I'm new to banding and just started mushies. I am really watching portion size, but for those of you that KNOW how much you are taking in a day, do you really have to take the time to read everything, count the calories to make sure you are within range? I'm sure stuff you eat over and over you would know, but I'm talking about eating out...etc. OR do you just eat pretty much whatever and cut the portion size way down? If this is what I have to do, whats the best way to count the calories, should I get a scale too? Obviously I NEVER did any of this or else I wouldn't be in this fat boat, so honestly I have no idea what I'm doing....can anyone help?

I do track my calories as much as possible. Sometimes, it's not possible and I just live with it. It's the only way I really know whether or not I should be losing.

I also weigh my food.

Everyone is different, though.

I lost weight just fine at first by cutting portion size. You might want to just go with that unless/until you find yourself not losing weight despite exercising and having enough fill in your band. OR if you find yourself not losing because you know you are making poor food choices but are having a hard time getting it under control.

Then yes, it is very helpful to read all the nutritional labels and weigh/measure your food to make sure you are not eating too many calories as well as meeting your nutritional needs (iron, Calcium, B Vitamins, Fiber, Protein, etc).

Congrats on being banded -- good luck!

My opinion is that it is useful to track food at least for a short while until you get the hang of what you need to eat to get enough Protein (usually at least 60-70 grams a day) and ensure you are not accidentally eating too few or too many calories.

There are lots of online tools that can help you. www.fitday.com is one I use. I'm not obsessive about it (if I go out, etc) for for most days of the week it helps keep me honest.

I use thedailyplate.com. I don't actually count anything. I just keep track of what I ate, find the closest match in their database and log it. I let it tell me how many calories I ate, how many were of fat, etc. As the day progresses, I adjust my eating based on what it tells me. For example, if my Protein is low, I have a protein-based dinner. If my fat is too high, I make sure not to eat any more high-fat foods for the rest of the day.

It's pretty easy and just by tracking my food and Water intake, I lost 5 lb. and I haven't even got my band yet or have made any real attempt to "diet".

I document and count everything. I also bought a food scale and use it when I am using a different Protein.

I really like the daily plate as well for an easy web site. The daily plate actually has lots of chain restaurant food as well (or you can google it), so you can account for your choices when you eat out.

I just find it helps to keep me on track because by tracking I am very conscious of what I am choosing to eat, and I have little or no risk of starting to eat more and more because I am just eyeballing it or not thinking about it. I have a real history of eating mindlessly, so I am very conscious of trying to retrain myself. I believe that most obesity research says that people underestimate and under report how much they are actually eating.

I'm not obsessive about it, but it does help put the breaks on trends. lol

See, if you want to be meticulous about it, that's a great way to do it.

If you want to be relaxed about it, give yourself a general vicinity of 800-1200 calories. High Protein, low carb, etc.

That's just what has worked for me, though.