It is inconceivable to me that you are not losing weight. You need to do the following religiously and honestly: keep a spreadsheet of everything you eat. Everything! If you are taking in more than 1000 calories a day, then you need to assess where you are eating them. If you feel the need to graze than learn how to graze minimally and smarter. Follow my blog (and admittedly I am a 6-week newbie) and get tips there.

Michael Pickert MD

Gorda, I agree with Michael, you need to write down everything you eat all day long. Eating and not counting the calories will get you in trouble. I read in your blog that you cook a lot of rice and it slides down easy with sauce. Rice is a carbohydrate, not filling and full of empty calories. If you can eat rice you should measure it out and only have about 1/8 of cup and fill your self up with healthy protein. I am Italian and I love pasta and pizza and pretty much anything with sauce on it. I had to take a good look at everything I ate and how I cooked. I have looked for healthier recipes and converted a lot of my recipes. I noticed you said you were latino, I bet you are an awesome cook, look at converting some of your favorite recipes to a lower calorie count. You can still cook for your family but you need to learn not to taste while cooking, this was a big deal for me, I am also a taster and grazer in the kitchen and I have had a lot of bad habits to break. Remember it takes longer to break a habit than create it. Make sure you are getting enough protein in your diet and you will not be as hungry between meals and as tempted to graze. If you don't decrease your intake even if you exercise daily you may continue to maintain your current weight. Remember the lap band is only a tool it will not stop us from eatting, we still have to do that on our own. I hope I was not to blunt but I want you to be successful and feel the pleasure of weight loss that a lap band can give you. We all struggle and come here to vent and try and let others who struggle help us. Keep blogging and reading and I know you will be successful.

I agree with Michael. You have to be accountable and honest with yourself.

You have made the first step and admitted the grazing.

You have to increase your workouts.

I have noticed that the people that are successful do just that.

They are accountable for there food intake and they burn the equivalent to half of what they consume.

Good luck to you. You had the surgery cause you have the desire, now you just have to have the will to follow through and use the tool you have.

It is very hard. Im no pro just 6 weeks out. I just want to succeed and I know you do too.

I guess my weight loss is from me NOT being the in the kitchen. I have a wonderful husband who will go out to the kitchen and make himself something to eat if I don't feel like just making him something after I have a shake for my meal. He has lost 30 lbs and he feels great and did not even have to go thru the surgery. MEN!!!! Sorry Michael. I feel for ya having to cook all the time but you know you are grazing and admitting it so now STOP. Another Italian that is too blunt.

Judy

THank you everyone... I like honesty and if i cant be truthfull and blunt in the website that i am doomed!!

This week i plan on writting down every food i put in my mouth,...even if iti is 5 tiny gold fish...so that i week from know i can look back and see where my empty calories are coming from and then do something about it.

I went to the gym today and burned 400 cals in the elliptical..love that machine. I will go again on wed and friday. The summer is tough sometimes since i have all 3 kids home.

Thanks again.. keep up the good work. Size 14 here i come

One question are you weighing your food @ each meal.?............Buy that biggest losers food scale and weigh that 3 0z meal you are susspose to be eating..................eyeballing is a killer,when you are hungry.My other suggestion to go along with the scale is GET an activity you can do WALK,swim anything to get you started.The lap band is no miricle thing it can't work without you being in the game each day.