Hello, I never know what to eat. I have no support and have gained weight because after some mistakes, I got really swollen and started only eating the wrong things that did not hurt like pudding, applesauce and the ultimate bad, ice cream, but after an hour of being stuck, ice cream felt good. Even though it was low fat and sugar free, it was still bad. I initially lost 20 lbs, but now have found them and 10 MORE, my new skinnier clothes don't fit and I just dont have any ideas for daily meals. Please help. Or, if you have a list of diet ideas, please email me. I would really appreciate input from you all. It has been a year and I am fatter, and everyone is noticing. I want to get on track but need ideas for day to day meals. I also am looking for a warm drink to open things up in the morning but do not drink coffee or tea, any ideas?

Hello, I never know what to eat. I have no support and have gained weight because after some mistakes, I got really swollen and started only eating the wrong things that did not hurt like pudding, applesauce and the ultimate bad, ice cream, but after an hour of being stuck, ice cream felt good. Even though it was low fat and sugar free, it was still bad. I initially lost 20 lbs, but now have found them and 10 MORE, my new skinnier clothes don't fit and I just dont have any ideas for daily meals. Please help. Or, if you have a list of diet ideas, please email me. I would really appreciate input from you all. It has been a year and I am fatter, and everyone is noticing. I want to get on track but need ideas for day to day meals. I also am looking for a warm drink to open things up in the morning but do not drink coffee or tea, any ideas?

Have you consulted your doctor? What has he/she said? Do you need a fill? Maybe your doctor can schedule you with a nutritionist?

It sounds to me that you could be too tight. If only slider foods go down with ease, you might do better with a little less Fluid in your band to allow you to eat solids.

This might help you to feel fuller for longer and get a grip on the appetite.

My band is often tighter in the morning. My typical Breakfast is a couple of graham crackers with some Peanut Butter. It gets me some Protein without being hard to eat. It also holds me for a few hours.

As for non-coffee or tea drinks. Maybe some broth or Soups. Or sugar-free cocoa?

Best wishes!

Denise

Thank you for your replies. I am eating the right size portions, but also hungry between meals. And I do not have any ideas for weekly menu/meal planning. I can never figure out how to plan and we only shop once per week. I need some ideas for all meals during the week. I also snack once in the afternoon (fruit or yogurt) and I cant lose my after dinner sweet tooth and always want something for an evening desert.

I second cocoabean on the sugar-free hot cocoa. It is helping me feel fuller and I'm just 5 days out.

If you google "LAP-BAND®®® recipes", you will come up with all sorts of interesting meals. Also, there is a nutrition forum here and that surely has some food ideas for ya. click here * Food and Nutrition - LAP-BAND®®®

Do you have a nutritionist to talk with? I would call my dr and schedule an appt, it doesn't really sound like you have restriction. You have the tool to do this, you just need to get back on track. Best of luck :blushing:

Tomato Soup or Hot broth is also an option... Are you Eating solid foods now?

-Sample menu

Protein drink...( my every morning choice)

Other ideas for breakfast.....

oatmeal with Protein powder

scrambled eggs/ turkey bacon

Greek yogurt with granola

lunch

salad w/tuna, hard boiled egg, cheese

deli meat wraps

chunky soups

BBQ chicken in a pita pocket

peanut butter/ jelly on toast

dinner

turkey meatloaf

baked chicken

burger w/lean meat

chili

Pasta w/ shrimp

and if you have to have something sweet and you don't want fruit how about sherbert.

.... Also I don't believe Ice cream is bad, I don't believe there are any bad foods just bad amounts. For me the glory of the band is that if I want it I eat it.. Just not as much as I use too.

I have to keep it simple. Too much thinking about food just makes me want it all the more. So here's my sample menu:

Breakfast:

Protein shake made with milk and 1/2 banana

OR

1 scrambled egg, 1 slice of toast and I use a bit of butter on the toast

Snack:

Low carb/low calorie Protein Shake (I do Isopure 1 scoop in a cup of water)

lunch

3-4 oz tuna or chicken mixed with a bit of lite mayo and stuffed in a tomato or with some lettuce.

OR

3-4 oz grilled chicken in a salad and yes I use real oil in my dressing

Snack:

Low carb/low calorie protein shake

DINNER:

3-4 oz protein (grilled chicken or steak, baked fish)

1/2 cup low carb vegies such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, green Beans, cabbage, etc. (sometimes it's more like 3/4 c)

2 Tbs or 1/4 cup rice, potatoes, Pasta or beans

Snack:

sugar free chocolate Jello pudding

And if I'm really craving sweets at any point during the day, a cup of sugar free hot chocolate.

I usually eat 6 times a day because it not only keeps my blood sugar stable and prevent cravings, but it 'mentally' gets me from one meal to another as I'm 'eating' every 2 1/2 hours.

.

I wanted to add to add to the "snacking" thoughts. My doctor says no snacking, but his definition of snacking is different than mine. Snacks to him are unplanned food of little to no nutritional value. Such as my penchant for Nacho cheese Dorritos.

When I first heard "No snacks"--I thought that meant no foods between meals. As we talked further, I came to realize he meant that I could eat between meals, but only foods that were thought out and helped me to move forward. Like what ElfiePoo lists.

For my weekly dinner meals, I eat the same foods my husband eats, just in smaller portions.

Sample dinners:

Pork chops (hard for me to eat, chewed thorougly), mashed potatoes, veggie, and applesauce. This is tonight's meal.

BBQ or Baked Chicken--I eat drumsticks or thighs and remove the skin. Breast meat is just too hard to eat. Veggie side dish.

I can still eat beef, I know some cannot. So we will often have steak with mushrooms and side salad. Or a roast.

Mostly we have left potatoes out of our menu, I know I listed it in my first meal above. But it is a treat for tonight, since my band has been feeling tight the last few days, I am not sure how the chops will go down. So, I have the mashed potatoes as a back up.

As to the sweet tooth. Yeah, right there beside ya! I was in the habit of having a couple of small bite sized candy bars before bed. To make matters worse, I did it with a glass of milk. Yummy. My figuring was that the bite sized are better than the full sized. So, I gradually cut down to no milk, then one bite sized and finally was able to stop it. It took determination. I do still allow a little bit of chocolate into my diet.

Part of why I chose the band is because I can still have my favorite foods. As a previous poster said, ice cream in and of itself is not bad. It is what we do with it.

For the moment, get it out of your house until you gain the control to have it around and not finish off the container.

You owe it to yourself and your family to take care of yourself. You went through this surgery to make a better you. What a commitment that was! Grab it back and be in the driver's seat, you can do it!

Denise

I read some interesting statistics the other day and one of the suggestions is that it can be good for your weight loss to pick one meal a day where you eat pretty much the same thing every day. I've been doing that for most of my pre-op period. I have a can of Campbell's Vegetable Beef Soup (the old condensed kind, which I have loved since i was a child) for lunch Monday through Friday with a few Kelloggs Special K Crackers (whole grain, low fat). This is easy for me since I can bring several cans to work and keep in my desk along with a box of the crackers.

Remeber that with Protein, solids (as opposed to shakes) keep you full longer BUT dry meats/fish get stuck easily. Roast beef cooked in beef broth in the crock pot is much more moist, for example, than a pot roast cooked in a pan on the stove. You can buy a roast and cut it into smaller amounts and freeze them so that you can eat roast beef.

There is an Italian style of cooking [whatever] en cartochio is think is the spelling. Basically, you put your fish/beef/chicken serving in a heart-shaped piece of parchment paper folded in half. I use foil, which is an acceptable substitute for the paper. For fish, put a little (like a tablespoon) of white wine, a couple of lemon slices and a little seasoning, seal it up, put the package on a baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes at 375. With the others, you can use broth, add vegetables and cook -- meats take longer than fish to cook, around 30 minutes. All of these come out moist, flavorful and best of all, the cleanup consists of throwing away the foil.

If you need something to open it up in the morning then you have restriction, maybe too much if you cannot eat solids at all without them getting stuck.

Is having all you fill removed and starting from scratch an option?

That would enable the swelling to go down as well as allow you to get your eating back into a normal mode without fear of getting stuck. Then you could start getting your fills once you got your head back in the game but this time take it slower and use this site for your support, as you have probably found out it really is the best place to get advice, encouragement and companionship while on a journey of this kind.

If I was in your situation I think that would be the route I would take. STOP - REWIND - RE-START.

Good luck.

Thank you all for your suggestions, your help and the books I got from Amzon today should help! :smile2: I am a year past and gained back the 20lbs. I lost and found it again with 5 more.

I am always looking for ideas of how to plan meals that will work for everyone (with this economy it is hard to make a separate dish for me). Before bed is my worst time, as I stay up late and we eat dinner early, and I want chocolate! LOL

Oh BTW, I forgot to mention for those like me that need warm liquid in the AM and use hot cocoa. My mom is diabetic and realized by comparing that fat free is actually less calories and carbs than sugar free. Have a nice night :smile2:

Thanks again everyone. I got my books today, one of them is really good, and some not so much. At least I got one good one (trying to be positive). The good one is written by someone who has a band "Eating Well after weight loss surgery"

Take care! XOXO

Hi,I am really struggling with eating as well.I just bought protein powder from wallmart with 52 grams of protein in it,I can put it in hot water.I have a hard time eating in the morning and have resorted to soups and beans.I e-mailed indigo girl for some help.I have been banded 6 months and lost 48 pounds.It is harder now than in the beginning.