O>K!... I am 4 weeks out tomorrow and still not sure what to eat...i'm following the dr's plan...but.... some things i dont get.... i can eat bread? its on my list but i feel guilty eating it...does anyone still eat bread and lose? ...I DONT WANT TO BE ON ATKINS!! what are some ideas of carbs i can add to my diet?? ...do you all eat grits...oatmeal? my brain is making me think no carbs no carbs... after my 2 week post visit...my dr said one week of mush then ....next week..anything you want but in moderation...no fruit..he said thats the #1 thing getting stuck in his new ap band patients.... please someone help .....ANYTHING YOU WANT?? i cant make myself do it...but how easy it would be to put the tuna i'm living on ....with some crackers? does anyone eat crackers?? ...i know i'm asking alot but i need help..support...something.... please tell me i dont have to be on atkins...i already feel a lil ill from avoiding carbs!!! i cant have protein drinks...no liquid calories.... says my dr.... but i need a few ideas...help anyone with ideas... thanks... :eek:

i forgot to add my first fill is jan 8th...and i'm hungry ....thanks

Until I got good restriction (5 months post-op), I could eat basically anything without problems. I ate bread.. and I was still losing weight. I still eat rice now and lose weight. Don't go overboard on carbs, and you should eat protein first, then veggies, then little carbs if you still can eat.

thanks...that makes me feel better...i'm from la...everythings with rice lol... however i havent been making those things... my hubby has lost 9 lbs!!!! he's skinny that turkey!!! ... anyway.... thanks for answering me... i'm lost right now...

hi twiggy, im from la area too. who was your doc? i live in OC to be exact and am being banded next month

I try really hard to make most of my carbs from whole grains. Instead of white bread, I do whole wheat...same with rice, brown rice as opposed to white. I can, as in, I am able to eat bread and rice....but with this, I was like you I did not want to do Atkins or any other diet for the rest of my life!! So I do my best to approach it with an attitude of what I can do to promote health.

I eat oatmeal---I even occasionally do the packets of the pre sweetened flavored. When I do that, I try to buy the Weight Control, just to keep the sugars down. The more sugar I eat, the more I want, so I try to offset that!!!

There are some things that as far as I am concerned simply are not the same with the whole grain substitutes--so I eat them the way I like them....not every day, and in a much smaller quantity---but I eat them just the same. Grilled cheese for example, I only like it on soft white bread, toasted crisp....where I used to inhale an entire sandwich, and seriously want, and sometimes eat another, now I can only eat 1/4 to 1/2 of a sandwich---and I enjoy the heck out of it!!!

I know myself well enough to know that by depriving myself, I am simply setting myself up for a binge! I wish I was stronger, but have found this happy medium is best for me. My weight is going---probably slower than if I were to totally eliminate the carbs, and sweets....but this is the life I choose to live from now on, and it is working!

Try the new things, slowly.....small bite, and chew well, then wait a few minutes...not seconds, to see how it feels when it gets down. If all is well try another. Take your time! Then after a few bites, just quit! If you find yourself starving later, you can go back for something, but if you stay full-----then you have avoided the pain of overeating!

The goal is to eat until you are no longer hungry, not until you are full.

Much easier said than done--------I hope one day to master the idea!!! Still working on it!

Good Luck as you progress on to the new foods!!

Kat

I can't eat bread anymore, but.. I found bread I was eating till recently that is worth checking out. I like white, not wheat.. so I made a compromise.

It's Healthy Life brand. 70 Calories for TWO slices (opposed to 70-110 calories per ONE slice for most brands). It also has 6g of fiber per 1 or 2 slices (forget now).

Anyway, this stuff was awesome. There was nothing taste or texture wise to let me know it was a 'special' bread. I even tricked my parents and had them buy it recently (they both need to lose weight). They love it, so that's all they eat now. If you can't take wheat (I can't.. yuck), check it out. I found it at Star Market originally and they have it at Dollar General.

And while I COULD eat bread, I made conscious decisions (90% of the time) when I went out to dinner, to skip the dinner rolls they bring out at most places. I don't have carbs in every meal anymore, but I also don't 'count carbs'. I ate things like fruit leather.. 45c per package, and 12 carbs.. but I don't care.

Brown rice is a good substitute for white rice, and I use it if I have it around.

In a day, as for 'starchy' carbs (bread, rice, pastas), I may have 1/2 a serving if I have any. But in normal foods, like fruit and things.. I don't care about the carbs.

I'll be 4 weeks on Monday . . . and haven't understood that "anything" is just about doo-able in moderation. I've also been slow in loosing the last couple weeks . . . like NO movement . . .so I'm afraid to do much in the way of carbs . . . I'm an expert on poached salmon in chicken broth . . . with broccoli way over cooked . . . and cottage cheese with salsa, or SF applesause or alvacado . . . scrambled eggs do well .. . again with salsa - and grits are great with a bit of salt on them. I get my first fill on the 2nd . . . so we shall see what happens then! I do two EAS AdvatagEdge carb control drinks a day for 17 g protein each (WalMart - 4 for $4.87) Good Luck! ~ Chris

destined....i'm near Houma La...my dr is Dr David Rau... Love him!!! wonderful office and center...great nurses.....and ... if i have a problem i can call early in the am and get in that evening...he does appt's till late in the evening.... i havent had my first fill yet...i go jan 8th...but i feel like i'm going to blow up and gain my 20lbs back if i eat!! and i'm hungry and can eat alot....i can eat 3 eggs....the nurse at his office said thats fine..whatever it takes..... till you get filled then you start the weight loss and eating small amts.... thanks all for the advice....i'm sure i too will be a slow loser....i want moderation..reasonable....its just lately i feel my diet is in a little box....i need to expand more...thanks again!!

I have found that if I want to try something new, I take very small bites of it and chew well. I remember I was afraid to eat a cracker, but it was fine. That is how I approach the new foods. Of course, I am awaiting my first fill and don't have alot of restriction yet, but so far, no problems with almost anything I have tried using this method!