Corridor72

Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! I am 2.5 years out from having my band. Every time I think I have this thing figured out, I realize I don't have it figured out at all. I know what I'm supposed to do and feel my band is properly adjusted but the head hunger is just too much sometimes. A lot of it has to do with the ridiculous amount of stress in my life right now but that's not going to go away anytime soon so I have to get a grip and learn to come with it better. I have to figure out to avoid falling into that old habit of using food as a coping mechanism. And thinking I need to eat even when I'm not physically hungry. What are some of YOUR recommendations for dealing with head hunger?

I still aim for 100 grams per day, per my surgeon's recommendations. I'm very active though so that's why he insists I have a higher protein intake. I think for my height/weight, it would normally be somewhere around 48-60 grams per day if my activity level was more that of the average person. However, I run(distance running) and do weight training and, if I don't run, I do some sort of cross training. I would talk to your surgeon and see what his recommendations for you are because protein needs can vary a lot between individuals.

Oddly enough, I was never a coffee drinker prior to surgery. I was definitely a caffeine addict though but my crutch was Diet Dr. Pepper. I gave that up in October 2013 and haven't touched it since then. However, I have picked up the coffee habit over the past 6 months(thank you grad school). I usually have a cup in the morning with splenda and sugar free non dairy creamer. I treat myself to Starbucks about once a week but I usually get a skinny latte.

I have a card given to me by my surgeon but have never used it. I usually just take the leftovers home and have them for lunch and/or dinner the following day.

I like the fairlife milk that was previously suggested. Lately I've been buying Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt in vanilla and adding PB2. The yogurt has 80 calories and 12 grams of Protein. The PB2 has 45 calories and 5 grams of protein. So that gives me a total of 125 calories and 17 grams of protein. I use it either as breakfast or a snack. I really can't eat much in the mornings because my band is too tight so it's either yogurt like this or a Protein shake. You can also buy Nature Valley Protein granola in various different flavors and add that to your yogurt.

Curious as to what you found out?

It's been a long time since I've posted anything on here. It's been almost 2 years since I had my lapband. I've done great. Met my goal weight about a year ago and have maintained since then. However, I have to admit that over the past couple of months I have noticed some of my old habits creeping back up. Eating too fast. Eating slider foods. Not exercising as much. The problem is that A) I'm extremely stressed out right now as I am in school working on a master's degree and my husband and I are getting a divorce. And I think some of it is that, having met my goal and maintained for a little while, I've gotten a little too comfortable, if you know what I mean. Anyway, I'm trying to get back to the basics of eating the right foods, eating slowly, chewing everything to mush, etc. In addition, I'm trying to remind myself of how much better life is now than it was before so that I remember why I don't want to go back to being what I was before. And it needs to be more than just "being skinny and beautiful". So, here are some of the things I've come up with that I can do now that I couldn't do before my surgery and weight loss: *Tie my shoes without difficulty *Run *Shop for clothes in the regular size section rather than the big girl section * Apply lotion to my own legs & feet * Wear knee high boots *Go to the gym without feeling embarrassed * Walk up hills or stairs without becoming winded * Ride roller coasters with my kiddos * Fit comfortably into restaurant booths and theater seats *Squat(who knew this would be an accomplishment) * Get myself up off the floor/ground should I choose to squat/sit/lay on said floor or ground That's all I can think of off the top of my head at the moment. So, what are some things that YOU can do now that you couldn't do before? Or, if you are just starting out, what are some of the things you are looking forward to being able to do?

By the way, I LOVE both of these! I remember being excited to buy new clothes as I lost weight but frustrated when they didn't fit for very long. I was so excited last winter when I got to buy my winter wardrobe because I was at my goal weight and knew I'd be able to wear them again this year! And I was determined I wouldn't need bigger clothes ever again!lol...and I'm still determined I'm not ever buying bigger sizes. And posing for pictures...wow! I used to hide from the camera and now when someone asks me to pose for a picture, I'm happy to do so! No more hiding from the camera for this girl!

I'm sorry to hear this. Yes, it is tough. In fact, it freaking sucks.

Very interesting to see the picture comparison! Thanks for sharing!

0. What type of weight loss surgery have you had? Lap-band 1. How long have you been in maintenance mode? Since December 2014 2. What's your current height and weight? Ht:5'6" Wt:135 lbs 3. How many calories do you eat daily (on average) to maintain your weight? I have no idea since I don't actually track calories. 4. What kind of focus do you put on Protein -- number of grams or anything else you want to say? Protein first, always and at least 60 grams per day, minimum. 5. What kind of focus do you put on carbs - number of grams or anything else you want to say? During the weight loss phase of my journey, I tried to stay under 100 grams per day. After shifting maintenance, I don't really count carbs anymore. I do try to avoid foods that are highly processed and full of added carbs though. However, I eat fruits, vegetables, and grains in liberal amounts. 6. What other nutritional tips / tricks are working for you that help you maintain? I eat only when I'm hungry and only until I'm satisfied, not stuffed and then I stop. I choose protein first and if I'm still hungry, then I will eat some veggies and fruits. 7. Which foods, if any, do you avoid altogether? Junk food and Pasta 8. What exercise regimen (exercise types and frequency) do you follow? I spend 30 minutes to an hour on the elliptical followed by some weight training 3 days a week. I also run 3 or 4 days a week. My runs are anywhere from 3-8 miles at about a 9 min/mile pace and I'm currently working my way up to being able to run my first half marathon this fall. 9. What role, if any, has counseling or therapy played in your WLS success? I haven't officially had any counseling, per se. However, my surgeon is one who spends lots of time with his patients discussing everything from diet and exercise to life circumstances and coping mechanisms. That has helped tremendously. 10. What advice would you offer WLS patients to help them be successful? Choose a surgeon who cares about YOU as a person and who will provide the follow-up care that you need and then do what he tells you. The "rules" given to you are there for a reason. Obey them. Forever. And understand that whatever surgery you have is just a tool to help you reach your goals. It is not a magic fix. It will not do the work for you. You have to do the work of utilizing your tool appropriately and making it work for you. Otherwise, you may lose some weight initially but you will eventually gain it back if you don't make lifestyle changes. You have been given an amazing opportunity-make the best of it!

Just wondering if there are any vegetarians here? Or if it's even possible to be vegetarian and get all of the needed protein and nutrients with lap band. I'm just kind of exploring the idea for various different reasons.

@@B-52, I can understand the issues with chicken. I'm the same way in that, if it's not prepared just right, it's not going down. I can eat beef and pork as long as it's not overcooked. However, since having my band, I've totally changed my lifestyle and eating habits and, as part of that, have avoided eating those meats simply because they're not very healthy. And now that I've stayed away from them for so long, I find I just don't like them anymore. And I don't care for chicken either. This is why I'm considering a vegetarian lifestyle. I just don't see any point in forcing myself to eat foods I don't like anymore, ya know? I did talk to my surgeon about it. He said he wouldn't recommend it for everyone and he thinks it will be difficult for me to get enough protein but told me if I wanted to give it a try that he would be supportive as long as I make sure I get at least 60 grams of protein a day. I think I can do that easily. I can add quinoa to my diet. I can also add chia seeds, which are high in protein and can be added to oatmeal, yogurt, salads, etc. There are high protein milk varieties now that are ultra filtered, like Fairlife, which has 13 grams per 1 cup serving. I can use that to make my protein shakes and I'm more than halfway to my 60 grams without even eating anything. Then of course there's cheese, cottage cheese, peanut butter, nuts, beans. Right now, what I've decided to do is is to completely give up all red meat and pork for a few months and see how that goes. Once I get through the next few months without those, as long as I'm doing okay with getting my protein in and not feeling like I'm missing out, I'll cut out chicken and eventually I may cut out fish. I'm ok with keeping the milk products, eggs, and cheese in my diet though so that makes things easier.

I've been looking into this myself and while I haven't made the jump yet, I've come to the conclusion that I don't think it will be as difficult to get the protein in as I previously thought. Quinoa is high in protein and is a complete protein so it's a good addition. It essentially takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. Chia seeds are high in protein and can be added to yogurt, oatmeal, salads, etc. If you are doing vegetarian and not vegan, you can still have milk, eggs, cheese, cottage cheese. There are actually higher protein milk varieties now. The best I've seen is made by Fairlife. It has 13 grams of protein for a 1 cup serving. Kroger's carbmaster milk is 11 grams per 1 cup serving. I plan to use Fairlife milk for my protein shakes and to make my oatmeal with. Speaking of oatmeal, Quaker makes instant oatmeal that has 10 grams of protein per serving. Add some chia seeds and use milk instead of water and it's even higher! Greek yogurt is also a good choice and you can add Nature Valley protein granola to up the protein content there. You just have to look for ways to add protein to what you're already eating as you eliminate the meat from your diet.

Oh geez...things that are easier now than before? There's a lot of them. Some have already been mentioned like putting on shoes and tying them. Fitting in restaurant booths and movie theater seats. Getting up off the floor or the ground. Touching my toes. Walking up hills. Exercising and RUNNING! I can RUN now! In fact, I've actually won several medals from running 5K's :-) I hope to run my first half marathon this fall! I literally can't be still anymore just because it's so easy to move! I just love being up and going! I also sleep better. I was never tested for sleep apnea but now that I realize how good sleep can be, I'm convinced that I probably DID have sleep apnea and just didn't know it because I woke up several times a night and never felt rested in the mornings. Hubby says I used to snore a lot too and now I don't snore at all. So even sleeping is easier now!lol

Oh believe me...I understand your struggle. I love sweets of all kinds. Cake, cookies, candy...I love it! However, I have learned that I can't eat those things on a daily basis and maintain my weight. I have replaced some of it with healthier alternatives. I like Quest protein bars. They have lots of different flavors and are very satisfying to me. My favorites are S'mores, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Double Chocolate Chunk. I've also recently discovered MusclePharm Combat Crunch bars, which are AMAZING and have more of the texture and taste that a candy bar would have. I've tried the chocolate brownie, chocolate peanut butter, chocolate chip cookie dough, white chocolate raspberry, and cinnamon twist. I didn't care much for the white chocolate raspberry but the rest of them are great and the chocolate ones are just like eating a candy bar. They're great for when you just HAVE to have a treat. They are around 210 calories each so need to be calculated into your daily food intake but they also have 20 grams of protein and are filling so you can easily trade them out for a meal or snack. I also allow myself about 3 pieces of sugar free hard candy each day. And I keep some Dove dark chocolate promises in the freezer for those times when I just HAVE to have some of that real chocolate. I rarely eat it though and when I do, it's only a piece or two. Keeping it in the freezer helps not only with storing it for long periods of time but it also makes it last longer when I do get it out to eat it because it takes longer for it to melt it in my mouth. Aside from that, the only other sweets I eat are on special occasions. Vacations, holidays, and birthdays of immediate family members are all occasions that I allow myself to splurge and eat whatever I want for that 1 day. Once that day is over, it's back to my healthy eating plan. Good luck!

Always, always, always take the stairs instead of the elevator, Park as far away as you can from the entrance of your work or the store or whatever so that you have to walk farther. Walk instead of driving when you can. Find walking/hiking trails in your area and get out and enjoy nature instead of doing other sedentary activities.Buy some dumb bells and resistance bands to use when you're watching tv. That's about all I can think of right now.

Haha! No chub rub! I love it! Congrats! I was pretty happy when I realized my thighs no longer rub together when I walk! And the added bonus, I can wear shorts now without them bunching up in my crotch since I no longer have the chub rub going on!

The difference is really amazing. I love it though! The worst part- all the idiots who look at me and say "You need to eat more! You don't eat enough to keep a bird alive!" Umm yes, obviously I'm eating enough to keep an entire human alive because I've been eating like this for a year and a half now and I'm still living!

So it's summertime and I'm craving what else? None other than ice cream and milkshakes! Ugh! This was becoming a problem. Until I remembered how I used to make a nice little chocolate smoothie from protein powder, ice, and a little bit of milk during the early post-op period. So I decided to try something similar. I used 1 scoop of Quest peanut butter protein powder, 1 cup of Silk Cashew Milk, and some ice. Threw it all in the blender and WOW! AMAZING! It's just like drinking a peanut butter milkshake. You could do a little less milk and more ice to make it thicker too. Anyway, it ends up being something like 135 calories for the whole thing AND you're getting your protein in :-)

I wonder if he was just trying to be complimentary? I'm 18 months post-op and have been at my goal weight for close to a year now. In the beginning, there were tons of people commenting on my weight loss. At first, I enjoyed it. It made me feel good about what I was doing for myself. However, it went on for so long that I began to worry that it would never stop. I wondered if I would ever just be "normal" again rather than being "the former fat girl". I was tired of it. Really. I'm not sure when it happened really but eventually that all stopped and I became "just another person" to all of the people I'm around all the time. However, I still get some pretty interesting reactions from those I haven't seen in a long while. And I can understand what you're saying...Eventually it just gets old and you just want to be "just a normal person" and you want to forget that the former fat girl ever existed. You just want it to all be in the past. And then someone you haven't seen in ages brings it up. Again. I've learned to just accept the compliments gracefully and then quickly change the subject. I think most people mean well and when you've lost as much weight as we have, it's shocking for them and they almost don't know what to say either. So they try to compliment you. Unfortunately it doesn't always sit well. Having said all of that, if he he was truly just trying to be a jerk and point out your history of weight problems, I'm with the rest of the gang here...kick him in the coconuts next time!

Congrats! That is an amazing feeling!

Thanks for sharing this! I just ordered my free samples. I LOVE Quest bars! I buy them from GNC, Netrition.com, and I have ordered them from Quest Nutrition as well. I really like almost all of them. My favorites are: Smores chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Double Chocolate Chunk White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies & Cream I like the following but don't eat them as often as the above mentioned: Chocolate Brownie Lemon Cream Pie Peanut Butter & Jelly Cinnamon Roll banana Nut Apple Pie Peanut Butter Supreme Chocolate Peanut Butter I eat Quest bars on a daily basis, sometimes twice a day. I keep boxes of almost all of them in the pantry so I always have the flavors I want available when I want them I've also found that many of them are better if you heat them in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds. I REALLY like to do that with the Chocolate Brownie, cinnamon roll, banana nut, and apple pie flavors! Yum! Love me some Quest bars!!!!

So the poll that was posted yesterday about whether or not you feel offended when people call you skinny got me to thinking about something else that DOES offend me. The thought actually was triggered later when my photographer posted some pics on facebook of me and my family. Several people have liked and commented on the pics, which is great. What bugs the crap out of me is that every time a new picture is posted of me now, someone has to respond with "You look great. How did you do it? Can you help me?" and what really gets to me is that the people who do that are usually people who would have never commented on anything I posted to my facebook page before. This also happens outside social media. People, who wouldn't speak to me before, will now walk up to me and tell me how I look so amazing and then follow it with "How did you do it?" and "Can you be my mentor?" Uhhh, NO! I don't mind people knowing that I've had WLS. It isn't something that I hide and it doesn't even bother me when a total stranger asks me how I lost my weight. It isn't the concept of people knowing how I did it that bothers me. It's the idea that these are people who either didn't speak to me at all pre-surgery or barely spoke to me and now all of a sudden they're all friendly and want to act like we're close friends so they can find out how I lost my weight and get some help for themselves. If I wasn't worthy of your friendship when I was 283 lbs then by golly, YOU are not worthy of my friendship now. Nor are you worthy of knowing how I achieved what you want. I found my way. You need to go find yours. This is actually something that seems to happen to me on almost a daily basis. And yes, I do find it offensive. Rant over. Thanks for reading/listening. Oh, and by the way, being called skinny does NOT offend me in the least.

I ate way more than I planned. Dinner was at noon so there was plenty of time to graze throughout the day and into the evening. There's also lots of leftovers. However, I am back on track today. The family can eat the leftovers and, aside from the turkey and green beans, I will not touch them. Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels :-)