Hello Bandsters,

I'm looking for some non-judgemental help here. I have, honestly, had my band for a year. I initially lost weight, mainly from the liquid diet, but since then I've been gaining it back. This is definitely my fault - not the band's. I've been eating poorly, as I've tried to find the 'sweet spot' with the band. I went through so much throwing up when i was too tight, and then total hunger when I've been too loose. Now my doctor feels that we are 'very close' to finding the right amount of restriction.

I asked my doctor what diet I should do (I really need to follow a strict regime -- I don't do well when I don't have something to follow). He said I SHOULD NOT do Weight Watchers -- 'it's not compatible with the band. He told me to "think Atkins", but hasn't been more specific. I'm meeting with him Monday and will try to get more.

In the meantime, I would be so appreciative to learn what your successful diet has been. What do you eat for Breakfast, lunch and dinner, and Snacks? I don't really cook, but I'm in New York City so I can pretty much get anything.

Thank you so much in advance for your advice. I'm desperate to start losing weight.

Try fitness pal its an app you can download. Keeping track of your cals and eating proteins first

I am struggling myself in finding a exercise routine and meal planning to follow. I do have Pyrex 1 cup bowls that I picked up from Target. It helps with portion control. I want to be one of those people that gets up at 5 am just to exercise and daily on top of it. I use Sparkpeople (its free) to track food and exercise. I plan for 60 grams of protein a day. I was banded May 2011. I find when I fill my 1 cup bowls for the week on Sunday it helps. I started measuring my snacks in snack size Ziplock baggies as soon as I buy bigger bags of rice cakes and stuff. I have Laughing Cow cheese wedges for a snack which are only 35 cal. Pretzels sticks or apples and peanut butter. Hope this helps

Crystal

I use myfitnesspal.com for just about everything that it can do. Everything is kept in memory also.

I joined a Physical Therapy's Gym, and Pool 3 X a week.

I do 70 minutes in the Gym, and 45 minutes in the pool.

Allot of people are renting the Gym for a small price, and No contract is involved.

Contact a couple of Physical Therapy places, and see if they rent out their Gym.

It's well worth it.

Knowing what you are doing wrong is half the problem! I think you should go online and find a bunch of lap band friendly recipes that sound good to you, make sure they are easy! Every week I make myself a menu that I have no choice but to stick to. An example of what I do is: Breakfast: Egg casserole (so easy! Just scramble some eggs, with a little milk, cheese, Protein, veggies, and some spices and bake @ 350 until golden brown) Lunch: Mexican chicken (Chicken breast, taco seasoning, red and yellow peppers, onions- all in the crock pot for a couple of hours- YUM!) Dinner: Turkey burger with cheese and a veggie. I make sure to portion everything out and always know how many calories/ protein I am getting.

It can be simple as long as you prepare yourself. Every day I carry lap band friendly Snacks with me as well as a little Protein powder just in case I get put in a position where I need to eat and there is nothing good for me. Water is super important to me too and I make sure to get at least 64 oz but I aim for about 100 oz.

Perhaps to get back on track you should set yourself a goal and plan something special if you meet the goal. It can be really motivating to Celebrate your victories! You can do this! Just remember that you are doing this for you and a better life! Good luck!

I agree about myfitnesspal, it is really great. I haven't been banded yet, but I got a book called "Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook For Dummies" (lol!) and it has a lot of really tasty recipes in it. I know that they won't all be band-friendly, but there are probably quite a few that you could be comfortable with. It is high Protein, low-ish carb. Not completely like Atkins, but I prefer it that way.

I wish you the best of luck, and I will be praying for you.

Me and You On the same boat It might take us longer to get to our goal but we will !!

If you don't cook then it is something that I think you should start doing. It isn't hard and food that you prepare yourself is always going to be healthier than food prepared outside of a home. Even the so called healthy options that you buy often have high levels of salt etc.

Buying meals rather than cooking them is 1 of the things that has led to the huge increase in obesity levels.

I know exactly what you are going through....Elcee gave me some good advice...I have been struggling with too much and too little restriction....I have started cooking meals...okay probably obsessing about it now...but happier I can eat...I have cleared my house of the junk high calorie 'slider' foods....too much restriction meant I was surviving on chocolate etc...thanks Elcee for pointing that out....I got 1 cc out on Friday and I can eat again....however I have to track everything I am eating as the restriction is not too severe....I know I need another fill now....even after a few days unrestricted...its that elusive sweet spot I have to find...but I was advised to contact the clinic sooner and not later...if you ignore it you end up putting on weight so head back and talk to the doctor...I eat fruit maybe an apple and grapes and some yoghurt for breakfast...really fast and the crunch in the fruit is good.....

My doctor has set me up with a nutritionist and I'm on a very strict diet. I'm not saying you should follow it exactly if you don't feel like it's right for you but take into consideration maybe? My diet is very similar to atkins which I had done in the past.

I do not eat any:

bread

Pasta

rice

potatoes

fruit

sugar

artificial sweetener

or any drinks other than coffee, tea, fat free milk and Water.

When I drink coffee I get something flavored and use fat free or low fat half and half or creamer and whichever is lower in calories. When i drink tea I get the unsweetened.

Now I do my best to follow this diet but it is very strict and pretty damned hard to follow so for instance the creamer in my coffee although better for me than something that's flavored and amazing, it still has a little sugar in it.

for breakfast most days I have a morning star vegetable patty. That brand has many to choose from like garden vegetable (so good and loaded with things like olives, bell peppers, water chestnuts and carrot), chicken patties (vegetarian), and even sausage patties. all of them are full of Protein and taste great, seriously =)

for lunch I have something like chicken salad that I make with canned chicken (also full of protein) fat free italian dressing, a teensy bit of olive oil mayo, small chunks of swiss cheese and quartered cherry or grape tomatoes.

I need a fill so lately I've been having a snack between lunch and dinner although I probably shouldn't =( but I bring a string cheese and one bread and butter pickle spear. it's roughly 100 calories for that.

for dinner I try to stick with just meat and vegetables. Grilled chicken and carrots or broccoli or brussel sprouts. I stay away from ground beef since I looked at the package and saw that 4 oz is like 340 calories all by itself and I'm only supposed to have 300 calories a meal and 100 calories toward a drink (milk) or my snack. So 900 to 1000 calories a day.

I don't know if any of that will help you at all but it has helped me. I have had a plateau of about 4 months when I could not afford a fill, but I didn't gain and I'm back on track and losing slowly with the insanity work outs and eating better than I did.

Mrsinsanity I think we have the same nutritionist! lol

Everyone is different, some swear by not dieting, others weigh, measure, and count every calorie they put in their mouth! I am of the second school of thought. My surgeon gave me very specific guidelines. He has me on a very low carb high protein diet. My only carbs come from dairy and veggies. I have a protein shake for breakfast (EAS 100% Whey Protein with 1 c skim milk 32 g protein). I have either tuna or Greek Yogurt for lunch 12 - 18 g protein). Dinner is 4 oz chicken or fish with cooked veggies or salad ( 25 g protein). If I snack it must be protein ( string cheese, nuts, or lean meat).

I am in the green zone now, but even before I was this is basically the diet I followed. It was soooo hard but I gulped lots of water to make the hunger pains go away!!! Now I'm actually satisfied with this amount of food.

I don't get stuck and I suppose that's because I don't eat bread, pasta, rice or red meat. To me restriction is about being satisfied AND a little uncomfortable if you try to eat too much.

Good luck to you!

I go through periods where I will eat the same thing day in day out for breakfast and lunch.

Breakfast - 2 egg whites, 1/2 ounce cheese and half an OroWheat thin

Lunch- 1 carmelized onion chicken patty from costco (bombdiggitty!) with teriyaki and veggies

- also was on a kick with canned chicken mixed with 1 T mayo, 1 can was 2 lunches, and veggies

dinner - I have whatever I am making for the family. 2-3 ounce meat, veggies and 1/4 potatoes or rice

I am at 6.8 in a 10 band and still don't feel terribly restricted. I can eat bread no problem. I have eaten the same since I was off of the shakes. I keep my calories between 1000-1300 a day. I still don't feel I have reached my sweet spot, but I have just sucked it up and ate what I measured out for the meal.

I weigh and measure all my food. I use an app on my phone. I eat 1200 cals and a high protein diet/low carb. I exercise 1-2 hrs/day. I bought some great lapband cookbooks on Amazon. Good luck!

Reading the comments is scaring me. I am getting banded on May 17th. It was my understanding that you will basically always measure food and the lapband helps suppress the appetite. Reading this, it looks like everybody is really hungry and struggling with weight gain. Does the band not help???

I know it's tough especially our mindset.I'm newly banded 4/6/ but undretand.I say there are 2things that are importantant for me 1.measure,everything goes in a 4oz bowl 2. Protein first.that should put u in the "think Atkins" mode.usually I don't have room for much else after I eat my 3-4 oz of protein if u do then veggies next then carbs.I use my fitness pal to track what I eat my name is the same Bigenuff .if u decide to use it please request me as a friend (anyone else on this thread can also if u want)

You know back in January getting banded was so exciting and I felt like "I CAN DO THIS" but the honey moon is OVER! I was told today @ my fill that I need to really change my diet and even though they didnt say do Atkins the list of foods they gave to me eat and to avoid is basically an atkins type diet. I feel like been there done that (atkins diet) but failed and that is why I got the band. and now I paid close to $10,000 and you want me to do a diet I already tried? But I will try really hard to do what I am told. so here are some websites that were helpful to me in the past when I tried atkins before.

www.atkins.com

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbmenus1/Low_Carb_Menus.htm

http://www.bellaonline.com/subjects/4649.asp

http://www.southbeachdiet.com/sbd/publicsite/index.aspx

There are so many out there you just have to google Low Carb and you will find so much. GOOD LUCK!