Hi Ladies,
Thank you so much for sharing. I think this is the most useful thread I've read on LBT. I'm failing my band. I was banded on Sep 23, 08. I have lost a total of 20 lbs only over the course of 4 months. From Thanksgiving to Christmas I lost only 2 lbs. From Christmas to today, I think I have lost only maybe 1 lb. I have been drinking liquids with all of my meals. I have been eating out. I have been having alcohol 1-2 nights per week when going out. I have been having soda and other carbonated/caffienated beverages. I have not been measuring my food. I have not been taking 20 minutes to eat a meal. I have been snacking on salty tortilla chips in bed before falling asleep, I have not been exercising at all. I'm kind of a disaster... I'm trying to change. Here is what I have done over the past 2 days to 1 week to change:
* Today I waited 30 minutes before and after my meals to drink liquids. Woo Hoo! This is the hardest one for me!
* Today I had a Protein Drink, and consciously tried to increase my Water intake, which I know is deficient... I'm getting maybe 50 oz a day?
* Today I skipped a work party at a bar so that I wouldn't be tempted to have french fries and booze.
* For the past 2 days I have had no sweets except a teaspoon of honey in my morning tea, a few squares of very dark chocolate, and 1 or 2 tangerines.
* For the past 2 days I have tracked my calories meticulously.
* On Monday I joined a Flamenco dancing class for exercise (that was so much fun)! It is only once a week, but that is an improvement for now.
Tonight I had a salad and some chicken with tomatoes and mushrooms for dinner. I should have stopped post salad but I couldn't! Why can't I stop when I know I'm not hungry anymore? I ate some chicken (a pretty good choice for me). I feel full, not overly full, but definitely not hungry. If I felt like this after my other meals, I'd probably not feel the need to snack in between meals (my Snacks aren't too bad: tangerines, yogurt... okay, and tortilla chips, I get major salt cravings). I've been having problems with food getting stuck, PB a few times a week and feel like food gets stuck at least once a day. Is this normal? How often do you all PB/get stuck and just slime but no PB? For a while I tried to eat just Soup because I was so uncomfortable... but then I was just grazing all day because I never got full. I feel like I can finally tolerate chicken again and am planning to try to have tuna for lunch because I know it is more filling than soup (which I had for a full week for lunch & dinner). I think I do better with substantial Protein for meals. But, I shouldn't be able to eat a whole can of tuna in one sitting should I??? The other night I had nearly 3 slices of a large pizza. That is way too much food right? And yes, I know I shouldn't be eating pizza. I'm eating 1500 calories a day, and I'd guess this is about half of what I was eating pre-band. I weigh 178 and am 5'2". How many calories should I be eating a day?
My goals for tomorrow are:
*Write down everthing I eat.
*Eat 1500 calories or less.
*No sugar other than my 1t honey, fruit, and a piece or two of dark chocolate.
*NO SODA!!! This one is going to be tough.
*No drinking liquids around my meals. This one will be super-hard too.
* Eat chicken or tuna for lunch and dinner to try to feel fuller.
Thanks for listening. If you have answers to my questions please help!
-Hilary