Hi everyone! I have not posted on here very much, but I look at the other postings pretty often.

I had surgery on 11/08/07. I have a 14 cc AP band. I have only lost about 27 lbs since surgery and most of it was in the first couple of weeks post op. I am starting to get discouraged. I have very little restriction but am scheduled for a fill 02/20/08. I guess my problem is knowing what to eat. I have a whole book on what not to eat, but not what you can eat. I guess I am having problems with meal planning. I find it difficult to find things that are low carb AND low fat. What are some meal suggestions?

Another problem is eating things I shouldn't. How do u guys keep from eathing things you shouldn't?

Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

In TWO months you lost 27 lbs! THAT IS AWESOME! I only lost 26 lbs LAST YEAR!

OK..that being said...give yourself a break. You have not even started getting filled yet. You will feel better when you get 2-4 fills and start feeling it. One thing I do is look up Atkins or South Beach recipes online and then change ingredients to keep them lower in fat. I eat a lot of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, ground chix or turkey BREAST (if you get the meat it will often be full of fat), salads, veggies.

As for things that are bad for you...it will get better when you get some restriction. I also like to get sugar free things like fudge bars (40 cals each) and eat them for dessert at night. You just have to get creative and start looking for things that are low in sugar and fat. YOU CAN DO IT!!!

How much exercise are you doing? It really does help to do 40 minutes or so of cardio 4 or 5 times a week. A good fast walk in the initial stages will probably be plenty. If you can do an hour, so much the better!

And with more fill will probably come better restriction.

I think what sort of diet you eat matters too. I can never understand why everyone wants to get to this half cup portion and call that perfect restriction but if you're eating a lot of Protein heavy foods, then half a cup WOULD be filling. On the other hand, I dont avoid carbs, I eat a lot of fruit, veges and wholegrains and I can eat a lot more than half a cup. But becuase its so much less calorie dense, it hasnt seemed to matter. Now I'm not going to say ditch the high protein, low carb because I know that that's what you're told to do over there, but perhaps try to fill up a bit more on the very low calorie foods like salads and veges. Protein first is one thing but the veges really dilute the calorie content of your meal.

It sounds to me like you are doing fine. 27 pounds is really not bad. Things will probably pick up for you after your fill. Hang in there. Donna

Yes, the exercise is key. You are doing great so far 27lbs is a lot but exercise will speed it up.

Wow! Look at you! Good job!

I didn't lose my first pound until 10 weeks after surgery. (6wks a fill-no restriction, 4 weeks later a fill- restriction...no other fills still to this date)

So for you to have lost what you have...you are way ahead of me!

Get the adjustments...you'll get restriction and you'll KNOW the band is working.

Good luck

Other people don't do this, but what works for ME to not eat things I shouldn't, is to count calories. I also watch protein, but mostly calories. If I have to add it to fitday and see the calories add up, it'll help me avoid it.

I am starting to get discouraged. I have very little restriction but am scheduled for a fill 02/20/08. I guess my problem is knowing what to eat. I have a whole book on what not to eat, but not what you can eat. I guess I am having problems with meal planning. I find it difficult to find things that are low carb AND low fat. What are some meal suggestions? Low carb and low fat pretty much doesn't exist. For the most part, if one is low, the other is high. I do tend to pay more attention to carbs than fat, so between a low-carb item or a low-fat item I will usually pick the low-carb one. I don't pay much attention to fat now that I think about it. I willingly eat full fat dairy products, dressings, etc. Fats aren't bad, just be aware of the type and do keep a consciousness of how much you're eating.

Another problem is eating things I shouldn't. How do u guys keep from eathing things you shouldn't? Well, I don't really have anything that I've told myself I shouldn't eat, because I didn't get banded so that I could live out the rest of my days on special diets. If I want something, I have a reasonable amount of it. That's the beauty of the band. Here, just like folks who aren't obese, we have to accept the same compromise in that if we eat crap that exceeds what we need for a week, then at the end of the week we probably haven't lost any weight.

Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! What does your exercise routine look like? Right now mine sucks, and as a result I'm being a little more finicky about what I eat. When I'm exercising, I can be a little less finicky about it. I hate running - can't stand it. Even before I got fat I hated it. And no one who runs looks like they're having fun, they all look like they're being tortured. A good friend of mine is one of these people who wakes up around the time I'm going to bed so that she can run before work, then she runs after work, then she runs some more, etc. I asked her once -- how can you stand running? Why do you do it? She replied, "Because as long as I'm running, I can eat whatever I want and not have to think twice about it."

I just wanted to thank everyone who replied. I feel much better.....you guys are the best!