reverie

Eat more protein/higher fat foods. I can't offer much help as I expect to be hungry; it's normal. I'd definitely try eating more protein however.

Like Dave said there's a lot more to weight loss than calorie counting. While it is a pain in the beginning, after networking on my own, I've found that even the healthiest of bodybuilders count their calories. At some point you may be able to correctly eyeball and know what you're eating the the calorie content, otherwise you may want to try to get used to calorie counting as much as possible. I'm a year+ out and I love it, oddly enough. If you've only lost 1.6lbs, you're definitely doing something wrong. You said yourself you're eating too much calorie wise, so maybe a fill is in need, or maybe you just need to limit certain things that you eat. Exercise also helps, a lot. My question is, what are you exactly expecting the band to 'help' you out with? A talk with your doctor/nutritionist may be helpful.

E: Atkins bar + 200g strawberries B: Pumpkin overnight oats S: Blueberry protein muffin w/ hazelnut cream cheese L: Turkey meat, rice, veggies, and plum sauce S: Toast w/ PB and banana D: Alfredo w/ pasta, chicken, and broccoli

E: Atkins bar + 200g strawberries B:

Are you counting your calories, exercising, getting your water in, etc? The weight isn't going to fall off like it did immediately post-op. Make sure your calories are in check, exercise, and see where the scale goes.

Calorie cycling really has no true benefit; one high calorie day probably won't change your weight-loss negatively or positively.

Immediately. I lost weight pre-op and it kept going, even post-op, which was shocking. I had no fluid retention at all. I'm paying for it now though because my weight loss has been veeery slim. Oh well!

You're probably not eating enough. I don't believe in starvation mode but eating so little ruins your metabolism. Maybe your band is too tight.

I too was told no straws post-op. One day I stopped at Starbucks for an iced coffee -- straw included. Drank it without thinking, had no problems at all. I wouldn't advise it too early out post-op but maybe later on down the road.

Congrats!

What exactly did you expect? Did your surgeon not tell you about the post-op diet pre-surgery? Either way, it does get better. It's common that you start to regret being banded when you're forced to eat nothing but liquids for a week+ It gets better, trust me. Once you get to soft foods and then progress back into normal foods you'll see it isn't so bad. Complications do happen with the band as with any WLS, but I wholeheartedly believe that if you take care of your band, it'll take care of you. If you have a great doctor for aftercare then I wouldn't worry much. Focus on the positive. Yes it's crappy now but when the weight starts to come off the post-op diet really fades into nothing; you'll look back and say it was plenty worth it.

Any reason you're drinking a shake for 2 meals? Drinking your calories really isn't ideal. Be sure you're tracking/weighing what you eat. If you're not exercising, start.

You won't hurt your band. Make sure you're getting enough fiber in, etc.

Never had one but you need to go back to your doctor as it may need to be drained.

Go to Walmart/Target and buy ready-to-drink shakes, like Muscle Milk, Labrada, etc. They're much much much better tasting, trust me If there's a GNC/Vitamin Shoppe near by you can also buy Isopure that comes in the clear bottles; they come in fruity flavors and are again, much better tasting than an unflavored Protein powder. Good luck!

You'll be fine, just stick to the diet from now on. Good luck!

How much do you have left to lose?

NSVs are always great!

Happy healing!

Could be too big of a deficit, not sure. Either way the golden rule is that weightloss isn't consistent nor linear. Does it really matter to you that you're losing a pound each week or 6lbs every 2-3 weeks? Id take the 6lbs any day. The fact is that you won't lose each week.

Congrats on your surgery date!

It's not the food to blame, it's your band. You're obviously too tight and need a small unfill. You've resorted to slider foods and liquids to get your calories in; that's a big no no with the band and is a completely obvious sign that you need a slight unfill. Congrats on your 100lb loss; I was banded in May 2010 as well. Really though, get an unfill. What you're doing isn't healthy.

Staying full for 3-4 hours; nothing more. I don't look for food restrictions. I eat everything. I too have the same mindset about PBing, sliming, and depending on liquids as a meal, though I will say I have PB'd and slimed a few times. The joy of allergies/not being aware of huge bites.

Good luck! Let us know how everything goes.