reverie

You could use online tools; not as handy but they're widely available. Most of the calorie counting websites also include protein amounts.

Aww! I don't have much advice but I hope things get better. If you're into writing you can maybe look up a freelance job online? I made about 10k last year writing website content and such. Just a suggestion. Keep your head up and hey, maybe a tan wouldn't be so bad. :biggrin:

Early Morning: Quest protein bar Breakfast: Turkey bacon, ham, and egg beaters. Lunch: Meatballs w/ spaghetti squash and sauce Snack: Strawberries Dinner: Salad w/ chicken

Definitely! I've had no complications whatsoever; no regrets; nothing.

I'm not sure if you can just go to a random doctor to get a fill but my dr is Dr. Singh, he's near St. Agnes hospital as well as in Columbia. You could try Dr. Averbach as well. Maybe look in the MD board here for some names.

Early Morning: Quest protein bar Breakfast: Turkey sausage w/ egg whites Lunch: Ground turkey on lettuce w/ sour cream + taco mix + cheese Snack: Strawberries Dinner: Chicken w/ fresh salsa

I weigh all of my food and then use fitday.com or myfitnesspal.com which then gives me my calories, protein levels, fat levels, carb count, etc. for each meal. I never thought I'd be one to do it but I've done it since day one and it doesn't take very long. It helps to keep me on track, especially when it comes to my calories and carbs.

That's awesome! I'm sure getting rid of the last 20 is a stretch; I'll be there soon!

Early Morning: Strawberries w/ ricotta cheese, vanilla Torani syrup, and cinnamon :thumbup: Breakfast: Turkey sausage w/ egg whites Lunch: Spaghetti made w/ ground turkey/spaghetti squash Snack: Baby carrots w/ mexican dip Dinner: Salad w/chicken

Upped my calories and down 2.6lbs from a .6lbs loss last week. :thumbup:

I say definitely look around for another doctor! If you've tried dieting and exercise and it's not helping you, hopefully the band can. Your doctor seems like a fool, especially when you're taking steps towards a healthier life for yourself. I'm 19 and was banded this year; I'd have gotten it done earlier but I choose to wait until after school was done. I definitely don't regret it and it's helped me a lot. Find another doctor that will band you.

Welcome!! You'll definitely find lots of answers/support here whenever you need it.

Congrats on deciding to get banded. Sorry to hear that you don't have much support at home. You can always come here because we definitely all support you and can help throughout your entire journey. :thumbup: Fingers crossed that your insurance approves quickly; I've heard it can be a tough few days waiting to hear the news! If you have any questions/need to talk, feel free to message me.

Yay congrats!! Good luck maintaining.

I went through the phase of getting on the scale each day, multiple times, and I realized how badly it messed with my head. Even if the number was up .2, even .1, i would freak out. Then I realized how ridiculous I was being and how the scale was negatively impacting my journey. So, as of now, I'm on the scale every Sunday morning, and that is it. You have to realize that so many things can make your weight go up and down, and it's really not worth it to get on it everyday and get yourself down if it shows a number you don't want to see. As long as you are eating right and seeing results elsewhere, you should be extremely happy. I put my scale in the closet; out of sight, out of mind, so there is no temptation to step on it.

Well..first welcome to the boards. :thumbup: Congrats on having your band for 5 years, that's awesome! How much have you lost?

You may want to post on the Pregnancy forum. Pregnancy with the Lap-band

I started with 650-700 but I've bumped them up to 1,000. More exercise calls for more calories, or else you will plateau. But, everyone's caloric needs differ insanely, so I'd say test the waters and find what's best for you. Add 100-200 calories and see what that does.

A cup of food each meal with 2 snacks to keep my calories up. Morning snack: Protein bar or 1/2-3/4 cup fruit Breakfast: Egg beaters w/ turkey sausage Lunch: 4oz dense protein + 1/2 cup veggies Snack: Fruit again or veggies Dinner: Salad, usually 4oz chicken to go with it.

How many calories are you eating a day (rough estimate?) and how much protein are you getting? If you're burning that many calories in a workout, I'm going to assume you need to eat more.

While muscle does weigh more than fat, there is no way that she is gaining so much muscle that it is making the scale go up. She's losing fat at the same time and she's definitely burning more fat than she is building muscle.

Congrats! Great accomplishment. You're doing awesome.

Though protein shakes are good, they really aren't enough to hold you over if 1. you're only eating twice a day 2. you're drinking it after you exercise. You need a denser protein to keep you fuller, especially after you do cardio. I'd also try to add in another meal or at least a small snack. My dr stresses eating 3 times a day. I actually eat 5 times a day now with the exercise I'm doing. When I started doing p90 I stalled because I wasn't eating enough. I stalled last week, probably because I'm not eating enough, so my advice, eat more, more often. Snacking is NOT a bad thing if you're doing it to fuel yourself and if it's healthy. If you're doing high intensity cardio without much stopping I'd say eat more. Keep an eye on your calorie levels as well as your protein levels.

I'm not sure about popcorn but for pizza I made my own using the Pepperidge Farm Deli slice bread (thin, about the size of a CD, 50 calories for a slice) and put pizza sauce and low fat cheese on it with a sprinkle of italian seasoning. I know some places also sell low calorie/carb pizza crusts. It definitely doesn't taste same as the kind you get from Pizza Hut or something, but it's doable and it definitely hit the spot when I was craving pizza.

I was banded at 19. It's a pretty simple process. Since you know what your insurance requires, you then want to pick a surgeon and go from there. You will probably have to meet with a dietician/psychologist before you can get banded. Make sure your insurance doesn't require you to be on a supervised diet. Shoot me a message with your email; I'd love to talk.