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I got the lap band in august. I was able to afford it at first. I have come in to some money problems and I am able to afford basically Ramen. How do i lose weight with the lap band if i can barely afford to buy ramen?? help!!!

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I have the sleeve and am 6 weeks out I only really can do Soup and greek yogert. My store bill has gone from 100 weekly to less then 25. Also a can of refried Beans you can get for .99 cents and it lasted me 4 meals and a can of soup is 3... Good Luck and hopefully times will get better.

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I would search online for budget friendly recipes. Things like chicken thighs, or tougher cuts of meat that benefit from low and slow cooking will give you Protein and lots of bang for your buck. Also dried Beans are really cheap and another source of protein. I think us banders should try to eat real food instead of Soup since from what I understand the chewing helps with feelings of fullness. But stick to really budget friendly items and check other places in your life that you can cut down on expenses to make sure you can spend the money on foods you need. Good luck!

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Have you ever shopped at Aldi's or do you have one real close, they are cheaper than Save a lot eating a lot of Ramen wouldn't be good. What about eggs? They have more Protein and really aren't that much more expenive than ramen. Also find a food bank I have found high end Protein Bars at food banks for .25 cents a piece. Hope your luck changes I am on the low income side of things as well. Hoping to lose enough to be able to return to work.

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tuna fish is loaded with Protein. It might be the most bang for the buck.

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There are alot of low fat high Protein options that are not find to break the wallet. Just don't let this derail you. Make healthy choices. As stated, choose less expensive meats and cook in a crock pot. Refried Beans, lentils, Peanut Butter, nuts, dried beans, tuna, and Greek yogurt are all great options. Shop Aldi or lower priced stores, check sale/clearance bins, buy meat that is marled down and then freeze to cook later. Buy some items in bulk. Buy a roaster chicken instead of a precut chicken. You can make multiple meals from this. Look online for tools and tips. good luck.

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Im sorry you're in such a tight financial position. Hopefully things will turn around soon. Again , try your local foodbank. If anything, being banded has saved me money food wise, as 1 regular meal will become 2-3 meals for me. A roasted chicken from the grocery store is about $7.00, it can be made into several meals plus the broth can be made into Soup. eggs, Peanut Butter, tuna etc are all good Protein sources too. Think outside the box and I think you'll find it easy to eat healthy on a tight budget. Good luck to you ! Keep us posted !

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eggs are a great and very cheap source of Protein.

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I live in Ny and find that everything is expensive ...What I do to save money is I make turkey chilli . I use one package of turkey chopmeat , and 3 cans of different Beans .. i like black beans , cannalli beans and pink beans ..to stretch it add another can of beans . I add a package of chilli mix and a can of crushed tomatoes...i do it in my slow cooker but you can do it in a regular pot ...I eat it everyday for 5 days at work ...I also rack up on tuna and yogurts ..hope this was helpful

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    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

        I'm so happy for you! You are about to change your life. I was so glad to get the sleeve done in Dec. I didn't have feelings of regret overall. And I'm down almost 60 lbs. I do feel a little sad at restaurants. I can barely eat half a kid's meal. I get adults meals often because kid ones don't have the same offerings at times. Then I feel obligated to eat on that until it's gone and that can be days. So the restaurant thing isn't great for me. All the rest is fine by me! I love feeling full with very little. I do wish I could drink when eating. And will sip at the end. Just a strong habit to stop. But I'm working on it! You will do fine! Just keep focused on your desire to be different. Not better or worse. But different. I am happy both ways but my low back doesn't like me that heavy. So I listened (also my feet!). LOL! Update us on your journey! I'm not far from you. I'm in Houston. Good luck and I hope it all goes smoothly! Would love to see pics of the town you go to for this. I've never been there. Neat you will be traveling for this! Enjoy the journey. Take it one day at a time. Sometimes a few hours at a time. Follow all recommendations as best you can. 💗

      2. Doughgurl

        Thank you so much for your well wishes. I am hoping that everything goes easy for me as well. We don't eat out much as it is, so it wont be too bad in that department. Thankfully. Also, I hear you regarding your back and feet!! I'd like to add knees to the list. Killing me as we speak! I'm only 5' so the weight has to go. Too short to carry all this weight. Menopause really did a doosey on me. (😶lol) My daughter also lives in Houston. with her Husband and my 5 grand-littles. I grew up in Beaumont, so I know Houston well, I will be sure to keep in touch and update you on my journey. I may need some advice in the future, or just motivation. Thank You so much for reaching out, I was hoping to connect with someone in the community. I really appreciate it. 💜

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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