June 2006 Band Crew

[Poodles 0]

Well holy heck people... all that thread did was confuse me. Now I just don't know if I am doing anything right.

How much can you eat at a time? Let me be specific about the question.

At night, when you eat dinner, how much can you eat? Can you eat a whole frozen dinner (10 ounces)? Can you eat 1 cup of something? For example: I had 1 cup of low carb Pasta with diced chicken and alfredo sauce tonight. I measured it... but was that too much?

I can eat 1 cup of cauliflower/leek puree. I can eat a 10 ounce South Beach dinner for lunch or dinner. I can eat a South Beach pizza (6.8 oz) late at night. 1 cup chicken salad... no problem.

Sad thing is, that I still get hungry. If I am eating too much and still getting hungry, I am sunk...

[ladypitboss 0]

I am with ya poodles. My thing is that if I dont drink coffee before I eat lunch or Breakfast. I cant eat near enough to keep me satisfied past the next time I have something to drink. My doc says that when I reach proper restriction it takes 4-5 hours for the pouch to empty. Sounds realistic but I usually get a break after an hour to an hour and twenty minutes on the floor then I get a 20 min break. I eat lunch on one break usually say 3/4 c of egg or tuna salad and 4 crackers. Then next break I drink something and by the time I get to the floor I am hungry again. So I end up eating something around 3pm. Then it is the same thing after dinner. By the time I am supposed to drink and I do then I get hungry again before bed.

[Pinkylee 7]

I think some foods we eat go right through. Those 10 ounce dinners may have some sauce that's more like Water when it hits the pouch. Veggies are also mostly water. Chewing thoroughly and eating slowly are probably the most important thing to do. Six ounces of salad is more than one cup, so I prefer to weigh rather than measure.

Meals aren't my problem, eating and drinking too fast, and Snacks are. Using Hot Drinks and chips and all the bad for you foods that go down so easy.

I don't know if there is enough restriction for me to last 4 - 5 hours without a growling stomach. I'm already 3.0 in a 4.0 band and I'm not anxious to add to that fill until I'm closer to goal. My hunger between meals makes me wonder about a stretched pouch.

The thread didn't confuse me, it scared me.

[rroswelltx 1]

yeah its weird if I eat salad I can eat like 3 cups worth. even with meat and cheese (like a taco salad), I think that is too much, but i'm just not full!!!

[barbara465 2]

I think we need to try eating 3-4 oz of hard Protein. Eat only the meat out of the taco salad, a chicken breast, a pork chop, etc. When I do eat the hard protein first I do seem to get full faster and stay full. If I mix it with soft stuff and not so much protein, I get hungry. It may be boring to eat all that hard protein, but I do stay full faster.

[Melissa Lea 1]

I too was hunkered down yesterday with the weather. I felt like I ate all day but I made a conscious effort to watch what I put in my mouth. Since I keep little snack food in my house that wan't much of a problem.

As for how much should you eat at one time, Like everything else to do with weight loss, I think it depends on the person and time of day. I can eat different amounts at different times. I try to eat until I am comfortable satisified. Each time I've gotten a fill I ask about pouch dialation. They say everything is fine. So I'm trucking along.

Melissa Lea

[lucymann 0]

Hi everyone - I guess it's nasty weather all over! I got back from Northern California last night and it had been very cold there with freezing. The pipes at my motel had broken and we were without Water for five hours. I sure was hoping to get a warmup out of the trip :-(

I did not do well while on this trip - even though I packed measured Protein portions I only had one Protein Shake in two days. I did get in all of my water and did not eat much at all but was disappointed in myself for not making sure I took the protein.

The best part of the trip is that it was to a client I haven't seen since before the WLS and literally no one recognized me! I had to tell everyone who I was. Of course I got lots of compliments.

I am still on the plateau - nothing lost or gained. I guess I will be grateful that I am not gaining.

[juliegeraci 7]

Hi everyone, its been a while since I posted to this thread. I had my 5th fill to 3ccs in my 10cc band (which holds 4.2cc). I finally am at my sweet spot. I am never hungry, I swear. Anyway, I am 1/2 way to goal as of this a.m. I am down 41 lbs since being banded in June. I lost 40 lbs preop so that make 81 lbs total. I feel like a new person. I just need to start exercising so I don't end up a flabby mess. Thanks for listening.

[Pinkylee 7]

Hoooray for Julie and welcome back. Congrats on losing what someone once said was equivalent to her manicurist. Eight bowling balls?

Lucy, a big congrats on being "incognito" weight wise. You know, that could come in handy if you had a mischievious soul.

Today has been a better day for me rule wise and I have to admit I've felt better and had more control. (most of the time) Timing of liquids is a better help than I thought. It's those *&%#@! cashews that called me out between lessons. Not much damage done. I thought about throwing them away, but I want to build some willpower into this new life of mine. Why oh why didn't I remember to drink some Water or even a V8? Today would have been a nice light day if it weren't for those buggars.

NSV - I had jury duty today and we had assigned seats. The people I sat between actually smiled a welcoming smile as I sat down. No scrunched shoulders today!:clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

[barbara465 2]

Yesterday I had about 3 bites of lunch when POW the golf ball. Good news is that I was able to recover after a few hours. No PB, just some gurgling and burping. dinner was bean Soup and chili con queso. This morning I felt great. Had my coffee before leaving for work. At work I fixed some Special K and a cup of coffee. Took one bite of Cereal and umm started gurling and burping. I feel a little uncomfortable, but not bad. I guess the fill has kicked in and I'm on to a new way. Maybe I have restriction now in the mornings for real. I'll go slow and see where this all leads.

I sent a big box of clothes off to Seattle. The bandster received it and can wear a few of the slacks. She thinks next month she will be able to wear most of what I sent. It feels good to help someone else. I have to go shopping this weekend to pick up a few pairs of slacks to get me by. I don't have much left in my closet I can wear. I LOVE IT.

Julie good to hear from you. You are really rockin on your weight loss. I love your story Lucy about not being recognized. Makes you really realize what a difference you have made in your body. I know the feeling PinkyLee about the seats. The first time I could sit on the bus seat and have someone smile when I joined them was a big moment to me.

Take the time this weekend, I am, to clean out the cupboards of the nasty stuff we don't need. It's not about willpower as much as it is about healthy living. An alcoholic shouldn't have to stash booze in the house to prove they can live without it. I'm throwing out the cashews, the candy, and whatever else is left from the holidays. Its in the trash or in a bag to take to work. The house will be clean of this stuff. (I hope I can do this).

[lucymann 0]

Pinkylee the cashews are not your enemy! Actually they are good for you if you only eat a few each day. Maybe what you need to do is line up your Snacks for the day so when you go into the kitchen what you see is what you have planned to have. I set out a V8 and 5 cashews (sometimes) and I eat each one very slowly. The rest are safely tucked away in the cupboard. Of course I am a visual eater - if I see it I want it but if it is not in sight I don't think about it. That probably doesn't work for everyone.

Congrats Barbara465 on being able to send someone your too big clothes. It is a great feeling isn't it? And wearing clothes that fit really does help with the self esteem! I also agree with what you say about making sure we eat the hard Protein first. I have made that a habit and I find that the biggest problem I have is that once I have eaten my 2 ounces of hard protein I can not hold anything else. So I worry about not eating very many vegies. That's why my snack of choice is a V8. I have trouble still eating raw fruit. I have only been successful one time eating a raw apple. I tried to eat a banana and it went down ok but only a little bit. My problem all along has been Portion Control and now I wonder what to do with an opened banana that I only ate about an inch of? What do you guys do?

Julie congrats on reacing your sweet spot and doing so well on your weight loss and welcome back.

I forgot to mention that there were other NSVs on my trip - like the seat belt fit around me with 6 inches to spare and, like you Pinkylee, my seatmates had smiles on their faces and no scrunched shoulders. It's amazing how much larger the airplane seat was!!!

[Melissa Lea 1]

Just wanted to pop in today and say hello. Sounds like everyone is doing great.

Julie --congrats on the sweet spot and your weight loss.

Lucy and Barb4 --I can relate about the bus/air plane seats. It's nice to see people smile and not frown when your walking toward their seat.

Pinky --I have the same problem as you with Snacks. If I have something to munch on anywhere in the house then i will eat it. Fortunately for me, I live alone so I can live with bare food pantry. Trust me, it's bare.

Everyone keep up the great work!!

138 days to Vegas!!!

Melissa Lea

[Pinkylee 7]

I wish I could say I controlled myself and the cashews today. I finally threw them out. I'll worry about how to deal with temptations when the weather turns. I've had a tough day and I'm glad all I have left is my Water and my carmel viactiv to deal with.

Bananas freeze well. Add some skim milk, frozen banana and sweet n low and ice together in a blender and blend till creamy. A great milkshake. Honest!

Surely, tomorrow will be a better day!

[Dancing Queen 0]

Hey gang...I haven't posted in a while either. I feel like I've been hanging out at the gym and the nutrition store for the past six months. Oh well I am feeling great. I've had two fills (August 1.6 cc. and November 1.0 cc.) Here are my six month pics taken 2 days after Christmas. I have only lost another 3-4 lbs. since then. I believe losing the last 25 -30 are going to teach me a lesson in PATIENCE!

[Pinkylee 7]

Dancing Queen,

What an amazing transformation! Congrats. Thanks for sharing.