Need Some Advice/Help with Eating

I am getting so frustrated with loosing weight.  It seems like I loose 1lb and gain 2lbs.  This is getting extremely frustrating.  I still feel the band restriction and I go see my doctor on Friday to see if I need another fill.  I feel like if he gives me one fill, I will not be able to eat anything.  I am exercising 30-40min M-F because the gym I go to is in the same bldg as my job.  Should I just be eating protein and veggies with no starch like brown and wild rice? Yes, not to often, I may fall off the wagon.   Help I do not know what to do?  Should I go see a nutritionist?

Hi NC - I'm just a newbie (surgery was Nov, 16th), but I do best when I get in the 80 grams of protein -- lean, dense protein. Look for protein in other foods, too. Skim Plus milk has more protein than regular skim milk. Greek yogurt bumps up the protein over fat free yogurts. Also, remember to drink, drink, drink. Staying hydrated throughout the day makes you feel fuller and keeps the head hunger away. Hope this helps.

Best of luck to you!!

Before making any suggestions, there are a few things it would be helpful for us to know.

How long since you lost any weight?
Do you count calories? If so how many a day?
Do you guess quantities or measure them?
Are you eating enough for the amount of exercise you are doing?
Do you take any meds which affect weight loss?

Seeing a nutritionist is always a good idea! I personally do not believe in cutting out any food group and so would never suggest cutting out carbs like brown rice etc.. Worthless carbs like white bread, that's different.  But not complex carbs.

Kate

Kate,

I want to say I have lost a 1lb since my last fill a month ago
I do not count calories.  Should I be?
I guess quantities
I feel full when I eat and after I exercise, I will either have greek yogurt or almonds and peanuts
The only meds I take are birth control and high blood pressure meds.

I don't count  calories and i guess quantities.  But it is extremely easy to get it wrong that way! I didn't start doing it like that until I had done lots of test runs to see if my guesses were correct. And then i used to do a check every few weeks just to  make sure I was still getting it right.

My basic way was just to make sensible choices and then let the band limit the quantity. But for that to work you have to be very sure what the healthy choice is. It may well be that you are - but it might not hurt to just measure and count for a day or so to see if you are! I used to find that a healthy choice day for me turned out to be about 1200 calories and 60+gm protein.

Some people weigh and measuere every mouthful -  I couldn't live like that!

BUT - last November I had to lose 27lbs very quickly. i had regained and had just 8 weeks to try to get it off. For the first time since being banded, i counted every single calorie and, also for the first time, i went on the treadmill 5 times a week. And I lost 25lbs in 8 weeks. That is overall faster than when i was on my initial journey! So it worked! But, as I say, I couldnt'do that long term!

Hello

I too was struggleing with weight loss.  Now the first thing I will tell you is to up the intensity of your workout.  If you are doing 30 minutes do 40...if your speed is set at 3.5 go to 3.7.  Also use the incline.  I noticed I burn more calories when I up the incline on the treadmill than if I up the speed.  But I save upping the incline for when I my weight loss is slowing and I need to boost it.  Also you need to make sure you keep your heart rate in your heart rate zone...too low and you are not doing any good.  Too high and your not burning calories anymore.  Next...do you weight lift???  You need to devote at least 15-20 minutes to weight lifting every day.  You will build leaner stronger muscles...guess what??  Muscles burn your calories...so more muscle mass more calories burned...even if your are just sitting...if your muscles are stronger and leaner you will burn more calories.  I am on the treadmill 60 minutes a day and weight lift 20 mintues a day...6 days a week.  It works for me...I lost 13 pounds this month!!!

As far as food goes.  I stay away from carbs.  I do get some carbs from veggies and fruit but none from bread, cereal, and pasta.  I also never eat at fast food restaurans anymore...in fact I don't eat out much at all.  Because even if you order something healthy yo don't know how they prepared the meal...did they use butter, salt, oil???  I also never drink any of my calories.  So no soda, coffee, juice, beer, and so on.  I drink water, tea, and crystal light. 

So here are my main rules I live by-
Exercise my butt off
Limit carbs to no more than 35 a day (that's harder than it sounds)..limit your carb intake to include fresh fruits and veggies 
Eat lean protein
No liquid calories

GOOD LUCK AND DON'T GIVE UP!!!

 

Hi NC-

I am fairly new to the bandmyself, however I have been dilligent in my  eating and monitoring my food and have lost 31 lbs in 2 mos! Number one thing I do is log ALL my food. I have an iPhone and have an app on there that lets me see exactly what I am eating- Calories, Fat, Carbs & Protein (they also have online logs as well)
and boy oh boy did I learn A LOT about what foods are made up of!

As many others mentioned I also try for dense protein,  fruits & veggies, but I am really trying to monitor my calories which is something I have never done before.  (between 1000 & 1200) 
Now that I have my band I am finding that even though it seems I won't be full with what I have allocated I always am, and the BIGGEST thing I have learned is I CAN NOT drink for 1 hour after I have eaten and I can stay satisfied for 3 or more hours!!  The band is REALLY amazing if you work it correctly.

Hope this helps some! and GOOOD luck!

I think everyone else has pretty much answered most of your questions. Just want to say for me my nutritionist has been a big part of my success this far. When I have the same questions you have I ask her and she is able to guide me in the right direction. She suggests changes or substitutions that work for me. I take her my food logs from here and she reads them and tells me where I could make improvements if any. If it weren't for her I wouldn't have lost 102 lbs pre surgery. I know everyone is different as far as what helps them. But the guidance of my nutritionist has been extremely helpful to me.

Thank you ladies for your advice.  I have logged back into my Sparkpeople account and will start tracking my food intake.  Anytime something goes in my mouth will go in the online foodtracking journal.  I have to see how much calories I am intaking on a daily basis because when I think I may be doing ok, but in reality something is wrong some where. 

Another question.  Should I be eating 80g of protein per day?