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gotmyeyeontheprize,I have to hand it to you; if you can follow those rules you are much stronger than me. I do think 600 cal and total 15 carbs a day is nuts. Yes we have a lot of fat for our body to burn off; but the brain can't burn fat or protein. It needs carbs. Also, personally I do an hour of cardio a day. I know that I could'nt survive on that low of a calorie count and continue to 1)exercise 2)work.

Hi Guys , post op 1 week ( 2 weeks from first band which had complications and fixed a week later ) . I seem to be having problems I think with dehydration , skin on face dry , my eyes sore , headaches last couple of days , Ive stuck to my liquid diet to the letter and in my opinion I am constantly drinking plenty Water , I walk around with a bottle of mineral water all day constantly sipping throughout the day. Anyway last couple of days Ive been run down , and all the symptoms of dehydration , yesterday I drank a rehydration drink mix I got from Pharmacy and it helped last night , today though as the day progresses I feel headache and a little nauseau setting in again. Where am I going wrong , any advice ? Should I just get more of these rehydration mix packs and take them daily for now ? Do you think its perhaps lack of food .. I know my Protein levels have been very low since op , but today to try combat that I when to store and purchased a load of Low Carb, High Protein shake Mix .. 96 calories per glass which yields 18g protein . Ive only been averaging 28g protein per day last two weeks, so think 2 Protein shakes a day will supplement this up to about 60 -70g daily , I believe I should be trying to achieve 80 grams , but as Im sure you will be aware , on liquids only , getting protein levels up is very difficult. Some help and advice would be very much appreciated. Regards Nick

No problem bignik! My doctor recommended the following during the liquid diet after my surgery: At least 60g Protein per day At least 60-70 ozs of Water per day Try to stay under 1000 cals I made sure to get almost all of my protein by lunchtime and it really seemed to help curb my hunger and made it easier to get through the rest of the day. I had one morning shake with skim fat free milk (180 cals, 29g protein), one shake for lunch and that left about 600 calories for dinner and Snacks and I had already gotten all of my protein for the day. Hope this helps and Good luck!!! :sad:

I am planning on a blog post for this. Short version, I was in the same boat using TheDailyPlate for several years. My biggest gripe was that they never got the Android app to work. I have a huge backlog of foods, meals etc. but I knew it was time for a change. Bumblestich, no Android app from Livestrong... I posted on here and asked for tips and most people recommended www.myfitnesspal.com and I like it. I switched and actually made the effort of entering old data to the first of the year so I have a complete new start with all data for 2011. I am sorry that I am losing my weight, food and exercise data of the past, but if you are unhappy you need to switch - and the earlier the better. MFP is free, allows custom calorie goals (mine is 900 right now), it also allows you to set percentages for carbs, Protein and fat (and other nutrients too) and the Android app is cool. I mean, it is COOL! Or KEWL! Why you ask? Because you can actually scan your food with the camera of your phone. Scan the barcode and voila - there is your food. No searching, no picking the right one - barcode does it all. And yes, I am that much of a geek that it gets me seriously giddy to just think about it, LOL

i chew ice. or i put ice in the blender with a splash of milk and some fresh fruit. it's fast and there's not really an extra calorie intake.

I'm one week post op tomorrow too and I range between 300-400 calories normally. Today was a really good day and I got in around 650! So that was amazing. I haven't talked to my dr so I'm not sure if that's good or not but I feel fine unless I go too long without eating.

I also have a 34. Depending on the food- If it's a not so good carb laden food- I can hold a cup easy. Dense protein- just 2 or 3 oz comfortably. That said-- my doctor said to never eat more than 1/2 cup at any given meal no matter WHAT the food is. They just don't want me putting more than that in the tiny space to be sure it stays tiny and I don't take in too many calories and such.

I'm with Kalipso, you could be eating to FEW calories. When I was on weight watchers they drilled this into us, and if you walk etc you need to add more points.

Here is the Liver Shrink Diet my Surgeon and Nutritionist gave me to follow pre-op: Liver Shrink Diet Remember: Vegetables ar unlimited on this diet. (except potatoes, corn, beans, and peas. Breakfast Protein Shake or Protein Bar (You may use any shake as long as it has 220 or less calories and 10g or less fat/serving) Mid Morning Snack 1 small piece of fruit (if you have Diabetes add 4 oz low-fat yogurt) Lunch Protein Bar (220 calories of less and 10g or less of fat) or Shake Mid Afternoon Snack 1 small piece of fruit (add 4 oz low-fat yogurt if you have Diabetes) Dinner 3 oz meat (lean) - The size of a deck of cards steamed vegetables or salad with Fat-free salad dressing 6 unsalted crackers or 2 slices low calorie bread or 1 small baked potato 1/2 c fruit or 1 small piece of fruit Evening Snack 1 small piece of fruit (add 4 oz low-fat yogurt if you are Diabetic) (You may have non-caloric beverages on this diet) NO ALCOHOL!!!!!!!! Examples: Decaf. Tea, Crystal Light, Sugar-free Kool-Aid, Water Follow This 1 Day Prior To Surgery: Clear liquids only including Jello, broth, juice, and any beverages listed above. Jello can be congealed, but do not put fruit in it it. (NO RED JELLO) & NOTHING TO EAT PAST MIDNIGHT (of course). This is just what my surgeon and nutritionist gave me. Of course everyone's seems different but I just thought I would give you something to go on.

First thing you need to do is go back to your liquid diet for a fews days and give your band some rest! And call your doc. As you move to different foods in the healing stages, your restriction will change. You should have little to NO restriction on Water and other liquids. Many people are tight in the mornings and sip warm tea or broth, or just do a Protein shake until lunch. You, however, appear to be fighting stoma swelling caused by continuing to attempt to eat regular food. Switch to liquids...get those protien shakes back out...for as long as needed before you move to thicker liquids, then soft mushies, then fuller mushies, then soft foods...you get the idea. Start over. An unfill isn't an option for you. And you need calories and hydration. Give us an update soon!!!

I wish there was a pill we could take called "Stall-B-Gone"...I'm one month out from surgery and dropped 22 pounds the first three weeks. Now at the end of the fourth, I've lost none. NONE! I haven't cheated, I'm eating about 600 calories a day, and I know I'm burning something because my ketostix are still turning purple when I pee on them. I know this happens, but physiologically it seems impossible. I know I just have to wait it out, but it's soooooo frustrating! If you watch "My 600 Pound Life" you see these poor people who claims they haven't cheated, and Dr Nowzaradan rips them a new one and says "call the Nobel Committee you are creating mass from nothing". I used to watch and say "Yeah, right" but now I know that it CAN happen!

You are all so right! I need to take this all in stride...usually I can handle set backs. I leave for Las Vegas three days after this fill, which is my anxiety of being too restricted ( don't mind softer foods but I don't want to be sick like I see in these forums). Ok I said it. On the other hand my goal is the green zone. I'll continue my workouts and healthy eating and stay away from scale...limit calories and maintain portion size. Again thank you all for the encouragement.

It's been a while since I have blogged. I've been out of town and living in a hotel for the past week trying to finish up all of my clinical hours. Staying to pureed foods has been difficult, but the hotel I stayed in had a fridge and a microwave in the room, so that made things a bit easier. First couple days of being on my feet and seeing patients all day was super tiring, and I crashed as soon as I got back to the hotel. We have also had drug reps bringing us lunch every day and that has been a huge challenge. I've stayed under 1200 calories every day, averaging around 800-900, but those drug rep lunches just about killed me. I had brought my own food and everything, but I was just so darn sick of tomato soup, yogurt and jello. One day the rep brought boston market and I ended up eating a little less than a cup of stuffing (it was really soft and mushie). Some people in the clinic have noticed how small my servings are, but they accept my excuse of having been sick and trying to not eat too much to lose weight. I am going to go to the gym for the first time since before surgery today. I'll probably just try walking on the treadmill or something else easy. I can't wait to get back to spin class and to be able to ride my bike again! Still waiting to see the scale move down after my initial 15 lb loss....trying to be patient

Thursday, July 31, 2013 Hello readers from all across the globe! It's great to see that we have fat fans growing in numbers by the week! Folks from China, Russia, Latvia, Netherlands, Canada, the UK, France and a few other far away countries have stopped by the blog to catch up on my fight against flab. When it comes to the battle of the bulge, it seems the world shares in our morbid obsession with thinness. We all speak the same language ... Fat-lish. On to the news of the week. I went for second post-op doctor visit on Monday. As usual, I checked in right on time knowing full well that I would be lingering in the lobby of the Center for Fatassiness well past my scheduled appointment time. So I settled in to one of the fat ass chairs in the waiting room. I immediately noticed that I occupied far less space in this overly ample seat. Yes, my ass has shrunk. I'm guessing by about a half a foot. I kinda feel like a little kid sitting in grandpa's chair. If you recall, Mondays are Dr. X's office days. He sees both pre-op and post-op patients during this time. That is why I just can't help myself but to look around the waiting area and see what the doctor has scheduled for today. Over to the far left, I spy an elephantine teen boy nervously sitting next to who I presume to be his mom. Obvious pre-op material. I'm thinking "Don't fret dude. It will be worth it. I wish they had this when I was your age." Looking far right I see a fleshy female with her nose buried in a book. Hmmmm. I'm guessing follow up. Then the extra wide doors fly open and a smiling 30 something man in clothes at least two sizes to big saunters out. Definitely a post-opper! I was called in a few minutes after a Rascal bound lady. When I went in and sat at the first nurses’ station, I saw no sight of scooter. She must be in the pre-op room waiting for the sales pitch from Dr. X. On cue, he walks towards the closed door with his plastic stomach model. The same one he used for my initiation. "Close that deal Doc!" I quipped. He didn't say anything. He didn't need to. He gave me a wry smile, a thumb up and went in to the room with a nervously awaiting prospect and a Rascal. Easy sale. It was now time for me to get my vitals. No temperature. BP 117/77 (That went down about 6 or 7 points on both ends. The nurse asked me if I was 18!) Now to the scale. Off with the loafers, step on to the massive industrial scale ..... AND..... 97.2 Kilos! It kinda kills the drama when the kilo measure comes up. Especially because I can't do the math that fast in my head. "How much have I lost since my first visit?" I asked. "Oh, I don’t have that file here." she answers. "How many files do I have?" I inquired. "I'm not sure. Ask the doctor." she tells me. Must be some kind of union thing. Maybe she's only allowed to carry one file to avoid a workplace injury. After my vitals check, I was deposited in another room. I know the drill now. First a visit from the bubbly Ms. K, my nutritionist, then the syringe wielding Dr. X will make his appearance. This room has both a fat ass chair and a fat ass recliner in addition to the exam table. Wonder why? Maybe it's for the portly patient and his pleasingly plump pal. Whatever ... just seems strange to me. The door bursts open and an extra bubbly Ms. K enters and has a seat at the desk next me. "Wow. You look like you're doing great!" she spouts. "I think I'm doing Ok." I reply sheepishly. "Let's look at your progress." she says. "Awesome! You have lost 8 pounds since last visit and 41 pounds total! You get a gold star!" That made my day. I thought I was doing OK. But what do I know? I think I'm 22 and gorgeous. Just because I think it doesn't make it so. So her validation was excitedly welcomed. We proceeded to go over my average daily food intake. I told her I was doing the 1200 calorie a day deal. I showed her my FitBit Flex and the MyFitnessPal app and how they sync up. She was impressed and green lighted me to continue what I'm doing because it's working. That's cool with me. We exchanged the usual farewell pleasantries and I was back to waiting for the main attraction. Without further ado, Dr. X gregariously enters. "I hear you’re a rock star." He opens up with. "I'm just trying to stay focused." I say. "Well, you're doing great. 8 pounds since last month is great." I think I was beaming like a new father. People rarely get this kind of validation from others, especially from their fatoligist. We discussed my progress, my hunger level and my ability to get food down and keep it down. "So you're not really felling any restriction?" he asks. "Nope. I think I could swallow a live fish if I had to.” I replied. “We don’t want it to come to that. Let’s give you a little tune up.” I laid down and a few seconds later I had one more c.c. of saline restriction. Dr. X gave me a few warnings about staying on liquids that night and pureed foods the next. After a few more words of encouragement, he was off to the next case. Needless to say, my second fill appointment was a success. I’m glad the bubbly Ms. K and Dr. X are pleased with my progress. As great as all the back slaps and accolades are, I can’t lose sight of the fact that I am not even half way home yet. There is still a lot of work to be done. I have definitely noticed that every pound is harder to lose than when I started. And I know they will be even harder as lose more. So, yea, I’m happy with the visit. But no, I am in now overconfident in my success. As I was leaving the exam room, I spotted that Rascal sitting unguarded in the hall. For a fleeting second I had thought of nabbing it, throwing on a fat ass chair and making a break for the parking lot. But my new reality set in. I don’t need the fat ass chair anymore. But I sure could have a blast on that Rascal! Bye for now. Johnny Hey you! Stop by my blog! You can enter your email and get my posts automatically! TheDeconstructionOfJohnny.blogspot.com

It really depends on whether or not you want to lose faster. If you are losing at a good clip and don't feel deprived I would stay there. If you feel like you are eating too much then I would go in for a fill. I eat around 1k calories a day so your calorie intake will definitely drop with a fill. Good luck.

I considered myself a slow loser until I found out that my band is unlocked. I will have it fixed soon but what I want to say is if what you are doing is not working for you, then try something else. I was only losing after fills as well, with being on liquids for two days after one. The band is not GBP and we are actually supposed to lose slowly ( 1 to 2 pounds a week and you are right on that track) but we are all impatient when it comes to losing weight. Have you tried varying your intake? Your body can adapt and learn to maintain itself when you reduce the calorie intake, it will just train itself to maintain on that lower intake. Try having a larger portion for one meal or two a week and that day, exercise a little longer. Mix things up a bit and I think it might help. Don;t forget the less you weigh the less food it takes to maintain that new lower weight as well. You don;t have to track calories every day, but if you do for a day or two, you'll have an idea of how many you are consuming. Maybe too much, maybe it's too little. I have a a high fiber Cereal for b'fast and a couple Fiber one bars a week to help with constipation. A piece of whole wheat toast can help, as well as lots of fluids, like flavored Water or crystal lite, if you don;' like plain water. I think you've done very well.

I spent one week at a stand still with my weight. It bounced back and forth between 224 and 226 for a week with me doing nothing different. While it was my TOM, it still worried me. Finally Saturday it started going down. I am back to dropping about a half pound a day. Such a motivation when that scale drops. This weekend I had two of my 16 year old nephews. They are awesome boys and they love to come stay with my husband and I. Of course with 2 growing boys I was always fixing food, but I stayed on track. We went out to dinner with them and I got the grilled chicken and broccoli - didn't eat all the broccoli, but the chicken was awesome and I didn't leave filling horrible and stuffed. One night I fixed burgers for the hubs and the kids, but instead of having the bun I put my burger (extra tender and lean) with low cal cheese, home made pickles on my plate and ate it with a fork. The kids looked at me like I was nuts, but it was good and saved 200 calories from what I would have normally eaten. This morning when I took them home I stopped at McDonalds to get them a biscuit from breakfast and I didn't get anything, I had eaten my half a cup of cherrios before leaving. Feeling proud of myself for making postive choices. While I do find myself missing some of the foods I use to love, I am really enjoying how I feel not eating them. I like feeling satisfied and not stuffed. Feeling this good and being proud of my self for making the good choices really is motivating me to make even better ones and continue this path. Thanks for all those who sent messages of encouragement while I was worried. It really helps to have others who understand supporting you. Banders Rule!!

I'd take 10 pounds in 3 or 4 weeks anytime! Look at your average weigh loss over a longer period of time. Does it average the 1 to 2 pounds a month we are told to expect? Start counting your calories, just for a week, to see where you stand ( you say you're not counting) and be sure to add up the amount of Protein. After protein and veggies, add carbs that are Fiber rich only. Look for a high fiber Meal Replacement type bar, that will get your system moving. I am having a constipation problem and have started searching for way to get more fiber in. I really think protein rich diets need fiber. I just started a thread about ways to get fiber in and I've had some great suggestions. It's under the pre-op and post op question section. And at 53 pounds lighter, your body now needs even less calories to continue to lose at the same rate as before. At eight months out and a 53 pound loss, that is approx 6 pounds per month. Seems good to me.

Hello, I was banded 4/13/07. To date I have lost 53 pounds. Yes, that is a lot of weight. This isn't a band bashing post. The only time I lose weight is just after a fill. I will lost 10 pounds in about 3 or 4 weeks after my fill then nothing for weeks . I mean weeks. I had a fill 5 or 6 weeks ago and have not lost a single pound. I am 2.5 in a 4cc band. I don't count calories and I don't eat everything broiled or steamed, but I do eat 3 meals a day from a saucer to control portions. This is WAY less than before the band. I have a friend that was banded the same week as me. We are the same age, about the same start weight, eat similar and exercise similar, but she has lost 30 more pounds than me. Lately I have been constipated and retaining Water. Am I in starvation mode and my body is holding on to everything it can get? Anyone experience this or am I just metabolicly doomed?

LOL! No, I mean ROFLMAO! I know this is going to sound racist. And I really do not mean it that way. But how can you be from India and not understand how someone can get really, really skinny? Have you never heard of Gandhi and his fasts? Obviously, you don't know much about nutrition, calories, basal metabolic rates, caloric budgets, or anything else that most people should have learned before they had this kind of surgery. Do you have any idea how much you're eating right now? Or how much you have to eat to stop losing weight? And (using simple subtraction) what your caloric deficit is? You really need to see a nutritionist. Now.

I wasnt trying to trick my body. I am trying to find what works for me. I was losing at a faster rate and using the facilities on the reg when consuming less calories. The nurse said bump up, so I did but I havent gone a normal amount in 4 days. The point was to see if anyone else varied their intake to keep everything dropping like its supposed to. Or if anyone else switched between full food and liquids in an intermintant fasting kind of way. I know that i will lose the weight eventually, i am not handling the fullness and bloating that comes with constipation well. Its been literally over a decade since I have had tbis problem. HW 385 SW 359 CW 335 (50lbs down!) Sleeved 10/5/16

Hi Friends!!! The next meeting of the NYC/Long Island Bariatric Pal Support Group will be held on November 1st from 2PM till 4 PM at The Atrium at 805 Third Avenue. The building is on Third Ave between 49th and 50th Streets. The Atrium is at the back of the space on the lower level. Looking forward to seeing all of you next weekend!!! If your stressing over Halloween...Here is a little reminder and some low calorie fun alternatives!! 5 Ways To Scare Off Halloween Candy It’s getting cold outside, the leaves are falling, October is drawing to a close — sounds like a good time to chow down on a heap o’ Halloween candy! Not! While Halloween can be a fun time of the year, it can wreak havoc if you’re trying to lose weight. Just a few wrong choices or one too many of the good, old “But they’re so tiny. One more won’t hurt!”excuse will be enough to send you screaming off the bathroom scale on November 1st. Here are 5 tips to help get you through Halloween with your waistline intact. (I did have “don’t eat any candy at all” as a first tip, but figured I’d be run out of town by an angry mob with pitchforks!) Read The Label If you’re going to indulge, at least know what you’re getting yourself into. Read the label on the bag of candy to find the serving size and the amount of calories. The amount of calories alone may be enough for you to stop overindulging. If not, you could trying cutting back on that amount of calories with your other meals. Granted, you’ll end up replacing good nutritious food with pure sugar — definitely not something you want to do on a regular basis! But if you’re otherwise healthy, it shouldn’t hurt just this one time – within reason, of course… Out of Sight, Out of Mind If you’re giving out candy, buy it as close to October 31st as possible and store it in a hard to reach place (or have somebody hide it). Having all that candy in the house is just too tempting. And you definitely need to follow this rule if you’ve ever had to go out and buy more candy because you ate most of your giving-away candy before Halloween. When it comes to the workplace, avoid people who put out candy or look away when you pass by that overflowing bowl of candy the well-intentioned receptionist has put out. And if YOU are that well-intentioned receptionist, take pity on people and move the bowl out of sight. Keep the Wrappers in front of you! Because it’s so easy to mindlessly pop Halloween candy into your mouth with no end in sight, keep every single wrapper so you know how much you’ve had. Your mind may say you’ve only had three mini-bags of M&Ms, but a big pile of wrappers won’t lie. Eat Only Your Favorites To me, there’s no point in taking on the extra calories of something you don’t like or only like a little bit. If you’re going to have Halloween candy, then you may as well enjoy yourself by eating only your favorites. Save calories by turning your nose up to anything else. Eat Protein This tip is a bit tricky. Eating protein will help counter-effect the rapid rise in blood sugar from all that candy. But you have to keep in mind all the extra calories you’re eating. Try to eat a piece of candy with a meal or a healthy snack. (I can hear a chorus of “Yeah, riii-iiight” just about now, as mini-chocolate bars are gobbled down across the country with nary a healthy food in sight… Well, don’t say I didn’t try to make you eat healthy!) If you decide to go all out with the Halloween candy, watch out for cravings after overindulging. You may come crashing down hard after the sugar rush and experience intense cravings. Whatever you do, don’t reach for more candy! Instead curb cravings with these 5 little words: Distraction Get your mind off of the doughnut and onto to other subjects. Leave the room if you have to. You can’t distract yourself if the doughnut is staring you in the face. Out of sight means you won’t be thinking about it. Take a short break. Start reading a book or working on a difficult project. The odds are you’ll completely forget about the doughnut, candy bar, or whatever food siren is calling to you, and the craving will disappear. Distraction is a great tool for your weight loss program. Delay Delay the gratification. Give yourself permission to have some candy in 20 minutes. 20 minutes is long enough that the craving for the candy will pass but not so long, an hour say, that waiting seems pretty much impossible. If 20 minutes passes go ahead and eat a few bites of the candy, then wait another 20 minutes before you finish it. Drink Substitute a long cold glass of Water. The water gives your mouth something to do besides eat — plus the water will fill you up. Even though it’s only temporary, the feeling of fullness is satisfying. If you’re craving sweetness, add a splash of fruit juice to the water. Vary your beverage choice if you like, just be aware of sugary drinks like sodas and juice. Don’t add extra calories! Disgust Another way to curb your craving is to picture the candy for what it really is: fat. Ugly wobbly, slimy, disgusting fat. Fat that plans on sticking to you for awhile… a long while. Go to the grocers and ask them for a pound of fat trimmings from beef. That’s what the candy will turn into once you give in to the craving. A pound of fat takes up more space than you might realize. Freeze that pound of fat. Whenever a craving hits get it out of the freezer so it reminds you of what you’re really eating. Dance Dance instead of eating the candy. If you’re too embarrassed to dance that’s okay. The point is to exercise for a bit instead of eating. Take a walk, climb the stairs, or break out in a set of jumping jacks. The results are two fold, you’ve added a bit of calorie burning to your day and you’ve avoided the candy! Get out there and do the Monster Mash!!! Can't wait to hear your scary tales next Saturday!!! Happy Halloween!

I asked my surgeon that at my 2 week post op appointment as well and he said not to worry too much about calories at that point, that the main things to concentrate on were Protein and fluids. Every surgeon is different though in their instructions. He said long-term when I am fully healed I would be somewhere around 1000. For now, I'm almost 8 weeks and averaging about 500/day, which I know is on the low side....

Im 3 months out and I stay under 700 probably hit around 600 on average. I don't feel like I'm starving. I eat mainly Protein with a little veg and by the time I get the protein numbers right, I'm too full to eat anything else. There are days I'm hungrier and I will go over, and other days I'm not as hungry. But I also don't eat carbs much and no sliders. 2-3 oz of chicken goes thunk pretty hard I split my calories into 40% protein, 40% fat, and 20% carb. I do that to keep my insulin and therefore hunger response in check. I assume as my sleeve heals I will be able to eat more and the calories will go up a bit then.

No I would say your normal um we all are different my wife and I were sleeved at the same time and I can almost eat twice what she can so you just have to watch your calories