, I noticed that for the past couple of months my Protein levels dropped into the 70-80g per day range rather than the 80-120 range recommended to me so I am now trying to make sure that I increase my protein intake a bit.

Not everyone gets that "full" feeling, so maybe you need to stop waiting for it. I am convinced that my "full" meter doesn't work properly...I go from "full" to over-full boardering on sick very quickly so if I eat until I'm full then I know I will be miserable in 10-15 minutes. My new normal is eating until I no longer feel hungry...I weigh and measure out my food (4 oz Protein, 1/2 cup veggies) and eat until it is gone and then I stop. It takes some getting used to but since I can't trust my body to tell me when to stop this is what is working for me... Either way, don't beat yourself up about how much you have/have not lost...everyone is different and you have lost 30 lbs (which is probably more than you would have lost without the band, right?)

The protein requirements that my NUT suggested was 80-120g per day...I know it sounds high compared to what others have been told but it's working for me so I think your protein levels are fine.

Oops...I meant 40-50g per day

I do watch my carbs and I try to stay between 40-59g per day but I don't beat myself up if I go over occasionally. So far, it's working for me...

Nerves are very normal...just keep remembering why you are doing this and you will get through it. I can honestly tell you that I never regretted doing it for even a second...the way I feel today compared to a year ago (at my highest weight) are light years apart. Best of luck to you...you will do just fine

Most people have occaisional irregular heart beats so since yours wasn't even anything that required treatment I wouldn't worry about it...

There's no reason you can't although you need to plan for the calories that the drinks will have. Also, keep in mind that mixed drinks with carbonated mixers won't be good because of the carbonation and many people can't tolerate beer for a similar reason...

The diet your doctor's nurse recommended isn't much different that what I normally eat. Since you have issues with chicken, you might want to substitute fish or some other type of seafood. Seafood is softer and tends to not get stuck as much as chicken or another dense meat. If you want to do chicken, try ground chicken or turkey (I also like chicken sausage) - you should be able to keep that moist enough that you don't have issues with it...

I'm about half way through my weight loss journey...do I have saggy skin? You betcha...but honestly, it isn't as bad as I expected. I didn't go into this expecting not to have saggy skin because I had been heavy for so many years but I think that exercise has helped the skin to not sag as much as I thought it would. In the end, I know I will have plastic surgery when I'm finished but even if I couldn't afford it I would still be happy because I am healthier and have a more active life than I did a year ago...

Hi Tasha! It's good to see another Louisianian on here (I'm in Metairie)...I'm 6 months post op and it is absolutely the best thing I have ever done for myself! Good luck to you!!

I use myfitnesspal.com (they also have an app for IPhone and Blackberry). It allows me to track my calories, protein, carbs, water, exercise, etc. I don't follow a set menu because I consider this a lifestyle change and I would not be happy with someone else telling me what I can or can't eat. I do try to plan my day so I can make sure that I am getting in enough protein, calories, etc., but I just do that in the morning while I am packing my lunch to take to work.

That is the sensation I have when I'm stuck...I agree with CheckYes that you should see if you have fluid in your band from surgery. It may be that you need a slight unfill...

After your fill, did you go back to liquid Protein again for a few days? My surgeon has be go back on liquids for 2-3 days and mushies for 1 day after a fill. How do you gradually eat more if your stomach and the opening are the size of a ping pong ball? The size of the opening affects the size of the bites I can take and not get stuck. The size of the pouch does affect how much I can eat but all I can tell you is that I was able to increase my portion sizes slightly after the swelling from surgery went down. So how much do you eat at each meal? I eat about 3-4 oz protein and 1/2 cup veggies at lunch and dinner. Breakfast is usually 1/2 cup eggbeaters with 1 piece of turkey sausage or 1 package of oatmeal. I'm happy to answer any questions you have...feel free to PM me whenever you want...

I use Isopure (chocolate and vanilla - I didn't like the fruit flavors). I also like Muscle Milk Light but I did have some issues with it right after surgery (now, it's fine). I buy the powder and mix it with Vanilla Light Soy.

I am like you...totally obsessed with tracking everything I eat as well as calories burned. I can't imagine going a week without it...awesome job!!!

Good job! See, you can enjoy activities like this and nit feel deprived...it just takes some planning and motivation. You're doing great!!

For Mexican, my "go to" choice is fajitas (usually shrimp)...just eat the meat and veggies and have your family keep the chips on the other side of the table . I eat out usually 1-2 times a week...you can check out menus online before you go so you can decide and plan what you will eat (a lot if websites have nutritional info which helps).

You should look into having it repaired. I had surgery a year ago to repair my torn meniscus and I am so glad I did...that, combined with weight loss, has made all the difference.

Well said.