Ok be honest :tt2: - after your banding:

Do you still count calories?

Do you follow all the rules like no sugar just sugar free?

No caffeine?

Eat your protein first getting 60 grams a day?

Eat three meals a day?

I have heard some people say they follow every rule and others say that don't do anything and still have lost the weight.

I just got banded on Wednesday :w00t: and I am using Fitday.com to keep track of my intake and I plan on doing that even if I mess up here and there.

I count my calories each day but sometimes I exceed 1200. I try to avoid sugar foods but mess up once in a while. I eat three meals plus one snack. My doctor said I could drink regular coffee once the stomach healed (about a month). I have lost 25 pounds since 2/25/08 but it is extremely slow now.

I haven't been banded yet but I do everything you have said. I plan on continuing to do it after being banded too.

I count my calories every day, my target caloric goal is 921 and I track everything I eat on thedailyplate.com. I don't drink caffiene and have only sugarfree stuff. I do eat my protein first. The only think I do different is have a mid morning snack. Oh yeah, I also exercise 6 days a week.

You probably don't want to hear my answers...but check out my signature!

Ok be honest :tt2: - after your banding:

Do you still count calories? Yes...even at maintenance I still count every calorie. I still make a menu every week and follow it without deviation.

Do you follow all the rules like no sugar just sugar free? Yep...I haven't eaten real sugar in a long time. I guess I did have some licorice about a month ago, but 99.8% of the time...it is sugar free and fat free

No caffeine? Nope, but to be honest I didn't have caffeine before surgery either!:biggrin2:

Eat your Protein first getting 60 grams a day? Yep...at least 60...usually more like 100. I don't completely cut out carbs, but I found that if I ate my protein and veggies I didn't have much room. I made sure not to eliminate any food (except rice cause I can't eat it).

Eat three meals a day? And 1 afternoon snack. I ate at 6:30, 10:30, 2:30 and 5:30 religiously everyday. Nothing in between. And I NEVER, EVER drink with my meals. Nope...not once. Not kidding!

I have heard some people say they follow every rule and others say that don't do anything and still have lost the weight.

I just got banded on Wednesday :w00t: and I am using Fitday.com to keep track of my intake and I plan on doing that even if I mess up here and there.

So I am a bit more obsessive than the average person so this is what worked for me. But yes...I am a rule follower. That is just my personality. There are probably people that can be a lot looser with the rules, but I can't argue with my success. This is what worked for me and with my personality. The rigidity and strictness of my lifestyle would wreak havoc for others. The way other people still allow "treats" in their diets would have driven me insane and would have lead to failure for me. This is such an individual journey. You need to find the level of strictness that fits your personality and still allows you to lose weight. For me this was not about losing weight...I knew how to do that...It was about finding me. I think once we get that in our brains it makes losing weight easier.

As my doc says, you don't have to follow all of the rules all of the time to be successful. Just most of the rules, most of the time.

But yes, I follow most of the rules I've been given, most of the time. Although the rules I was given don't match the rules you listed. :w00t: (said as I enjoy my afternoon cup of coffee)

I'm still newly banded but am following the rules. I eat more than 60 grams of protein, count my calories and avoid sugary or fatty foods. I don't drink during the hour after I eat. I also go to the gym 5 days a week. The only thing I don't do exactly right is eating my protein first. If I have chicken, a veggie and part of a baked potato I eat random bites. If I start to feel like I won't be able to finish my meal I finish the protein and leave the rest.

Yep, I follow the rules for the most part. I don't follow no caffeine, i have a cup of coffee everyday offset by a cup of water. My doctor does not have the caffeine rule but i know there are different opinions out there. The other thing I have read about but my doctor has not mentioned is the no gum rule. I do chew gum, but am very careful not to swallow.

The only rule I broke everyday was drinking all day long. I drank before during and after meals. Never made me more or less hungry.

edie

Edie and Salsa........WOWWWWWW Props to the both of you. OMG what an inspiration you are to all of us newly banded.

Edieparks.....125???? What is that? I think I was 125 for a minute when I was 12 years old.

You both are amazing, and I know it did not come easy- a lot of time, sweat and tears I am sure.

I just got a bodybugg off 24 hr fitness.com (what the biggest losers wear. I log daily what I eat ( I use the dailyplate.com to find calories of certain foods) and the bugg downloads my calories burned thru the whole day. It just forces me to be more active. If it is 9 pm and it tells me I still have to burn 200 more calories until I hit my daily goal, then I turn on the ipod and just move about the house or run around the block til I meet my set number. Keeping count of calories consumed is important because we do tend to underestimate what we take in. Especially when I was doing WW, come to find out that my favorite salad was over a week's worth of flex points. A Salad??? I was mortified.

I know for banded people, 1200-1400 calories can be a LOT to consume in one day. (esp after a fill I am sure) but I notice just with myself, that if I intake too few calories in a day, my body goes into starvation mode and doesn't want to give up any weight. I am sure it slowers my metabolism too. Need to add fuel to the fire to keep it burning.

Just to let you know, a good motivating show to watch would be Oprah on Monday June 2nd. It will have a lot of people who has lost weight. One woman was 500+. Should be good.

The first 6 months after I was banded, I counted calories and limited myself to 600 calories a day. Not much food, but I never got hungry so I didn't worry about it. That is until I had a seizure and was rushed to the hospital. After a lot of tests, the doctors determined I was starving myself and that brought on a seizure. But I didn't care because I had lost 100 pounds in 6 months. After another seizure and a lecture from my lap band doctor, I started following the rules. I never drink carbonated beverages but I never gave up caffeine. I don't drink with my meals at all. I wait for at least 30 minutes after a meal before I drink my beverage of choice...unsweet tea. I try and make good choices but to be honest, I pretty much eat what I want, it's just such small portions. There are a LOT of foods my band won't let me eat and fortunately, they are the foods I don't need. I can't eat pasta, rice, most fried foods and luckily for me, cake makes me sick every time I've tried it. Bread is pretty much a no-no for me, too. I can eat crackers and toast that borders on burnt occasionally. My down fall lately has been Bugles but I limit myself to 15 of then and that satisfies me. I have KFC once a week but instead of 4 or 5 pieces, I now eat a leg and I'm happy for another week. I have to admit, I must have gotten a lucky band since I've lost nearly 300 pounds in 3 years and have only had 3 fills. I'm scheduled for my 4th fill in 2 weeks because I now am getting hungry between meals. I still cant eat much and if I do, I pb like crazy. The one weakness I have is ice cream but I go with sugar-free and I can't tell the difference. All in all, my band makes most decisions for me and thank goodness, it's kept me on the right track! I'm still losing but at a much slower rate. I average about a pound a week but that's fine with me because I'm still losing something at least. Good luck and know that no matter how much weight you want to lose, you can and will do it with determination and some common sense.

I followed the rules and now on maintance I still follow the rules. That is what made me loose 165 pounds! Why mess with perfection? The rules are the rules for a reason! :w00t:

Becky in Texas

You lost 300 pounds in three years?

You are my inspiration!!! Way to go!

tdpw4 I was banded on 5/28/2008 also and I am amazed you are taking such a great long term look when I am still trying to sip enough Water :-)

When I made the decision to get the band I had already had the "aaahhhhaaaa" moment...the only way the band is going to work is if I work with it. Calories in versus calories burned is what makes the difference. OK, some calories like those from Protein can keep you feeling full longer but in the end it's still the number of calories ingested that count.

So yes I am going to continue to count calories, I am going to eat my protein first (when I get there) because I know that will help me feel full longer, I am going to exercise because even normal weight persons need to exercise and I am going to follow all of the rules my surgeon and dietician set out for me. Let's face it I did not succeed following my rules :-)

Good luck to all of us !

Yes, I count calories.

Yes, I follow the rules, why bother otherwise?

I was never told no caffeine or no sugar. I have 158 grams of blackberries with 1 tsp sugar and it's about 90 calories. I try not to use artificial sweetner.

I also exercise.

I don't count calories. I just can't. I really respect people who can but, for me, it immediately throws me into the old "this is a diet and I am being punished" mentality. I work out a lot - I try to do a minimum of an hour a day five days a week - when I'm not too sore I do 90 minutes (treadmill, elliptical, biking, just starting to jog a little) total. I try to choose healthy foods and I try to substitute - today I had about a half cup of rice milk ice cream (dairy free) and it was good. I'm trying to focus on eating when I'm hungry and stopping when I'm not hungry anymore (as opposed to when I'm full). We'll see how it goes - this is obviously a long process of re-education when it comes to eating!