I thought it would be interesting to do a comparison of what you ate on an average day prebanding to what you eat on an average day now that you are banded.

Here is mine.

Pre Banding

Before Breakfast

1 cup of tea and 2 - 3 biscuits(cookies)

Breakfast

Large bowl of Cereal e.g Sultana Bran

1 - 2 slices wholemeal toast with low fat spread and vegemite.

Mid Morning

Cake or chocolate bar or packet of crisps

lunch

Sandwich with 2 or 3 slices wholemeal bread, ham, cheese etc

Afternoon

More biscuits

dinner

Meat/Chicken or fish

Pasta/Rice or potatoes

Veg

Couple of glasses of wine

Sometimes Dessert

Evening

A couple of squares of chocolate.

I also used to be back and fore to the fridge snacking on things such as ham,pickled onions etc.

Strangely I was convinced that I didn't eat that much.

Now post band.

before breakfast

1 cup of tea

Breakfast

1 poached or dry fried(whole)egg on 1 slice wholemeal toast with low fat spread and vegemite. Sometimes I add a slice of ham or smoked salmon to this.

If I am in a hurry I will have an Up and Go or muesli and greek yogurt instead.

Mid morning

Usually nothing. If I am hungry a couple of crackers or a 100 cal muesli bar.

Lunch

Small tin of tuna with a couple of crackers or

1 wrap with ham & salad or

1 toasted sandwich

Mid Afternoon

Greek yogurt with cinnamon & sweetner or

nestle Diet mousse or

slice of ham or cheese with a couple of crackers or

a very small portion of nuts/seeds

Dinner

Same as before but much smaller quantities

Wine at weekends only

Evening

Sometimes I will eat yogurt if I didn't eat it earlier in the day.

Occaisonally I will eat things like chocolate but certainly not on a daily basis. If I have cake it is a taste rather than a large piece and I have given up my biscuit (cookie) habit.

I know that a lot of you are going to look at this and be shocked. Yes I still eat carbs but here in Australia that is what our surgeons encourage us to do - we do not have the same focus on Protein that there is in the US.

looking forward to seeing other peoples comparisons.:w00t:

Edited March 1, 201016 yr by elcee

I don't have those stats on hand, but I remember that I ate a LOT more than I do now. One large plateful of food plus dessert was rarely enough. Now I eat one small plate of food--probably a quarter or less of what I used to eat. I could easily eat 3/4 (sometimes more) of a large pizza, plus some breadsticks or wings. Now I can have one or two pieces of thin crust pizza. One footlong sub, chips, and at least one cookie was good for lunch. Now subs are out completely--once in a while I can handle half of a wrap. I am SO happy to be satisfied (and full!) on less food now that I'm banded!

I don't have those stats on hand, but I remember that I ate a LOT more than I do now. One large plateful of food plus dessert was rarely enough. Now I eat one small plate of food--probably a quarter or less of what I used to eat. I could easily eat 3/4 (sometimes more) of a large pizza, plus some breadsticks or wings. Now I can have one or two pieces of thin crust pizza. One footlong sub, chips, and at least one cookie was good for lunch. Now subs are out completely--once in a while I can handle half of a wrap. I am SO happy to be satisfied (and full!) on less food now that I'm banded!

As weird as this may sound to some, reading you describing yourself able to eat a couple of pieces of pizza (literally, 2) gave me hope! :-) I am still very new to this journey but the mental aspect of not being able to eat any of the things I really enjoyed was and is a little daunting. This week, I am ecstatic as I have been able to add an egg to my allowable food list! One scrambled egg and I am doing virtual backflips! The thought of being able, eventually (and I know it will take time, I am OK with that) have a couple of pieces of thin crust pizza is awesome.

My pre surgery diet was horrendous. Below is not the norm, but it was not an exception either. I suspect, like many guys my size, my diet varied by 2K calories per day from time to time based on available food and time (and interest).

Breakfast

Either a bowl of cereal (skim milk) or

3 Egg cheese omelet with some kind of Protein (sausage)

Lunch

Sandwich (usually ham or turkey)

Chips

dinner

Normally sensible (Cooking Light)

Core Protein/Starch and a vegetable

Quantity was the issue here

Dessert

Nothing good. Cookies or a brownie and more milk

Add in the 2 time per week trip to a local Winghouse or Hooters and the occasional pizza night (or double cheese burger when passing a McDonalds) and it is no wonder I am in the boat I am in right now. My activity level is the only thing that saved me from being on a Discovery show program! (Not trying to make light of other people's struggles folks. Humor is one of my defense mechanisms)

Post Op

Breakfast

1 scrambled egg

Mid Morning

Protein shake (with 8 oz of skim milk)

Lunch

4-6 oz of strained cream based Soup

Mid Afternoon

Protein Shake (with 8 oz of skim milk)

Dinner

4-6 oz of strained cream based soup

Dessert

Protein Shake (with 8 oz of skim milk)

Two sugar free popsicles

I am quite excited about adding lean protein to the diet tomorrow. I am sick of the small number of items available. Size of portion has been amazing as it has satiated me. Just need some variance.

I have never looked so forward to tuna salad in my LIFE!

Pre band

breakfast

bowl of cereal - muesli, oatmeal or something like Just Right

or

2 pieces of toast, butter and spread

or sometimes eggs on toast - 2 eggs, 2 pieces toast

mid morning - binge time - nearly always a cappucino and a big cake/muffin or biscuits - six or seven perhapse

lunch: usually didnt eat - continued to snack on biscuits and bits and pieces all day - and I put away a fair bit

dinner:

healthy meal but big - meat and 3 veg, barbecue and salad, Pasta or whatever, I cooked well, fresh and from scratch, just ate too much, a glass of wine

never ate dessert - my main problem was carby sugary foods during the day and the lack of a proper meal.

Post banding

Breakfast

nothing usually (blush) till I get to work, then maybe a yogurt, sometimes, but often yeah, nothing

mid morning: piece of fruit and a cuppa

lunch: tuna on crackers, dinner leftovers, a salad and small tin of tuna or some type of soup

dinner: same as before, just 1/3 as much, usually a small glass of wine too.

I've never been an evening eater unless someone happens to put chocolate right in front of me. However, i'm still prone to falling into the eat no meals just crap all day trap.

Edited March 3, 201016 yr by Jachut