Okay so I've got some.questions! How many calories should we eat?.. I'm on a low carb diet and only eat a starch once a day( crutons on my salad) or a small amount of mashed potatos with dinner. are starches okay once a day?

How many calories you should eat depends on a range of factors such as your height and weight, activity level etc. I have seen people with bands eating as few as 250 calories per day and that really worries me because our bodies still need fuel to function. I am 172cm, 98kg and aim for 1300 calories per day. I am now quite active and eat most of my exercise calories back because I use myfitnesspal.com to monitor my calories and exercise, and that is what they recommend.

Is this working for me? Hell yes! I have lost 51kg since starting this journey.

However, if you are a different height or weight or have a different activity level, you would need a different amount of calories. Get some advice that is specific to you whether it be from a nutritionist or by using a site such as myfitnesspal.com

my nutritionist said to keep the carbs at 68 grams. I try to eat them before the evening meal. sometimes I don't even have that many all day! as long as you keep the carbs healthy ones; wheat bread, veggies, fruits.

today my doc said to stay away from white foods, mashed potatoes, white bread, donuts. consider fiber when you eat too.

I am sure you are not even eating 1000 calories each day, right?

So you think skipping the.crutons would be best huh? And that makes since eating my carbs at night.. Isn't the best thing to do since it's turns to sugar and I go to bed not long after.. I can barly make 600. Breakfast I'll have turkey bacon and some grapes or a egg.. Lunch broc and cheese with some lean chicken or a hamburger Pattie and dinner beef soup or grilled chicken with my veggies or a salad. I don't snack between cause I normally don't get to hungry in between. I've also ran out of items for food..and right now i'm just walking 40 mins a day... I work full time and i'm a mommy full time so making it to the gym is hard. At first I stayed away from any starches at all.. But then I'd get cravings for something.different so to keep my urges out I'd have a starch.once a day and I'd do mashed potatos or eat some the potatos in my beef Stu or have some crutons with my salad..

I've lost 50 lbs since sept 27. I'm very proud of that and very proud of my eating habits before surgery it was a different fast food joint every night...but i'm one of those that freak out about everything .. I wanna make sure i'm doing this right. I also know my self very well.. The moment I slip up.. The moment I fail.

You should adjust your diet so that it is well balanced, and allows you to lose 11/2 to 2 lbs a week on average.

If you are gaining or losing less, then you need to reduce your caloric intake.

You need carbs for your brain to function, so I'm sure that having one serve of starches like your croutons or a little bit of mashed potato is fine.

My doctor told me to aim for 800-1000 calories per day while in the weight-loss phase of the band, and that we'd then adjust it up slowly once I get to my goal weight until we find the amount that allows me to not gain or lose. I'm 5 foot 5, and 86kg, which probably had a bearing on the calorie range he gave me.

Calories are different for everyone, but somewhere between 1000 and 1500 is likely to hit the mark depending on height, weight, activity levels.

Diet is personal, for me, ive had bowel cancer so I eat a low fat, lower Protein, higher carb diet, as wholegrains, fruit and veg prevent bowel cancer whereas a higher protein lower carb diet is much riskier, despite how well it may work for weight loss and diabetes. But i can tell you i lost weight easily and very successfully and have kept it off despite never giving up (wholegrain) bread. Calories are all that matter for most people.

If you are at 600 calories a day I would not worry about croutons! In fact 600 in my opinion is too low. Though I guess I would ask how much exercising you are doing. I do an hour of moderate + cardio a day and I would not function well on those few calories (and still be able to work full time). If you really want potato could you try baked rather than mashed? Also could you use sweet instead of white?

One serving will not hinder your weight loss. I still eat carbs every day and am loosing 1 to 1.5 pounds a week. I keep my carbs under 100g per day, which will allow you to have your croutons and potatoes (just watch portions). The carbs to stay away from are the processed, sugary carbs (donuts, Cookies, snack cakes, chips, cookies, etc.) I avoid all of these. But, I don't see any problem with having a serving or two of "white" carbs each day.

Myself, I can't tolerate any kind of bread, whole wheat or otherwise. But, I do have Pasta and potatoes occasionally. I just watch my portions. Croutons aren't going to wreck your weight loss.

I'm concerned with this also...I just got a 2 cc fill last week and I seem like I can eat more than I should be able to...what is wrong with me? Shouldn't I be full after a few bites?

I will tell you something that took me foreverrrr to learn.....the band isn't about restricting how much you eat (though it can help), it's about helping you feel satisfied with less food than in the past.

Satisfied, not full, stuffed, or any of those other feelings we used to enjoy so much.

I'm not trying to sound preachy, I hope that others don't take as long as I took to figure it out.

My PA says these words every single time I'm there. It's hard to grasp but I'm finally getting it!

I take my BMR, which at my present weight is 1,688 calories a day. To lose 1.5 pounds a week, I cut out 750 calories a day. Thus, I aim for about 950 calories a day. I burn close to 650 calories a day exercising, and I do eat back most of those calories.

thanks again HealthyNewMe