Jachut

That sounds ideal fto me. Tecnically, you shouldnt "feel" restriction. You shouldnt feel pain, discomfort, any sort of "hard stop" meaning you get that I must not eat one more bite feeling. You shouldnt pb with any regularity, and when you do, it really should be obviously user error. What restriction is is eating a smaller portion and feeling satisfied and staying that way. You might still think mmmmm.... donuts an hour after lunch, but you shouldnt be physically hungry. Some people are luckier than others with regard to how much their appetite and interest in food drops away after banding, for me, no matter how tight I get, I will always be interested in anything put in front of me. My worst downfall is eating with my head, not my stomach. You cant fix that with a lapband. Good restriction or a sweet spot is ideally that level of restriction, but it doesnt diminish only three weeks after a fill. I found I got a constant restriction level but as I got more and more fill it would last longer and longer, till my last one lasted well over a year before I felt I needed a top up. But I have a 4cc band which tends to work more that way than the larger capacity bands now in use. How much you should eat at a sitting depends only on how weight loss is going, if you're losing reasonably, then there's no reason at all to fret about eating more than 1/2 a cup at a time, and I never had to eat that little to lose weight.

Well, that's my point, its guessing. Obviously I *DONT* burn the average for my height, weight and activity level or I'd be scary skinny on what I eat. I kind of take the view it doesnt really matter. The balance is obviously OK for me as I'm normal weight and stay that way effortlessly. I dont particularly need to know the numbers.

I think you just use what is appropriate for whatever you're cooking. I buy the 5 star lean ground beef - which here in Australia is pretty lean. I always brown it off, tip out the fat, rinse it and pat it dry too, so its really a very reasonable option. I wouldnt substutite turkey for things like spaghetti sauce and chilli because I can taste the difference, but I would always use turkey or chicken for something like Thai Chicken Cakes, stir fries, stuff like that. Red meat is high in Iron and most women benefit from a few serves a week. Its more a function of how much other saturated fat you have in your diet - if you avoid the bad things like deli meats, cheeses, full fat dairy, you can afford to use the beef.

I got quite squishy and was very alarmed, lol. But in the end, I ended up with very little loose skin. I would now desribe my skin as about 1/2 a size too big for me. I now feel firm and toned, I have visible muscle, and you can feel that my body is very fit. But it just has a bit of drapiness over the top of it - probably nothing anyone else would ever notice. It was definitely serious exercise that got rid of the squishiness.

that approach worked for me too and it is beyond me why anyone would want to count calories, obsess over Protein or measure portions or even WORSE (to me, lol) low carb it *shudder*. But I think there's a couple of different reasons why people need and like different approaches. I ate reasonably well before banding - of course I ate too much crap, that's how I got fat and i have a real problem with foods like Cookies, cakes and muffins. But I knew what a healthy diet was, I cooked well for my family and ate a lot of healthy foods. I dont eat things out cans, boxes and the freezer section of the supermarket, and I have the skills to cook from scratch. There are people who have become so consumed by the disease of obesity that they dont even know where to start to eat healthy. They need a "program". On the other hand, I was able to trust that if I "ate what I wanted", a good proportion of time that would be healthy. My only real problem was portion size, but that isnt true for everyone. Then there's people who are just like that. They love routines, they love rules, they love to follow something. My mum is like that. She loves to live on weight Watchers even though she's not the least overweight. It drives me freaking crazy and running straight for the nearest Donut King. Then there's people who just want the magic fix. They need to believe in the latest diet because they have not yet faced the reality that it is THEIR choices that affect their result. They want to follow something and when it doesnt work, they can blame it instead of thinking about their own choices and decisions. the same is true of exercise and our approaches to it. I cant for the life of me understand why you'd need a body bugg and a heart rate monitor, its not that freaking scientific. I reckon if you go out, work hard, sweat a lot and get out of breath, then you're doing great. But some people have a need to know their heart rate and how many calories they've burned. They need to know the sums add up. Nobody's right or wrong, but I certainly got a band to just eat what I want forever more and never diet again. For me, any approach that resembles dieting is dysfunctional and does not lead to a healthy relationship with my body. I would not consider myself "cured" if I were thin but counting calories, logging, adding exercise calories burned the way I do becuase I eat what I want and enjoy exercise and stay thin as as a result. And lately, I dont even care about the scale, have been checking maybe once a month. Major breakthrough!

Its a good lesson to learn, isnt it? I posted in another thread that my 14 year old and 12 year old boys eat about the same, yet my 14 year old is about 180 lb (guessing here), the 12 year old I know is 90lb. If anything, the heavier one eats healthier! My husband's whole side of the family has the metabolism of slugs. they're not particularly fat, but they're small eaters and just sooooooo lazy and inactive. My two boys, the older is the same. He will have a game of basketball, come to circuit class within me but when he's not being deliberately active, he's completely inactive. Whereas the 12 year old is typical - never sits down, always riding, scootering, kickign a ball, runnning around. Just so different, but inherently, not on purpose. We are what we are I guess and we have to learn to live with it and manage it. I dont know how I'm not as thin as a stick eating 1800 calories a day but burning what I do. I run, do bootcamp, circuit training and eat a lot less than most other people I know, and yes I"m "normal" thin, but it surprises me how I'm not super skinny when I compare to others. I think there really are reasons why some people become obese and some dont.

Isnt it funny, it depends on the way in which I prepare the salad as to how easy it is to eat too. If its all tossed, in a bowl, I find it a difficult food. But if I make it 70's style, like my mum used to - on a plate, with stuff like a tiny bit of iceberg as a base, sliced tomato (not quartered), sliced hardlboiled egg, some corn, beetroot, a pineapple ring, maybe a slice of orange, grated carrot, a rolled up piece of ham and low fat mayo, that goes down a treat, one of my very favourite lunches (and dinners) But cut it differently and toss it in a bowl and its dangerous, pb prone food for me.

Oh, I get that. I'm enthusiastic, not really meaning to bust anyone's ass, I just feel so great about it and its done so much for me that I want everyone to have that in their lives. But, I *was* lucky. I was an unfit slug but I was in helluvalot better shape and much much lighter than many people, which is why I also tend to get really riled about the people dont deserve surgery below a BMI of 35 posts too. Much much much better to tackle an obesity problem at this level than when you're body's half ruined from the strain of years at a really high weight.

The charts say that at 5ft 10, 150lb and the amount of exercise I do, I should be eating aroumd 2,500 calories a day to maintain my weight. I eat about 1800 or so. It is ridiculous when you think my week includes two 10kms runs, a circuit class, a couple of bootcamp sessions as well as the day to day running around I do that I eat so little and am not thin as a stick. But its just the way it is. Once you've lost weight through the fairly severe calorie restriction that lapband imposes, you will never be able to eat what the charts say you should again. Your metabolism is affected by it and its why diets in general are unsuccessful. They only work for us becuase we have bands to keep us on the straight and narrow forever. You can minimise the slowdown, but I did everythign right - I ate 1500 calories a day, never went below that, I ate a lot of vegies, fruit and fibre, I exercised religiously, both cardio and strength. And I am still stuck with eating about 800 calories a day less than I *should* be able to. I certainly eat WAY less than other people half my size. Add to that the fact that many obese people cant figure how they got so fat eating what everyone else eats and its very very possible that your body does NOT need 2,200 calories a day to maintain its weight. I have two sons, both who eat about the same. The 14 year old is about 180lb at 5ft 10, the 12 year old about 90lb at 5ft 2 or so, totally different body types. Its ridiculous. The younger runs around like a nutter all day, scootering and biking and kicking balls and whatnot and that's what makes the difference. Its all in the metabolism and you may not have the calorie deficit you assume you do. But that's a negative way of looking at it just yet, you are most likely plateauing out, and it will break, sooner or later. Just hang in there, becuase what matters is consistency. Its how you go from being a couch potato to running 10kms and its how you go from fat to thin. If there's one thing that I learned, its that week to week is not how you judge weight loss - its a long term thing. Its really only when you look back after six months or a YEAR that you can see the real results.

I never slack off on the exercising, thats the thing I find makes the most difference for me. Lots of cardio because nothing burns calories like running does and over the last 2 years I've also done lots of circuit training. That allows me lots of scope. My only other "rule" is 3 meals a day, nothing more. I dont always stick to that perfectly, but its snacking that does me in. I eat whatever I want, but I only eat 3 meals and my weight never budges an ounce. Its not uncommon to gain weight early in a relationship, because you tend to do a lot more things like eating out, having romantic dinners, afternoon teas etc etc. Just cut them out again, lol.

Nope. Just another thing I refuse to ever do again. I listen to my body and even if I serve a bit much, I dont eat it all if I dont need it.

Lol, I hate to break it to you, but cookies and sweets arent a food group! (oh, if only hey?). cutting out carbs entirely is cutting out a food group. I tihnk its nuts when people say that carbs make you crave carbs and that whem they cut them out, if they eat a little bit, they'll go crazy. Well, der, that's because your body is desperate for a balanced diet and you've withheld an ENTIRE food group. but I definitely believe that some people do much better on lower carb diets and there is lots of proof that its tied in with that whole metabolis synddrome thing - apple shaped women in particular, they tend to have the same body chemistries, the pcos, the pre-diabetes thing happening and a low carb diet seems to work very well for that. Cravings for cookies and such is such a problem, and most of us do have to just say NO to some foods. I cant eat them in moderation either, having a cookie or two and being "moderate" does nothing to stop my desire to eat the entire packet. I'm better off not having them in the house and having an occasional binge, I've learned i will never ever be able to handle these foods appropriately. But wholegrain breads, cereals, etc I can. I dont overeat those foods.

I have to be honest, I couldnt dream of eating that much in one sitting. I can eat 3/4 of a Big Mac and be very full and definitely satisfied for a good few hours. There's no way I could fit a drink or fries in at the same time and the last quarter of the burger would certainly have been overeating to the point where I would have pb'd. But whilst you and I both know that McDonalds and Burger King and such cannot be a regular on your menu if your long term weight loss is going to be successful, occasionally, you really do want something like this or you kind of get stuck having to eat in a place like this. I think its OK to enjoy it once in a while, but being able to eat that much is probably not optimum restriction. I find a burger such a difficult food that I really have to ahve a strong craving for one. I dont want to pull it apart and just eat the middle, I want to eat it like a normal person, but most often if I get stuck in McDonalds, burgers are so hard that I'd more likely choose 3 nuggets and a cup of coffee (I hate the McDonalds salads here, they're crap). I've tackled a burger only once in perhaps 2 years. I'd consider I have good restriction but many people would be dismayed to be able to tackle a burger at all, so its all how you see it.

I do, but personally, I dont like separating them - I do more bootcamp and circuit workouts which combine both weights and cardio into one session - not that I use a lot of weights, more doing chin ups, pushups, lunges and squats, perhaps holding a weight. This type of workout is renowned for burning a LOT of fat. I really think just doing them and doing them consistently is what matters (and makes the real difference), adding in too many rules is just a good way to make it all too hard. I'd do both on the same day and I'd do them in whatever order you please. Its another one of those rules for competitive bodybuilders that gets applied to the layman - it might make a difference but for the results we're wanting, its not significant like it is for someone whose livelihood is riding on it - same as the average athlete doesnt need 55 Protein shakes and 40 different supplements a day at precise times before and after exercise, etc.

I think that'd be fine. I dont drink plain millk either - nor milk shakes, Protein shakes, anything made with milk. I just dont like it much. And personally, I think people milk is for peoples and cows milk is for cows. I'll drink a bit on Cereal, in coffee, but I'd always make hot chocolate with Water, and add just a dash of milk.

Just using this as an example greytz, not directing this little rant at you. I just dont think any nutritionist that would frown on what you're eating is worth listening to. Who CARES if that's a slider food for you? Its damn healthy and involves several different types of vegetables. And its also so low calorie that who CARES whether you can eat more than a cup of it? Slider foods mean more (to me anyway) foods that go down easy BUT are also foods you shouldnt be eating much of - Cookies, chocolate, ice cream. I can eat vegetable Soups very easily so technically, liquids/sliders. But they fill me and are very nourishing (usually home made and inlcuding goodies like lentils or chick peas) so to say I shouldnt eat them because I can eat a whole cup at a time is to be blunt, just stupid. It misses the entire point of eating healthy when you're banded. Its not only about what fills you for the most time, its also about getting in what your body needs. Unfortunately I find many healthy foods much more difficult than unhealthy ones, so the ones I can eat, I'm not about to avoid.

Avocado is a nearly daily food for me, I love it and the fats are good fats. But I hardly ever eat Mexican food, it doesnt have the same popularity in Australia, so I dont associate Avocado solely with that. I eat avocado on its own (half an avo for Breakfast, cut in half, eat with a spoon), I eat it in salads, I spread it instead of margarine or butter. Its great on crackers.

I brew a pot and add a bit of skim milk! when I'm out, I love a latte, but in Australia, this is European style coffee, which means a latte is 1/3 strong espression, 2/3 steamed milk (I always choose skim) served in a small glass. Likewise a cappucino is about the same proportion of espresso and steamed milk, with the milk froth on top and a light dusting of chocolate powder (negligible calories) served in a hot cup. Learn to love COFFEE not all those confectionary condiments that go with it. They are simply no good for you and make dieting nearly impossible. When you do have them, consider them a dessert, and plan for them, not simply a drink. I find even if I wanted those types of things (and occasionally I'll have a yen) I find walking around sucking on a big plastic cup just the most horrible look! That puts me off anyway. I like to sit down and drink it out of real cups.

I started at 245ish, 5ft 10, BMI 36. I freely admit, I had some fitness, I hadnt done much for quite a few years other than walking (which never helped me to shed any weight) and I was sporadic about that, not committed to it. But I definitely had muscle memory and had been active when I was younger. I'd also had gym memberships on and off over the years and I *could* run for a few minutes at a time and definitely could handle walking on a treadmill for 40 mins or so but I had a chronic heel problem, with very painful bursitis, which is what prompted me to have the surgery. I could feel my ability to be active slipping away. I started on the elliptical due to my heel, doing 30 mins on that 3 times a week or so a few months before surgery, and building up in intensity from very very light to quite challenging. I used an interval trainign program called cardio coach on my MP3 (www.cardiocoach.com) which was mighty effective! After surgery, i went for a walk next day and walked for a few weeks. Then I went back to the elliptica for another couple of weeks. Being realistc, I realised I wouldnt continue to go to the gym, I needed to do something more convenient. I went out to try a short jog and amazed myself by jogging 3kms that night. I limited myself strictly to having a day off in betweeen and building SLOWLY so that I didnt injure my heel (which had by now had cortisone shot into it and was feeling good). I signed up for a few races a bit later on, gradually training for longer distances. I was really into my running for 3 years or so and it got me to goal weight, but I realised that if I wanted the body I dreamed of, I simply had to mix it up a bit and do a lot more strenght and toning work, so I took up circuit training as well, and now do boot camp too. I run for my "easy" days as a reward of the vomit inducing effort I put in at the torture otherwise known as boot camp, lol. Honestly, my progression was very slow and steady, something well within the abilities of nearly everyone. Its simply a matter of starting with what you can do but not allowing yourself to take it too easy, to constantly challenge yourself to build up.

I bought fresh and cooked at home before, didnt live on takeaway and bought food apart from occasionally. With a family of five, I couldnt afford to! I think we spend about the same. Its hard to tell - I've been banded four years and we're now spending about $100 a week MORE than we were back then (can tell due to DH accountant's anal budget records). But the kids have grown (2 teenage boys and a six year old daughter) and food has gotten much more expensive in Australia due to drought conditions. I dont think its saved us much - we dont do doggy bags here in Australia so you dont bring home food from restaurants and when DH and I eat out, we never ever fancy the same things, so we dont tend to share, we just order what we want and eat a little bit of it. So eating out costs the same as it ever did. Perhaps there's more leftovers after the meal, but unfortunately I tend to freeze them just so I can throw them away in three months time. Dont know why I bother, I know I'll never ever eat them.

It will open a can of worms, lol. I'm pretty hardcore about this, and I think that depends on how much you inherently like exercise. People get really shirty about it because, well, the truth hurts I guess. They dont like to be told that their nice easy routine is not going to give them the same benefits as something more challenging. Not that walking isnt beneficial! Can you consistently lose weight with eating less and a couple of walks a week?. For sure. It will slow and if you're really heavy, you probably wont get to a normal weight just doing this, it simply wont be enough long term. It also wont really give you what I'd term "fitness", although it has loads of health benefits and will keep you generally healthy, so if its what you like doing and all you want to do, go for it and dont torture yourself thinking you should do more. You can definitely get your BMI from 45 to 29, size 24 to 14 type results with this sort of routine. That might be all you ever want to achieve and Healthwise, that's stellar! Your cardiologist would be mighty pleased with you and your life will be longer and richer as a result. But if you want to reach a low BMI, like under 25, you want a good muscular toned body and to minimise flab from your weight loss, and if you really want to rev your metabolism so that weight maintenance is absolutely effortless and you can pretty much eat normally (your new normal, but still pretty much like other people, with some carbs, some treats, a bit of alcohol occasionally) then you will need more. I do sweat inducing, heart rate in the 80% max plus range, bootcamp and running style workouts five or six times a week. My easy days are a 4 mile jog in about 35 minutes, my hard days are full on boot camp, tons of sprinting, body weight stuff like chin ups, pushups, squats, lunges etc. The fitness its given me has given me an energy and vitality that walking could never ever come close to, I am a human dynamo now and I get SO much done in a day, and never get tired. Its awesome. I have great muscle tone, really nicely shaped upper body and I guess I've done the best I can with my well cushioned rear, my stomach is flat as a pancake, I can wear a bikini and look good in it at almost 43 years old AFTER 3 babies, my skin glows, what more can I say really. I cant recommend this sort of exercise enough, it pays handsome rewards and will make your weight loss and particularly maintenance journey much much much easier. But it takes a bit of willpower before you can learn to love it. I actually crave it now, to me walking is just a nice pasttime but not really exercise.

you just have to. I leave other things such as ironing or putting away washing for exercise. I might get home from a day of teaching, thankfully I'm normally home by 5 at the very latest, quickly put together dinner, leave it waiting and head out for a run. I purposely took up running because whilst I also do other things like boot camp twice a week, in the most time challenged times, half an hour is all it takes to burn 600 calories. I can get up in the morning to do that if I must, but I'm not generally an early morning exercise. My boot camp sessions are at 7pm Mondays, Thursdays. I find it fairly easy to have dinner and the kids organised by then, that's leisure time and I would rather do that than waste it on television. It usually energises me to get home and do a bit of housework. Basically I dont park my bum on the couch, hardly ever. No time for that. Better things to do. And being tired isnt an option, exercise FIXES that, no matter how much you might not want to do it. Weekends are good useful time too, that's two days where you dont have to fit exercise around work. I'd rather get up and get a run in than waste time sleeping in. There is limitations, I have an hour max, no way do I have time for long gym routines, driving to and from, doing half an hour cardio, an hour weights etc. It must be done AT home, from home or very very close to home. When boot camp finishes, if we dont continue on as a group, I'll just do the same sorts of workouts myself. I started running when my youngest baby was about 2 and she came with me in a jogger stroller, however I now have a 14, 12 and 6 year old, so I can leave them while I go out to run. I wouldnt/couldnt have done what I do now back then, it wouldnt have been fair to the kids. But I do have a treadmill at home also, which I use with cardiocoach, or make up my own circuit style workouts, so I can be here for them as well. Basically, I covered every base, and therefore there's no excuse - treadmill, jogger stroller, running, basic weights and a gymball, there was really nothign to stop me putting in some kind of workout. My kids all play basketball and I always watch and support that but my middle son recently took up softball as well - 8 am Sat morning. He has an hour's training before the game, so i take him down and go for a run. Good opportunity. I take my oldest son and his friend to a circuit class once a week - great time together and its benefitting us both. Doug and I will sometimes take them all to the pool after dinner in summer and take turns watching the littlest whilst the other swims some laps. I take Eliza down to the park (she's the youngest) and I do a circuit/bootcamp style workout at the park while she plays - I combine using the equipment to do stuff like chin ups, pull ups (well, my weak version) I do pushups, dips and stomach work mixed up with sprints round the perimeter of the park (its about 300 metres). There really is NO excuse and PLENTY of time if you're inventive. I used to put my 2 little boys at 4 and 6 in the middle of the footy oval with a cricket bat and ball, a frisbee, a football and let them go wild whilst I jogged around the outside. I was fat back then, but I was always trying, lol. Obviously these park/football overal activities only work in the daytime, or daylight savings in the summer time.

Droooool.......

Personally, I try not to snack. It just doesnt work for me. I appreciate all the wisdom about it keeping your metabolism up, but I just tend to not stop eating once I start, between meals. I always lose better and more without snacking. If I do snack, its usually when I choose to have a treat - like a cookie or two. Which is why I try not to!

I think below 1000 calories a day long term is seriously risking your health. That said, I dont think WLS patients can compare to normal people - I know i cant as the charts all say at my height, age, level of activity I shoudl be eating about 2400 a day. I eat about 1500 to maintain my weight. Because at the end of the day, whatever your surgery, you have lost weight by fairly strict calorie reducation and yoiur metabolism IS affected by that, no matter whether you're doing a newfangled low carb diet or the perfect strength trainign routine. Once you have lost a lot of weight by calorie reducation you will never be able to maintain your weight on a "normal" calorie intake. that said, I lost easily on 1500 a day (I do a lot of exercise) and I really think that there's no medal for starving yourself. I can nourish myself adequately on that level if I eat carefully. If you're eating 700 a day then you will need to be obsessed with your nutrition for the rest of your life, there's no room for treats in there, and even so you WILL become deficient in various nutrients, and your metabolism will slow markedly and you will have more trouble than you need to maintaining lean body tissue. It really should not be necesary for most people to eat that little, but I guess its one disadvantage of the sleeve, they have to make your stomach small and restrict your eating a lot because if they allow you more leeway and you peter out 50lb above your healthy weight range, there's nothing more you can do about it. You're stuck with the size stomach you have and would have to diet and use willpower to lose the rest. Its a moot point anyway because you will have your sleeve for life and so eating low calories should be doable for you without undue pain, as long as you're very attentive to nutrition, I'm sure most people would swap that for the pain and undoubtedly more severe medical complications of obesity.