How many calories a day do you eat?

[Iulizbug 0]

I don't think Dr.Ortiz's book, Lapband for Life, focuses just on nutrition but it is a great book to have for everything about the band and the lifestyle changes following the surgery. I recommend it.

~Liz~

03/10/06

241/164/160

5'7''

[kareyquilts 1]

Thanks for the info. I will try and find the book. I have found other books that they are really written for gastric bypass patients. It's nice that there is at least one book written exclusively for lap banders.

[Sammysue78 0]

hmm...I've never heard the "never more than half cup" rule...perhaps 'cause I haven't had a fill yet. I thought most people could safely eat about one cup at a time.

[Iulizbug 0]

That is a misconception about the band. There is nothing wrong with eating a cup of food in a meal. That is normal. We did not get the band to starve ourselves and eating less than a cup (if you are only eating 3 meals per day) almost guarantees to put your body in starvation mode b/c you won't even break 1000 cal for the day unless you eat/drink high calorie junk. I think those rules are often meant for bypass patients but thats just my 2cents. I have always eaten about a cup of food per meal, sometimes more and I have lost weight just fine.

~Liz~

03/10/06

241/164/160

5'7''

[kareyquilts 1]

LIz: Thanks for the input. I think you might be right. My doctor does both gastric bypass and lapband and he seems to treat both groups the same. He even made me sign a release in the hopsital with my take home instructions, stating that I understood that I would only be able to eat 1/2 cup of food at a time for the rest of my life (I was a little shocked and starting crying, but that's another story). Anyway, I'm eating 1/2 cup at a time 6 times a day. It looks like you started out at the same weight as me. I hope that I'm doing as well as you are in 6 months! I'm am getting hungry, but I haven't even had a fill yet. Not for another month. Well life's an adventure isn't it!?

[Iulizbug 0]

You're doing great so far Karey. The beginning of this journey is without a doubt the hardest IMO. I remember being so darn frustrated before my first fill b/c I was STARVING and I felt that I was eating way too much. I was worried that the band wasn't going to work for me, that I would stretch my pouch, pretty much anything negative....But it does get better. Just do the best you can on making nutritious choices until you get your first fill. Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones who feels restriction right away. I unfortunatley was not. I was completely wide open and able to eat as much as pre-band until my 2nd fill and then the weight started falling off of me. The band does work, it just takes an extraordinary amt of patience-something I don't have much of. And once you start losing the weight and getting compliments from ppl it fuels you even more to eat better, exercise more, etc. It is empowering seeing the positive changes on your body as you go thru this journey, just try not to get discouraged at the beginning. I think i only lost 4 lbs in the 6 weeks between my surgery and first fill and I was so frustrated. But the band wasn't doing what is was supposed to do without any saline in it, so I was hungry. As far as your doctor goes and the portion size he recommends I would just toss that out the window. It doesn't surprise me that he gives the same advice to both bypass and lapband patients--a lot do but that doesn't make it right. Keep doing what you are doing and keep posting. I am looking forward to watching your progress.

~Liz~

03/10/06

241/163/160

5'7''

[NW Island Girl 0]

For those looking for cooking advice specific to the Lap Band, you might want to check out "Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery: 140 Recipies to Enjoy in the Weeks, Months and Years After Surgery." I recently ordered this from Amazon.com, and the customer reviews seem to indicate that it works well for Bandits, even suggesting how to fit each into the various stages of recovery. It also seems to answer a lot of questions that patients whose doctors have not been banded themselves would not know how to answer. My surgery is in a little less than 12 weeks, and I'm looking forward to using it.

[Angel-Love 0]

I think I'm eating about 900-1000 a day and today I just hit my 3 weeks post surgery. Actually I'm doing so well I'm alrady eating pretty normal foods:)

[NW Island Girl 0]

I've found two very useful books on Amazon.com.< /p>

1) Lapraroscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding: Achieving Permanent Weight Loss with Minimally Invasive Surgery by Jessie H. Ahroni. This is a good basic information book about how the surgery works, as well as what to expect every step of the way, and useful nutritional guidelines for early post-op as well as the lifetime commitment. Ahroni is a banded patient herself, so she knows what she's talking about. She also is a nurse practitioner, so the scientific foundation is there as well.

2) Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery: recipes to Enjoy in the Weeks, Months and Years after Surgery by Patt Levine and Michele Bontempo-Saray. is a cookbook designed for all weight-loss surgery patients, and includes tips for how to modify the recipes for various stages (liquid-soft-solid), as well as modifications for lap bandits versus bypass patients.

[kareyquilts 1]

Thanks for the book advise. I have the Eating Well book, but had not heard of the book by Jesse Ahroni. I will check it out. I'm finding a lot a different ideas about how much to eat and what to eat to acheive maximun results.

[Bettina 0]

Also have the eating well book ...and am told weight loss for dummies is indespensible.

I borrowed a book from the library but it is so good I am thinking about buying it :

Weight Loss Surgery: Is it right for you? Goldberg, Cowan, and Marcus

It sounds like something you read before you consider the band, but it has great information for those of us who have already been banded!

[Jachut 487]

I agree with Liz, there's nothing magic about half a cup. The important thing with the band is that you stop before you feel stuffed full, however much food that is. I dont think stretched out pouches are as common as people thing, however if somebody has a stretched pouch, they're obviously not going to get the same stop signals.

But for the average bandster if it takes 1 cup before you're satisfied (not stuffed) then so be it, and you judge by your weight loss whether or not you need another fill.

Personally I do lose weight on more than half a cup of food at a time, so I dont worry about how much I eat. Over time my restriction lessens, often suddenly after a spurt of weight loss and then I stop losing and its time for a fill, as it is now. Yet 3 weeks ago I told my doc I couldnt imagine any more fill for the time being.

its totally an individual thing, and part of what's so valuable about the band is learning to read your body. I think you also have to make your own decisions about what's a healthy diet since I agree, it seems a LOT of doctors jsut lump all bariatric patients in together and it really concerns me that this high Protein thing is just a fashion too, it seems to translate into way too many animal products and not enough fresh produce.

[mariecarmen 1]

My doctor wants me to stay between 500-800 calories/day and under 15 carbs. Since my fill and no sensation of hunger, this has not been a problem so far.

[kareyquilts 1]

You know this is very confusing. 500-800 calories a day seems very low indeed. Did you ask him why so little? It seems that your body would go into starvation mode? Do you feel alright and have plenty of energy? I have been keeping very close track of my calories, carbs and protien and I usually average 900-1100 calories per day. I am losing about 4 pounds a week. I don't feel I have the stamina that I had presurgery. I also walk a couple miles a day. The books that I have read never suggest the actual calorie count or amount of food. I guess we can only hope that our doctors have a lot of research behind what there are telling us!

[mariecarmen 1]

When I first started eating, about 3 weeks ago, it was between 300-500 calories. 300 calories was the 3 shakes with a little extra from actual food. But I had a terrible time started 2 weeks after the surgery with hunger and making poor food choices (I love salty stuff and think I'm holding a lot of water). Even then, I was eating around 1000 calories. So I ended up gaining 5 lbs in the two weeks till my first fill.

We shall see what happens. As long as I'm comfortable and have the energy I need (and I do), I'll stick with his directions.