JaxBandster

That's great babedoe! I am back on real food today and am amazed at how little I'm eating. Much less than last week! I am struggling to get my calories in right now.

Gibson, when are you getting yours? I'm sorry, I know it has to be hard having to wait. It will be worth it, I promise! You will be on your way soon.

GraceUtah I guess as long as you are losing weight (which it looks like you have done admirably!) then it's all good. I think my doctor focuses so much on carbs because that is what got most people fat in the first place and it's a habit we need to break. I'm not saying I don't every have any carbs. But I have MUCH less than I used to have! There are times when I might have some pieces of thin crust pizza every now and then, but pre-band I would eat ENTIRE medium hand tossed pizza's sometimes a couple of times a week!!!! That's not normal. I consider the way I eat now, much more normal.

Mine didn't hurt at all, they go through the port scar which is numb.

Do you still have restriction?

My doctor says no more than 30 gms a day excluding green leafy vegetables (don't count the carbs in those). That may be too stringent for some but it's working for me.

That's probably where the confusion lies. So many doctors have so many different programs, timelines, requirements and such that I think it IS confusing for many people. Sure wish I knew why that was the case. I have also noticed many doctors recommending potatoes and oatmeal, and other high carb foods especially in the mushy phase. My doctor actually says I can have very moist meat in the mushy phase. <shrug> So I guess you're right in saying that you just need to follow doctor's order so he doesn't yell at you :smile2:

Snowbird, sounds like you are doing perfect!!!!!!!! :smile2:

I hear you, I'm not good at the deprivation thing either and it's a set up for failure for me. I have just started to incorporate some rice and potatoes in my diet (no bread as of yet) and I pretty much just follow the bandster philosophy. Proteins first, veggies second and starches last. I modify it a bit so that I will eat say three bites of Protein, a couple of bites of veggies and a small bite of carbs as I don't like eating just one things at a time. I'm still on the search for that miraculous ice cream that has absolutely no carbs but even the stuff with Splenda in it still has a ton. Cookies are definitely out! Oh and my husband just came back from Pennsylvania and what does he bring me??? Fudge!!!!!!!!!! Not even sugar free fudge!!!! They are cut up in very little squares and I could probably even cut them in half or quarters but still!!!!! Maybe my kids will eat them! LOL Oh and he also brought me a chocolate rose! There's just no winning! I'm going to go make my souped up Protein Drink and pretend I'm having a vanilla shake! It sounds like you are doing well so far. Congrats on giving up the sodas! I know that's hard to do from what I've heard. Tropicana makes some really good sugar free orange ade, fruit punch and lemonade that I like a lot. It doesn't taste diet at all! Hope this helps!

Yeah! Way to go Jaime!!!! My Mom said she noticed my "love handles" were shrinking! LOL:rolleyes:

Hi Jaime Were you asking me or Grace? :smile2:

Do you eat less of things like starches and other, simple sugars? How much of those do you eat per day? For what it's worth, I'm not dieting either. I'm changing my lifestyle.

Hi Jaime! Since you quoted me I'll take a stab at answering you. I will still eat potatoes, rice, etc, but in VERY limited quantities and ONLY if I can "afford" them and take them into consideration in my food count. While some people may not need to be as strict as me in my carb count (30 gms or less a day), eating in excess of 100 gms is going to hurt you. One, it's going to hurt your weight loss, and two, it's going to make you hungry. I am not on a low fat diet, or low calorie. I can eat as many calories as I want and I can have real butter, lean meats, etc. Fortunately, now that I have the band, it limits how much I can eat so usually calories are the least of my worries unless it's trying to make sure I get enough! You said that your doctor says you just need to restrict your sugar intake. Carbs turn into sugar. So it's essentially the same thing. Does your doctor have a nutritionist? Talk to them and see what they have to say. You can definitely have some carbs, but not nearly as much as you are used to having. When I started this process, my husband and I went through our kitchen cupboard and the freezer/fridge and gave everything that was high in carbs to my best friend and her kids. By the time we were done, literally three quarters of the food in our house was gone. We then went out and bought foods that were high in protein and low in carbs. Lots of meat, pork, chicken, fish, seafood, veggies (both fresh and canned), and calorie/sugar free drinks. After going through several days of generally feeling like crap (after I reduced my carb intake) I was suddenly struck by the fact that I wasn't hungry anymore. I also had much more energy and was more clear headed. It was really quite amazing and I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't experienced it first hand. And believe me, I am the biggest carb addict known to man! So anyway, that's my whole take on it. All I know is that when I don't eat carbs I'm less hungry and I am definitely losing a ton of weight. I still treat myself to some potatoes or rice or something every now and then, but they are no longer a regular part of my diet.

Nope. (Man I really feel like the carb nazi on this forum) Go to FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal and log in what you have listed above, then tell me how many carbs you have consumed. I'm betting you are WELL over 200. Bread, milk, crackers, peanut butter, jelly, Cereal, and granola bars are LOADED with carbs. What is wrong with carbs? They make you HUNGRY!!!!! (not to mention they make you fat) The more carbs you consume the more they make you crave more and stimulate your hunger. The best thing you ate was the pork chop and broccoli. So humor me. Count up the carbs. Then, spend some time eating Protein and eating less than 30 gms of carbs a day excluding green leafy vegetables and (after going through carb withdrawal) let me know how you feel. If it doesn't work, then go back to what you were doing before, but I'll bet dollars to donuts that it will. Be forewarned though, you will feel like crap for a few days. Fatigue, headaches and nausea are just some of the symptoms of carb withdrawal. Your body literally goes through physical and mental withdrawal. I actually made this transition before surgery and was absolutely amazed at how much my hunger diminished.

Dang. I just tried to eat some tuna salad. First solids since my fill two days ago. Prior to my fill I could get down about a cup. Just now, I really struggled to get down a QUARTER of a cup and I don't really think I achieved that! Gee, guess this thing really DOES work! LOL Gonna try to do a Protein shake here in a bit to try and get my calories up. Pretty neat!

Hi guys! Just wondering how much restriction you were feeling with your first fill? I am still definitely getting hungry, but I'm filling up faster than I did before my fill. I had gotten pretty loose in the week prior. I will definitely be glad to get that second one since this first one was only a small one (2cc's).

That's a great idea! I need to get back to logging so I can do that too! Based on what I'm seeing above, I would recommend trying to increase your calories at least a couple of hundred! Protein looks pretty good but couldn't hurt to be higher. Carbs aren't horrible but lower is better. Definitely work on the calories though (maybe through increased protein), it will absolutely help you take the weight off!

Isn't that the funniest thing though???? It's an odd sensation to be trying to consume more calories in order to lose weight! It works though! At least it did for me. I've been on liquids (full and clear) for the past couple of days since my fill and am eager to be able to eat more so I can get my calorie level back up. Today is the first day in 10 that the scale hasn't dropped so it has to be due to not getting enough calories. Amazing!

That is an excellent word and one I have felt as well in the grocery store! There are still areas that make me a little weak in the knees, i.e. the bakery, but I just pretend I have blinders on and walk past it. A word on the packaged, flavored salmon. I got some teriyaki flavored the other day and while it was tasty, it was a bit strong and dry for my liking. I think I am going to focus on getting it fresh from the seafood section and putting some sort of teryaki sauce on top of it. Should be quite a bit more moist and flakey and doesn't take very long to cook in the oven.

Becca that is so sweet and awesome! I can't think of a better anniversary present than smaller clothes!!!!! I also have an NSV to share! I can now fit into a size 20 jeans!!!! My 22's are starting to get too baggy so I put on the 20's and I could zip them up. They were a little tight at first, but after wearing them around the house for a bit they got to feeling just right! I can't wait to be able to wear the 18's I was wearing a couple of years ago during one of my prior weight loss attempts. I have a bunch of clothes in my closet that I haven't been able to fit in for a while and I getting more and more clothes that aren't fitting me now because they are too big! This is such a wonderful thing!!!!!

4 weeks post op, next one is in three weeks. I guess he does them about every four weeks. I really empathize with you who are having to wait 8 weeks. That just seems to be so long! :grouphug:

Okay folks. Going to try and figure out which day is best by eliminating the days that absolutely won't work. So, of the days of the week, are there any that absolutely aren't doable for you? By eliminating those, then maybe we can narrow it down a bit. I am leaning towards meeting during the week in the evening but we could also possible do a weekend day as well. We will see what works best for everyone.

Are you tracking your food intake? Try FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal That will at least give you an idea of how much you are really consuming. I know that some days I feel like I've eaten so much and I've only consumed 800 calories! Other days, I hardly consume anything at all and am about that. It's all about food choices! Go to fit day and start logging your food. It will really help you feel better about what you're eating or let you know that you need to cut back. Hunger or the lack thereof is not a good indicator. P.S. What kind of bike do you ride?

It will be here before you know it. Just try to stay busy! Hang in there!!!!!

LOL, yeah fruit is not something you should be consuming on a regular basis. Way too much sugar! I'm only supposed to eat it sporadically at best. Meat and veggies! (and be careful for some of the veggies as well!) sweet peas, corn, lima beans, and others have a higher carb count so you have to watch those. I know we didn't get the bad to have to diet anymore, but the simple fact is that we (the general population) eats WAYYYYYYYY too many carbs that the body can't use for energy and then gets turned into fat (not healthy for our liver either!) I confess, I am such a carb addict it's not even funny. But if I want to get to the weight I want to be, do the things I want to do that I couldn't do because of my weight, and live a longer, healthier and happier life, then I need to cut back on my carb intake drastically to a much more normal quantity. I'm just really glad that chicken wings aren't high in carbs! LOL (as long as they aren't breaded :huh2:)