Just curious if this is something I will have to do. I ask because when I have done Atkins or similar low carb in the past, it certainly was not low fat. I ate salad dressing, mayo etc. and did lose weight. Is this an option but with smaller portions (obviously) after the band?

Marieze

"A calorie is a calorie is a calorie." That said, there are some calorie sources that will give you more "bang for the buck" in terms of quality of nutrients those foods offer. Still, Proteins do fill you up for longer and a bit of fat provides some satiety.

You don't necessarily have to completely cut out any entire food group when you get the lapband. Being someone that has tried Atkins in the past it is not something I enjoyed because I got sick of eating the same things all the time and every meal was just so HEAVY. As for now, a lot of the foods that I ate on Atkins WERE a bit bulky for the band- bacon, sausage, steak, etc don't go down very easily for me. Honestly, I would concentrate on healthier sources of Protein like chicken, lean pork, eggs etc, depending on what you like and how you tolerate them. You should ALSO have veggies and healhy carbs as well as dairy.

As for mayo and salad dressing- those are very liquidy and the band won't stop them- In fact I sometimes use dressings in small amounts to help lubricate foods that otherwise I couldn't eat like chicken. Small portions of these (in my opinion) are okay, but limiting it will depend on you, not your band.

What works for one person may not work for someone else. I tried Atkins, and about a dozen others. Finally what I found to work for me was educating myself, and watching my fat gram intake daily.

I stopped paying attention to calories, and carbs. After being banded and having a slow start, my results speak for themselves.

In the two and a half years post op I am now, I have gone from a starting weight of 430, with a BMI of 56 to my three times adjusted goal of 195 with a BMI of 21.

What amount of fat grams do you aim to keep to?

I'm 45,6ft 2 and have always been pretty active.

The weight just fell off me in the beginning when I was keeping to around 20 grams a day or less. Now, at goal, I shoot for about 30 or less and have been maintaining nicely for the last 6-8 months.

Its pretty much old habit now, and really don't even think about it much anymore.

I'm considering myself a big loser since I lost the size of a small person.

I make conscious choices to eat 'better'. And it may just be an illusion, but it's working. But vegetable oil.. haven't touched it since banding, I use EVOO for any oil needs now. I have grown a taste more to better seeming foods than before. If I make a salad, I like a little oil and a lot of vinegar.. instead of ranch.

I only put mayo on sandwhiches/burgers.. I haven't been able to eat either of those for months, so no mayo for me. Before I had good restriction, I ate burgers off of the bun, with mayo on it. Only because if I tried to eat the bun, I could only have 1 bite.. I'd rather eat a few bites of meat with mayo (and cheese and mushrooms normally), than one bite with bun and potential PB episode. I did do Atkins for about a week last month because I was plateuing and wanted a boost.. and it worked, but I hate doing restrictive diets.. so I'm back to whatever I can get down in a small portion.

I do not know if I qualify as a big loser but I have 140 pounds to take off so I think I am..LOL

I believe fully in counting calories and fatgrams as well as keeping track of my Protein. I think this is key in getting our bodies into the right groove so to speak.

I have always been successful in losing weight it is in maintaining the loss that I have always sucked at...LOL When losing I would limit my fat to 20 grams or less a day. I am still trying to stick to this.

I am eating so much less in quantity that if I want a bite of something I have it. I have lost 30 pounds in less than 2 months I think it is working for me.

I also log everything I eat on FITDAY.com this helps me to visualize my success or failures. It is also free here.

I keep track of calories. I try to make good food choices and I usually do fine with the fat. If there is a low fat alternative that is tasty, I use it. Lots of stuff like chicken sausage, fat free pudding, reduced calorie mayo is on my menu. One thing I usually don't compromise on is cheese. It is one of my staple foods and with the exception of the laughing cow cheeses I go for full fat but keep quantities in check. It is sugar and white carbs that I have to watch!