... the recently banded and soon to be banded would be grateful to know. There's so much information out there that I was hoping to narrow it down. Thanks in advance!

food Diary (count calories & pt grms)

Eating Healthy 98% (not dieting) allowing for treats 2%

Exercise

As my signature say - Eat healthy + Exercise + Band = Success!

Not thinking the band was going to do it for me - I did it

I did 75% of the work and the band did the other 25% by providing restriction ..

I appreciate everyone who took the time to reply... your answers are invaluable. Thank you so much.

I also found it interesting how many people mentioned 'support' of one kind or another.

Here is a list of the my TOP 3 that have helped me be successful with my band:

1) This is a LIFESTYLE, NOT A DIET!

Before I got banded, I decided that I did NOT want another diet. I was damn sick and tired of counting calories, weighing and measuring my food, etc. I knew going into the surgery that the band was a tool to help me. I chose the band b/c I wanted to be able to eat like a normal human being... just a lot less.

2) PROTEIN! PROTEIN! PROTEIN!

I have discovered that keeping my consumption of Protein up helps me lose more weight and not feel hungry all the time. Actually, I tend to eat less when I eat more protein. I prefer shrimp, chicken, tuna, nuts, eggs, seeds, and cheese. My favorite meal consists of sliced cucumbers, diced tomatoes, chopped hard-boiled egg, shredded cheese, sunflower seeds or sliced almonds, tuna or chicken, and either ranch or bleu cheese dressing. I have containers in the fridge containing each of the above mentioned ingredients that I pack up Sunday night. This way, when I go to pack my lunch for work or to grab a snack, everything is ready to go.

3) PORTION CONTROL

I have really relied pre-packaged food items and my tupperware containers. I prefer to buy 100 calorie snack packs of nuts, yogurt, chips, and yes... Cookies. This allows me to have a snack, but doesn't allow me to overindulge. I also really like string cheese and no sugar added frozen juice bars. Again, their single serving packaging helps me to stay on track. As for my Tupperware containers, I only use the 1 cup size or smaller containers. I've even been known to dish out my food into one of these containers and then transfer it to a bread plate while eating in a restaurant or at a dinner party.

Wow Sweetbean70. Love your ideas on protein. I'm copying that and using it after my surgery. I love all those things.

1. Eating as though I had restriction even when I didn't yet. (Allowed me to lose during the first months.) Journaling on Fitday to make sure I meet my nutritional needs and don't go overboard, calorie-wise.

2. EXERCISE!

3. Enough sleep. (Being tired disinhibits me, with relation to food.)

Edited April 28, 201016 yr by BetsyB

1. Keeping my band tight - not skimping on my fills or

putting them off - If I think i even MIGHT need a fill - I

get one - Fluid can always be taken out if it must be.

2. Setting goals along the way - clothes to fit into and

number on the scale both work well for me.

3. Protein - I still drink 1 Protein Drink in the am when I'm

too tight for Breakfast - its the only way I get enough

in...

1. Support - for me that is from my blogging community. Having people out there who understand what the life of a bandster is like, who will celebrate my victories whether on the scale or over a bag of Doritos is totally priceless.
   
2. Exercise - some people are able to lose without it, and I commend them. I need it, not just for the calories it burns but for the way it makes me feel and makes my body look.
   
3. Perseverance - the knowledge that this weight WILL come off, and that slow little losses add up - for me, it's been 100lbs, and there was hardly a week where I lost more than 2lbs. But if you lost 1 or 2 every week for a year - you'll find yourself achieving great things.