Hey all,

Just wondering for those of you who have lost the weight what type of meal plans do you try to follow?Do you eat 3 meals no Snacks or 3 meals/2 snacks? Do you measure your food or just try to listen to your body's signals?

I'm almost 7 weeks out and still trying to figure it out.I have had only one fill of .5cc.Sometimes I feel restriction and sometimes I dont.It's hard to balance being patient between trying not to overeat and yet feeling satisfied?Hope this makes sense.I gather from what I've read on here that this is a learning process and no two journeys are the same.But some advice from those who have gone on before would help?

Thanks!!:tongue2:

I follow 3 meals and only had a snack if I was hungry. I would typically have one low-cal snack (sometimes just veggies) after dinner because that is when I was hungry again. At first I started measuring food but now I just go by feel and I know how much I can eat by the signals in my stomach.

I have never been much of a Breakfast eater, and some people feel tighter in the am. Weekdays, when working, I usually have a Protein shake for starters (I like Worldwide Protein shakes, available in 5 flavors at Vitamin Shoppe). If I want a little more I have a small can of V8. I take them to work and have them while working. If I am really hungry I will add a yogurt and sometimes a bit of Cereal. I get stuff from Kay's Naturals (kaysnaturals.com) because they come in small bags, making it easy to pack for work. When I get hungry for lunch I might have a dish of a Mexican recipie I like (kind of a tex mex dip), or a crustless pizza (another of my own creation--none of the bread but all the toppings) or one Lean pocket, or turkey rollups(98% fat free turkey lunchmeat with a slice or two of fat free cheese and a little mustard, rolled up without bread), sometimes a salad with chicken and light dressing. Different people have different tolerances for food, so it is a bit of trial and error. Snacks I tend to make part of my meal (I have enough trouble working in all the Water they want you to drink, so I hardly have time for snacks), but either way, Kay's Naturals has protein chips, pretzels, cereal. I get my snacks from them. Keeps me out of potato chips.

I use glucosamine/chondroitin, and the makers of Cosamin DS make a Power Pack that you can mix with water like Crystal Light. That forces me to drink a 16.9 oz bottle of water to help with my water quota.

On the weekends if I sleep in some, I might have a real breakfast of Cheerios with an apple cut up on it, or some dried Cranberries (dried fruit is high in sugar, but Craisins has 100 cal packs out, so I get them--it helps me control how much I add to the cereal). When I do this I usually only do 2 meals and maybe one snack.

I do carry a snack with me, in case I am hungry and can't eat for a while. I looked around for something easy, and Kashi TLC bars (some protein, Fiber, and lowest in sugar of all the bars I looked at) that I get at costco in a bulk pack is what I carry. One of them will take the edge off without wrecking my eating plan. A lot of Protein Bars are loaded with sugar, so investigate before you invest.

Hope this helps.

Edited December 29, 200817 yr by PATCHELTON

Thanks for all the info & tips!! It really helps.I'm gonna try the bars,I had been looking for a protein bar as I'm not a big fan of the protein shakes and I did notice all the calories & sugar........so thanks for that tip.All you that have suceeded are SUCH an inspiration to those of us new to the struggle...Thanks!!:tongue2:

Hi HeatherO,

Is this your first baby? Were you scared to get pregnant after you lost all your weight?? Congratulations on both your sucesses!! The weightloss & the new baby!!:tongue2:

Hi HeatherO,

Is this your first baby? Were you scared to get pregnant after you lost all your weight?? Congratulations on both your sucesses!! The weightloss & the new baby!!:tongue2:

Thanks :0)

This is my second, but since my first is 16 years old . . . it is almost like my first all over again.

I have been scared to regain, especially with a mostly empty band . . . but so far it has only been 2-3 pounds since September so I am good to go. Banding has even been a blessing for me empty, lol. I have been very lucky.