As you can see, my ticker hasn't moved in a very long time. I truly am dieting and trying to stick to a plan/go to the gym but I have not been seeing any results

How truly frustrating! Now i'm realizing that I MUST be doing things wrong

Here's a typical day for me (bear in mind that I have no restriction yet)

Breakfast:

2 low fat string cheese's or some eggs and cheese with whole grain rice cakes

Snack:

10 almonds

Lunch:

4 oz of turkey breast (honey smoked) with a few more ounces of a veggie (pickle) and a few rice cakes or whole wheat crackers, not totaling more than 8 ounces

Dinner: (my hardest meal)

Something Protein based (chicken or something) but usually with brown rice with some veggies not totaling more than 8 ounces

So here are my questions:

1) should I be eating less than 8 ounce per meal?

2) I am measuring on a digital food scale until it reaches 8 ounces- is this wrong (and should I be only eating what I can literally stuff into an 8 ounce cup?)

As you can see, my meals are basically protein based and very low carbs are included. I also just joined a gym and go 4 times a week and spend 30 mins on the eliptical doing cardio and 30 mins doing strength training. Some people say the "you are not losing weight because your building muscle" or your weighing yourself t night when your filled with liquids" I just don't believe them

My only suggestion would be to not eat the carbs. I have a similar menu without the rice cakes. I eat protein by scale 4 oz. And veggies by 1/4 cup servings. I don't know what that would weigh on a scale. Good luck. I wasn't sure how long since your surgery I am a week short of 6 months.

My only suggestion would be to not eat the carbs. I have a similar menu without the rice cakes. I eat protein by scale 4 oz. And veggies by 1/4 cup servings. I don't know what that would weigh on a scale. Good luck. I wasn't sure how long since your surgery I am a week short of 6 months.

I'm about 3 weeks out. Surgery was 8/17

A couple things:

You're only 3 weeks post op. The first 4-6 weeks after surgery are for healing, not losing. The fact you haven't gained is outstanding because many do during this period. Are you even on solid foods yet? Because until you are, the best you can do is try to make good food decisions and stick to bandster portions.

As far as portions, you can really do it either way, weight or volume. You can even use a mix of the two. Very often I'll have 4oz of meat, 1/4 of veggies, and 1/4 cup of carbs. The way I measure it depends on what I'm eating and the easiest way to measure it.

I know I'm the exception around here, because most are on low carb diets, but there is no rule that being banded means low carb. Some people lose great with carbs, some don't at all. There is no diet set in stone for everyone because everyone's bodies have different needs and respond differently. I do not follow a low carb diet because it's simply not realistic for me long term. For me, it works and lose great despite the fact I eat carbs regularly.

Find out what works best for you.

Your ticker has not moved in a long time? First, the ticker doesn't indicate time and second, 3 weeks is hardly a long time? If, after you've had several fills and have restriction and or in the green zone, you plateau for 2 months, that might be considered a long time.

And Missy is right. Are you supposed to be on solid foods by now? That's quite unusual? Most of us were on mushies by week 3 and no solids till 4-6 weeks. And of course, you should not be concerned about weight loss till you heal which should be about 4-6 weeks.

tmf

I am 1 month post op and I am on 1 cup of food and I am focused on the protein and fiber. I make sure I get very close to 80gr of protein. I was eating 6oz, but now have inched into 8 ounces and feel full longer. I have no saline in my band and will get my first fill on the 19th and I hope to decrease my intake to a 1/2 a cup. I use the caloriecount.about.com and i can put in the foods I am eating and most of the time they have the brand name and I get a pretty accurate calorie carb protein count. At the bottom of the meal page, there is nutrition fact and i am able to see how many protein, carbs and fat each day. I have been tracking it for 7 days now, not eating between meals and I notice when I get over 30 carbs and over 700 calories, for 3 days I put on 1 pound. I am only walking right now, but I have been losing weight and this week I loss 4 pounds and gained 1 back so it is 3 pounds which is great. On the 26, I plan on getting in 2 days of water arobics. I am not eating any carbs and I think that is what is happens with you. Cheese, ricecakes, wheat crackers have a lot of carbs. I know you are working out, but maybe you need to get your carbs from your fruit, milk, yogurt etc. Try it for a week and see if that makes a difference. i weigh my protein, but if it is a tuna or chicken salad, I measure it. I just bought a EZ weight Plate, at ezweightplate.com. It is a plate that I use at home, and it i it has r measuring bowls with measurement lines so you do not have to use a measuring cups. I like it because it make me feel more normal by just getting my food and puttin it in the plate. Hope this helps.

You are very early out and still healing. Every surgeon is different with their food plan that you must follow. At 3 weeks I was just starting soft 'mushy' foods. Did your surgeon give you a food plan to follow?

You should be worrying more about healing at this point like everyone has stated, it takes normally 4-6 weeks for your new stomache to heal.

Best of luck,

**The first 4-6 weeks after surgery are for healing, not losing**

**you should not be concerned about weight loss till you heal which should be about 4-6 weeks.**

read missys and tmf's postings. its accurate and dead on.

i dont have any fills either but i eat as if i have restriction. i stop at 1 cup of food, period. my main thing is Protein.

all the best.

Yes my surgeon gave me a food plan. Only liquids for the first week post-op and then after I can slowly introduce foods as I can tolerate them.

Anyhow, weird thing is that I weighed myself this morning and saw I was down 2 lbs for a total of 16 lbs! The weirdest part is that it's after I kinda cheated (yesterday was a bad day for me).

Thanks to all! you have offered such useful insights

And Missy is right. Are you supposed to be on solid foods by now? That's quite unusual? Most of us were on mushies by week 3 and no solids till 4-6 weeks. And of course, you should not be concerned about weight loss till you heal which should be about 4-6 weeks.

tmf

Thank you for your insight, but please do not try to play doctor. I am closely following my surgeons instructions and plan to continue doing so. Promise

I have been tracking it for 7 days now, not eating between meals and I notice when I get over 30 carbs and over 700 calories, for 3 days I put on 1 pound. I am only walking right now, but I have been losing weight and this week I loss 4 pounds and gained 1 back so it is 3 pounds which is great. On the 26, I plan on getting in 2 days of water arobics. I am not eating any carbs and I think that is what is happens with you. Cheese, ricecakes, wheat crackers have a lot of carbs. I know you are working out, but maybe you need to get your carbs from your fruit, milk, yogurt etc. Try it for a week and see if that makes a difference. i weigh my protein, but if it is a tuna or chicken salad, I measure it. I just bought a EZ weight Plate, at ezweightplate.com. It is a plate that I use at home, and it i it has r measuring bowls with measurement lines so you do not have to use a measuring cups. I like it because it make me feel more normal by just getting my food and puttin it in the plate. Hope this helps.

Wow thats VERY little. Most people post that they're on a 1000 calorie diet and cutting carbs down to 50-100 grams per day. Kudos that you're ok on so little cals/carbs

Yes my surgeon gave me a food plan. Only liquids for the first week post-op and then after I can slowly introduce foods as I can tolerate them.

Anyhow, weird thing is that I weighed myself this morning and saw I was down 2 lbs for a total of 16 lbs! The weirdest part is that it's after I kinda cheated (yesterday was a bad day for me).

Thanks to all! you have offered such useful insights

Thank you for your insight, but please do not try to play doctor. I am closely following my surgeons instructions and plan to continue doing so. Promise

I don't believe anyone who participates on this forum is "trying to play doctor"...just the opposite. Many participants encourage others to consult with their surgeons for the answers they are seeking, and they emphatically state that they are not physicians.

This forum is designed to allow individuals on the same type of weight loss journey to share their ideas, experiences, and best practices with diet, exercise, and other relevant information. There is also an extensive emotional support system here for encouragement and positive feedback.

Did it ever occur to you that your scale moving after cheating was nothing more than a coincidence? If you're entertaining the idea that continued cheating on your surgeon recommended diet will consistently produce weight loss results, then you are engaging in faulty thinking. In the long run, none of us will be 100% compliant with our respective diets, but for success with weight loss, we will need to comply with the surgeon and dietitian diet recommendations the vast majority of the time.

Wishing you accurate insights and desired results as you continue your weight loss journey...

Did it ever occur to you that your scale moving after cheating was nothing more than a coincidence?

Of course it occurred to me. Which is exactly why I included an eye-rolling icon. I thought that was made very obvious/understood....

As far as my other post about members trying to play doctor, I am simply saying that when I ask about eating an 8 ounce meal/measuring those 8 ounces it is frustrating to hear other members stray from topic and compare my surgeons post-op orders to theirs. It only adds to my chagrin hearing that my doctors orders are "quite unusual". Nevertheless I am aware that everyone only means well and I appreciate that

Anyhow, if anyone took offense, please accept my apologies. I certainly never intended to upset anyone

I like that you apologized. Everyone is just trying to help and their idea's were ligit.

When you first posted this thread I didn't respond b/c at 3wks your diet didn't sound right either. But everyone has said "every Dr is different". God bless you for being able to eat almonds at 3wks. That's amazing. I'm going to be jealous when I'm eating Cream of Wheat,lol. My Drs orders,pooh!!!!

Mis73 & Sojo are well versed on LBS, I'd keep them in your sights.

Thanks again for apologizing to them,it takes a big person (no pun intended) to do that.

Good luck on your journey! Will be looking for your success story.

With all due respect. That's kind of too much too be eating for being 3-4 weeks post op. You should try to get used to eating half of that. This will help with the scale number too.

I dont actually think its too unreasonable - and not for 3-4 weeks out when your swelling has gone down and you hve no restriction yet. And I refuse to believe a couple of rice cakes is the difference between losing or not losing.

personally, I'm surprised anyone larger who was used to a high calorie diet wouldnt lose quite fast on that sort of intake. I would lose weight now on that and I'm only 145lb these days.

My question would be - did you do a pre op diet and did you lose weight on it? Because when you do that your post op period is not the shock to your body it would ordinarily be, in fact your food intake often increases. Your fast and easy weight loss has already been exhausted in the pre op phase and you've already settled into the slow and steady, so post op is often not as dramatic as you imagine it will be. I think if you keep at it, it will eventually start to drop.

For myself, when I want to lose, I need to up the cardio to an hour at a time and make it six days a week. Four is maintenance level. Even if you keep up your gym routine and add a half hour work early every morning or something like that.

But overall, I think you just need time and restriction.

I dont actually think its too unreasonable - and not for 3-4 weeks out when your swelling has gone down and you hve no restriction yet. And I refuse to believe a couple of rice cakes is the difference between losing or not losing.

personally, I'm surprised anyone larger who was used to a high calorie diet wouldnt lose quite fast on that sort of intake. I would lose weight now on that and I'm only 145lb these days.

My question would be - did you do a pre op diet and did you lose weight on it? Because when you do that your post op period is not the shock to your body it would ordinarily be, in fact your food intake often increases. Your fast and easy weight loss has already been exhausted in the pre op phase and you've already settled into the slow and steady, so post op is often not as dramatic as you imagine it will be. I think if you keep at it, it will eventually start to drop.

For myself, when I want to lose, I need to up the cardio to an hour at a time and make it six days a week. Four is maintenance level. Even if you keep up your gym routine and add a half hour work early every morning or something like that.

But overall, I think you just need time and restriction.

Thank you for your response!

Yes I did do the pre-op diet (wasn't liquid though) and I lost about 7 lbs in a week, so it actually makes a lot of sense to me that the "honeymoon" fast and easy part of the diet is over, which is why the weight slowed. I actually emailed my doc my entries of myfitnesspal.com and will see what he says about my diet/where i am making mistakes/where i can improve etc.