After reading through most of the boards, it looks like most people DO NOT diet (or change their diet) after being banded. I assumed and will change my eating habits to eat more clean (Sonoma, Michael Thurmond etc) as soon as I can eat solids.

My question is, what diet do you follow if any Post Op?

If not dieting and you eat all foods you did prior to banding, do you feel healthy and how long did it take to lose the weight? Also, any complications with the band because of food choices?

Thanks!

I had no weight loss at all by just cutting out breads, Pasta, pop or by staying below 1200 - 1500 calories per day, and doing aerobics 3 days per week. None.

I only started losing when I joined Weight Watchers online and started exercising 7 days per week.

Having a band placed does not mean automatic weight loss, and I believe that without diet / exercise / serious lifestyle change that bandsters will not reach goal. You may lose, but not the total amount. Just my humble opinion, and observation.

Same here. I am on WW and it helps me tremendously. This week I've been staying with my mother who is ill. I haven't eaten all my points and I haven't lost an ounce! I have even exercised a three or four times. You just have to eat ENOUGH.

I will never go on another diet again, never. Cutting back portions and cutting out certain things is causing me to lose weight.

I understand what you mean, Beth...but for the first time in my 50 years, I don't eat ENOUGH! LOL...I have to have some guidelines!

well I dont diet, but I have changed my diet to a degree. I eat way less junk than I did and make more healthy choices.

I agree, if you dont change your diet significantly, you may lose that first bit of weight easily enough, but you wont get all the way there. I believe this is a major reason for the statistics that say bandsters on average lose 1/2 to 2/3 of excess weight. I think a large degree of people probably continue on with poor food choices but smaller quantities.

I worry a lot about eating enough to be healthy - 2 fruit, five veg a day, that sort of thing. So when I waste a food choice on something that doesnt do much for me nutritionally, I'm aware that I'm missing an opportunity to eat something healthy. Therefore I try to make as many of my choices as possible count towards meeting my nutritional needs for the day. Its like feeding a small child - you cant waste your appetite on rubbish.

That naturally means less fat, less calories and less highly processed carbs. I havent found anything else to be necessary, really, but if I did, I'd do WW. I'm dont believe in low carb/high Protein diets.

testing testing

Nope. No diet. I'm done with that. I didn't get this band to "diet" and count calories and carbs. I hated it when I was doing it and I still hate it. I'm been eating and preparing meals for my family long enough that I know what are good foods and what are not so good.

I did the WW, Nutrisystems, etc., and I lost weight, but I didn't learn anything from it. The weight came right back - with buddies.

I still eat mostly what I did before, but no breads or carbonated beverages. I put smaller portions on my plate and keep asking myself if I am still truly hungry. When the answer is no, I stop. And that is difficult because I always cleaned my plate. And so far, no fill and I'm losing weight.

I think most people who are obese are the best nutritionists in the world. Having been on most diet plans known to man and read tons of books on diet and nutrition, I know what constitutes a healthy diet. I have eliminated process foods, take-out foods, and empty carbs from my diet and eat a balanced, healthy diet... fruits and lite cheese for breakfast, a salad or soup for lunch and a dinner consisting of a protein source, fresh steamed veggies, and a small starch. I even allow for dessert.

I strongly believe too that if you hang onto "rules" and count count count or measure etc you are not getting to know your body and truly learning to recognise what it needs when.

Some days you are hungrier than others and should eat more. There's also days in your monthly cycle where you have cravings, there are actually phsyiological/hormonal reasons for this and it doesnt not hurt to give in in moderation.

Your body is a dynamic, changing thing and I think you need to learn to work with it, not beat it into submission. The goal is to get to the stage where you eat what you feel like when you feel like it - and that will basically add up to a nutritionally and calorie appropriate diet for your body.

Of course, many of us are so out of touch that it will take more than a simple decision to change to get there.

I eat everything I did before but in smaller portions. However, I was not THAT bad of an eater pre-band, I just ate too much of everything. My diet is incredibly varied. I try to stick to proteins and limit processed carbs but by no means is anything "off limits". Last night I enjoyed half a cheeseburger and a few fries. It was sooo delicious and I was very satisfied. Earlier in the day I'd had half a cubano sandwhich and a protein bar. Other days I will have crab cakes, pizza, salad, Chinese, fish, whatever. So far I've lost 37 pounds in about 4 and a half months. I don't eat any fast food (because I PB on it every time) but other than that, I really just needed something to make me less hungry and eat smaller portions, simple as that.

I do count calorie from time to time when my weight loss slows to a crawl or stops. Sometimes I find I'm not getting enough calories (1000 to 1200 daily) and sometimes I find I am eating too many. I move back toward enough healthy choices to crank up the weight loss and I stop counting until I hit another slow down.