Fenton

Bear in mind that many of the weight loss numbers you see here (mine included) represent TOTAL weight loss - both loss since banding, and loss BEFORE banding. Really, 35 lbs is a huge accomplishment.

Wait - Trisha, WHAT YOU TALKING 'BOUT, WOMAN??? 35 pounds is a really EXCELLENT loss for, what, a 10 week period? I think you're losing weight faster than most of the gals here. And if you can do a 5K, I suspect you're not one of the higher BMI folks here, so your weight is particularly impressive. Secondly, what do you think you'll get from a nutritionist now? You know what's good to eat and what's bad to eat. You should have a good idea of your recommended Protein intake by now, and should be buying foods with an eye to getting that protein in. But really, you're doing a FANTASTIC job on your weight loss. Your husband's behaviour is kind of worrying, though. Do you think he wants you to stay fat for any reason? Is he worried he'll lose you once you've completely trimmed down? Is he particularly drawn to large women? It's hard to believe that anyone is so ignorant of nutrition that they believe Chinese food is a good place to take someone who's watching their calories... But whatever effect he's having on you, you're doing the right thing. Your weight loss is TREMENDOUS!

Nemesis, you're up tomorrow, right? Come back and let us know how things are going with you. Speaking of which: Cowboy, how're you feeling? I think you're past the worst of it, now.

This time tomorrow, you'll truly be one of us! Come back and let us know how you're doing ASAP, OK?

Where is Vernon Creek, mscathy? I'm game if he is. My friend tells me that since I"ll be spending a lot of time on my ass when starting out, I'd be better off learning in Colorado, but I figure I'd rather spend my time on my ass in New Jersey so that I could be vertical and actually going downhill while vertical while in Colorado.

K-Pod, I think that's going to be the hardest thing, that leaving a sense of ourselves as fat behind after we reach goal. It's like alcoholics are "recovering alcoholics" for the rest of their lives, so, what are we? We may not be physically overweight anymore, but I suspect we remain thin-people-trapped-in-a-fat-body-now-converted-to-a-normal-weight-one....

Amanda, if your case is in NYC, you might get to see ME testify! Then we'd have an awkward moment when you had to declare that you knew one of the witnesses, and then how you knew me! Once, a defense attorney, trying to put me off my game, started his cross examination by asking me how much I weighed. It was pretty funny.

Gosh, what a bore I am, recycling my same old stories! Um, if it helps, I learned last week that the custom snowboard is more likely to happen now, and that they're discussing appropriate bindings for me! (That's snowboard bindings, not, like, tied-up lawyer bindings...) Come to think of it, I think I mentioned it when I was talking about wanting to get a Wii to get in shape for the snowboard thing. Gah!

I think I may have mentioned one of my other goals: I want to learn to snowboard. That is an absolute for me. I think I mentioned it on another forum some months back, but I actually have a vaguely exciting plan, and this week it got a bit closer. A friend of mine is a fairly established "Outsider Artist", who enjoys an increasingly large cult following with his horrific paintings of, well, the horrors of contemporary American life as he sees it. He was approached by a snowboard company who wanted to license one of his images to use as a snowboard; his manager, a close friend, stipulated that she'd like to get several of the snowboards, and asked if they could make one for me. She explained my situation, and they're going to build a custom snowboard for me, something that will accommodate by impressive height and width. I'm SO excited! We're making plans to go boarding in Colorado next February, when, G_d willing, I shall have cracked the 300 lb level, and entered the woonder that is Twonderland...

It's definitely one of the things I'd like to try when I get to a more reasonable weight - although NYC may not be the best place in the world to do it. I've actually thought about doing one of those *gentler* Outward Bound trips when I reach goal. But who am I kidding? sleeping on dirt and crapping in the woods? I'm a luxury hotel kinda guy, all the way.

Haha! "Prisonish-looking tattoos"! It looks great - I think it'll be really stunning once it's inked in. And gosh, those photos really show how much you've lost!

I want to try kayaking. Not quite yet, but eventually! I bet it gives you a pretty good work-out...?

Yay K-Pod! I love your swimsuit - let's see a close-up of your ink!

My friend the Stern Mistress of Pain is a wonderful, wonderful person, honestly the sweetest and kindest person I've ever known. Her job is lucrative and exotic - she's frequently flown around the world to punish rich neerdowells - but, at the end of the day, I wish she weren't in that line of work. She enjoys her work, and its proceeds, but I think it eats away at her self-esteem. And who has enough of THAT?

As far as the aspirin goes, my docs are very aggressive on insisting that everyone get back on their aspirin regimen the day after surgery. At least, I'm pretty sure it was the day after surgery - although it may have been later. IN medicine, things tend to get politicized quickly - some fields are as sectarian as any religion - but my guys are real believers in that. And personally, I think the aspirin does me more good than it creates risk of stomach ulcers. I'm careful to take the "safer" enteric coated aspirin, and I take it after a meal, but I acknowledge the risk. I think a lot depends upon the individual doctors' experience. Your guy might have had problems with bleeding ulcers, I believe that at my place in their 20,000 or so case experience, they've had two deaths, one from a heart attack, another from a clot developing on the leg; since both heart attacks and leg clots are potentially less likely in someone taking aspirin, I think its likely that that would explain their enthusiasm for getting people back on blood-thinners ASAP. But I agree: the best thing to do is to consult your own physician, absolutely.

It's not my appetite - partly it's been social obligations, partly it's been because I'm in love with the Chinese-spiced duck currently on offer at my favourite restaurant (a mere two blocks from my loft, but expensive enough that it's a once a week treat, unless someone else is buyin'). Hunger isn't my problem - I've not had anything today, and I'm really not hungry. ALSO! Yesterday it was my old friend boredom. I was too lethargic to make plans and so ended up hanging around at home, not getting any exercise, playing video games and intermittently nibbling. I probably broke 2000 calories, but they were all fairly healthy. I'm not TOO worried about days with large numbers of calories, although I don't like that it interferes with my zippy weight loss goals.

Also, A-Dub, I can't help but point out that I have just as many friends as you do...

Yes, for reals. As it turns out, NYC is filled with lawyers crying out for chastisement.

While I think six pack abs are an admirable goal, I think that for most of us they're unreachable without superhuman effort: it's not just about the amount of muscle in the abdomen, it's more about the total percent of body fat, which has to be EXTREMELY low for the muscular development to be visible. Coincidentally, a couple weeks back I discovered that my best friend, a woman in her mid-40's, has washboard abs. I was terribly impressed! But she spanks naughty men for a living, so she spends three hours a day in the gym keeping herself in good shape. Plus she has a physically demanding job, and is burning calories all day what with various floggings and whatnot. And lives on horrible spirulina Protein drinks and the like. So she looks great, but at what cost?

I don't know if I'd call it a "stall", but my weight has plateau'd. The reason I wont' call it a stall is because I KNOW why it's plateau'd - I've been eating too much this weak, and I've been too busy or too hot to exercise. SO, remedial exercise today, and dieting again...

I can imagine it's frustrating, but you're already a third of your way to goal!!

That's great! I hope you guys had a fantastic time. Remember, it's early days still - your date may well turn out to be the love of your life, but however things turn out, you've taken your first step. Just relax and enjoy your new life. There's no hurry - you've got plenty of time to find the right guy.

Shoop, I think it's more complicated than that - I'm certainly getting my Vitamins in, and I'm losing hair. In the (excellent, btw) WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY FOR DUMMIES, they note that there is no nutritional supplement that has been proven to prevent hair loss in this situation, although they say there's nothing to suggest it does harm. I suspect that hair loss would be less in a cooler climate, too, fwiw.

Hmmm.... That's a good idea - I have some grilled chicken, maybe I'll give it a dusting with the PB2...

From the videogame site Kotaku.com comes this news: Jillian Michaels Going After Wii's Biggest Losers If you're finding Wii Fit to a less strenuous workout than the one required to help you shed your flab, perhaps the prospect of training with fitness guru Jillian Michaels will help. Majesco is publishing Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2009 which—surprise!—uses the Wii Balance Board to integrate "a tiered fitness regimen, expert advice and exercise techniques from the charismatic Jillian Michaels, the game delivers a focused workout that will help players reach their own personal fitness goals." The star of NBC's reality show The Biggest Loser says she's "a huge gamer" and hopes (via press release) that the Wii game will accomplish something just shy of saving the world. Michaels is corporately quoted as saying "I truly think this type of product will be instrumental in revolutionizing the fitness industry and will help combat the childhood obesity epidemic in this country today." See? Nintendo totally should've stuck with "Revolution." Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter predicts big things for Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2009, and not just amongst the chubby crowd. "That thing is going to sell," said Pachter. Not all consumers might be aware of what Wii Fit is, but most weight-conscious women, he said, know Jillian Michaels as a brand. "She's branded as a fit person who helps people lose weight," he said, and that brand affinity could help more people see the Balance Board as less of a video game gizmo and more of a health product. It certainly sounds like more of a workout than managing a trio of hula hoops, as the game is pitched as having Weight Loss, Strength Training, Intervals and Hill Climb modes, each with three difficulty tiers and workout times up to 60 minutes. It features more traditional exercise options like crossing monkey bars to climbing ladders and rowing. The best part? Gamers can unlock "lifestyle and fitness video tips" featuring Ms. Michaels. Rowrr! We expect to see nothing but six-pack abs and ripped shoulders in close proximity to Wiis by this time next year.