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I don't do cups...it's too hard to figure. I do 3 oz. Protein, 1/2 cup veggies, 1/4 cup carbs. I've been doing that pretty much since first being banded and it works for me. Check with your doctor to find out if you can try the same type of plan.

Been going for massages weekly to help with the lower back pain/sciatica. Got a really good masseuse today and gonna stick with her since she did such a great job. So I also told her my tailbone (which is not aligned particularly well) was bothering me and she started working on that area also. As she worked, she asked me if I used a pillow when I was sitting because I must need something to support the area since I have no body fat back there to pad me. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The girl with the big bottom just heard someone tell her she literally wasn't a fatass anymore. Whoopee!

They seem to see cheaper at Walmart. They also have a better selection than some of the grocery stores in my area. saw your username and knew you were upper east side. I'm in the West Village. I had lapband a little over a year ago. hope you are doing well. I stay away from frozen meals...lots of sodium even in the 'healthier' meals. I'll tell you what I do. I go to Citarella or Westside Market and buy their prepared food...fish and chicken mostly. I freeze the Protein into 3 oz. portions. I also get veggies there as well and freeze them in 1/2 cup amounts. I add some carbs...potato or rice...not much...about 1/4 cup and I have several ready to eat meals that are better than the TV dinner type meals.

Hey kiddo! Exciting!! Onederland is so great. I was so happy when I got to that milestone. Yeah...I'm looking forward to our next get together as well...and to warmer weather. It's supposed to warm up mid week and I can't wait. Less snow here in the city than you guys got. I have tickets for Cinderella on Tuesday night but they are saying if it starts as snow, it will change over to rain early enough in the day so it won't be a problem for me. I went to the market this morning and I had to be careful...some of the store owners did not do such a good job of cleaning the sidewalks and there were spots where there was considerable icing. I'm sure alot of it melted since it's sunny today.

I started losing my hair about three months after surgery and another three months later, I really started to notice how thin it was getting. It was awful and I know how you feel It was at that time I started taking Biotin and uppped my Protein per my doctor's instructions. All summer long, I waited for it to grow back but all that happened was that the hair loss seemed to slow down. Then I had the hip replacement surgery and oh boy, did the hair start to come out again. In handfuls as a matter of fact. A month after the surgery, I swear I looked like my grandma...I could see scalp easily and I was horrified. But...I can say that I noticed about six weeks ago that it was really starting to come back and now, you can't see any scalp at all. Oh...and I'm wearing my hair shorter these days. It's a better style and now that I'm so much smaller, I don't need as much hair on my head anyway. Hang in there...as the other posters have said, it will get better.

When I started this journey, I wasn't sure what was enough food or what was too much. I hadn't learned satiety yet. So I went with what I knew. I did a basic weight watchers plan. 3 oz. protein, 1/2 cup veggies, 1/4 cup carbs at lunch and dinner. Breakfast is often cream of wheat, oatmeal, or a toasted half a bagel thin with a little Peanut Butter or cream cheese. I have a piece of fruit, or even a 100 calorie snack/SF pudding or Jello as well. I also made sure to plug everything I ate/drank into myfitnesspal and tried to stay between 1,000 and 1,200 calories daily. The only supplement I take besides my Vitamins is unjury Protein powder. I needed to add it because of hair loss and I included it as well as it's 100 calories a packet. I also stay away from fried food, fast food, etc. I'm eating alot more chicken and fish. I also try to stay away from foods that have alot of sodium. So...not much Soup or processed meats, bacon, etc. If I want any of those things, I do eat them...but sparingly. And no, this does not come effortlessly. Every day I make the choice to eat well. I also make the choice to treat myself to something I want once in a while. As long as you don't go overboard, you really can eat anything. For those who say this is not a diet...well, I actually disagree with that. It is a diet but it's a diet I hope to be able to live with the rest of my life. Once in a while, I eat a little too much when I'm out to dinner and I know when I've over eaten...because I feel a little uncomfortable and that's when I know my band is there and telling me to stop before I go too far. Otherwise, It's just me and the choices I make. Hope that helped Bandista.

I've done step one in my transition to maintenance. I don't plug in my food into myfitnesspal anymore and so far so good. I've been weighing daily in order to make sure I'm not creeping up without realizing it. Now that I feel confident that I'm still keeping within my daily calorie count, I'm done with daily weighing...so there is step two on the journey. I'll go down to weighing in once a week with an eventual goal of once a month. I think that's reasonable in a maintenance mode. I'm not going to stop weighing my food though...at least not yet and maybe never. I can eyeball fine when I'm out to eat but not on a daily basis. I just don't trust myself yet to make sure I'm not overeating. I eat slowly and if I don't pay attention, I know I can overdo. Sometimes I feel that satiety right away, and sometimes not. So I'm very comfortable right now knowing just how much food is on my plate and knowing that when I finish a meal....I'm finished.

No..it's not easy but you will get through the pre and post op liquid diet and once you start eating mushy and then real food, you'll feel better. I can only tell you of my experience. I was at good restriction right away while for others it takes time to get there. It's still a mostly mental game but having your appetite tamped down helps alot and allows you to make good decisions in terms of what you are eating and how much you are eating. So...follow your doctor's instructions, don't focus on the scale, and this I can tell you...as you lose weight, feel and look better, the food will become less important. Congrats and good luck with your procedure.

Does this person have weight issues? Often it's jealousy because you are doing something to change yourself while they are not. If it's not about that, you have a couple of options. You can bring this person to your doctor appointments so he/she can feel more comfortable that you are getting the finest care and doing what the doctor instructed. Or...if it's just a case of yanking your chain to upset or sabotage you...tell this person to shut up...that the comments are not appreciated and to stop them. I know...easier said than done at times but if you can't actually say that, then just think it and try to ignore what is being said. Good luck!!

I think what may be happening is that folks are used to seeing you a certain size and since you've lost alot of weight, they are just doing a compare. You look like you are eating nothing because compared to what you used to eat...you are eating nothing. Same for your size. You look so much smaller than you used to...therefore...you are too thin. I hear the same thing...yet I'm still clinically overweight. I'm just so much smaller than I was so people think of me as thin when I am far from it. Just let those comments roll off your back...they really are compliments so think of them as such. Congrats on your success.

I'm sure you're feeling both excited and sad at the same time. I've moved a few times over the years and I know how difficult and exhausting it can be even if it's a move you are looking forward to. Here's wishing you health and happiness in your new home.

I saw your post...glad you are feeling a little better. I'm banded but I had bi-lateral hip replacement surgery in October. When I got on the scale about a month post-op, I was about 12 lbs. up from the weight I was prior to the surgery. My hips were still so swollen that I knew it had to be Water and general Fluid retention. It took about another four weeks or so but the weight came off and now four months out of the surgery, I've lost all of it plus another 15 lbs.

Don't watch TV. Read a book...better yet, read a good book while taking a hot bath. I love doing that. Knit...do a puzzle, play solitaire... Just do something that's not passive. It will help. And yes...keep healthy snacks around so you have something to go to that won't do much damage. Almonds...lo-fat cheese, SF jello, pops, pudding. Those things work for me. Good luck!!

Give her some time Frank. You are literally unrecognizable and maybe that's where the problem lies. It might also be an option for you both to see a professional to discuss these issues.

No...your struggle lets us know that if we're in a better place, we need to be grateful and if we're also struggling, we're not alone. I thank you for letting us in.

Woo hoo!!

Can you perhaps get a sitter or a 'mother's helper' for maybe an hour to help with the little guy so you can try to get in some exercise? You wouldn't even have to go to they gym if you can work out with a DVD or something like that? Perhaps you have a treadmill or something else in the house? Just a suggestion... And bless you for taking in your nephew. My son and daughter-in-law took in her nieces and they have given these girls all the love and support they didn't get at home....

Yeah...I miss that stuff too sometimes...but again..it's not that I can't eat it, I just chose not to. Just you watch...when you lose enough weight to not miss things like wearing smaller sizes, fitting into spaces you couldn't before, walking without knee pain, and all that other good stuff, you'll find you don't miss these foods as much as you think you will.

I'm banded so I hope you don't mind if I comment. We go through the same thing us bandsters...to tell or not to tell and for me it was my embarrasment over needing surgery to lose the weight that kept me quiet. Even as the weight has come off, I find that I am more upset with myself for getting into a situation where I needed the band to make this work than anything else. I've lost alot of weight in one year and some of my coworkers know I've been banded. I suspect alot more presume I had surgery again, because I'm literally half my size. They are just considerate enough to not ask me directly. That and they're also not supposed to ask anything personal or they can get into trouble with HR. At this point, I'm just hoping no one else asks and a year from now, no one even cares because they will just get used to seeing me this size.

We have a Chinese stir fry a couple times a month. It's good but OMG I loved Chinese buffets. Scary to think how many calories were in those 3 plates of food I devoured? And all the deep fried wings, rolls, crabcheese wontons? If you think you can handle the numbers TMF, plug in all that food into myfitnesspal. I did that several months ago just to get an idea of what I was consuming pre-band and I was horrified...though not surprised to find out that I was eating sometimes 3,000+ calories a day. Actually...it's a damn good idea for people to do that. It's not just a great way to track your eating habits now, but to come face to face with just how much we were eating before being banded. There's no way you can whine and say, 'but I don't eat that much' when you see it in black and white so to speak....

I'm like Mrsto. I eat everything but would love sometimes to eat alot of it...especially Pasta. Thank goodness I don't but there are times I pass an Italian or Chinese restaurant and want to have a whole baked ziti or pork lo mein. So because I can't do that, I don't want to bother with a few spoonfuls if I'm by myself. If I'm with others, then I can try a taste of what they ordered and I'm OK.

That's great -- you are going to have a blast! Check out Vionics shoes. Imagine an orthopedic insert, like a custom orthotic, made into a strappy little sandal. That's exactly what these are. They even have dressy ones with a slight heel. Company used to be Orthaheel and now called Vionics. I also just ordered sandals from Sole, the company that makes those red inserts. So great for lining up foot with knee and hip. Essential! The Sole inserts are great in sneakers and "whole" shoes, etc., but they also make a flip-flop. Not as glam as the Vionics line but the footbed is a teeny bit higher, more extreme for getting that arch arching right. I know, I sound like a shoe salesman. I'll check them out. I have inserts in my sneakers and heel wedges for all my shoes...when my hips were replaced, I wound up with the right leg a little shorter than the left. The surgeon said I'd get used to it but right now, I notice it alot so I wear the wedge to balance me out and the insert because of the lower back/sciatica issue. Thanks!

We have a family cruise in July. I want to buy some pretty things to wear in the evenings. The last few cruises I was on, I just needed to make sure I had something...anything that fit me and didn't look too casual. I really want to get some sun dresses...some pretty sundresses. They look OK with flats...I don't know that I'll ever be able to wear heels...my knees are still not good, but a pretty sundress with pretty flats/sandals, would really be wonderful. I also want to snuba. It's supposed to be a combination of scuba and snorkeling. I would never try anything like that when I was morbidly obese. Much too afraid of not being able to keep up...or have something embarassing happen like not fitting into the gear....

sushi is one of my favorite foods as well. if rice become a problem, eat sashimi instead. if it's really fresh, it's better without the rice anyway.

Wendy, Wendy, Wendy...have you not read posts about just this very thing? Of course you lost alot of weight on liquids. But you can't be afraid of food. And you can't obsess over the scale. I mean it....put it away. Just focus on eating well, portion control, and exercise. That's all it is. The weight will come off...give it some time. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times...you didn't gain it overnight, and you won't lose it that way either. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself. Follow your doctor's instructions, and don't look at that scale again for at least a month. Oh, and look for the NSVs...you'll find plenty, I guarantee it. Good luck!