Not a Positive Post - Frustration

Is there no other bander out there who has to stay away from carbohydrates? It seems everyone's happily eating refried beans, cereals, potatos and fruit. Sigh. I've been eating that stuff out of sheer desperation after my first fill but I can't continue to eat like that. It does at least two bad things to me: it makes my blood sugar go up and stay there and it triggers cravings for even more of the stuff. I can't lose weight this way. This morning, after sitting in despair for a couple of days, I had cottage cheese for breakfast and a piece of chicken for lunch (still sitting half way up my throat). I joke about this, but I'm really getting depressed, or more depressed. This sucks. I'm uncomfortable most of the time, I'm not losing weight and I wish I had my $ back.

I felt bad the other day when I only ate a portion of mashed potatoes, thought I had made a bad choice. I now think that those were the best mashed potatoes ever!! I am sorry that you feel the way you do. There are sometimes that I wish they would unfill me so I could just Chow down and not stress about every bite I take. I think we all go through these feelings at some time or another but maybe you are just on a plateau??? How much have you lost so far? Do you follow rules? Exercise? I have a few weeks where I will not lose and I will gain then out of the blue I will drop 5-6 a week. Unpredictable. Just keep plugging away. susan 244/192/160

I'd just like to eat a piece of meat, however slowly I need to, chewing forever, and to have it go down and not sit there like a lump. I need more meat, less dairy, more vegs and none of the cereal, fruits & potato. I just can't do that because of the band. I guess this wasn't such a great plan. It seems that meat is the hardest thing to get down and feel good.

Have you had a fill? If so, I'd say you are too tight. You absolutely should be able to eat solid proteins. If you have had a fill and cannot tolerate them well, you need some saline removed. Nancy 394/260/180

Susan, I don't eat like that. For whatever reason, I seem to be more "sensative" to carbs too. I was just put on Metformin because of what it does. I mostly eat fish, chicken or hamburger. And the rest is veggies! Once in a great while, I will add crackers to a soup if I have that. just to give it more staying power. It's still early in the game to be giving up. I was 4 months in before I started to get down-hearted and said so to my doc. That's when we talked more about what's going on and he suggested blood work. Found out why I was losing so slowly. Hang in there. Eat what you know is right for your body. Marti 314/280/150

Was it high blood sugar that was slowing down your loss? I think that's what's got me. Between this morning and at lunch I think I finally got 2 oz of chicken down, in addition to a little cottage cheese this morning. There's been no room for veggies to go with the chicken. Yesterday I ate some cabbage first and then ate the meat. My diet really needs to be lean meat with low starch vegetables - and nothing else. I'm upset because that feels so bad in my stomach now. I hope it gets better. This weekend was just a carb fest from beginning to end. I had oatmeal, baked potato, bread & cereal. It makes me lethargic, sick and hungry for more. Mashed potatos are okay for a lot of people, but not me. They feel good to eat though. They go down so easily and I feel great until digestion begins. Some of us don't turn carbs into energy, just fat. I know all that but I ate it anyway because I was so flaming hungry for food - any food. The liquids and mushies are so bad for me. After a week on them I feel terrible in body and mind. I guess it will just take a little more time to get over the fill.

yep. my doc ran tests and turns out for what ever reason, I'm not making enough insulin to convert the blood sugar to energy and storing to fat, or it's not doing what it's supposed to do. Could be why in years past, I always lost better on low-carb, low-fat diets. BUT! before, I'd get so hungry and crave carbs....now I don't! I'm at a good restriction level and don't seem to get hungry much anymore. Marti

Susan - is it that you are having a problem with the protein and are resorting to mushy things like carbs ? If so , I am carb sensitive as well and there are many ways to get the protein in and not eat the carbs which will make you crave them more and increase your sugar. Tofu is a great source of protein and goes down easy. Try finely chopped chicken - turkey with lite mayo ( like tuna or egg salad) Chili - I make vats of it and freeze it. Omlettes with low fat cheese. I make a frozen dessert with unjury ( adds lots of protein )> Mix NF cool whip with NF yougurt and NF SF pudding and unjury. Freeze like ice cream. Good Luck Michelle

No bean chili? What's your recipe?

I use chop meat as well as very small cubed eye round ( whatever cut you like). I brown the meat that I cut up in very small pieces in some oil. Remove the meat when browned and then saute onions and garlic in the left over oil and I throw in a little red wine. Then add back in the meat.,canned plum tomatoes ( not drained) that I "squish " with my hands and break up.Then add whatever veggies you like. I do carrots , mushrooms and zucchini.Then dump in the chop meat. I cook for at least 2-3 hours on a very low flame so the eye round gets really soft.Then the last hour I add a square of non-sweetened baking chocolate ( optional and so is the wine). Michelle