Ok so my nutritionist just put me on a 1500 cal diet. She did so at my2nd meeting with her...I guess bc according to their scale I only lost 3lbs since my last meeting (even though the one at home showed that I lost 9). My surgery isn't even for at least another 4-5mos from now. I have to do the six month insurance wait period. Anywho, is this normal?? Also, how easy was it for you all to keep up with this value? I am going crazy trying to fit my meals around this 1500 cal diet. Oh by the way I HATE the word DIET! All it screams to me is get ready to be starving and cranky, lbvvs:) I don't eat "cookie-cutter" meals that just easily appear on any calorie counter website or app and trying to figure out how many calories are in a baby bowl (yes I started eating out of my 1 year old son's bowls to cut my portions) of spaghetti with ground turkey and homemade sauce using tomato paste and water and herbs. Excuse me if I'm coming off strong, I only had 2 slices of turkey bacon and two slices of bread this morning at about 5:30 so I'm hungry. So yeah. That's it. Any and all positive feedback on this will be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks!

Wow! But by being banded, are you even able to handle 1500 cal??? Even with fills and all I had no idea that anyone would struggle with whatever caloric amounts they were given. Please lmk! I appreciate your honesty!

Any calorie is possible on the band but in all honesty, that would require one of the three: 1) cheating the band through liquid calories (think icecreams, shakes, liquor or things that dissolve quickly like cake, Cookies etc), 2) eating excessively. The rule is 3 meals, however, if you wanted to eat more meals or snack continously you can get excess calories or 3) having a band that is not filled to green. Without restriciton, it's like being preband. Not even men are on 1500 cals typically with the band. Once you are banded and at green you should not feel as hungry nor should you be capable of eating large meals thus restricting caloric intake.

I had no idea but thanks for the advice! I see your ticker and Congrats!! on the loss (and gain I'm sure;0) I wish you more good days than crappy!!

Thanks Sweets :-) Since being banded, I haven't gained any weight; not even on days like yesterday. But I've only had three days like that since surgery. I pray that this is how it will be for the rest of my life!

1500 is a lot to me lol The 6 month insurance mandated diet I had to do before my surgery was 1200 calories with 100 carbs and 80+oz of water a day. It get's easier to adjust as you go along. I ate pretty much what I wanted, just in much smaller portions, and if I knew I was going to go out to a restaurant or whatnot, I'd look at their menu ahead of time to plan what I would get. I also fell in love with the 100 calorie packs and Special K stuff. But when it came to regular meals, I just ate whatever. Drinking a lot of water helps with the hunger pangs in between meals, and negative calorie foods help for a snack too (blueberries, apples, etc are all negative calorie because they burn more than they're worth and are high in fiber). Then 2 weeks before my surgery, I had to do 800 calories and 60 carbs a day. Since I was on the mostly liquid liver shrinking diet, that wasn't so bad. I just spread my protein shakes out so it seemed like I was getting more. I'm more than willing to help if you have any specific food questions! Good luck!

When I was told I needed to complete the 6 month pre-op diet program, I had the girl in my office who does insurance billing to call and get an explanation.....

What I found out, from my insurance anyway, was this.....

They said the patient simply stating that was indeed the fact, was not good enough to go into your medical record......it had to be a supervised medical program, with a MD, for 6 months, complete with weigh ins, accurate progress notes, counseling, graphs, charts, etc......, all signed off by a Physician.....

Like every diet I ever been on, I started out good, lost weight...then leveled off too soon, then began to gain the weight back.....

I felt bad, but was told by my surgeon that if I were any good at dieting, I would not need WLS.....the 6 month program proved the point....I am a failure at dieting, even with a Dr checking me weekly.....