things you wished you had truly known??

Hey FatGuy :)

Yeah, Ive been going crazy trying to figure everything out. Ive been back and forth to the nut with journals. Ive tried keeping track of everything. It jsut gets old when all I do is go up and down. Seems I was more successful BEFORE the band. I did Atkins and that worked great. I was able to lose 40lbs in 5 months...the first time I did it. Then It was like my body said...Ha! I know that trick! Its just hard to stay focused on something when you dont see results. I had a personal trainer for 4 months last year...I lost 6 lbs. I just had blood work done and a UGI, doc thinks Im too "open". I just feel like quitting...but If I were just going to quit I wouldnt come here and I wouldnt be so upset. Funny thing, I thought going to culinary school I would eat alot. Im in baking and pastry right now and I cant eat anything I make! LOL guess baking it is!

By my calculations, to maintain my weight, I must be consuming 3000 calories a day. NOT, I know cause Ive been writing the crap down. This week alone, I had been on liquids (except for today) I had 1200 calories of pre measured (water added) shakes. One day I added soup to that (240 calories extra) apparently this week I lost, then gained within the same 3 days... 6 lbs.

Just have to chime in on the NO MORE DIETS.  This is the fist time in over 30 years that I haven't either been on a diet or rebounding from a diet.  From day 1 back on solids I've not been dieting.  I do try to focus on protein first most of the time, but other than that I eat everything my family does...just a lot less of it (and I have a small amount of chocolate every day).  Tonight is our weekly pizza night, so I'm having a slice and some beer (not my best meal of the week, but just an example of what I've been doing since the beginning).  It's made maintaining something I can actually do this time as I'm NOT doing anything different than when I started.  I can eat anything and have about 1 cup per meal (but I'm allowed up to 1.5 C).  The band has been a miracle for a long term yo-yo dieter like me.

I agree with band groupie, that's how I've always eaten since I got my band 1 1/2 yrs ago and do so today. It's not a diet I just eat a lot less. It works.\
Karen