nurseAMY11

-294 -5'8" -39 -pre-hypertension... no real comorbidities -empire blue cross. I was lucky that my insurance company was really great. I was actually a little insulted by how quickly they approved me! lol

It is absolutely possible. for me anyway. i have never had a problem eating carbs, except one unpleasant episode with an english muffin.

eating out has been tough. I haven't found much at restaurants except salads. Well, I may be able to tolerate italian food, but I'm really trying to stay away from the pasta. What I'm really enjoying when I go out is mexican food that is bean based. I don't have much trouble with rice but again, I'm trying to stay away.

That's funny, I'm stuck at the same exact spot! It's frustrating... if you find something that works, please let me know!! I have been working out pretty hard core lately, so I'm hoping that I'm gaining muscle and it's just leveling out for now. who knows... Good luck! I'm sure the added exercise will help you a lot

In general, it seems most people stick to 1000-1200 calories per day, and so do I. Is this while working out? I'm doing one hour of cardio plus some weight training every day. You'd think the weight would be pouring off, but it's not. Should I be eating more because of the workouts?

I definitely plan on doing it!!! After pretty much having to be shoved in one with a shoe horn with about a hundred onlookers in line, I owe the nitro some payback!!!!

Thanks everyone! I run on the eliptical for 30 mins and I definitely feel like I'm losing 5 lbs of sweat while doing it. I also powerwalk/jog on the treadmill for 30 mins. That's less intense, but still keeps my heart rate around 170-180. I recently added weight training (in fact I can barely move my arms right now! ouch!). I met with a trainer at the gym and he seems to think I'm on the right track... I guess the only thing I can do is give it some time and see how it goes.

I'm vegetarian, but I was before the band. I love meat too, but I started volunteering at a sanctuary for farm animals and when I saw meat, I saw my friends. So easy to give it up! I agree, best decision ever. I instantly started feeling better physically, not to mention I lost 20 pounds without even trying!

Yay!! I think bathing suits are the best kind of victory! Good for you! :-)

Great job losing 100 pounds! I'm struggling with a plateau as well.. I'm interested in hearing the responses

I'm still working on the carb thing. I don't eat a lot, but I don't scrutinize them either. If I eat bread, it's whole wheat (maybe 3 times per week). I don't do sugars or rice, and I eat whole grain pasta about once a week. I get a minimum of 60 grams of protein a day. I aim for more but it doesn't always happen. I also started increasing my water to at least 64 oz a day. I've always heard that if you're working out you need to eat more to lose weight. Just curious if anyone does that or sticks to the 1000 calories.

It's a very personal decision, unfortunately no one can tell you what to do. I have had many similar situaitons in the past though. I would do really great on a diet for a long time, start feeling better about myself, and then I would gain the weight back. I had the same thoughts about whether I really needed it or if I could do it on my own. I ultimately decided that I had "yo-yoed" too many times and that I needed a little help. But that's just me... you may be in that mindset to really stick to it by yourself and that's fantastic. Good luck to you, you'll figure out what the right choice is for you!

I love both tempeh and seitan. I don't eat them at home often as I'd like, but they make a great meal. They are both great sources of protein... seitan is wheat protein and tempeh is made from soy. Good stuff!

Yay! Congrats!!

My husband was anti-band before I started the surgery process. He went on and on about how I didn't need it (yeah right!) and that he thought it was a cop-out, I just needed to buckle down and lose weight on my own, blah, blah, blah. When I got more serious about surgery and he saw that I wasn't backing down, he had a serious conversation with me. Turns out, he was just scared of the surgery. He thought I was putting my life at risk to lose weight. After a long talk about reality, he supported my decision. So much so that after surgery he monitored and commented on my meals and workouts. It annoyed me (especially since he ate whatever he wanted in front of me and never worked out!) to the point where I needed to have a chat with him. The poor man thought that he was doing me a favor by being the food police. He said he knew how important it was to me and he thought he was helping me be successful. I told him that I appreciated that he wanted to help me, but that I needed to learn how to control my diet on my own. Support me, don't help me! Ever since he has been an angel... he even started coming to the gym with me and keeping his suggestions to himself. We agree that if I want his opinion about somehting, I will ask him. Problem solved! Anyway, my point is, we can't read each other's minds. I'm sure our men don't mean to annoy us or hurt our feelings, they are just olbivious to it like they are to everything else! lol

Hi all, The importance of water for weight loss was never part of what my nutritionist said. She told me to be sure I avoid dehydration, but never mentioned that the amount of water I drink can impact the rate of weight loss. I have read several threads where people mention "if I don't drink enough water, I don't lose weight". Do you find this to be true? If so, how much do you drink? I want to try anything to get over this plateau I'm in!! Thanks for any input.

great, thanks! I'll definitely start drinking more water ASAP... I'm not anywhere near what you guys are drinking!

I've been a vegetarian for 2 1/2 years. I'm glad to see that there are others out there in the band world! I was beginning to think I was the only one! Everyone says, "when's the last time you saw a fat vegetarian?" but in fact I was plenty fat before I became vegetarian. I actually lost about 20 pounds just by cutting meat. My nutritionist pre-op was not happy that I wasn't going to include meat in my post-op diet. I just told her that I had no intention of changing that part of me and that she would just have to be creative and figure out a meal plan where I got enough Protein. I eat a lot of meat substitutes (boca, morningstar, tofu, gardein) and have never had a problem meeting my protein requirement. I do still drink organic milk and eat some chesse. I will eat things that are made with eggs, but I don't eat eggs by themselves. I would love to turn completely vegan one day. It would be great to hear any new resources you may have. I'm always looking for new recipes.

Great! I just did the same thing! I had a great time letting loose on vacation and thought for sure I would be upset when I got on the scale at home... I not only gave in to the margaritas, but the chocolate cake too! I was shocked to find out I was 5 pounds lighter when I got back! I guess I didn't eat as badly as I thought. I'm definitely thanking my band right about now!

I'm 5 months out and I feel totally normal. I often forget that the band is there at all until I take a bite that's too big and it's uncomfortable for a minute. To me, it feels like I'm just on a diet that's going really well!

I'm glad you posted this, I felt exactly the same way! I always thought I "carried my weight well" or was "well-proportioned" until I saw a picture of myslef. Even then I would tell myslef it was just a bad angle! lol I don't know, i guess it was better then feeling really bad about myself all the time. Now when I see old pictures I'm amazed that I didn't see it for what it was. What's even weirder is now that I've lost 60 pounds I'm more critical of myself than I ever was before! I think I'm just more aware of my body now and I'm definitely grateful that I chose to be healthier! Oh the mind games we play with ourselves....

I had a pain very similar to what you describe. It ended up being my port. it's attached to muscle, so when those muscles are flexed (like when you bend over) you feel the pain. You constantly use those muscles, so It was that last thing to heal, but it eventually went away. That was just my experience... good luck with everything!

Good luck to you!

I had the same problem in my first month. It was like I had to set an alarm to remind myself to eat something. That will change! My recommendation would be to get used to the meal routine now because it will be hard for you to adjust when you actually are hungry. My doctor actually did recommend 4-5 meals a day for the first few months, but honestly I usually average 3. It's really hard to eat that often with my schedule. Good luck!! :-)

Highest: 308 Goal: 180 Surgery date: 8/13/10 Weight on day of surgery: 294 Current weight 1/16/11: 248 I have 68 more pounds!