You asked, I answered!

In my first bandiversary post last week, I asked you to post any questions that you might have for me.  You guys came up with some great questions which saved me the trouble of coming up with a post topic for today.  Thank you!  So without further ado, here goes!

Tracy said...


I have questions....it goes with the my personal post a few days ago. What approach do you use with eating and having a band. So many people follow a strict diet with the band, still practicing the same habits they had pre-band. I honestly thought this phase of my life would be OVER. I am 2 months pre-band, 25 pounds down. I want to be realist about this and make the most of my investment. I want to be smaller and healthier. So Amanda....what do you eat? What do you do (calorie count or wing it???)

Do you want to know what I did when I was two months post-band or what I do now?  Let me start by saying that good restriction changes everything.  Until you've had a couple of fills, you are essentially dieting and it is much harder.  That's why they call that time Bandster Hell.  Once you have good restriction, it is much easier to limit your portions.  A cup of food is literally all I can eat most of the time now. 


My goal has always been NOT to diet.  I don't usually eat traditional "diet foods" like sugar free or fat free foods.  I eat full-fat cheese and even drink my coffee with a splash of real cream (and sugar).  I eat pizza, deep fried foods, real chocolate, pretty much whatever I want so long as it is eaten in moderation.  MODERATION is the key for me.  If I have a mocha from Starbucks during the day, I don't have a big lunch.  I typically only eat sweets on the weekends and I don't eat breakfast those days to keep the calories reasonable.  I eat an average of 1,350 calories per day - about 1,200 on weekdays and 1,500 on weekends. 


I do count calories at the moment, but I lost the bulk of the105 lbs. I'm down by NOT writing things down for the most part.  Once I had good restriction, I stopped recording and kept losing until I hit a plateau in January.  Then I started logging again.  I'm losing very slowly now.


Amanda said...


Happy Bandiversary!! How exciting! You look freaking awesome! I really enjoy your blog and your posts on whatever you choose to write about! On a selfish note i would love to see/know what you eat as I am struggling to come up with new ideas!


I am probably the wrong person to ask about what I eat because I think I am the ONLY lacto-ovo vegetarian bandster in Blogland.  But I know that meat causes problems for many bandsters so maybe this is something that would interest more than just a few people.  I am also not a very adventourous eater.  I eat the same things day after day.  Here's today's menu for an example:


coffee (with cream & sugar) 165 cals
greek yogurt 140 cals, 14 grams protein
veggie soup 50 cals
bread & butter 150 cals, 3 grams protein
protein shake 160 cals, 30 grams protein
chocolate covered strawberry 60 cals, 1 gram protein
cheese & brocoli quishe 285 cals, 12 grams protein
salad with blue cheese dressing 150 cals


Total 1,160 calories, 60 grams protein


For other vegetarian protein sources, I also like cheese (110 cals/oz., 7 grams protein), beans (100 cals./half cup, 14 grams protein), cottage cheese (100 cals/half cup, 14 grams protein), greek yogurt, cheese sticks (80 cals, 8 grams protein), meat replacement sausage patties (80 cals, 10 grams protein) and faux-chicken patties (220 calories, 18 grams protein).

Lyla said...




Happy anniversary :) You look amazing, even if your jeans are too big.


Question: what is your favorite thing that you do now that you never would have done pre-band?


This is a hard qustion for me.  I really tried not to let my weight get in my way.  I feel more confident now in everything I do, but I still struggle with reaching out of my comfort zone.  I have been acutely aware of this lately because I've drifted away from one of my best friends so I've been pretty lonely. I have a hard time trying to make my relationships more profound. 

Kerri said...



Happy Bandiversary! My Bandiversary is May 10th and I am at 60 lbs lost. I fear that I will not be at 100 lbs lost by my bandiversary. I really wanted that but binging and my addiction to ice cream has been an issue lately. I always look to the "success stories" (that means you) for guidance and support. What do you eat everyday? How much, how often do you exercise? What type of exercise? Congrats and please continue to blog, it does help us that are struggling.

Kerri, I won't mention how little I've lost in the last three months, lest it depress you.  Let's just say it is barely double digits.  The weight loss definately slows down.  But since I consider myself "at goal" it isn't too bad. 


I've already touched on what I eat so I'll answer the exercise question.


I want to start by saying that I've always exercised.  I think it is a stereotype that obese people are lazy and inactive.  Yes, I am more active now than I was, but I've always tried to incorporate physical activity into my life.


The bulk of my activity is walking.  I walk every day for at least 30 minutes.  I have a big dog and I live in the Pacific Northwest where rain is about the worst thing Mother Nature throws at us.  I usually walk in the morning before work.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays I ride my bike to work (3.4 miles each way).  I also ride to church most Sundays (1 mile each way) and look for other opportunities to ride my bike during the week.  A few nights a week, I lift free weights while watching TV.  I also frequently walk in the evening after dinner. 


I love to exercise, but I really don't enjoy working out in a gym.  I've done two 5K's since I was banded.  I also like to swim, but I don't do that at the moment. 

Kristin said...



Congratulations! It's been a transformative year for you, by any measure.


I'd love to hear what you eat on a typical day, a really "good" day, and a day when you feel like you went way off track.

Kristin wants to hear about when I get off track.  One thing I can say about not having any "off-limits" foods is that I don't usually feel like I've gotten off-track.  I don't beat myself up for chosing foods that are less-healthy.


What I do beat myself up about is when I eat something at a time other than a regular meal-time when I'm not hungry or when I chose to have something extra that pushes my calories way up.  Looking back through my food journal I see a couple of days when I had over 1,700 calories.  Usually I had something like a cup of coffee from Starbucks and then didn't eat light to make up for the extra calories.  Or I'll have a snack after having a high-calorie lunch.  Every so often I will have extra sweets like yesterday when I had eight Thin Mint girl scout cookies (320 calories).  It happens!


But I do try to ENJOY the foods I eat.  I think a lack of satisfaction is a big part of why I used to overeat.  I didn't let myself enjoy the foods I ate.  I punished myself for my choices and I seldom let myself take pleasure if I had a treat.  Now when I have sweets, I chose good quality (no Hersheys, no candy bars) and I eat them slowly.  Sometimes I turn off the TV and concentrate on the taste.  So if you ever write a post about how you were so "bad" because you had Panda Express or a piece of pizza (or the cheese off a piece of pizza), I'll probably say something to the effect that there are no such things as "good" or "bad" food.  Food is nuetral and all things are allowed in moderation in a healthy diet. 

Joia said...



I want to know why I've lost about 105 pounds and I've only gone from a size 26/28 to a size 18. You suck. LOL! You're awesome, girl, and a constant source of inspiration...even if you think you're being repetitive. Sometimes? We need to hear the same message again.

Okay.  This isn't really a question, but I must respond!   I suspect the answer is that I stuff myself into the smallest size I can fit into.  And once I discover I fit into a smaller size I quickly stop wearing the larger sizes even if they still fit.