I am almost 1 1/2 post-op to the day. Over the entire time of having my band, especially the first year, was hell for me. I was one of those "exceptions" who woke up swollen every morning. If I took my meds as soon as I woke up, they would get stuck and cause a constant downward spiral. I went back and forth to the ER, getting the Fluid out, resting and hydrating, and then another fill. However, the fill would never be enough because my doctor was concerned due to all of the issues I kept having. Then some serious issues occurred.....I got into hard drinking and ended up going to AA meetings. Then in Feb., I was laid off from my job of 4 years. One month later I had to under-go major back surgery (rods, screws, etc) due to my degenerative disc disease I've been living with for about 17 years. The stress I was under caused me to go to food for comfort. Since December I was easily up 30 lbs. I'm still out of work and on disability but need to get back on track. I want to buy foods that will work for me, but I am extremely sensitive with what I can eat.....if anything is the slightest bit dry (meats, seafoods) they get stuck and I have to flush them out. Lack of money is a serious problem at this point, especially while raising my 8 yr old daughter.....my husband works, but it's still not enough. I need to keep Snacks in the house for my daughter (she has a very high tendency to eat healthy, but takes things like Cheez Its or Smart Food popcorn for her snack at school). There are always little ice cream treats for her in the fridge. I buy low fat, high Protein frozen yogurt bars for myself for a snack at night. So here I am, needing to get back on track and lose the wait that I put on. I need ideas.....for lunch, dinner.....breakfast I'm okay on. I will take any advice on anything that I posted. Thank you!!

@@msgabrii first of all I'm sorry for all of the trials you've gone through during this last year and half! The good thing, is you recognize and take accountabilty for your problems and that is the first step in the right direction so good for you for getting back on track!!!!! You should be very proud of that!

The first thing I would do is start tracking your daily calories, Protein and Water intake. I always have 3-4oz of protein at each meal, 1/2 cup veggies and then 1 starch if I have room, which often times I don't. Always, always eat your plate in this order, protein, veggies and then the starch. Don't drink anything with your meals or for one hour after and always stop eating at the 20 min. mark regardless of your hunger level.

I stick with around 1200 calories per day along with a target of 60-80g of protein and 80oz of water.

One of the biggest things for me is to always have things on hand that don't require any preparation, so that if you find yourelf out of time or in a hurry there's no excuse to just eat whatever. I always have lots of deli meat and cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, Protein Bars, such as Quest etc. so that i can just grab and go.

For Breakfast typically I will have a 100 cal. Dannon light greek yogut with 3 tsp. of trail mix.

For lunch I will either have a salad or some left overs from the night before or I will bring 4oz of turkey meat some kraft slim cut slices of cheese, a couple of romain lettace leaves and some okios greek yogurt dip and roll it up and eat it.

For dinner, I will stick with chicken, fish, turkey or chicken burgers, chicken tacos, roast, etc. I have some recipies if you're interested I will be more than happy to send them your way.

Hang in there, you've been able to overcome alot so there is no doubt that if you put your mind to it you can get back on track and win this battle as well!!!!

Edited June 10, 201412 yr by enjoythetime

@@enjoythetime - Thank you so much for your response! It was something I needed to hear.....it's so easy to forget how motivated I was before and my life sort of revolved around making sure I did everything right for the band to work. I need to get there again. It's difficult when you are out of work, have a lot of time on your hands, but yet can't seem to do anything. I would greatly appreciate it if you could message me those recipes. I have two cookbooks for post op, but there are some things that I have trouble eating. And any meat from the night before, unless it's in a sauce, I can't eat the next day. They are too dry and they get stuck. Thanks again! Talk to you soon :-)

Hi there, so happy you are getting back to your life in a healthy way. Managing pain can be difficult and you are very courageous to have dealt with your issues around alcohol. I hope your back is healing well and it sounds like things are coming together now. And a beautiful little eight year old at home. She doesn't need those Snacks in the house, or the ice cream. She can have her treats outside of the house but right now you need a clean pantry, fridge and freezer so you're not tempted by sliders. chips and ice cream are sliders and she will understand. You can have fun taking her for something special while you have a coffee or tea. Getting back to basics will really help and you'll save money.

Do you like chili? When I cook ground beef I heat up the skillet first then put the meat in so it gets nicely browned -- add spices, garlic, etc. then when it is browned I kind of chop it up with the spatula and I add stock -- chicken or beef stock, either one, it comes in a carton at the grocery store -- and I cook it down for a long time then add Beans, can of crushed tomato, etc., whatever you like. This method makes the beef not stringy -- it breaks down and gets soft from cooking in the stock and it's very band-friendly. Sometimes I use black beans and make more of a Mexican Beef (can use a spice packet from the store but watch out for sugar in ingredient list) -- family uses this for taco night while I just usually have a little bowl, maybe with cheese. Other times I use the same beef method to do a red sauce for Italian. Just do the beef up and add a few jars of sauce. Family has theirs on Pasta and I have mine on a little salad or broccoli, etc. So yummy. All of these freeze beautifully so it can be very economical.

Sorry to go on so long -- haven't had my tea yet! Sending very best wishes. I also wanted to say that a walking program might really help -- starting small and adding in a little at a time. Nice to get out of the house and great PT for your back.

@Bandista-Thank you for that!!! Another pick-me-up is just what I need! My whole family is fond of chili and we're Italian, so the gravy is a standard Pasta is the one thing I still have a REALLY hard time with.....I crave it constantly but know that if I eat it, I'll be puking. Having it over veggies is a brilliant idea! With my daughter and the treat situation, I grew up in a household where we always had a treat before bed. And the fact that I HAVE to pack her a snack for school is an issue. We did fruit cups for a while and then she gets bored of them. The only possible thing that I can think of for myself, to satisfy the sweets at night, is to use ricotta cheese w/ Splenda and cinnamon, or cottage cheese. This is one vice I can't give up. I don't have any other ideas for my daughters Snacks though. Regarding foods for myself, is variety! I have a major tendency to stick with foods that I know work, and then end up tiring of them. Then this is where I take a nose dive. I have yet to find any Protein bars that contain enough protein, yet aren't sickeningly sweet. It seems that EVERY Protein Bar is chocolate....and as much as I LOVE my chocolate, I can't take it with the bars. I do use Herbalife shakes, which I LOVE.....but even if they're thick, once they're in my stomach I'm hungry again. Also @@enjoythetime and Bandista, what is your daily time schedule for eating/drinking, etc? I'm curious to know. Thanks again for all of the great advice and positivety!

Hi there, so happy you are getting back to your life in a healthy way. Managing pain can be difficult and you are very courageous to have dealt with your issues around alcohol. I hope your back is healing well and it sounds like things are coming together now. And a beautiful little eight year old at home. She doesn't need those Snacks in the house, or the ice cream. She can have her treats outside of the house but right now you need a clean pantry, fridge and freezer so you're not tempted by sliders. chips and ice cream are sliders and she will understand. You can have fun taking her for something special while you have a coffee or tea. Getting back to basics will really help and you'll save money.

Do you like chili? When I cook ground beef I heat up the skillet first then put the meat in so it gets nicely browned -- add spices, garlic, etc. then when it is browned I kind of chop it up with the spatula and I add stock -- chicken or beef stock, either one, it comes in a carton at the grocery store -- and I cook it down for a long time then add Beans, can of crushed tomato, etc., whatever you like. This method makes the beef not stringy -- it breaks down and gets soft from cooking in the stock and it's very band-friendly. Sometimes I use black beans and make more of a Mexican Beef (can use a spice packet from the store but watch out for sugar in ingredient list) -- family uses this for taco night while I just usually have a little bowl, maybe with cheese. Other times I use the same beef method to do a red sauce for Italian. Just do the beef up and add a few jars of sauce. Family has theirs on Pasta and I have mine on a little salad or broccoli, etc. So yummy. All of these freeze beautifully so it can be very economical.

Sorry to go on so long -- haven't had my tea yet! Sending very best wishes. I also wanted to say that a walking program might really help -- starting small and adding in a little at a time. Nice to get out of the house and great PT for your back.

I always do great when i make chili

I am almost 1 1/2 post-op to the day. Over the entire time of having my band, especially the first year, was hell for me. I was one of those "exceptions" who woke up swollen every morning. If I took my meds as soon as I woke up, they would get stuck and cause a constant downward spiral. I went back and forth to the ER, getting the Fluid out, resting and hydrating, and then another fill. However, the fill would never be enough because my doctor was concerned due to all of the issues I kept having. Then some serious issues occurred.....I got into hard drinking and ended up going to AA meetings. Then in Feb., I was laid off from my job of 4 years. One month later I had to under-go major back surgery (rods, screws, etc) due to my degenerative disc disease I've been living with for about 17 years. The stress I was under caused me to go to food for comfort. Since December I was easily up 30 lbs. I'm still out of work and on disability but need to get back on track. I want to buy foods that will work for me, but I am extremely sensitive with what I can eat.....if anything is the slightest bit dry (meats, seafoods) they get stuck and I have to flush them out. Lack of money is a serious problem at this point, especially while raising my 8 yr old daughter.....my husband works, but it's still not enough. I need to keep Snacks in the house for my daughter (she has a very high tendency to eat healthy, but takes things like Cheez Its or Smart Food popcorn for her snack at school). There are always little ice cream treats for her in the fridge. I buy low fat, high Protein frozen yogurt bars for myself for a snack at night. So here I am, needing to get back on track and lose the wait that I put on. I need ideas.....for lunch, dinner.....breakfast I'm okay on. I will take any advice on anything that I posted. Thank you!!

Can you buy things for your daughter you dont like? I love cheese but buy Swiss for my husband's lunch bc I hate Swiss, so I won't cheat. For the kids I buy yo kids yogurt, goldfish, Graham crackers, vanilla pudding, all things I dont like, but kids love!

I eat egg whites with a little sprinkle of cheese for breakfast, veggie burger for mid morning snack, chicken taco or bbq baked Beans for lunch, yogurt for snack, turkey burger, meatloaf, meat ball, Pasta fagioli for dinner.

Thank you so much for starting this thread.

Though I am a new bander (April 14), we all learn from each other and sometimes we can have the tendency to hide when we're having issues. The fact that you put yourself "out there" is to be commended!

As I'm learning and going along I'm finding certain things that work for me....the one thing that I noted when I started tracking (try to be as honest and don't fudge on what you actually eat) I wasn't eating any veggies.

So...my nutritionist asked me why....

said "I don't like 'em" ...

she said: they're good for you...

"yeah yeah...I know". She then said the magic words...

"why don't you make yourself a little dip and have your veggies this way?"

Well..this really resonated with me. She said that too many of us try and restrict ourselves so much that we think we can't have anything "good".

Recipe for dip: 1 cup no fat sour cream/1/2 c low fat mayo and one envelope of dry lipton onion Soup mix. Mix it all together and enjoy with raw broccoli, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes,etc. It's a nice treat.

I have a 13 y/o son. I try not to keep Snacks in the house for him becuz if he doesn't eat them...I will.

I'm desperately trying not to pass on my bad eating habits to him becuz I don't want him to be fat and go thru what I have.

The other thing is trying to redefine exactly what a "snack" actually is. Having little bags of chips/cheezies etc for a growing kid isn't healthy. Slice up an apple and lightly sprinkle with cinnamon...this will go in a little baggie and is great for lunches. Instead of ice cream get popsicles...still allows for that little treat at the end of the day without the fat and much fewer calories.

Sorry I've gone on so long but so want to be there for you. I hope this helps a little. Remember it is one step at a time but we have to be walking before we break into a full run.

Thank you so much for starting this thread.

Though I am a new bander (April 14), we all learn from each other and sometimes we can have the tendency to hide when we're having issues. The fact that you put yourself "out there" is to be commended!

As I'm learning and going along I'm finding certain things that work for me....the one thing that I noted when I started tracking (try to be as honest and don't fudge on what you actually eat) I wasn't eating any veggies.

So...my nutritionist asked me why....

said "I don't like 'em" ...

she said: they're good for you...

"yeah yeah...I know". She then said the magic words...

"why don't you make yourself a little dip and have your veggies this way?"

Well..this really resonated with me. She said that too many of us try and restrict ourselves so much that we think we can't have anything "good".

Recipe for dip: 1 cup no fat sour cream/1/2 c low fat mayo and one envelope of dry lipton onion soup mix. Mix it all together and enjoy with raw broccoli, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes,etc. It's a nice treat.

I have a 13 y/o son. I try not to keep Snacks in the house for him becuz if he doesn't eat them...I will.

I'm desperately trying not to pass on my bad eating habits to him becuz I don't want him to be fat and go thru what I have.

The other thing is trying to redefine exactly what a "snack" actually is. Having little bags of chips/cheezies etc for a growing kid isn't healthy. Slice up an apple and lightly sprinkle with cinnamon...this will go in a little baggie and is great for lunches. Instead of ice cream get popsicles...still allows for that little treat at the end of the day without the fat and much fewer calories.

Sorry I've gone on so long but so want to be there for you. I hope this helps a little. Remember it is one step at a time but we have to be walking before we break into a full run.

Try this dip for veggies...... 16 oz Fage O% Greek Yogurt Plain with Onion Soup mix....not only is it guilt free...tastes great and extra protein!