Looking for some ideas & support please

[melmet0318]

Hi lapband friends :)

I've been banded for about 8 months now and have lost 47 lbs as of 6 weeks ago (that's my 'official' weight loss from the doc's office-my home scale is a LIAR!).

I thought I'd struggle with exercise which I've always hated however that seems to be the easiest part of the band now.

I'm having BIG troubles with diet. I asked my nutrionist if there were any plans she'd suggest I follow. She told me that being banded is about learning to make healthy choices the rest of my life (so no plans, books or magical diets). OK but right now I'm struggling with the diet. I haven't found my stride with what to eat to be successful.

If I'm not to follow any plan or diet what am I to do? It's my food choices in the past that mainly got me into this predicament. How can I change them? The surgery only addresses restriction of food but 'bad' food seems to slip right through. My weight loss was so quick and *gulp* easy right after surgery that now it's slowed down I'm freaking out a bit. I tend to be hard on myself-comparing my weight loss to other banded people I know. I don't want to be the person who went through all of this and isn't losing weight or even starts gaining.

Anyone who's been banded for awhile: what did you do? How did you start making good food choices?

[MommaStone]

For me carve are trigger foods and weight loss killers. So eating my protein first never eating bread and just trying to eat healthy is my focus. I also have to say that other than bread I don't forbid myself anything. Bread gets stuck so that is easy for me to live without. My nutritionist used the food pyramid and 1200 cal a day as a general guide. I usually try to stay more around 1000. Do you journal your food? There are some good sites that not only trCk caps but fat Nd carbs etc too

[savannah smiles]

This can be tricky. Right now I'm eating more to lose weight than to be healthy (although I'm certainly eating healthier than I was preband) so my diet now tends to focus on protein and veggies, w/ a lot of yogurt thrown in the mix. Once I get to maintainance, I plan on adding in a lot more fruit and good carbs because I want a more well-rounded diet than I have right now.
If you feel better going by a diet plan, why not look into the South Beach diet? It's heavy on protein and good carbs. Just filter out the foods your band wouldn't like!

[melmet0318]

Thanks for the tips!

I journaled my food when I've done weight watchers in the past. I'll have to start doing it again b/c it holds me accountable for food choices. It's harder for me to decide to eat 'bad' food if I have to write it down.

I think I will look into the South Beach diet. Right now I don't trust myself and feel like I need a very structured plan to follow so I eat correctly. Maybe once I follow a plan I like for awhile it'll become a habit.

[redgrldj]

I was given different calorie diets.. 1200,1500,1800,2000 ... and sample meal plans in my classes.. Was not told to follow a specific diet...

[Ready2succeed]

I was in the same boat as you are shortly after I was banded. Just didn't have any motivation at all and was eating whatever I wanted. I didn't have any restriction so could still eat as much as I wanted. One day I just decided to get my head out of my butt. For me it was to start tracking my food on daileyplate.com. It really makes me realize what I put in my mouth and how fast it adds up. Hopefully you can find something that gets you on track again!! Good luck!

[GraceAnn1988]

I count everything I eat.. I was also told I didnt have to count its about making healthy decisions but ever since I started this I count EVERYTHING!! Calories, Carbs and Protein.. 800-1100 calories a day. 60-100 grams of protein, 80-133 grams of carbs. I usually dont get that many carbs but thats what the guidelines were from my dietitian before my surgery and Im sticking to it.. Since I started this journey I lost 40 lbs.. 15 of which were what I lost after being banded but I gained 4lbs during my mushy stage.. I didnt let it discourage me and Im doing very well now.. I think if you stick to those guidelines and drink LOTS of water You should do just fine.. Good Luck!!

[creek14]

I chart every bite of food that enters my mouth. Everything! I do it on-line so it automatically calculates protein, fat, carbs, etc. For me, it was easy to overlook those 2 or 3 Hershey Kisses, that bite of pizza, etc. And those things add up quickly. It's easy to eat an extra 200, 300 or more calories a day without even thinking about it. Now that I am accountable for everything I eat, I am much more aware of what I'm eating.


Best of luck!




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[JayCee]

I use the food lists from several "diet" books, South Beach and WW. These are good lists and help me fight boredom with my meals. Especially the good veggies. I forget that there is more out there than green beans and broccoli. Find a protein list that gives you the grams with each source of protein and use that list to plan your menus.

[healthy1]

Hi,
I am a lot like them I have a place on the web from my insurance company where I track my meals and exercise daily. I have my protein first veggies next and nothing
white I don't touch bread If I find that I am not loosing I cut back and let my tummy growl some to make sure it is feeling hungry. I exercise daily and get a good sweat going I think that is one of the major things that has to be done every day don't put
in your mouth what you can't work off your hips.
good Luck,
Healthy 1

[Rini]

Once i was past the mushy stage i started to experiment with different types of protein chicken, turkey and fish mostly. I would eat that and if i realized i was getting full soon i would eat some veggies. Salad and protein was the core of my diet for many many months. I didn't really think about what i was going to eat, as slowly I started to eat to live and not live to eat and eating was not as pleasureable especially the first year. I avoided bread and pastas and rice and 90% of the time sweets, ice cream...as a result my cravings for these food subsided to almost nil. After losing about 60 pounds the first year i remained steady for 3 or 4 months by choice after which i decided to get another fill. that was last feb. Since last feb i droped another 30-35 pounds as my restriction level went to about half a cup of food at one sitting and would stay full for many hours. While i now enjoy the food that i can eat more, i am not obsessed with what will go in my mouth at every turning point. Like i said i eat to live not live to eat. Often times my husbadn has to remind me that i have to make dinner!grrrrrr. I find not thinking about food liberating although sometimes i let myself get too hungry and then eat too quickly which as you know can be a problem. i think if you eat clean straight protein and a few veggies for most of your meals you will be on a good path to weightloss. keeping busy is also key i think...don't know if you work but that is a great distraction. My docotr said that if you are having cravings, if you are eating more than half a cup at one time and eating in less than 3 or 4 hours again you are probably not restriced enough. this has been my experience and of course is not a model for everyone. getting to the point whereyou have sufficient restriction is a process. there are many factors to successful weightloss with the band and proper restriction is one one of the elements. food choice is also a process of experimentation, what works for you what you can tolerate and how much depends on each individual. When i got to the point that i was bored with the food i was eating i began to tell myself that it doesn't matter i need to eat to sustain myself and not worry too much rightnow about taste..that coimes later after you have lost your weight and you can eat smaller portions of richer foods. i don't know if this help at all or answers any questions about diet but its just one perspective...there are many different ones here.

[BAND-of-HOPE]

Wow Rini~ Your comments, right on for my experience too. When I can stop obsessing about food, and lay off the sweets, my cravings go away, and my mind moves away from the constant food battle. --But, it's also easier, when we either can get to, or already don't care if we get variety, or complicated foods.
Your successful results sure show you know how to succeed with your band..And the photos you have up, really show it! How inspiring!

[caleb_wright13]

I first wish you the best in your progession of eating healthy and the journey to your goal. I see that you have already lost nearly 50 pounds, which is awesome!! Keep up the good work.
I have a few pieces of advice that worked for me. First off, I never jounrnaled my food intake, nor never will. The very act of journaling my food intake caused me to actually crave more food and served as a catlyst for hunger. I do keep a general mental tally, but that is it. Sometimes I feel that if you over analyze, it becomes a problem via the old adage, "parlysis by anylsis" or in other words studying the problem to death. I keep a ballpark figure and that works just fine for me.
Secondly, and this one is a huge one for me, is that I can't have snack foods, junk foods, or other poor food choices in the house or I will eat them..and eat them all! I highly recommend raiding your pantry and refrigerator of anything and everything that you do not want to eat and getting rid of those items. I would also not purchase these items any more.

Thirdly, what has worked for me as well is to learn to take it one day at a time and not weigh myself too very often. The human body is a magnificant work, and we must remember that gaining weight, as well as losing weight is all comes down to the scientific principle of the calorie. If you consume more calories that you burn, you gain weight, but if you burn more than you eat, you will lose weight. If your band is adjusted correctly and you are eating healthy foods, then you should be full after normal serving. Go with that and run with it, but take it day by day realizing that this is a long progression towards a goal that is not only attainable, but certain as long as we follow the program.

Good luck!!

[Rini]

Very well put Caleb! calories IN calories OUT..the choice of what to put in our mouth is always ours..always has been..its just that with the band we eat less of it but we still have to choose between eating a piece of cheescake versus grilled fish and veggies. the less sugar you consume..the less you crave the bad stuff...then its just a matter of choosing when you can indulge a little bit here and there instead of every night in front of the television. Learning to say NO and its okay to say NO and that there will alwasy be a piece of cake to have is the trick.

[chrisbjrl]

Hi, I haven't been banded long but there is diets that can be followed on either Sparkpeople.com or realizemysucess.com.

but i don't think u can use the realize one unless tghe realize band is the brand ur doc put in u!

But Spark people is awesome!!!! u can do everything u can on the other one, plus spark people has a grocery list u can put in how many caleries u need to stay in and how much protein and it will give u meal recipes for the week... u can look them over and make sure ur interested then it gives u a grocery list that u can print out!!! its so awesome! u can also put in how many people u need to feed! I have a family of 5 so I LOVE that part!

Hope this helps and good luck!

I was banded on nov 19, 2010


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