Hello All,

So I had my band installed in 08' I went from 410 to 160 in about 1.25 years. It was amazing. However, my family kept saying I was too thin, I listened and got on sliders...so now I am up to 250 or so...still better than 400, my restriction is good, doc approved, but pretty tight.

I just started CrossFit, YAY! However, I need to stop the sliders and eat better. They say to eat paleoish and all that, but I could not finish 1 chicken breast without throwing it up, my stomach can't hold it. I need small sized meal ideas that are protein-rich, vitamins and minerals are always a plus, low calories, I need to cut carbs out for a bit, I need protein to build muscle and for the quick bursts of energy in CrossFit - carbs make me sluggish at times. Any ideas? I am not against blending things and drinking stuff.

ALSO - my mother has stage IV vulvar cancer and has 6 months to live...I need this CrossFit to work, between work, school, caretaking for her and my mentally disabled brother - I have to have something to hold

I'm so sorry to hear about your mother, what a sad and stressful time for you. My thoughts are with you and your family.

I can't really help with the meals. I still get the lion's share of my protein with shakes. Good luck on your journey.

Break up the portions and timing make it 5-6 meals rather than 3. Chicken and fish are high protein - but do 3 ounces of chicken and maybe a bit of something green - small salad, asparagus, string beans. Oikos Triple Zero yogurt has 15 grams of protein and makes a great snack at 130 calories. Cheese. I live on meat and cheese. Up your fluids, too - drink more water. Shoot for 80 grams of protein a day.

I am saying this with love. Surgery doesn't fix us. It only limits what we can eat at one sitting and if you go back to your old ways then you will gain weight back. Your stomach will stretch right back out. You have to always weigh your food. I have had my band for 9 years. Tired of it. It never kept me from being hungry. Converting to the sleeve. Can't wait to get this nightmare out of me.

1 hour ago, iluvbears42@yahoo.com said:

I am saying this with love. Surgery doesn't fix us. It only limits what we can eat at one sitting and if you go back to your old ways then you will gain weight back. Your stomach will stretch right back out. You have to always weigh your food. I have had my band for 9 years. Tired of it. It never kept me from being hungry. Converting to the sleeve. Can't wait to get this nightmare out of me.

I appreciate it - but I cannot switch out my device, I am a government worker and the current administration is killing us, my insurance is crap now and my pay sucks even worse - even if I could switch my band, I would not. My band is not permanent. I could have it out tomorrow if I wanted. I am looking for help and advice on a healthy diet. I am sorry it has been a nightmare for you. Mine saved my life, I would be on one of those TV shows where people are getting cut out of their houses without it. I realize surgery does not fix the problem, it is a tool, and I oversimplified my issue. I started on the sliders because of family pressure and the fact that I had never had much exposure to good(terrible for you) foods and when I found them I went all in. I grew up pretty poor with parents that believed in education - but did not venture past hamburger helper. So I grew up with horrible habits.

I cannot sit down and eat an entire sausage biscuit at McDonald's like I did before, in fact, I used to eat 3 or 4. The tool allows me to eat less, but alas, I found sliders. My band has never given me problems, I am the problem.

This is why I am asking for help. I need foods I can eat that are healthy and work with a CrossFit lifestyle. I plan on being active the rest of my life - yes exercise does not really make a huge difference in the weight loss area - its caloric restriction that is key - but I want a strong body and a better diet.

So any meal suggestions are most welcome as well as habits so I can use my tool to the best of my advantage. If it helps I am a 34-year-old male.

Also - I was in prime health in 2011, before my mom got sick and I had to take care of her. I was in Tae Kwon do, earned my second-degree black belt, and was very muscular, I would say an athlete overall. However I broke my hand and foot in a match, and that is when the pressure to eat more came on...and I slid right into it.

So in the end, I hope your journey is better with your new tool. I need to take some control back in my life.

Edited July 28, 20187 yr by lapbanddon
Needed to add more history

1 hour ago, Diana_in_Philly said:

Break up the portions and timing make it 5-6 meals rather than 3. chicken and fish are high Protein - but do 3 ounces of chicken and maybe a bit of something green - small salad, asparagus, string Beans. Oikos Triple Zero yogurt has 15 grams of protein and makes a great snack at 130 calories. cheese. I live on meat and cheese. Up your fluids, too - drink more Water. Shoot for 80 grams of protein a day.

Thank you this helps a great deal! What about nuts and fruit? I am thinking about smoothies, also some protein powder as well.

17 hours ago, lapbanddon said:

Thank you this helps a great deal! What about nuts and fruit? I am thinking about smoothies, also some Protein Powder as well.

So, I'm almost 2 years out VSG. I'm still losing, but it is slowly because I'm trying to change my body composition and increase muscle mass and decrease fat - so if the scale goes up, I'm ok with it so long as it is an increase in muscle mass and a decrease in body fat. (The scale at my gym can measure that.)

On days I go to the office (and therefore am rushed), I start the day with a shake - 3/4c frozen fruit, 1 cup of Fairlife Skim Milk and a scoop of protein powder. Throw it in the blender. About 200 calories and 30g protein. Drink in car with coffee on way to office. Around 10, I have an Oikos Triple Zero (15 grams protein). At noon, I have my lunch which on office days is 4 ounces of chicken breast shredded (25grams protein) and mixed with one tablespoon of Costco brand Basil Pesto and 2 cups of mixed salad greens with 1 tablespoon of balsamic dressing. I eat the chicken first. Then I pick at the salad after that. At about 3 or 4, I have a cheese snack of some kind - about 2 ounces of cheese (14 grams protein) or maybe an ounce of cheese and and ounce of nuts.

I'm in my office Mondays and Wednesdays, which are also the same days I fence (en garde), so I don't have time to grab dinner before I get to the fencing club so I have a protein bar (20 grams). When I get home after fencing, I have additional protein - sometimes just a shake to get me up to over 100 grams. Or scramble a couple of eggs.

Fruit doesn't have protein, but the fiber is good for you. I weigh and measure my fruit and limit myself to one or two servings of fruit a day. I avoid white flour, carbs like potatoes, pasta, rice. I have multigrain bread occasionally.

I fill a quart bottle with water in the morning when I get to my desk. I make sure it it empty by noon. I fill it again after lunch and make sure it is empty by the time I leave the office - there's 64 ounces to start. When I work out, I'm good for at least 1 or 2 more quarts of water.

I work out about 6 days a week - Fencing 2 days a week roughly 2.5 hours, a Cross-Fit type class at my gym twice a week (1 hour), Pilates for an hour and another two hours of agility and strength work to round out my fencing.

You have to find what works for you, but if you have good restriction with your band, moving to smaller (3-4 ounce protein) meals 5-6 times a day may be the answer for you. If your insurance offers a consult with a nutritionist, you may want to do that to get good macros for yourself based on your body. Best of luck.

PS - I've been where you are with caregiving for your mom. Do take time to take care of yourself. It is hard work, both physically and emotionally. Hugs.