Jrowe1971

That is awesome to lose 145 pounds. I'm glad to finally see some encouraging post here instead of some of the gloom I have seen. Thanks and congradulations

Well I'll give you my opinion. I would stick with what the doctor tells you, the salesman at the nutrition store is just that a salesman, most salesman try to get the most they can by selling any product regardless of the difference. You can have 2 different brands that are identical in every way except the price, that salesman is going to push the higher priced product especially if he's working on a commission. I know a lot about this especially after 20 years experience. I myself use Body Fortress (like $15 at Wal Mart) not really any difference. You're going to do what you think is best for you but that is just my opinion on things. Good Luck on your journey

I got this out of Bariatric Choice Magazine .... I thought some here would be interested

THE LOW CARB LOW DOWN

The most important thing you need to know is this - carbs are not the enemy. Carbohydrates are fuel for the body. They provide the body with glucose, it's preferred source of energy. If you eliminate your body's fuel, you decrease the speed of your metabolism and the amount of lean muscle mass simultaneously.

That doesn't mean that you can go crazy and splurge on bagels and huge servings of pizza and Pasta. Moderation is key. The solution to successful long term weight loss is a low calorie, high Protein diet with consistent moderate and high intensity workouts, simple as that. But as a lot of you know, that type of regimen is easier said than done. Here are some tips that will keep you on the right path and hopefully keep you from believing all of the hype associated with the carb-free phenomenon.
Low Carb Does Not Equal Low Calorie

Many times, low-carb options are higher in fat and calories than their original counterparts. This is true for most low-carb comfort foods that try to trick you with their healthy mantra. Examples include low-carb ice cream, pasta, and breads. If you watch your caloric intake and monitor bad (empty) carbs and fats, you will probably see more substantial and long-lasting weight loss than merely cutting carbs alone. And remember- junk food is junk food, no matter how low-carb it is.


Rev Up Your Metabolism

As long as your metabolism is in great shape, eating carbs in moderation will only make you more energetic and therefore more active. Eating healthy carbs such as fruits, veggies, and whole wheat bread and incorporating in continual exercise, will cause your body to become a caloric furnace.

Find a chewable vitamin like Flintstones Complete and use Citracal Petites for your calcium and you shouldn't have to chew it. Remember to separate the calcium from the iron about 2 hours to benefit from it, taking them together just makes them expensive urine. Good Luck, I hope you find what helps you.

you can do what you want to do but I would start with finding another doctor. A doctor that requires you buy a product only from him has more of a desire to pad his wallet than to help or treat you. There are many other protein powders out there, I use body force which runs about $15 at Wal mart and as for the vitamins, try Flintstones they work just as well as some of the rest. don't let them tell you that you have to buy something from them, there are many other surgeons out there that will not do such thing.

I know everyone is different but, to the ones that have their bands where they need to be, on average they can only eat about 1/2 to 1 cup per meal. Somewhere in the midst of your meals you need to work in 60 grams of protein per day. There are ways to get your protein in by using milk instead of water in your hot breakfast cereals, 1/3 cup of dry milk added to your meal replacement, this is if you can tolerate milk. I use skim milk which has 8 grams of protein per cup and most of the others except soy milk usually only have one gram of protein per serving.
I know you are wondering why I don't seem to be answering your question but the fullness comes from eating a lot of protein, it keeps you full and helps you burn excess calories. If you eat a good amount of protein for your meal then it'll take a while before you get hungry again

Hi I'm Jerry,
Before I got banded I studied and researched to learn all I could about the band. I have been overweight most of my life and I'm willing to bet that there are very few people who can tell me something that I haven't heard about the dangers of being overweight. When my life started to go downhill I decided I had to stop, reality slapped me in the face when I found out that I was 564 pounds and all the ailments that they warned me about were becoming part of my life. I went to the local hospital seminar about the gastric surgeries, It was then that I decided that I was going for it. I had to go through all the preliminary things which took about 8 months and finally this past August 24, 2011 I had my surgery.
It took me 10 months to have the surgery and in that time I had lost about 100 pounds. I had a rapid weight loss when I had my surgery which caused my body to plateau for about 8 weeks after surgery. I'm finally losing again but I know that I still have a long way to go and I'm going to help anyone I can to not go where I have been.

Hi I'm Jerry,
Before I got banded I studied and researched to learn all I could about the band. I have been overweight most of my life and I'm willing to bet that there are very few people who can tell me something that I haven't heard about the dangers of being overweight. When my life started to go downhill I decided I had to stop, reality slapped me in the face when I found out that I was 564 pounds and all the ailments that they warned me about were becoming part of my life. I went to the local hospital seminar about the gastric surgeries, It was then that I decided that I was going for it. I had to go through all the preliminary things which took about 8 months and finally this past August 24, 2011 I had my surgery.
It took me 10 months to have the surgery and in that time I had lost about 100 pounds. I had a rapid weight loss when I had my surgery which caused my body to plateau for about 8 weeks after surgery. I'm finally losing again but I know that I still have a long way to go and I'm going to help anyone I can to not go where I have been.

Hi I'm Jerry,
Before I got banded I studied and researched to learn all I could about the band. I have been overweight most of my life and I'm willing to bet that there are very few people who can tell me something that I haven't heard about the dangers of being overweight. When my life started to go downhill I decided I had to stop, reality slapped me in the face when I found out that I was 564 pounds and all the ailments that they warned me about were becoming part of my life. I went to the local hospital seminar about the gastric surgeries, It was then that I decided that I was going for it. I had to go through all the preliminary things which took about 8 months and finally this past August 24, 2011 I had my surgery.
It took me 10 months to have the surgery and in that time I had lost about 100 pounds. I had a rapid weight loss when I had my surgery which caused my body to plateau for about 8 weeks after surgery. I'm finally losing again but I know that I still have a long way to go and I'm going to help anyone I can to not go where I have been.

When you first have the surgery, the band is put into place but it is not filled to allow for the swelling to go down. The reason they put you on those diets is to prepare you for what is to come when you have your band filled. I would recommend to follow the doctors suggested diet closely so you can prepare for what it will be in a few weeks. I didn't get my first fill until 6 weeks after surgery.

The diet they had me on allowed 1 fruit a day. To be honest I see a lot on here where they are on a liquid diet for 2 weeks prior to surgery, that's new to me. I will say that my biggest help was non starchy vegetables, I was able to eat all I wanted, green beans and carrots was most of my diet for 2 weeks. My doctor also told me that the key to the liver shrinking diet was to keep the carbs down. I reccomend doing what the doctor says but if you should slip in a banana in your smoothie, who's gonna know