amey_idaho

A lot of food that say they are low fat are loaded with carbs. Low Carb tends to have higher fat content. For me...I've been choosing the lower sugar/carb stuff and taking the hit on the fats. But I'm not sure I'm doing it right. So....the question of the day is... When you have to choose the better of 2 evils...do you choose low carb/higher fat or low fat/higher carb???? I am really interested to see how other bandsters handle this dilemma :thumbup:

I'm having a real time issue. I just don't see how there are enough hours in the day to do it all. I'm supposed to eat 3 meals a day and be able to stay full for 4 hours. I just don't see how this is possible. I eat Breakfast at work at about 9:00 am. I have 2 options for lunch (12:30), leave work and eat out or eat in my office where I am constantly interrupted and it takes me an hour to eat which allows time for very little to stay in my pouch to keep me full. So..I'm done eating at about 1:00. 4 hours later it's 5:00, I'm leaving work and HUNGRY!! By the time I get home it's 5:30...by 6:30 dinner has been cooked, eaten, and dishes are in the sink. 20 minutes back into town to the gym for an hour and 20 minutes to drive back home. So, it's now about 8:30 and I'm barely getting home again, the mail needs opened and addressed, bills need paid, kids want attention, animals want food & Water, laundry needs done, dishes are still sitting in the sink and I'm exhausted!! Two nights a week. we have to be back in Idaho Falls by 6:30 for my son's karate lessons that last until 8:30. I get 15 minutes to make dinner and eat on those nights. I'm really struggling here and could really use some time-management help. Please...anyone....please share how you manage to do it all. I think I'm most frustrated with how I'm supposed to eat at noon, then not until 6:30 and not be hungry without having a snack. Before being banded we'd eat out on karate nights. And normally my husband is really good about doing laundry and getting dinner started but he had some major surgery last week and so I'm trying to keep up with everything he did during the day (he normally works nights), take of him, cook nutritious meals, and find time to exercise too. I'm so overwhelmed....Any suggestions????

So I took all your advice today and had a snack at 4:00...string cheese and 1/2 c grapes. It totally did the trick :sigh: I was able to go to the gym straight from work and do step aerobics for an hour then come home and make dinner without feeling like I was starving. Thank you all so much...I really appreciate the help....it made a big difference today

I'm about 6 weeks post-op. I tried Zumba last week and I only lasted about 30 minutes. I think if I knew what the steps and the moves were then I would have been able to do better. I was just really hard to keep up when it goes so fast and there isn't anyone to teach the basics before you jump into the deep end, so to speak. Anyway, I tried spinning a couple days later and that totally kicked my butt! Good luck!!!

We eat out a lot too and I LOVE OLIVE GARDEN!! salad is not a problem for me so I have about 1/2 bowl of that. And if I really really want some of the breadstick I will take a little pinch off the end where it is crusty, and I've only done that 1 time out of 3 that we've been there. My FAVORITE menu item at Olive Garden is the Mixed Grill and I get it with all chicken. There is NO Pasta with this dish. It is all grilled chicken on a kabob with bell peppers & onions in the most amazing marinade...keeps it all moist. It comes with steamed veggies like squash & zucchini and roasted potatoes. I put 1/2 in a to go box right off the bat. 1/2 of a full order of all chicken mixed grill has 315 calories, 43 g Protein, 10 g fat and 10 net carbs. Or....if I'm in the mood for spaghetti I get spaghetti and meatballs hold the pasta. I don't even miss the pasta. In a mexican restaurant I'll order a burrito or enchiladas and just eat the filling, not the actual tortilla....or a taco salad, or sometimes fajitas (i don't eat the tortillas). I also always order it with ground beef not shredded beef. Chinese...pork & seeds & an egg roll or sometimes cashew chicken, no rice. Rice, chow mein, and lo mein are not my friends. Tonight I had pizza for the first time since banded...Papa Murphy's thin crust combination with some salad. AWESOME!!! So yes, you will be able to eat out again. During my pre-op diet I left 2 restaurants crying and posted that I thought I'd never feel normal in a restaurant again....so you're not alone!!! But it will get better. The first couple weeks after surgery are the worst but it all gets so much better after that!!

EDIT - The subject should read 12 g Protein NOT 20 g protein...so so very sorry!!! I had to share my new discovery... Kroger Carbmaster yogurt, full 8 oz cup.... 80 calories, 4 carbs & 1 Fiber (so 3 NET CARBS!!) and 12 grams of protein...and it only cost 40 CENTS. And it's NOT CHALKY or gritty like Greek Yogurt can be, smooth and creamy and less calories and carbs than greek yogurt. It's delicious, I'm eating the cherry flavor right now. :ohmy: It's Kroger brand and I got it at Smith's but Fred Meyer carries Kroger brand too. I love yogurt for Breakfast and now I can have my yogurt and eat it too

I had my first fill today too. I barely even felt the needle...was totally prepared for it to really hurt...was I ever surprised! I got 2 ccs, drank the Water, no problems :biggrin: I have another appointment in 2 wks. I have to say I didn't really feel anything when I was at the office but by the time I got home I was feeling some tightness in my chest and pressure in my back, probably from the swelling. It's such a good feeling....like I finally really believe something is in there LOL. I'm on full liquids for 24 hours then mushies for another 24, then back to my regular diet.

Let us know what you think of it :confused:

Don't feel so bad, you're not the only one. I don't get my first fill until Wednesday, June 2nd. Last night we went to Sizzler for dinner. My plan was to just eat some salad and some broiled shrimp. What really happened...I had 1/2 plate of salad, a boiled egg, 4 broiled shrimp, 1/2 bowl of clam chowder, 4 chips with nacho meat & cheese & lettuce & guac., and I had about 3 bites of ice cream. How the hell did I eat that much?? Then....we went to the drive inn. I tried a handful of popcorn but the hulls scared me. Tried a pickle but the skin was really tough so I gave that to my husband. I shared an order of nacho chips & cheese with my husband, and I ate a Peanut Butter cups candy bar. I wrote down everything I ate, felt like crap for it but I had to be accountable and the fill clinic has to know what I'm capable of putting away so they will give me a good fill on Wednesday. Today...I'm back on the wagon. Calories & protein in check, got all my water in, took my vitamins and feel much better. I can't take it back but I can go forward. Just wanted to let you know you're not alone. I think the time just before this first fill has been the worst for me!!

I tried this yesterday with fresh sliced strawberries and OMG!!! It was the BEST treat/dessert I have ever had!!! Thank your for the great tip!!!

I am SO FRUSTRATED!! I was banded May 5th, so I am 18 days post op and on mushies until Wednesday when I start the regular diet. (Really hoping I can eat some salad.) I basically lost all restriction over a week ago. I try to stick to only 1 cup of food per meal and only 3 meals per day. Sometimes I wind up with about 1 1/4 cups if I'm really hungry. I'm trying to stay with mostly all Protein, but it's hard...I'm craving vegetables. I've never really liked candy or chocolate so that's not an issue. So..I was at 307 a week after surgery when I started full liquids, down 21 from the beginning of my pre-op diet. But since then I haven't lost a single pound, in fact I went up to 309 yesterday but was back to 307 this morning. My appt for a fill isn't until June 2nd. I'm scared I'm going to gain more weight back by then! I'm ranging between 700-900 calories a day (today was 952 because I ate a yogurt this morning cause I was so hungry and the Protein shake wasn't cutting it). I'm getting about 50 grams of protein/day. Today I finally got up to 63 but I also had all the extra calories UGGHHHHH!!! I just seem to find a happy middle with the high protein and low calories. Carbs have been between 40 & 70 (but today was 82). Part of today's extra calories/protein/carbs was because I made homemade chili this weekend. I put it all into a recipe calculator, finally today, and it came up as for a 1 cup serving: 366 calories, 27.25 g protein, 30.90 carbs (thinking it's from the beans). Is this really bad for chili? Exercise...I've been walking for about 30 minutes a couple times a week. Would really like to get outside more but it's been snowing here the past week with high wind & freeze warnings. Yea...Idaho is a peach this time of year :biggrin: I feel so lost. I know this is supposed to be bandster hell and all...but I really feel like I'm walking around blinded in the dark. Could somebody please tell me what I'm doing wrong? Or better yet, how to get this right?

Uh yea...I'm eating WAY more...WAY TOO MUCH LOL. BUT...the scales did move down and I would up losing 1.4 pounds last week. Not too shabby, considering before I probably would have gained more than that. I'm feeling a little better, starting to actually feel like I have some energy, which is a shocking change. I really starting to think there was something wrong with me because I never have any energy. It's supposed to be crappy and rain all weekend so I guess we're going to stay in and watch some movies. I'm going to start washing walls and I want to get all my curtains washed this weekend too...hopefully that will burn some calories Have a great weekend....catch ya on Twitter

Amaretto Sours have always been my all-time favorite, then Daquiri's and Pina-Colada's. Had some shots last year called Washington Apples that were out of this world!! But I thought we couldn't have alcohol with the band. Not sure where I heard that from but for some reason I just thought we couldn't. The Cranberry Vodka sounds good too. I might try that.

Thank you all so much!! I guess I am just anxious to get this show on the road. I added some veggies and upped my calories to 1000/day and what do you know? The scale moved down a full pound this morning. YEA!! I was SO motivated to go walking when I got off work today. By the time I drove 11 miles home it was raining in sheets. And it's not supposed to stop until after Sunday. GRRRR!!! I will try to be patient, do my best and wait for my fill appt next week. And thank you so much to VikingGirl, you have helped me more than you know. I look for you on Twitter....I totally relate to so much of what you tweet. amey

I'm a planner...I feel better when I can plan meals for the week so I'm not sitting at work wondering 'What am I going to have for lunch today?'...since I didn't have time to throw something together this morning and couldn't figure out what to have this morning. So....I thought this might be a good idea if we all post a favorite meal or 2 that has 20 grams of Protein or more. I figure 3 meals X 20 grams protein = 60 and that way we have made our protein goal for the day. I'll start.... Breakfast: Muscle Milk Light - 20 grams protein, 160 calories Lunch: Wendy's Small Chili w/ 2 pkgs crackers - 20 grams protein, 270 calories Dinner: ummm yea, no ideas....hence this thread Now it's your turn :biggrin:

Thanks Leigha & Curious. I'm going to add some veggies and see how that works. I had 1/2 cup of green Beans with supper tonight and they were oh so good. I had 5 meatballs, 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce, 1 tablespoon grated cheese and the green beans. I'm not stuffed but I'm ok. I might have a SF popsicle later if I'm still hungry. So proud of myself that I didn't eat any of the Pasta or garlic bread. :smile2: Think I might go for a walk later since it's finally stopped raining. Thank you again for all the support!!

From what I understand crackers are like chips....sliders...so they go down very easy. And I have read other posts saying to look for whole grain crackers. I think I remember something about Pita chips too or oatmeal crackers. You might also want to try searching on crackers in LBT and see what you come up with. Good luck...I'm looking forward to seeing what others have to say about this.

Does anyone have a good way of figuring out how many calories, Protein, fat, carbs, etc. are in a homemade recipe? I made homemade chili this weekend but I don't know how to figure out what the nutritional value of a cup would be? Thanks for the help :tongue2:

Thank you...I'm going to go try that now.

I had Wendy's Chili for lunch yesterday too :smile: I didn't think about the baked potato but I might try that next week. Last night we went out for dinner for Mexican. I ordered a ground beef & bean burrito with 1/2 red & 1/2 green sauce. It was so good!! :thumbup: And I ate a lot more than I thought I would. I ate almost 1/3 of it. I brought the rest home but I can't even think of eating any more of it still. Had cream of wheat for Breakfast. I'm losing restriction fast. I can eat about a cup and I'm getting hungry a couple hours after I eat. It's all part of the journey, I know, but this part really sucks!

I named my band Annie....short for Anaconda :drool: I am on mushies...about 1/2 cup of food 3 times a day and trying really hard not to drink while I'm eating. I have had a couple tiny sips but I'm trying. Waiting the hour after I eat hasn't been so bad, surprisingly. ...up 3 pounds this week. Totally SUCKS!!! I called my nutritionist this morning and she told me not to freak out, that it's totally normal and as my body realizes it's going to get real food now it will let me start losing again. Still bummed :drool: I have an appt on June 2nd for a fill, if I need one. And I definitely think I will. I can feel me getting hungrier everyday. Had my post-op surgeon appt yesterday and found out I have the 14cc band. Anyone else have this one? I'm wondering if it will take longer to get restriction with the bigger band. :thumbup: And I just want to say how much I am enjoying this thread. It is so much better and personal than the whole month thread. There's not a lot to relate to on there where some haven't been banded yet and we're already on mushies. I am really enjoying getting to know everybody and hope we can keep in touch and support each other as we get smaller and smaller :laugh: .....better get back to work....going to Taco Bell for refried Beans for lunch today :thumbup: YEA!!!!

I'm doing walks around the block with DH. Still on full liquids until Wednesday, officially. I had to jump up to mashed potatoes this weekend as we were out of town and it was late and the restaurant we went to didn't have any Soup left. So I ordered the mashed potatoes and made them really soupy with gravy. It didn't even taste as good as I thought it would. I'm back to full liquids today. I really want some tuna salad so Wednesday can't come soon enough. The gas pains in my shoulder are gone and I'm able to sleep in my own bed again. Things are going as well as can be expected I guess. I can't wait to be able to eat a salad!!! :thumbup:

Just wondering if anyone else 4-5 days out from surgery starting feeling hungry this fast. I thought I wouldn't have an appetite for at least 2 or 3 more days. I go to First Breakfast at the hospital on Wednesday and that's when I can start to have full liquids and Protein shakes. Until then I'm on Clear Liquids. But I'm starving!! My stomach is constantly growling. I am so sick of broth that when my husband brought me a cup of it tonight I smelled it and I almost yacked. Life Water, jell-o and popsicles are NOT cutting it! Granted, I can't eat much, but 2 days ago I could only eat about 1/4 cup of jell-o but today I ate the whole 1/2 cup and I could kill for some chili or cream Soup or mashed potatoes. Today I actually started crying because I am so hungry I could chew off my arm. I just want my stomach to stop grumbling!! I had to turn the TV up louder so I could hear it over my stomach!! I know I'm not supposed to *eat* anything but clear liquids but is there ANYTHING I can do to not feel like I'm starving and make my stomach stop growling??? I can't even sleep because I'm so hungry!! Today I have been seriously asking myself if this was really a good idea. I can't live like this!! :confused:

Just wondering if I'm doing this right....just ignore me :smile:

I *tried* to go back to work today. Make it a whole whopping 3 hours before my boss told me I looked like death and sent me home. Mostly I'm just shaky and really pale....and still a lot sore where the port is. When I got home I called New U back again. The nurse said I could try a couple sips on a Protein shake. YEA!!! I have one in the freezer now to get cold. At least it might get rid of this headache and not make me so shaky :cheers2: Tonight's soup from the deli.....Tomato Basil. Oh, and my sister's graduation is tonight. Really debating whether to go or not. I am sure all my sisters, dad and brother will be there and they will all want to go to dinner afterwards. I have not told anyone in my family about my surgery. 3 hours in an uncomfortable theater folding seat and wiggling out of dinner doesn't sound like very much fun...and it's not like my sister has ever been very supportive of me or my family. Her and her boyfriend showed up at my wedding in their biker leathers, her purple bra as the only thing under her leather vest...and black redneck buck teeth. I was livid!!! So..I'm having a really hard time supporting the whole year she went to school to get a certificate that she lied to all of us and told us it was an associates degree until we called her on it.....Life in my family :scared2: