I think I am in information overload. And I realize everyone has different informaton from their doctor's, nutiritionist, etc. But in a quick read, what would you say are the things you MUST follow. I think these are important.

1. Protein, veggie, fruit, other

2. Must exercise but does anyone have some general guidelines. I am joining a gym tonight and I was thinking cardio 5 days a week and weights 3 out of those 5.

3. Chew, chew, chew your food and no drinking with food.

4. Snacking - not sure about this one. Is sf Jello, sf popsicles okay between meals or not.

Anyone else have input. I would appreciate it. Being a new bandster I want to do this right.

Thanks.

I think I am in information overload. And I realize everyone has different informaton from their doctor's, nutiritionist, etc. But in a quick read, what would you say are the things you MUST follow. I think these are important.

1. Protein, veggie, fruit, other

2. Must exercise but does anyone have some general guidelines. I am joining a gym tonight and I was thinking cardio 5 days a week and weights 3 out of those 5.

3. Chew, chew, chew your food and no drinking with food.

4. Snacking - not sure about this one. Is sf Jello, sf popsicles okay between meals or not.

Anyone else have input. I would appreciate it. Being a new bandster I want to do this right.

Thanks.

My doctor gave me a handout regarding the 10 important rules for lap band:

10 IMPORTANT RULES

1. Eat only 3 small meals a day, Breakfast within 1 hr of getting up and your last meal 3 hrs before you go to bed. (Skipping breakfast is a bad idea; your body needs to have sufficient protein. If you are tight in the mornings, try a shake, or yogurt.)

2. Eat slow & chew thoroughly, 15 – 20 times a bite.

3. Stop eating as soon as you feel full do not challenge the lapband, see how little you can eat and be satisfied. (It's even better if you eat until you're not hungry, don't eat until you get a full feeling. That might be too much.)

4. DO NOT drink while eating. (30 min before and 1 hr after) No carbonated drinks. Avoid gulping, sip.

5. Do not eat between meals. (Only rarely should you have healthy Snacks if you are getting hungry between meals. Or try a healthy liquid shake of some sort.)

6. Make good choices. Eat only good quality food. solid food is more important than liquid food. The lap band will have no effectt if you only consume liquids as it will pass right through. (Protein is especially important. If you don't consume enough protein, your body will actually store calories as fat. You need to eat to lose weight!)

7. Drink at least 6 – 8 glasses of Water a day.

8. Drink low calorie or zero calorie liquids.

9. Exercise daily You eat daily so you need to exercise daily.

10. Avoid doughy or sticky foods like white bread, pop corn, coconut, dried fruits as they can obstruct your band

hope this helps, Crystal :eek: