Weight Watchers, Atkins, So. Beach etc.

[marieze 5]

So I am now scheduled for Bandland on Feb. 13th. I am starting to freak out. My doc wants me to lose weight (the liver thing) before surgery and I just made a pot of swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes. I'm doing the last supper thing. Not good. I enjoy food so damn much I'm scared that I am going to totally freak out after the surgery when I can't eat my favorites. Yes, of course I know the upsides of longer life, health etc. and i'm not downplaying, I'm just being honest about potentially freaking out.

So, my question is this. What do you eat when it's time for normal eating again. Did any of you switch to any of the above mentioned programs thinking that they would now work because you wouldn't be starving?

Just curious.

Marieze

[marieze 5]

Getting banded on Feb. 13th. Freaking out (as I said in another post) about what I will be eating when all is said and done.

Can you give me a sample of your typical daily menu? I'd appreciate it.

Mariezer

[anonemouse 1]

Don't make that "last supper" mistake, please! You'll probably still be able to eat all of your favorite foods after you're banded, just less of them! I had a bunch of "last suppers," and it's the one thing I really regret. I pigged out at all of my favorite restaurants, thinking I'd never be able to eat there again. Guess what? I've been back to all of them since I've been banded. The only difference has been in the amount that I've eaten.

[hollyberries 2]

Well...once you get to normal food my doctor has the following plan. Between 1000-1200 calories per day (7 Proteins, 3 veggies, 2 fruits, 2 fats, 2 starches). My typical menu might include:

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs 1/2 cup of applesauce

Lunch: 2 oz. diced turkey or chicken with 1tbsp of lite mayo, 9 All-Bran Multigrain crackers, 10 almonds and 1/2 banana

Dinner: 3 oz of meat (i.e., chicken, roast), 1/4 cup of sweet potato & 1/2 cup of green Beans or broccoli and 10 almonds.

I really like chili and make and eat this very often. I will have 1 cup of chili with some cheese and sour cream. This fills me up. I do not eat between meals since my fill and am finding that I am full until my meal. However, I know that I need a fill when I start to get hungry between meals.

Good luck with your surgery.

Cindy

[jfran 0]

I do a modified version of south beach.

Breakfast- 2 scrambled eggs with green peppers, onions, tomatoes and a sprinkle of 2%cheddar cheese; 4-6 strawberries

Snack- Yogurt parfait with frozen berries and Kashi GO LEAN crunch on top.

Lunch- salad with chicken

Snack- String cheese and Whole wheat crackers, fruit

Dinner- chicken and brocolli, frozen berries w/ splenda and Kashi sprinkled on top

Green Tea in between along with tons of Water.

[Suzzzie. 3]

Don't freak out. OK, so I did it too. Lol. I will NEVER tell anyone what all I ate/drank in the weeks before my pre-op diet started!! Lol.

Seriously though, you will be able to eat most of the stuff you enjoy now, just less of it - which is the whole point. We all have difficulty with different things. Some people can't eat bread, but I can. My big thing is that I can't eat a salad.. How odd. I can have lettuce on a sandwhich, if its just a small peice, but nothing more.

The biggest change for me is that I CHOOSE to not eat any fast food, or fried foods... I choose to not drink soda or liquor (a good bandster shouldn't drink soda anyway, but I know several who do.)

Good luck!

[mbanja 1]

It is typical to get preband hebies! Try not to freak out. I know it is hard. Most people can eat their favorites just less. One thing that I found is after banding I didn't crave things I use to, and things I use to love didn't really "do it" for me anymore. It wasn't to the point where I was crazy about it though. I didn't even miss them. Some people's taste changes after the band. I did weight watchers off and on before banding with no success. I was ALWAYS hungry! Now though, I will do my weight watchers plan when I hit a plateau, and believe it or not I can't even eat all the points I am allowed. I usually drop down 1 to 2 point columbs, which means I am not eating as many points as I should for my body weight. The trick with weight watchers though is you really have to eat the right things. You have to make sure to get the protien and veggies in, not just eat 10 bags of 100 cal Cookies because they are only 2 points a bag.

[Jeni 85 0]

So I am now scheduled for Bandland on Feb. 13th. I am starting to freak out. My doc wants me to lose weight (the liver thing) before surgery and I just made a pot of swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes. I'm doing the last supper thing. Not good. I enjoy food so damn much I'm scared that I am going to totally freak out after the surgery when I can't eat my favorites. Yes, of course I know the upsides of longer life, health etc. and i'm not downplaying, I'm just being honest about potentially freaking out.

So, my question is this. What do you eat when it's time for normal eating again. Did any of you switch to any of the above mentioned programs thinking that they would now work because you wouldn't be starving?

Just curious.

Marieze

I think a lot of us bandsters have this last supper thing as a freak out thing... I know two weeks before surgery i binged so bad i gained like 10lbs...(wasn't required a pre-op diet)...:hungry:

But if i knew then what i know now i would have never freaked out... :rolleyes

Just remember, Its going to be alright .. You are on your way to bandland!!! CONGRATS!!!!!

[marieze 5]

Wow, I feel a lot better after reading your posts! Thanks guys! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one.

I'm sure everyone can relate; food it such a HUGE part of our lives or we wouldn't even be in this situation. Then, to think that I could never have something makes me want to eat it for 10 days straight!

I guess where I get confused is that some people talk about post banding and say they never eat fat anymore or never touch this anymore; while I thought, of course I want better habits, but really was hoping to include my favorite menu items but get full on very little. But some posts i've read led me to believe that other than Protein and veges is a no no.

Marieze

[Suzzzie. 3]

Marieze... Like I said in my post, I CHOOSE to exclude certain things. Most of us do. For one thing, the weight comes off easier if I don't eat a carton of ice cream every night (Something that I am still (sadly) able to eat freely. I'm also toying with the idea of going Vegan. It's all just a personal choice. And once you start losing weight you'll really look at your life and what you 'used' to eat vs what you now want to eat. It's all very personal.

I think you'll do great. Hang out with us around here, LBT is the place that has helped me keep my SANITY post surgery.

[mbanja 1]

Well, the people that get the fastest possible results, are the ones that don't indulge. It is hard to explain it, but you will find out in all due time. If you want to shed it fast, keep a super close eye on your diet. If you want to enjoy food, just not much of it, and still loose, you can pretty much eat like you want. There will be times that your loss will stall and you will kick yourself and say, "why did I eat that?" But for the most part you will be ok. Just don't eat around your band!

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

For me low carb/medium fat is a way of life. I don't count carbs, I just don't typically eat the bad type.

[Fanny Adams 7]

In the week before I was banded, I was freaking out about the same things - scared that I wouldn't be able to eat my favourite meals again. The first thing I did as soon as I was allowed solid foods again was to make my favourite savoury sausage casserole with mashed potato. It's actually quite a healthy dish, except that previously I would eat enough for 3 people because I loved it so much. When I tried it after banding, I was able to keep it to a small scoop of potato and only one sausage (previously would have eaten 6-7, normal serving would be 2-3) and was really full afterwards. I ate it really slowly and savoured every bite - YAY! Freakout over!

[anonemouse 1]

Well, the people that get the fastest possible results, are the ones that don't indulge. It is hard to explain it, but you will find out in all due time. If you want to shed it fast, keep a super close eye on your diet. If you want to enjoy food, just not much of it, and still loose, you can pretty much eat like you want. There will be times that your loss will stall and you will kick yourself and say, "why did I eat that?" But for the most part you will be ok. Just don't eat around your band!

That's very true. I would certainly lose weight faster if I didn't eat all the foods that I love. My position is that I'm making these changes for life, and I want to do it in a manner that I can conceivably continue for the rest of my life. That's why the only thing I've cut out of my diet completely is carbonation, and that's only out because it's uncomfortable to drink. I primarily eat healthy foods, but I also eat whatever I'm craving. I'm lucky, mostly because I'm not a sweets-addict or anything like that. If I have a choice between, say, edamame (soybeans) and ice cream as a snack, I'll choose edamame 95% of the time. But, if I DO want ice cream, I'm going to have it, and I'm not going to feel guilty about it. To me, this is a change for life, and I absolutely refuse to diet for the rest of my life. I'm resigned to losing weight at a slower pace than many of the other members here. But I'm fine with that, since a slower loss of 1-2 pounds per week is one of the major reasons that I chose the band in the first place.

[anonemouse 1]

In the week before I was banded, I was freaking out about the same things - scared that I wouldn't be able to eat my favourite meals again. The first thing I did as soon as I was allowed solid foods again was to make my favourite savoury sausage casserole with mashed potato. It's actually quite a healthy dish, except that previously I would eat enough for 3 people because I loved it so much. When I tried it after banding, I was able to keep it to a small scoop of potato and only one sausage (previously would have eaten 6-7, normal serving would be 2-3) and was really full afterwards. I ate it really slowly and savoured every bite - YAY! Freakout over!

Is that sort of like shepherd's pie?