Does anyone feel like "I should be eating more just for nutrition?" I'm never hungry, but I'm always thinking I should be eating, I'm not getting IN enough. I could probably live off two glasses of milk and one small salad a day. Anyone else feel like this?

Okay, but how do you get in the old recommended five fruits and veggies, much less the ten recommended now? And that's just fruit and veg. Then there's protein and dairy ...

I think the reality is that as a bandster, you're NOT going to get in everything you need in any one day - and that's why eating a great variety on a day to day basis is important.

personally, I focus more on the two fruit five veg than I do on Protein. I obviously get enough protein because I am healthy, but I dont put it first. I put fruit and veg first. I dont eat a lot of dairy, I'd most likely not be getting enough Calcium. Trouble is, I suck at taking Vitamins and supplements.

I figure I got a lot more food before I was banded, but not a lot more nutrition, because all I've really cut is the rubbish I didnt need.

I never have to push myself to eat, truth is 3 years out, my hunger levels have reestablished to some degree, I dont get the same appetite control from my band that I did, just portion and satiety control. So when its lunchtime, I'm ready to eat!

But overall, I think some degree of not getting everythign we need is reality to a bandster and there's not a lot you can do about it. Focussing only on protein is a fast track to lacking in other areas if you ask me, I try to treat ALL foods as important.

When I was FAT i was eating 0 fruit and veg, just filling up on crap!

If I can eat 2 or 3 servings of fruit and veg per day that is a huge improvement.

Also, remember that a serving of fruit is different than a fruit. a half a small banana is a fruit serving. Most bananas I see are large, so that means one third of it is one serving. So if eat a large banana, that is three servings of fruit.

Okay, your replies have put things a bit more into perspective for me.

Michee - I never used to eat anything healthy before being banded either! But oddly enough, now that I know I can only have a little bit of food, I make sure it's something healthy (well 90% healthy anyway :thumbup:

Hey there Lindata, how ya been?

Are you getting plenty of Protein?

I always make sure I get my weight in protein every day, whether I want to or not. I've always found that as long as I'm taking my Vitamins, fish oil, tons of protein, and half a serving of grape juice before a workout - I'll always feel great.

I respectfully but completely disagree with some of the claims on the forums that you don't have to have the extra protein. I feel like CRAP if I don't get it.

How do you feel Lindata?

Hey Scarecrow, no, I'm not getting in protein because my stomach keeps getting irritated and only liquids go down. I just cracked open my protein shakes again today though. I've been feeling quite blue lately - probably because I'm not getting enough "something" in my diet. I'm not eating my vitamins either because the last time I swallowed them I got stuck bad which really irritated my stomach and resulted in a partial unfill. And if I crush them they still irritate my esophagus going down. I've been eating Juice Plus though which is supposed to contain concentrated amounts of fruit and veggies. I'm just not feeling healthy. :cursing: Boy, what a pity party, huh?

I don't over do the protein either. I eat a balanced diet. I eat my little protein first and then my veggies etc. If I cut back on my veggies and fruit, my bowels bloat up, I'm constipated and MISERABLE. I have to have the 5 servings of produce. I do eat protein three times a day, but I don't obsess over it. I don't weigh it, measure it, count grams or any of that stuff. I was obsessed with food before banding. The point of the band for me was quality of life, and that included not obsessing over that kind of stuff. Half the time I can't finish what I would have measured out anyway, or on occasion it comes back up, so what good is that? It becomes an exercise in pointlessness. I'm happy, my blood work says I'm exceptionally healthy now, so I just go with the flow. If I had to choose a motto, it would be VARIETY

Aubrie, if I could eat like you I would be happy. Right now I can't eat protein or veggies or fruit because they won't go down. All I have in a day is milk. I'm going to get another unfill, this time a larger one, so I can EAT again. I've had two .25 cc unfils lately but they haven't helped. This band is so finicky. I don't get it.

Sorry to here that Linda : /

I had to do flintstones chewables and Protein shakes at first, lol. I actually STILL take the flintstones. Yeah, sad. They just have everything in them that the one-a-days I had do.

You've recently had an unfil and you feel that tight? Did the doc say you were inflamed or something?

Yeah, I had two .25 cc unfills in the past little while. This is why I don't get the band and why I think it's quite finicky. I think the next one will be .50 cc's. I puked up some finely ground nuts last night. I think my stomach is just very, very sensitive or something. Any little thing happens and it seems to tighten up.

Look, dont worry if you have to have a large unfill. You will probably be able to let things settle and then get your fill back over time.

I had a teeny unfill, .2cc and it made me WIDE open and now I've had it put back in I'm not as tight as I was, it's perfect for me now.

Jachut, by large unfill how large do you think? I'm getting so sick of this reflux I'm wanting 1 cc out until things calm down. I've been reading about the complications of reflux and it scares me. I was thinking of .5 but I want this reflux over and done with already.

Btw, I appreciate your posts since you've been banded for a while now and are free with your information. Thanks!

I'd be brave and have a big one, but its impossible for someone else to know how your body will react. But it sounds like you're irritated and sensitive and until you can calm it all down, you're going to have reflux.

Worth a try anyway? You can always put the fill back in slowly and its quite likely you'll find you can tolerate it the second time around.

Hey Jacqui, I'm being totally obtuse here, but by large do you mean like 1 cc? That seems like a lot to me.

Well I only have a 4cc band so that seems HUGE to me. To me, large would be .3cc to .5cc, what band do you have?

Anyway, your doc is the person to ask about that based on your symptoms and your shared knowledge of YOUR band. I cant possibly be the one to tell you how much to take out, I dont know.