Do you have any tips that work the best for you... maybe you could share them here so we can all learn from them.

#1 - I love doritos with dip... also it's weird but they go down the band too easy. So instead of given them up for good I buy a regular size bag and divide them into 13 single size packages so I know not to over eat them. It works for me to get a serving and it's better then the old days when I'd be depressed that I couldn't have more. I'm actually satisfied with just one serving.

#2 - I used to get soooo thirsty at resturants and it was hard to not drink. Now I get an iced tea or something delicious or just Water and drink it all before my meal. It normally takes so long for the meal to come that I have time to let my 15 minutes prior go by and then I don't get as thirsty during the meal. I always tell the waitress not to fill up my glass after my meal comes.

#3 - I eat Fiber one or raisin bran for Breakfast and it keeps me "regular"

I dont do what I used to do - if I stuff up, I dont then go "oh well, might as well enjoy the rest of the day and start again tomorrow".

Now if I eat something fattening - I dont consider it a stuff up. Its just food, I move on and make my next choice healthier. One cupcake or cocktail or whatever your poison is does not a diet break.

I used to do that too... I'd be like "Oh well the day is ruined I might as well eat more good food" and now I do the same as you...

I don't diet, I just try and always follow the Band rules and eat Protein first.

I don't worry about eating things that aren't low fat or fat free. I found that with the small quantity it doens't make much of a diference. Before the band I was obsessed with low fat or fat free.

I track my calories on fitday.com; I discovered that if I don't average 1,000 calories a day I don't loose as well as when I do.

Water is my best friend.

I track my calories on fitday.com; I discovered that if I don't average 1,000 calories a day I dont; loose as well as when I do.

Do you mean if you don't have at least 1000 then you don't lose of if you go over.

I'm finding that if I have anywhere between 600 - 800 I lose but if I have a week of 1000 - 1200 I gain. I never realized that my body "wanted - needed" so little calories.

I used to think that if I went that low I'd go in to starvation mode and not lose but it seems I was wrong.

I am starting to wonder if the band is a phycological tool?????

If we do all these things without the band won't we still be losing weight???

willbethin;

Yes, if we did these things without the band we would lose weight. I've tried 1200 calorie diets more times than I can count. The entire time I'm starving and miserable.

Now that I have the band, 1200 to 1400 calories is plenty to get me through the day, and usually with enough room for a snack or a treat, and I don't feel deprived at all.

The band is ONLY about restricting the amount of food we can eat. We still have to get up off our butts and exersize, and make sure that we aren't eating crap all day. For me this is good. If I'd had a WLS where the pounds melted off effortlessly, I would never have learned anything, and then if it had to be reversed, or quit being effective, I'd gain all the weight back I'm sure. The band keeps me accountable for what I do, and that's good for me.

Yes!! Exactly! IF we did all this stuff without the band we would lose weight. The band just makes it easier to do -- makes you lesss hungry and satiated faster. That is the whole revelation that needs to be made upon getting banded.....IT HELPS us. It's not magic just somehow causing weight loss within us. It just makes dieting easier for us, and therefore we can retrain our eating habits. I came to this realization a few months after being banded and it was like a revelation. Now I look back and I don't know why it was such a "novel idea" seems so obvious now duh!!!

I am starting to wonder if the band is a phycological tool?????

If we do all these things without the band won't we still be losing weight???

I say "NO"... I've done all those things before I was banded and I'm being totally honest they didn't work. Mainly I'm sure it was my own fault but I would get discouraged back then, feel deprived and depressed and if I didn't see results in 3 - 6 months then I'd quit.

Now I see results (slow but at lease results), I don't feel deprived in fact I feel satisfied with what I eat daily and I'm not depressed, love life and am ready to keep trucking every day toward my goal.

To me it's a huge difference... I realize it's just a tool but it's an excellent tool!

Edited because maybe I missed your point.... phycological tool maybe yes... but also it's physically made me feel those feelings. The 'statisfaction' in my belly feeds my head!

Cashley-great idea to start a post like this! I don't dare bring Doritos in the house, because they'd all be gone! But why not just buy the little bags of them, like for kids lunches? I think (for me) it would feel like I was eating more - because its like "OOOH! I opened the bag and got to finish it!" Mind games, I guess! but just a thought!

I do the same though for a lot of Snacks - peanuts, almonds, mini rice cakes, soy crisps -- anything "snack food-y" that I have to have portion control in place for. I keep a couple in my car and a basket in my pantry - so I can grab that instead of something else.

I also grill chicken, let it cool overnight, slice it up & freeze it in say, a 3-serving size quantity. It defrosts really easily, and so I can have grilled chicken on hand to throw in salads, make a stir fry - or just grab to eat, at any time.

I would love to hear help on getting the Water in - I used to track it by water bottles, but its almost like you really need to schedule it in - and drink XX amount by XX time, throughout the day. Anyone have secrets to getting it in? Thanks!

Water - I bought myself one of those 64 oz 'water' containers at Walmart. I can mix up Crystlal Light in it or just plain water and it helps me to see how much I need to finish in a day. I'm TERRIBLE about getting water in, otherwise.

Also.. water with lemon it. It's great to cut mucous on those days when you seem to be sliming on everything.

Post-band I do not have the food cravings I use to have. I don't think about food all the time like before. I fill up on a small plate of food. It definately makes sticking to 1000 -1200 per day a breeze.

The best thing I have learned is using Fitday.com to keep up with what I eat and make sure I get my 60 grams of Protein and 25 grams of Fiber in everyday. Never hungry and always regular!

Choosing to only drink Water has been another successful thing for me. I am a recovering Diet Coke Addict. I believe this has helped tremendously with my consistant weight loss.

I also choose not to eat Bread, or Sugar. These were big diet busting binge eating triggers for me before...If I don't have it, I don't want it!

sugar-free Popsicles are the bomb! I love these ice cold pops! Also Soothes my sore tummy when I get the pre-PB golf ball.

Thanks Leatha_g! Great tips - when I think 64 oz I think "pitcher" not container -- because its sounds like so much! I'll have to look and see what I can find (always need an excuse to go for my daily Walmart run...lol) thanks!

My tips:

I try to keep my house stocked with a variety of foods that I allow myself to have. There are no junk foods, or breads, or sugars in my home. That way, I know that when I get the urge to browse my hand is only going to fall on something that won't hurt me. I too refuse to eat breads and sugars. These are my downfalls and I know me - once started it would take months or years to stop again. Within the bounds of those foods that I bring into the house, I have the freedom to eat what I want, when I want it. And I rarely struggle to ignore that certain food that is calling to me from the pantry. I swear some foods are possessed and have telepathy powers!

I have been working very hard on brainwashing myself to think differently about the aroma of foods that used to trigger "hunger". Much like when we smell beautiful spring flowers along side of the road.. we enjoy the aroma but we don't stop and get out to graze on the flowers. I think I am succeeding. When we drive by a steakhouse, donut shop, chinese restaurant, or burger joint and those smells come drifting into the car I just take in a big deep breath and focus on how pleasing they smell, tell myself that was the end of the experience and go on. I rarely carry cravings with me after such encounters now.

Avoid temptation. Alcoholics don't frequent bars and remain alcohol free. Drug addicts don't go to parties where their favorite drug is being passed around. And I don't go to ice cream parlors, Mc Donald's, or any other of my once-favorite food places. It's been about 6 months since I've been around the foods that I used to live on morning, noon, and night. And now, when I do encounter such foods by accident I find that they don't even look appealing to me. I was at dinner with a group of friends last week and there were dishes of Pasta and some deserts that I used to die for. I looked at them and it was like they didn't even register as real food. My response was more like, "Why would anyone want to eat that?" So I guess no exposure to temptations really does pay off over a period of time.

Weigh no more than once a week. Weighing everyday is like clock watching. The days will begin to drag by and the natural fluctuations of body weight will drive you nuts.

Pop Secret 100 calorie packs of Kettle Corn. The only snack allowed in the house.

Never leave home without some sort of safety food with you. Getting caught out with no "safe" food when hunger strikes can lead to impulsive choices and justifying foods you know aren't going to help you get healthy.

And finally, journal your food intake, calories, and Protein. While you may THINK you aren't eating very much, you can easily overlook 300-500 calories a day in those things you just nibbled on or drank while you were working.

Here's my biggest tip:

www.FitDay.com

Journal your food. You'll be suprised about your calorie consumption if you haven't been keeping a food journal. Wish I'd known about FitDay ages ago.

There is a free version you can try out to see if it's useful to you but the $20 downloadable has better and MORE features. It's the best $20 I've ever spent.

Do you mean if you don't have at least 1000 then you don't lose of if you go over.

I'm finding that if I have anywhere between 600 - 800 I lose but if I have a week of 1000 - 1200 I gain. I never realized that my body "wanted - needed" so little calories.

I used to think that if I went that low I'd go in to starvation mode and not lose but it seems I was wrong.

I was eating around 800 calories a day and I wasn't loosing much (about 1 pound a week), I was okay with that and went about 10 days w/o tracking my food on fitday but I was keeping a written journal. When I got home I had lost 5 pounds in 10 days. I went back and put my food into fitday because I want to always have the history so I can go back and look at the trends. When I did this I was a little surprised that my daily calories were averaging between 900 - 1100 which was more than I had been eating. It had a lot to do with eating out and eating sauces, that are higher in calories; not really eating more quantity.

So, for the months of February and March I decided to try something and see what my weight loss would be if I average 1,000 calories a day. In February I lost 11 lbs. and in March I lost 17 lbs. I don't get exactly 1,000 calories in any given day I just try and keep that as an average over the course of the week.

I have had a few days when I have gone as high as 1,400 calories. Because of my travel schedule I don't weigh weekly but I also don't weigh daily but since the day I was banded I haven't had a single weight gain; there has always been some loss.

So I guess to answer the actual question, I was still loosing with 800 calories a day and I don't gain if I have days that I go over 1,000. For me the 1,000 calories a day average seems to be what works best. I know this will be different for everyone. I did find thst by using fitday to track my intake I was able to determine what worked best for me.

In April my weight loss slowed down, I only lost 9lbs. but I am getting close to goal so I kinda expect it to continue to slow.