Diet plans in conjunction with LapBand?

Has anyone tried diet plans such as Weigh****chers; Nutrisystem; Jenny Craig or any others in conjunction with their Band? I'm considering Nutrisystem because I've tried it before and the meals seem balanced. I know my home cooking alone won't get me there. I just want to maximize my healthy intake and weight loss. I've already started back at the gym.

No, I haven't, but a few on the board do WW.  I would be concerned about the sodium levels in the pre packaged foods and also it would be an expensive way to eat.  Do they also have you eat fresh fruits and vegetables?  I don't know anything about Nutrisystem.  And if you have good restriction, is there pasta, rice and white carbs in their products?  That could be a problem. 
With WW you would learn to use "regular" food and how to prepare food.  They have recipes and the support would be nice too.

Hey Tetrarose!

I didn't even consider the sodium levels of the prepackaged foods; good point! With NS, you can select the full meal plan or a hybrid meal plan (you prepare some meals and order others from them). In my opinion, NS encourages more balance of the food groups and it does incorporate fresh fruits & vegetables. It isn't as expensive as it seems. Our company has a partnership with them that provides 30% off their plans. When I tried it before, it was about $250 for a month supply of food, including the dairy & fruits/vegs that you purchase separately. I live alone so that was a breeze for me!

Ihave been a WW member since right after my surgery and I love it.

I like the accountability and the group support.

At the start, I could not eat according to their plan -- too much food for me -----  but now, their program is exactly how I should eat.

I think that any of those programs can support your success --- be careful of the products that might be 'carb heavy' --- and you should be fine.

Kath

I tend to agree with Tetrarose learn to cook these meals yourself at home, they will be much healthier. Plus this is a lifetime system so you need to learn this sooner or later. Why pay someone else to do it for you? It's cheaper and fresher to do it yourself. Go to Amazon and buy some weight loss surgery cookbooks or go to theworldaccordingtoeggface.com for lots of WLS friendly recipes.

Hislady,

Thank you for posting a site for WLS friendly recipes. I'm a college student and I work full time so there are times when I don't have the time to cook my meals and take them with me. When I'm off from school or work, I cook all of my meals and there isn't an issue. I'm leaning towards a hybrid plan with NS, where I will purchase some of their meals (just lunches) and see follow their outline of dairy, protein, fruit/veg. Thanks for your feedback!

i did medifast for a short time. the lean and green part for dinner was great, but i quickly realized that drinking shakes for the rest of the day was completely against the purpose of the band (the shake slides right through). so, now i have a closet filled with medifast, lol. i think ww is great, particularly if you don't attend lap band support groups. the meetings and having to be accountable by getting weighed in weekly is great. honestly, i feel like the prepackaged meals are not really geared for the band. the meals, like burgers, pastas and pizzas are still more than a cup and the carbs most likely won't be band friendly. i could be wrong. would be a lot cheaper and easier. if you opened a can of tuna, added a little mayo or honey mustard and called it a meal. if you need help with meals, why don't you start a thread asking people for simple meal ideas. i bet you would get a huge response. whatever you chooses, i wish you the best and yay for you for going to the gym!!!!!!!!

Hey Jax Mom!

I definitely don't want to do any shakes! I mentioned WW for the same reasons you listed, support group & accountability at weigh-in. However, my previous WW experience wasn't a positive one, it was more of a gossip mill after the weigh-in and I didn't feel the need to continue attending. HISLADY suggested a WLS recipe site; I'll check it out and also post a forum for recipes.

This is my first week post-op and I've weighed 5 out of the 8 days. I've hidden the scale and will weigh-in once a week and continue to attend my Band meetings. Depending on my schedule, I may research some new WW meetings in my area before shooting directly to prepackaged foods.

Thanks for the suggestions!

I stopped eating n/s in march of 2010. I ordered every month . I was billed on my charge $234.95...The food isn't what it looks like. Most of the sauces taste awful..I used to force myself monthly eating this stuff with hopes of loosing alot of weight.. I started this food 2007 for my daughters wedding...Don't waste your money...I still have about 10 boxes in my cupboard..Breakfast and lunches not worth the price they charge..I rather eat WW Smart ones/Lean Cusine cheaper and taste great.  I also did Jenny Craig. better tasing but still very expensive. That's when my physician recommend the Lap Band.. I too am I Lifetime Member at WW. from 1982 losing 32 lbs. in 7 mos.  My advice is do WW in conjuntion with the band.

Low carb/South Beach/Atkins ...