brenty

I am like you and your wife. I am always mindful to get a minimum of 60g of Protein in a day, and I keep fat to less than 20%, but I do eat carbs daily and have no intentions of giving them up. (plus history has proven it's not at all good for my kidneys if I do!)

Awesome posts, you guys! I think my wife and I are on the windy side of the results here (fingers crossed!) We make sure we get enough Protein to support our individual bodies' musculature, but we don't limit carbohydrates. I am SO not giving up pizza again!

Jachut and 2muchfun, the reason I am the weight I am now is because I couldn't stop at 1 chip or piece of cheese. I'm trying to arm myself with knowledge before I get to the parties and binge on all the things I've missed. Your tips have been great. I like the idea of only eating off a plate. Would make it easier to keep track of how much you've eaten. Also, I've heard that some people can't tolerate spices or pepper early on. Have you guys had any experience with this? Does it cause heartburn or just general discomfort?
Thanks again for your tips. I was a little scared I'd never be able to socialize like a normal person with the band.

A word of advice. Be very careful at parties. Party foods look and smell great. I was one of those party goers who spent most of the night as close to the food as possible. I love wings, chips, quacamole, ham rolls, salads, Pasta salads and the list goes on and on. But I know if I tried to eat some of the stuff I used to eat, I'd be sliming and very uncomfortable. I'd head straight for a bathroom and spend 10 minutes spitting up slime till the bad food choice moved through. Be careful, you don't want to embarrass yourself.
tmf

At parties I stick to high Protein items like if there is a chesse or meat tray. I also will offer to bring something and make sure it's something I can eat. For example, last night I brought a hummus layer dip and pretzel chips. Delish.
At restaurants, I usually go for a salad with a Protein in it. Right now my favorite is a salad with salmon usually with some type of vinaigrette. A local restaurant has a spinach salad with strawberries, walnuts, goat cheese and I add salmon, Love it. I've found that salad is my perfect food. Veggies, sometimes fruit and a protein. Perfection.

Right now my restaurant go to food is Soup. I'm only one month out from surgery. I've also tried eggs with varying results.

I eat a lot of Soups with Beans and a grain like barley, stirfrys with tofu, Beans and rice based dishes, and salads. I will confess to eating quite a bit of Amy's frozen food. It's so good and quick to make.
My go to Snacks are fruit, veggie sticks with lowfat Greek Yogurt ranch dip, and Mary's Gone Crackers with Wayfarer's We Can't Say It's cheese hickory "cheddar" spread.

well spoken. i use the term starvation mode, but i use the term loosely.. ive known that my body shuts down with weight loss very easily. ive never been at that point where i would say i was literally starving, its just that my body kicks into survival mode, whatever you like to call that. i dont lose weight at all when i drop my calorie intake below 1200... i try to move my intake around a lot from day to day. it varies from about 1000 to perhaps 1400-1500 the next day... that does work for me. however, i know that my metabolism is very slow and very efficient. i had so many goes on the Atkins diet that im sure i did something to my metabolism then.

I actually spoke to my nutritionist about this a couple months back after a ton of debates about this on here. What we call "starvation mode" in terms of dieting isn't starvation at all. When you eat far less calories than your body needs to sustain itself, you create a sort of self-induced metabolic syndrome. When you dip below a certain point (everyone is different, btw, there is no magic number) your metabolism will slow considerably. This very often results in a plateau that wouldn't have happened if you were eating more. However, self induced metabolic syndrome or not, it is inevitable you will start losing again eventually just by basic math. Burning more calories than you are consuming and the pounds come off.
Some people truly do need more calories to successfully lose weight. I hit a plateau a couple months ago eating 1000 calories a day, increased my calories by only 100-200, and the weight started falling off again. Currently, I am only eating 800-900 calories a day not because I'm restricting myself to that amount but because I have really good restriction and I'm simply never hungry enough to eat more.
So "Starvation Mode" is a bad name for it because you're not starving. But, everyone's body is different and needs a different amount to successfully and consistently lose weight.

If they compare it yo what the average american eats (high fat high salt high carb high Protein high calorie) it'll look pretty good!
If they compare it to a high wholegrain low saturated fat diet itll look pretty bad.!

I did get the same thing from it, if you're going on the high Protein short term, your risks are minimal. It seems to me that the problem occurs when it becomes a permanent way of life.
I really think at the end of the day- South Beach, Atkins, Weight Watchers,etc- it all boils down to what works best for your body. I can't do high protein/low carb because it adversely effects my kidneys, but that doesn't mean it won't work for others. I just think in light of this study, women need to take their family cardiovascular history into consideration before going on high protein/low carb long term.
I do find it interesting that this study only profiles women, not men. I wonder if their risks are similar.

Yes, but only after you are allowed to eat soft food. Make sure it is no sugar, or at the least low sugar.

Oranges - beware the membranes.

I'm actually having the same issue. The pain comes after eating and has happened 4 times in the last 2 weeks. I went to the dr (pcp) today and have to go to the er immediately and have blood drawn to rule out pancreatic disease, which apparently is common after this type of surgery, didn't know that. Anyway....I have also been given nexium and have to take lataid pills before I eat and am on a low fat diet right now to prevent further "attacks". GO TO YOUR DOCTOR.

Get to a doctor ASAP. Not sure of your situation but chest pain should not be taken lightly

Alot of people use pure Protein Bars, i honestly think they are nasty.I use Detour caramel and nuts,taste like a snickers.

Foamy stuff is mucus- body produces it to protect itself
-Cordelia, banded 1/08

Ok- a little fact check here. If food gets stuck in your band and you PB, which feels just like vomiting, then there is no stomach acid mixed with the food so there is no damage to your teeth. You can mess up your band if you vomit a lot, right after you have surgery, but it's not that easy to do. I PB at least 3-4 times a week due mostly to getting distracted while eating, or sometimes, I'm just tighter than I realize. Also I let myself get too hungry and then I'm wolfing down food. I've had my band for over 4 years and my innards are fine as are my teeth. I don't plan it but when you're just living life it happens.
-Cordelia, banded 1/08

Absolutely, you guys! It isn't an exact science, but...frankly, that's why it works. Your body doesn't know what to expect, so it is 'at the ready'.
And mainly, so long as you are -- on average over time -- taking in less than your body burns for fuel, you'll get there.
Hey, whatever works!

Finished 4 Hour Body last week. It definitely isn't for everyone. I'm not sure it is for me either, but it offers such a unique perspective on a number of topics. food for thought, and totally worth checking out, if nothing else.

this is exactly what ive been doing all along the last three months. Ive lost over 30 pounds in that time. i must say, im eating just about anything i want to... including a small amount of chocolate some days. a couple of nights a week i will have a cone icecream. apart from that i chop and change my meals around a lot. i just dont stress about it and its working really well. i think im varying between 1000 calories and about 1400 a day. the odd day i may not have 1000.

I was talking to someone about " calorie confusion" the same concept as muscle confusion.so they say if u do the same exercises everyday ur muscles stall and stop burning fat or building.they say it's the same with food.if u eat 1200 cal every day ur body will adjust and stop losing but if u " confuse" ur brain a little and up the calories a couple of days then lower them back down ur body never adjusts and u will continue to lose.Now I have no idea if there is any truth to this but it could explain ur situation.

I dont think we entirely understand it yet, I'd shoot for moderation. Look at it this way
Saturated animal fat is positively associated with heart disease and cancer - in a statistical sense. We may or may not be on the wrong track, since all the proponents of the caveman/paleo style diets have some convincing evolutionary arguments. So....... dont be completely afraid of it, but dont overindulge. Choose low fat dairy products, and dont eat too much red meat.
We know the good fats help to prevent cancer and heart disease and may do good things hormonally for our bodies in terms of where we carry weight, how we burn fat etc. So eat oily fish and incude good olive oil in your diet.
The worst kinds of fats are trans fats - the crap that's in processed foods - baked goods, fast foods etc. Dont eat it if you can avoid it.
If you have high fat, you're going to have high calories. So regardless of whether or not we have our facts on fat right, if you eat a lot of it, you might struggle to keep your calories in check. So keep your fat to the current guidelines of 30% or so of your calories per day and try to make a good portion of that the good fats, and less saturated fat.
All it really means is avoid full fat dairy, dont have too much red meat, and choose lean cuts, maybe dont eat five eggs a day, include oily fish, avocado, nuts instead of quite so much meat and dairy.

I am vegetarian, so it is mainly soy for Protein. I try to stay around 10% fat, but since that is completely relative, yours may vary. cheese is my vice, though, so some days I overindulge.

Don't worry! Your body goes through cycles constantly, and transitioning your diet isn't just a flavour/texture transition; your entire system will need to adjust.
To be honest, I see 1-5lb shifts -- both up and down -- on a daily basis. Depending on any number of factors (when, what, and how fast you eat; the time you weigh yourself; how much sleep you got and what time you got up; etc.) your weight will fluctuate.
At first it is disorienting, but after a while you will get used to it. The most important thing is to focus on the graph: your progress over time, and your average weight over the course of days and weeks. If you can keep a regular meal and exercise schedule, and weigh in at the same time each day, that will also help give you a better baseline.
The thing that helped me the most in this regard was logging everything: weight, date, time, and what I ate that day. A pattern will emerge, and you can then use the data to make adjustments. Keep it up!