A day in your life with the band

[eyezchu22 6]

Hi, This question is for post-op patients. I know everyones different but I was hoping for a scenario of what your day is like with the band at any and all post op stage. Do you prepare all your meals before hand? Do you measure portions? Are your meals completely different from your families? I just want to have an idea of what to expect if there is anything I can do now to start preparing (even though my surgery wont be for a couple of months) for my NEW life. Thanks:smile2:

[june09bandit 0]

wow.. good question.

I just got banded in June, so I'm still trying to figure out some things as well.

Wake up thirsty every morning for unknown reasons. (I get up at 5:30.) Drink a bunch of Water while getting ready for work. Fix coffee for the drive in (some docs don't allow coffee). Eat Breakfast (either fruit, nut bar or balance bar) about 9:30. For some reasons, eating breakfast make me want to munch on crap. Some days I fight the urge, other days I have a piece of chocolate.< /p>

lunch about 11:30. Either leftover meat and veggies from night before, frozen lunch or balance bar. I am always starving when I get home at 4:30 so I try to fix dinner as soon as I get there. Usually grill a meat outside, fix veggies and a box of Pasta for hubby. I will eat the meat and veggies and maybe a spoon of the pasta.

So no, I really don't totally different foods. We have gone out to eat a couple of times, and I eat 1/3 to 1/2 of the meal.

Hope this helps! The biggest adjustment is chewing. If I get too hungry and don't chew enough, it can cause pain. When I stop losing at all, I go back to weighing and measuring to refresh my portion sizes.

Good luck!

Edited July 28, 2009 by june09bandit

[jlray 0]

A day in my life...

In the morning, I usually can't eat, so I'll just have an iced coffee or, when I'm being good, a Protein Shake. My kids will have Cereal or fruit - something quick and grabbable. Then I drink lots of Water until lunch time. Water's really important - I've only learned that in the past coupla weeks.

For lunch, I come home from work and cook something. Unless I'm in a hurry, I'll go to McD's and get a salsa roja grilled chicken snack wrap. Today, I made scrambled eggs because I had a weird craving for them. I made two eggs, but I could only eat one. Then I go back to work and start drinking water again. If I get hungry at work, I'll have some sunflower seeds, or some cottage cheese. We have a fridge in the office so that helps.

dinner is where it gets a little hard because I usually have to fix my kids something different. Just an example from last night - I made my kids mac & cheese and fish sticks, and I made myself some tuna from the can. If we go out, I'll usually order one plate for me and my 5-year-old to share, since neither one of us can eat very much. If he's not with me, I always order a kids portion, or I'll ask for a half-order.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

I'm almost a year post op. There are times when I am in "LOSS mode" and times when I'm not.

Loss mode is like this: shake, 16 oz Water, and cup of coffee with sugar free coffee "stuff" in it.

lunch is the same.

Snacks are water.

dinner, 2-3 ounces of meat (usually grilled rib eye steak) or poultry and a veggie. more water.

I also have iced tea (no sugar) but make sure I get 64 oz of water in.

(this is austere but my doc is keeping an eye on me, blood work etc.)

I take Multi Vitamins (a pack of 6) along with prescription meds for blood pressure every day. I have no trouble taking them.

When I've done that a while and get bored, I'll usually still have the shake/water/coffee thing for breakfast, not because I can't eat (I can) but because I'm usually not really hungry.

Lunch I'll have whatever I want. Sometimes it's something like 1/2 of a chick fil A and a few waffle fries, or a frozen dinner, or 1/2 of a sandwich and some chips. Whatever. Bean burrito? Chile and some crackers

Dinner is usually the same but I'll have 1/2 of a baked potato or some Pasta instead of the "veggies".

I don't measure. I don't weigh I don't count. I know I eat about 2-3 oz of steak only because I was curious once, dug out my scale, and weighed the whole steak, then weighed it after I ate to satiety to see how much was left. That was a science experiment and not for dieting LOL

I try to eat lunch and dinnner at the same times each day because my doc said if we can train ourselves to do that it helps with hunger in between. He's a really smart guy and he's right so often that I've finally learned to really give his ideas a good attempt.

Upshot now that I'm healed (and after my preop fiasco I did follow my surgeon's post op directions exactly. not necessarily the nutritionist, but the surgeon's) I can eat anything. I usually eat what my husband is having, I dine out, Whatever. Even when I'm in loss mode I don't have a diet mentality EVER. I have lost 46 pounds since 5/7 (almost 73 total) and feel wonderful. On my "non weight loss days" I don't gain back everything I lost when I was dieting. I maintain. It is wonderful. I LOVE my band.

[ThePoolGirl 1]

Snacks are Water.

Oh, Monkey, that is just sad. Snacks are bags of chips and candy bars, right?? Not water :biggrin:!! Hmmmm, think I need a band??

Seriously, thanks for posting these "days in the life" of the band. It reminds me that there will be a real life after being banded. Sometimes you get so caught up in all the don'ts that you feel like life will be so hard and you'll never again eat "real" food. I have appt with surgeon Friday and I'm reading any post on the forum that catches my eye. I appeciate that you all took the time to be so detailed. It really helps. Thanks!!

TPG

[elcee 3,341]

Well depends on if its a work or non work day.

Work days.

Up at 6am. Cup of tea check emails etc. Have shower get dressed and then have breakfast. Either oats or egg on toast.

Get to work sometimes have another cup of tea.I'm a trainer so am restricted to eating at specific break times which sometimes makes remembering fluids difficult. Break at 10am have a cup of tea or if I'm feeling hungry a cup of Soup.< /p>

lunch noon either a tuna & salad wrap, leftovers or tinned tuna with crackers.

Afternoon try to remember to drink crystal light whilst working.( Managed to source some on ebay and i love the stuff)!

Finish work at 4pm and am normally starving. Sometimes I have a cup of soup, sometimes a couple of nuts or sometimes I wait till I get home and have a slice of ham/cheese.More tea (have you noticed i'm a teapot yet)

dinner anytime between 6.30 - 7.30. I eat whatever the rest of the family is eating but smaller quantities. Slowcooked meat and rice,spag bol,roast chicken and vegies whatever.

Sometimes in the evening I get slightly hungry again so I might have a Nestle Diet mousse or yogurt and fruit. Oh and of course another cup of tea. Most days i don't manage to eat fruit although on my dieticians plan 2 serves per day are recommended. I also don't drink the serves of milk.

Non work days the stuff I eat is similar but times are a lot more flexible.

I am only 2 months postop and have only had 2 small fills so as I get further along I am sure this will all change and that I will be eating a lot less.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Oh, Monkey, that is just sad. Snacks are bags of chips and candy bars, right?? Not Water :biggrin:!! Hmmmm, think I need a band??

Seriously, thanks for posting these "days in the life" of the band. It reminds me that there will be a real life after being banded. Sometimes you get so caught up in all the don'ts that you feel like life will be so hard and you'll never again eat "real" food. I have appt with surgeon Friday and I'm reading any post on the forum that catches my eye. I appeciate that you all took the time to be so detailed. It really helps. Thanks!!

TPG

Funny how great the band is. My surgeon, for example, is adamant about NO SNACKS OR THE BAND WILL FAIL!!!

This is patently NOT TRUE because many bandsters who are very successful have healthy snacks

But I used to graze at night (never during the day, not at work, not on road trips, etc but get me home and let the sun go down and it was a free for all. Again I think probably related to insulin resistance) He even asks at our montly or 6-weekly check ups if we've snacked! I hate to lie, I hate to squirm, and I realize that I only had an issue with it at night, so I don't snack. If I want a treat like chips or candy I honestly either have it with my meal, or I don't have it!

But that isn't the only way people have to use the band.

Just what I've found works for me so far. :thumbup:

[greytz 4]

Ok so, my day goes like this. I get up and take my meds, then I drink a chocolate Protein Shake (the one I got from my surgeon is yummy) and I chew a Vitamin also provided by my surgeon. Then, I drink Water throughout the morning. I like it really, really cold. At about 10 am I drink a Protein water Lemonade and at around 1130am I begin to fix lunch. I fix it myself and it is usually, grilled skinless chicken tenderloins, I can only eat usually 1 or 2 and they are small and a veggie. I use the frozen singles either peas, green Beans or corn. In about an hour I go back to drinking water. At around 300 pm I have another Lemonade protein water. Both of the waters are 6 oz with a little ice. Then at around 0530pm I fix dinner. I have the same thing although sometimes I make a chicken quesadilla with the low carb tortillas. I put one tortilla in the pan with a little canola oil and place the chicken, shredded cheese and fresh mushrooms. let it melt and then put the top on and turn it over. I split it in half and eat it for dinner. Or I do the same thing using the tortillas and make a pizza using plain Tomato sauce, mozzerlla cheese, a little onion and no top. I put in the oven for about 10 mins. I then eat a sugar free fudgesicle, or sugar free cup of italian ice. After about an hour, I go back to drinking water and cut it off at about 0830pm.

My husband loves lean pockets and he also sometimes eats what I do just a little more of it. He is a good cook and sometimes he decides to cook for himself and starves me out with the smell but I don't mind since I don't have to fix it. He and I had the discussion before I began this journey that I would not be cooking for him and he is totally supportive of that. I am very fortunate in that respect. I pretty much do the same thing each day and just vary it with different meats and veggies. But I don't eat red meat.< /p>

[mbranham0306 0]

I am just now getting a good routine down, I was only banded on 7/10. Of course that'll change when I go back to work next week!

I get up at 5am with my hubby and fix his lunch and breakfast. I have a s.f. strawberry carnation instant breakfast. I've found this helps me get ready for food better than anything else I could do. Everyone is different.

I take my hubby to work (he can't drive--legally blind) and when I get back about 7 am, I fix this egg recipe I found online. It's what I've ate since I could eat. It's just an egg with a splash of milk, some cheese and a few bacon bits on top baked in the oven. Its really good and filling. Sometimes I'll eat a piece of light wheat toast with it.

Then I'll take my medicine about a 1/2 hour later. I have quiet a few pills so I have to take my time with it. Of course I drink between my meals.

By about 1:00 I have lunch. I've had tuna salad or egg salad on a bed of lettuce with cantaloupe. Then I go back to drinking an hour later. Usually about 4:00 I'll have a Protein Bar. Then I usually fix supper about 6:00. I've discovered that if I want to go to bed by 10:00 I have to eat early! I still have problems laying down unless it's been at least 3 hours since I've eaten.

Its just me and my hubby and we never ate the same things anyway. He's very very picky. He usually has spaghetti, spaghetti o's, cheese pizza, macaroni salad, ham or something similar. I usually fix some kind of veggie, Pasta, rice or tuna. I get to have chicken tomorrow though--thank goodness!!!! YIPEE!!! So then I'll be having chicken for supper of some sort.

I take my evening medicine about an hour after I eat supper then thats all for the night. That's about it.

It's really interesting that everyone has their own way of making the band work for them. I think that is the key, everyone has to find what works for them and just stick to it. :thumbup:

[Carrie_C 9]

If it's a work day, I get up and eat either a small amout of oatmeal or grits with fake butter and splenda. I usually can't eat much at all in the mornings, but I try to get a little down. Then after I get dressed and get ready to go, I will have coffee. Some doctors don't want you to have it, but some, like mine, think a little is ok.

We take lunch at 12. I usually can't eat much then either. So I will just try to eat something light like tuna or Soup. Soup isn't the best choice, but sometimes it's all I can get down. I usually start getting hungry around 2 or 3. I will have some yogurt or some crackers.

I am usually starving when I get home. I can eat more in the evenings, so I really have to watch my portions then. I will cook some kind of meat with 2 vegetables. I am one of the lucky ones, I can eat any type of meat. My husband and I eat the same dinner most of the time. Sometimes he wants pizza, which I cat really eat very well, so I will fix him pizza and I will have fish and rice. I try not to eat anything else after dinner. I think that is what has helped me lose a lot, not eating at night.

If it's a non work day, I will usually eat breakfast and then my husband and I go out to eat that night. My doctor also says no snacking, but I do at times. I will have a hand full of chips or some candy. You have to indulge sometimes or the cravings will kill you. Every now and then I will eat ice cream. The key is to balance everything out. If I find myself eating too much one day, I will really keep an eye on my portions the next day. Water is also very important. I drink it all day. Get the bottled water and just refill them. They work great. I also drink a lot of tea. Exercise is also key. I try to get 30 minutes most days. It seems overwhelming at first, but it's really not as hard as it seems. Good luck!

[bestbette 0]

All of these are really helpful to read. I hope people keep posting. I'm a week post op, banded 7/20 and am still on a liquid diet. I blend together a slimfast can with two extra scoops of protien powder and work on that pretty much all day. If I'm able to finish that early I have some protien pudding in the fridge that I'll take a spoonful of. I'm really looking forward to being able to eat "real" food again. Including pre-op and post-op I will have had liquids for 4 weeks total.

[MustLooseIt 0]

Oh boy ladies wish I could eat..lol I have no hunger what so ever. I have to force myself to eat a little cottage cheese in the afternoons. I drink Water LOTS OF WATER. I am so thirsty and in the mornings I FEEL like I have walked 40 miles..its crazy! Talk about dry mouth! YUCK..But the more water I drink the better I feel. I also love tea with no sugar. I love tuna salad with a boiled egg in it. I only have 1/2 cup and I am stuffed! Its wonderful! I love my band!

[Band_Groupie 3]

I'm three months post-op now and just had my third fill. I have coffee (doc allows it) and reg. oatmeal with some added soy Protein or eggs for breakfast. lunch is leftovers usually and I eat the protein first then fruit and/or veggies. dinner is almost always exactly what the family is eating unless it's Pasta entree and again I eat the protein and usually skip the starch and eat veggies and sometimes a fruit. I drink Water between meals, but I sometimes have a hard time getting it all in just because I forget...that's probably been the biggest change in my routine. I sometimes snack in the evenings...nuts or seeds mainly. NO food is off limits and so far I can eat anything (have had a few PB's/Sliming, but they were my fault...lack of chewing). I've been determined from the start not to make this another diet. I'm good at diets and have lost most of this weight many times, until they end...I could never be on one forever, and I certainly couldn't eat the same things every day or do Protein Shakes every day...and that's working for me so far...no protein shakes unless it's after a fill and only because it's easy...doc suggests no protein shakes ever. My routine really isn't very different at all; mainly Portion Control which is exactly what the band is for! The head hunger is hard some days, but that's getting less and less and it's amazing how the band changes how you feel about food...it's really starting to no longer be the same obsession.

[bmooney364 30]

Where did you find the sf strawberry instant breakfast? I can only find Cho.

[Padanelle 2]

I was banded Jun 8. I work from home, and often try to prepare some of my meals ahead of time. For the mushie stage, I mae a big pot of lentil Soup with spinach and powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chicken broth Protein powder and put it through a blender. I froze some of it in 1 cup and 1/2 cup containers, so I have it for when I need to go back to mushies after a fill. I also mad a big pot of Tomato sauce with sausage, blended it and froze some of it in portions. For the mushie phase, I put it over ricotta cheese & bake. I also use it when on solids for wholewheat english muffin pizza, or over Pasta.

One of my favorites is a crustless quiche. I get 8 slices per pie, so can have breakfast, lunch or dinner for a week.

tuna fish is another one of my favorite quick meals. With just some balsamic vinegar and spices when I'm on the mushie stage, or mixed with either garbonzo or canellini Beans or Water chestnuts when I'm on solids.

I like Cereal, usually Special K, as it has 10g Protein, usually add fresh fruit, and can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner.< /p>

I usually try to have a meat of fish for dinner. So far, I have been able to eat everything - chicken, steak, shrimp, even calamari. I can also handle salad.

My favorite snack is Jello SF/FF instant pudding, which I add Protein Powder to. I usually have 1/2 cup in the evening before I go to bed. I also find the chocolate or Calcium calcium chews fill my urge for sweets. I have one in the afternoon & one in the evening.