Its a pain to figure out what I want that is part of the plan, what will go down depending on how fickle the band is that day, and what will provide enough nourishment until the next meal.

I am starting to think maybe I should jsut have Protein shakes for a couple meals a day . . . . Anyone else feel like this?

I generally do a Protein shake for lunch (and I'm not really a Breakfast eater). Its primarily because up until about 3-4 PM everyday my band is pretty tight and I was getting tired of throwing up lunches.

As far as figuring out what to eat, I use fitday.com to track my calories (and protein, carbs, etc.) and I use mealsmatter.org to plan my meals. I don't get crazy caught up with what is part of the plan, I just try to make healthy balanced meals using whole grains and organic foods. I try to get a good variety of things so I'm not eating the same thing everyday (which is where meal planning on mealsmatter works well for me). I try to stick to 800-900 calories a day which is working for me. Right now, I'm a little less anal about protein (although I do eat a decent amount, but I'm not eating 100g a day or anything) and more focused on meeting (and not exceeding) my calorie intake of 900 a day (and getting in all my exercise). I'm working with a practitioner who is monitoring my lean (and fat) mass loss to make sure I'm not losing an inordinate amount of lean mass and losing mostly fat.

I think once you get into a routine of choosing foods and tracking them, it becomes easier. Hope that helps!

It is very frustrating. I can't really eat breakfast. My band is so tight in the morning that I have a hard time keeping eggs down. I'm starting to just do protein shakes. They give you a lot nutrients so your body won't think it's starving.

I can relate!!! This morning i had a protein drink, and I tried to eat a partial chicken burrito for lunch and after a few bites it would not go down and caused pain. It is almost 3PM and that is all I have been able to get down.

OMG I so totally understand your frustration!!! My band is really tight until later in the day as well. I'm struggling to come up with what works for me as far as food goes because my band is very fickle. Yesterday I was actually able to eat alot but today i haven't been able to keep hardly anything down!

My band is tight in the morning - really have a hard time getting food down. I just drink my protein shake for breakfast - keeps me full until time for lunch. My doctor was ok with this as long as I dont use the shake for more than one meal.

I, usually, use my protein drink for breakfast around 9 or 10am. It is the only way for me to get my proteins in. I make it full of protein as I add peanut butter to it, too.

I, also, have a hard time deciding what's for lunch and dinner. I can't do salads, they make me stuck.

Good luck. I sometimes just want to do protein drinks and V8 juice!!

Karen(kll724)

I too am still trying to figure all this out after 15 months! I cannot eat breakfast, except for cottage cheese or ricotta (usually with a v8 b4 eating) or a protein shake, so that is what I do. For lunch, I can usually eat salads, although I have to be careful to take SMALL bites and chew chew chew. Then in the evenings, I can usually eat a regular healthy meal with protein, veggie, healthy carb like sweet potato. However the part I am struggling with is remembering to eat SMALL bites and chew alot. If I do not do this, I run into trouble. And I get sooooooooo tired of having to take an entire hour to eat, that I find myself sitting in front of the computer or tv just so I can eat slower (which is what I am doing right now :smile2: I suspect in time we will figure it out..........in the meantime however.........:thumbup: take gentle care of you today, Dyanna