Maddie32

Honesty comes easy here. We're all anonymous so why beat around the bush? If you love meat/proteins, and can't get them down, you're probably a little too tight. Or, you don't eat small and chew big? Only you can know this? A very small unfill(.25 or less) can make all the difference in allowing some of those troublesome foods to go down. Jenn is right. I too coat some foods with a sauce. ketchup, hollandaise sauce(lowfat), salsa, gravy can all be low fat/cal. One more suggestion? Try sipping Water between meals. Wait about 30 seconds after you bite and chew and let the Water keep the pouch moist. Don't use it to wash the food down, use it to grease the wheels.
I eat everything in moderation. Of course, I fell off the wagon over the Holidays but I never really sweat it because it will all(7lbs) come off this month. I eat a lot of Salmon. Just baked. I eat salads, vegetables, chicken, tenderloin steak(the only kind that goes down and it's lower fat but expensive), low fat burgers, turkey sausage, eggs, deli turkey slices and some Soups.
I steer clear of pizza, Pasta, most breads(I allow flatbreads), high glycemic fruits, potatoes, tacos, enchiladas. I can eat all that stuff and I treat myself occasionally to the naughty list, but I try to eat healthy, nutritious foods.
Some doctors insist you adhere strictly to their diet protocol, but let's be honest. We're not all the same are we. So mix it up and make it work.
tmf

The silver lining here is that you've got a lapband and if you find the JC is tiresome or ineffective, you can fall back to the original lapband healthy food diet plan. No harm, no foul. Circumstances change in our lives and you may find yourself with more time to work at a solution. Till then, JC is the solution and we all wish you the best.
Let us know how it goes one way or the other?
tmf

This ROCKS! Thank U.

well... I do hear all of you loud and clear, that's the reason I posted this - I sure wish there was a book out there that published a 4 week menu of eat this and the results were proven, the food easily prepared and the portions were stated. I've been looking and looking and looking - So coping out a little here with JC because it's already done - EASY... plus I'm more satisfied than I have ever been with these foods b/c after being banded for 5 months my appetite is way down - something I believe will be maintained forever now that I AM banded... NO? Because before the way I gained the weight back was from pigging out for an entire year, day after day 5,000+ calories - something I don't believe that I'll be capable of doing ever again b/c of the band... no???
And honestly the food is good - I had Cranberry Almond Cereal w milk, black Beans corn and orzo Pasta for lunch and turkey, mashed potatoes and green Beans for dinner - how is that any different than making the stuff myself? I'll tell you how it's different, once it's gone there isn't anymore to eat - no leftovers and no temptations to eat more than I should b/c at this stage even eating 200 more calories slows the weightloss - which is different from maintenance and gaining.
I completely GET that this banded life is so much more than the amount of food you put into your pie hole - I get that I am a Food Addict and I have to deal with that - that I have to learn how not to be triggered by shoveling food into my mouth to comfort the suck ass day that I've had... so, this really isn't about that - this is simply about what am I going to eat today. And now I look at my menu, and I'm like - oh - I get to have an omelet with potatoes, tuna salad & peaches for lunch and Salisbury steak for dinner - it's just a bit of a reprieve and pressure off from menu planning - I know I'll be back to that - that's life. Simply.
I've got a question from the posts above:
Learn how to use the band... hmmmmm I think I'm learning quite well thank you - I eat WAY less than I did pre-band and I don't eat bread, Cookies and ice cream... I went from eating an average of 5,000 calories a day to eating 1200 or less and eating way more lean Protein... is there something I'm missing with my education on the band? Fortunately for me now I eat a good helping and I'm satisfied for quite a few hours and I don't snack and I'm in really good spirits - plus I made it to the gym 5 days in one week this past week and even did lunges for the first time in nearly 5 years... why, I think I'm learning quite well - does doing JC mean I'm failing and I'm not learning to use the band? I'm just wondering this - has anyone been banded and used JC, WW or NS to shed some of the weight and get used to eating small portions? With all due respect to the four who have commented - if you haven't tried this WITH the band and gained all the weight back - well how do YOU know it's bound to fail? I like facts - if you look at my posts I write facts, I don't point my finger and shake it saying you should do this or that - I say "I did this & In my experience"... Cheryl it sounds like you've got a bad taste in your mouth (no pun intended ha) from these programs like they did you WRONG... I'm interested in how they did you wrong - if you don't mind sharing? Facts please - not "why don't you"... I'm truly interested
Has anyone tried these programs post band and have you been successful - ie, lost what they need to lose and have maintained outside of the program? If you have used these programs but were not successful - why weren't you?