I'm quoting this from another thread (confessions) just as a jumping off point:

You're not a bad horrible person, but I also don't think you are helping yourself out at all. Between mashed potatoes and ice cream, you are taking in a LOT of carbs and that will sabotage your weight loss. You and I are carb addicts. The more carbs we ingest, the more we want, the more we eat, until we are out of control. It is our drug of choice. It makes us feel good. Part of getting the band is physically, the majority of it is mental. We have to change our way of thinking about food. What is more important, ice cream or not getting diabetes or high blood pressure? This is really a major lifestyle change. I'm not saying that a treat every now and then is going to hurt you, but to be cheating this early in the game is not good. I remember before surgery when I was on my pre-op diet, my husband got me some ice cream on a day when I had been particularly good on my calorie and carb intake. I could "afford" it intake wise, so I had a 1/4 of a cup. I make it last as long as I could! LOL I love ice cream dearly, but it's not something I'm going to be able to have for a while unless it's a special occasion and in very small amounts. It's definite NOT something I keep in the fridge! :grouphug:

My doctor's list of suggested foods for each time period suggests mashed potatoes, well-cooked Pasta, and other higher carb foods. He just said that I should limit my sugar intake, eat Protein first, and choose lower fat and calorie options, but otherwise he seems to stress moderation and lowering overall intake the most.

I guess I'm just confused. Eating high-protein, low-fat, low carb and low calorie doesn't seem to leave many options. Of course, I'm also not very creative in the kitchen so maybe that is why I am stumped.

Grace, right now I'm a bit more limited than just smaller portions. I am 2 weeks post-op, and I can only have liquids and pureed food, moving to soft foods early next week. In the future, I don't plan to ban myself from certain things. I will eat them in moderation unless it is something that I discover just does not agree with my band. However, most of the time, I would like to stick to things that are healthier and will give me the best results, as I have about 165 lbs still to lose. That is why I am trying to figure this whole thing out. Just because I used the word diet doesn't mean I am "on a diet" as diet also means food intake as a whole, like "liquid diet".