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Well, if you have 4 protein shakes with at least 20g protein each that should be about 800 calories right? I would say have the shake, then if you want other things supplement with soup or yogurt or whatever. The protein shakes are what keep you full and have nutrition. For me I'd have my shakes, then maybe some soup once or twice a day.

My first Thanksgiving started by drinking my protein shake then off to do errands. After my runing around back home and started getting ready. Make potatoe salad with low fat mayonnaise, then salami, cheese and olives roll up, (MY KIDS LIKE THAT) I did good only ate 3 very hard but i did. My sister maded the turkey and rice and beans. My daughter macaroni salad and corn bread also jello with fruit and dont let me forget jello shots. My other sister did macaroni and cheese and lettuce, cucumber and tomato salad. Well you get the idea lots of food. Then for dessert pumpkin, apple, sweet potatoe pie. Well here comes the time to sit and eat and hope I didn't started choking. I am happy to say I did good small spoon of rice and beans, small pieces of turkey (did not want to choke:cursing:) small spoon of potatoe salad and then my cranberry juice not bad. Then later on very small piece of pumpkin pie. I am very proud to say nothing came back up and no choking :cool2:. So see you can eat just in small amounts and very slow. We see what Christmas brings. LOL Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

My problem is I eat things i know wont get stuck real easy...i am trying my best to kick the habit im not eating a lot of it though but my Protein intake is really low and my calories are really low, so really im eating what i want but very little of it.

My fitness pal is great bc you can select a portion of a serving it's hard for us bandsters to count calories electronically bc we may only eat 1/2 or a 1/4 of a serving well this does all the guess work out of it! When you say you eat thins that won't get stuck that makes me think if ice cream and chips which if I'm correct will definitely impact your weightloss. I agree with the qbove I think you need to up your Protein an Water intake and maybe see a nutrionist but you will need you to log everything including the bad stuff Good luck and remember this weight didn't come on overnight and it won't come off overnight either. I always say it took me 29 Years to put the weight on I don't expect it to come off in a few months. If you let yourself get de- motivated you'll never conquer it! Good luck!

I have been reading about Michael Mosleys work with intermittent fasting, specifically his 5:2 plan. Eating regular meals 5 days and low calorie 2 days. Is anyone following this plan?

Blue eyed P, I totally understand what you're saying. I was banded on 10/14, had lost 16 lbs total, and recently noticed that i'm gaining again. my TOTAL loss is only 10 lbs right now. And that includes any pre-op loss. I've been eating whatever i want, or whatever works, per my dr. i know i've been bad some days, and eating too much, or the wrong things { too many calories } I,too, have been beating myself up over this. Then i start over the next day. I went and got my first fill this week... as it turns out, i have an intestinal infection... why ? my stool isnt moving the way it should be, and i'm all blocked up. Again , Why ? Because i'm not eating the fiber i used to - no raw veggies, salads, etc... and some of the bad foods are haunting me by sticking around. so i've started taking fiber choice chewable tablets , and watching my portions, and what i'm eating, and getting plenty of h2o, and i'm "losing" my blockage - AKA - some extra weight! lol So, instead of beating myself up, i'm LEARNING ... what to eat, what works, what doesnt, what i throw up from, portion control, etc... We ARE all different. Unfortunately, there isnt just one blueprint for all of us ... I WISH !! lol ! Take care, and just do one day at a time. if thats too much, do one hour at a time ... it'll happen. I have faith that this will work for each of us, AS LONG A WE LET IT WORK ... :cool:

don't pay attention or compare yourself to others. that's the best bit of advice i got & it's really true. there are so many variables: what was their BMI / did they have a liquid pre-op / what is their calorie intake / do they exercise..... i only lost 25lbs in my first 4+ months - it was extremely frustrating watching others tickers go by..... so i just ignored & focused on just what i had control over - me. good luck!

How would one go about counting the calories in a marinated veggie salad. Ie veggies soaked in Italian dressing. You just eat the veggies and drain off the dressing into the container but some coats the veggies and stuff. How do you count the calories ? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm with everyone else. The emphasis for the first couple of months is healing. So, if you walk on the treadmill, go slow. I know it's sometimes different for men, but for me, I am on for a 1/2 hour at 1.5 mph. You think you're not doing anything, but you are. The walking at the beginning is to help circulation, to help healing, and to remove gas. I have a recumbent bike was not allowed to use it at first- I guess it's too much stomach involvement or something. Today was first time and I felt it. I could have gone on and on but I stopped after 12 minutes. There's no need to push. Still used up 91 calories, and since I'm eating 800 -900, that's fine. Be careful!

There are a couple of possibilities. It could be that you are being too restrictive with your calories. In that case, your body is in starvation mode. It will hold on to everything and cause your weight loss to stall. The other could be that after coming off of the liquid phase of the post-op diet, that you are losing weight, but you are also displacing what was basically an empty colon (TMI?) with solid waste. In that case, you are losing weight, but the adding of solid waste to your colon makes the scale stay the same. Start measuring yourself. That is a better way to tell if you are losing than just relying on the scale's numbers. Good luck to all of you!

Also, the first bit of time after getting banded is not about losing weight, but about healing. Many people lose weight at this time, due to the restricted diet they are advised to eat by their Dr. Some do not. I'm sure you're read it hear before, but the band is just a tool and it still takes eating right to make it work. Check your calorie intake and see if you need to adjust it.

Can only speak for myself, but since I found this site within the last month I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful, smart community at my beckon call. I am absolutely convinced that this forum has prepared me far better than my doctor and/or program has thus far. I take what I need and leave the rest and for that thank you -- not to mention it's calorie free:clap2:

I take viactiv occasionally. I have really tight restriction but they don't get stuck. They are only 20 calories for their Multivitamins and if I feel like the need for something sweet during the day, I will take them instead of my regular Vitamins. I have also used them for calcium as well. If you have to get your vitamins and calcium in during the day, might as well enjoy them.

I'm not an expert on the paleo diet, but I have been on a low carb diet for the last 13 years, so here's what I can contribute: First, you should check with your NUT and see what they say. Secondly, there are three types of foods that contribute calories, fat, Protein, and carbohydrates. To meet your calorie targets, your calories must come from one of those three groups. In my case, i try to get 800 - 1000 calories per day. If I consume 125 grams of protein in a day, that's 500 calories. The other 500 have to come from the remaining groups. In my case I generally consume 20 - 30 grams of carbs per day, so the rest will come from fat. 30 grams of carbs is 120 calories, which means that I will consume 380 calories of fat, or 42 grams of fat per day. This give a daily intake of: 12% of my calories from carbohydrates 38% of my calories from fat 50% of my calories from protein. I have discussed this with my NUT, and she is fully supportive of my eating low-carb and my nutrient intake being as mentioned above. I think the low-fat advice is geared toward people who are not following a low-carb diet. As I mentioned above, I'm not an expert about paleo, but hopefully this answer will help you.

okay, adding a 4th meal sure isn't as easy as I thought it would be. I was able to get over 1000 calories today by adding a spoon of peanut butter and a spoon of nutella (not to be confused with gnutella...) I've also added a viaticiv calcium chew.

I can't figure out how you were able to eat a taco salad, 2 weeks post op? I was still on mushy foods by then.. My Dr said you have to heal.. first 6 weeks should be taking it slow, I could have eaten the refried beans and possibly tomatoes if they were small but doubt I could have eaten the bowl which is actually a tortilla... anyway there are several things you can eat at fast food places.. I eat @ Chic filet sometimes if I'm around one.. their chicken tortilla soup is awesome.. only 260 calories .. about 1 cup .. if nothing else they have grilled chicken nuggets.. Wendy's has great chili.. I'm not sure about McDonald's never have liked that though.. you just haven't had enough time yet to get discouraged.. my Dr also said not to worry about working out until 6 weeks... Good Luck and be good to yourself..

Yes, I have tracked on myfitness pal. I am eating around 800 calories a day and getting about 55 grams of Protein, I only drink Water or unsweetened ice tea with lemon in it.

Great Job!!! I'm happy dancing for you!! Besides, dancing burns calories, right?! I know you're feeling great and hubby is in for a Onederful surprise!!

Did your dr suggest protien shakes until you got to the mushie stage? Oh wait you are in mushies aren't you.... Hmmm. How about those to go containers of fat free cottage cheese, tiny cans of tuna, v8 juice sodium free, yogurt.... And Soup always works.... I know you have a lot on your plate..... But make sure you are getting those calories in. You need your health!

WOW I knew all of that had lots of calories; however, never knew the exact numbers. Thankfully, I've never ordered any of it. Well did get the quesadilla burger once -- it was awful - ended up eating 1/2 the burger. It was also incredibly messy to eat -- not that has anything to do with the price of tea in China. Thanks for posting that article WASa - very interesting! And I believe people would be swayed on what they order if they had the information in front of them ... and I am sure that is why the restaurants don't want it -- their profits will definitely decrease if numbers are posted, IMO

It would be nice to have the nutritional breakdown of the foods on the menu but I doubt it will happen. One problem is that companies lie. Independent testing spot checking fat content consistently shows higher levels than what the printed information states. Restaurants sell what people want. I rarely see people telling the wait staff NOT to bring the rolls and butter. If soup, salad, and dessert are included in the price of the meal, I rarely see people passing on any part. Some restaurants have a healthy option section on the menu that is very small compared to the rest of the menu. If healthy food was a big seller, I would expect to see this section made larger with more offerings. I do agree with Mac that it IS possible to make healthy choices without having a nutritional breakdown... shrimp cocktail over crabcakes, grilled fish over deep fried fish, fresh fruit over cheesecake. It seems people see eating out as a reason to splurge... and that includes calories. :-(

Desserts that give you a whole day's worth of calories in one dish. For a heart-healthy lifestyle, the average person needs only 2,000 calories a day and should limit their intake of saturated fat to 20 grams, and of sodium to 1,500 mg. Bear this in mind while you peruse the following list. The "winners" of the 2009 Xtreme eating award include: * Cheesecake Factory's Fried macaroni and cheese which contains 1,570 calories and 69 grams of saturated fat. "You would be better off eating an entire stick of butter", said the CSPI statement. * Olive Garden's Tour of Italy invites you to pile Lasagna, chicken Parmigiana, and Fettuccine Alfredo onto a very large dinner plate. * Uno Chicago Grill, The Melting Pot and Olive Garden's Red Lobster Ultimate Fondue, described as "shrimp and crabmeat in a creamy lobster cheese sauce served in a warm crispy sourdough bowl," contains 1,490 calories, 40 grams of saturated fat, and 3,580 mg of sodium. * Applebee's Quesadilla Burger is essentially a bacon cheeseburger inside a quesadilla and contains two flour tortillas, two kinds of meat, two kinds of cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, Mexi-ranch sauce, and fries. This dish has 1,820 calories, 46 grams of saturated fat, and 4,410 mg of sodium. Plus there is an option to top up the fries with more sauce and cheese. * Chili's Big Mouth Bites is four mini-bacon-cheeseburgers with fries, onion strings, and jalapeno ranch dipping sauce (the term "mini" is misleading said the CSPI report because each burger is like a quarter pounder). This dish comes as an appetizer or an entr?e. The entr?e version contains 2,350 calories, 38 grams of saturated fat, and 3,940 milligrams of sodium. * The Cheesecake Factory's Chicken and Biscuits has 2,500 calories. CSPI describes this dish as "discomfort food." and said that "if you wouldn't eat an entire 8-piece bucket of KFC Original Recipe plus 5 biscuits, you shouldn't order this". Unless you live in a city that has menu labelling, you wouldn't know about these figures. CSPI senior nutritionist Jayne Hurley described some of the dishes in the list as "would you like an entr?e with your entr?e?" Over the last couple of years several states and cities have passed legislation forcing restaurants to put nutrition and calorie information on menus to help people make better informed choices, and CSPI suggests Congress will soon pass national legislation to the same effect, especially as one of the federal judges who agreed to allow New York City's law stand when they appealed a ruling that favoured the restauranteurs, is President Obama's nominee for a seat on the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Part of the argument that the chain restaurants use to resist the legislation is that consumers are adults and should be free to choose what they eat without a "nanny state" telling them. However, lobby groups and health experts counter this with the argument that without the nutrition and calorie figures consumers can't make an informed choice and therefore can't properly exercise their responsibility. They can still choose to eat unhealthily if they wish, so the "nanny state" argument is a hollow one. CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G Wootan said: "Ultimately, Americans bear personal responsibility for their dining choices." "But you can't exercise personal responsibility if you don't have nutrition information when you order. Who would expect 2,800 calories in a dessert?" The CSPI did a survey of New Yorkers recently and found that 82 per cent of the respondents said seeing the numbers affected their choices. There is a bill currently going through Congress, put forward by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and US Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), called the Menu Education and Labeling (MEAL) Act which if implemented would force big restaurant chains to show calories on menu boards and other nutrition basics on the menus themselves, including saturated and trans fat content, carbohydrates, and sodium. If passed, the law will apply to restaurants throughout the US that have more than 20 outlets, and then only to their standard menu items, not to their daily specials or to their custom orders.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 5, 2011 - DAY 3 OF PRE OP DIET - WELL I SLEPT IN UNTIL 8:30 AM TODAY. A LITTLE RESTLESS LAST NIGHT DUE TO MY 9 AM APPT. WITH DR. MARLEY RE: PRE OP SURGERY. I LOST 5 MORE LBS. FOR A TOTAL OF 10 LBS. LOST SO FAR IN MY JOURNEY. NOT BAD CONSIDERING I THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE GAINED WT. OVER THE HOLIDAYS. YEH ME! I HAD LABS DONE AND AN EKG. I GOT TO TALK WITH THE ANESTHESIOLOGIST RE: MY SURGERY. HE ASSURED ME THAT I SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEMS IN RECOVERY DUE TO MY SLEEP APNEA. DR. MARLEY HAD ME SWITCH TO THE BARIATRIC ADVANTAGE PROTEIN SHAKES 3 TIMES A DAY ALONG WITH 2 CONTROL BARS. (INSTEAD OF THE CARNATIONS DRINKS AND LEAN CUSINE DINNERS) SO THAT I WILL GET MORE PROTEIN AND LESS CALORIES. I WAS NOT AT ALL HAPPY ABOUT THAT! I THINK THEY TASTE TERRIBLE. YUK! I LOVED THE LEAN CUISINE DINNERS AND SOME OF THEM WERE LESS THAN 200 CALORIES. GO FIGURE??? OH WELL. I HAVE TO COMPLY I GUESS. I AM SCHEDULED FOR AN EGD DUE TO HAVING GERD FOR OVER 5 YRS. AND BEING ON MEDICINE FOR IT. IT IS NEXT TUESDAY. HOPE ALL GOES WELL. CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE EVERYTHING OVER AND DONE WITH AND BACK TO NORMAL AGAIN. ENJOYED MY CAFFEINE FREE HOT TEA THIS AM AND AGAIN TONIGHT. ALSO WENT FOR A WALK WITH MY HUSBAND OUTSIDE THIS AFTERNOON. WE WALKED 2 BLOCKS AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD AGAIN. IT SEEMS TO GET EASIER EACH DAY. I WAS THINKING ABOUT TRYING TO DO THIS TWICE A DAY MAYBE STARTING TOMORROW. WE'LL SEE!

During healing your supposed to concentrate on liquids not getting calories. It will be wks later that you count calories and by then you wish you were losing weight like u did in the beginning

I bought a biggest loser kitchen scale at BJ's whole sale that not only weighs food, it tell the calories, protein, carbs, and so on, it cost me 20.00 or 29.00 dollars I think. Weighing it in the kitchen is so much easier than checking online for me.