Jachut

Setting smaller goals seems to make sense, but to me, there's no way if I need to lose 150lb that I can take my eyes off THAT prize and aim for 50, its just not the way my head works. i'd be saying "yes, I'll try to lose 50, but of course I'm going way past that". so I just set a low goal weight and went for it. No smaller goals along the way. that said, I did have other, non weight goals and that really really helped. I focussed equally as much on becoming a runner, running longer distances etc. and the weight kind of came off as a side effect. We can all weigh healthy weights, it sounds low and its really really common to think you'd look sick at that weight but you wont.

Moderation in all things. We dont even get told protein first here in Australia. The aim is for a completely normal diet. There's no need to cut out all carbs and starch, just dont overeat them.

I think probably if we thought about it, we'd realise we can all eat better standing. if you cant eat sitting at all though, that's a problem. You're probably overfilled for you right at this moment, and I agree, a bit less weight in the stomach as you lose it will probably make ALL the difference to you. Carrying weight in your abdomen does restrict your stomach significantly. Just try to eat sitting down at 9 months pregnant - I could barely eat anything in my third pregnancy, lost heaps of weight.

I ordered a burger the other night, a real one, not some McDonalds crap. I've been craving one so badly lately for some reason. It came and of course it was HUGE, and had a pile of chips with it too. I didnt even touch the bun, I ate it with a knife and fork - the bacon, the egg, the pineapple and about 1/4 of the actual burger. it was sooooooo goood. of course I got asked what was wrong with it when the waitress took my plate. I dont often order things like that becuase they're just so enormous but sometimes you have to have a bit of what you're craving. I couldnt even THINK of eating the bread with that, there's just no way it would happen. But I can eat a small sandwich with the crusts cut off, toast, and rice an Pasta are no problem for me. But they're all 'harder' or 'riskier' foods that I dont crave nearly as much these days.

Wow, I think you've done pretty darn well in the face of some major obstacles. For me, I find the key to not gaining is exercise. If I were in your shoes, I would be looking to become an exercise junkie. I find I can pretty much eat what I like as long as I run regularly and get to the gym for circuit classes.

For me, its a bit of a case of not letting myself panic, that I can indeed eat more normally now and not gain. Afterall, I"m a healthy weight and NOT on a diet so why not have a glass of wine? But on the other hand, I cant break the diet cycle. I cant stop trying to lose weight - just four more kilograms - I'm falling into the same trap that that's what would finally make me happy with my body, as if the last 45 or so dont count. Its stupid. I dont know the answer, I think the actuall weight is only a part of this disease, and the only part we can fix. If I just ate what I wanted every day and didnt think about losing any more weight, I bet I'd eat a LOT better than I do and not this on a diet Monday morning, off it by Wednesday cycle. Luckily, I DO exercise regularly, I've gotten to the point where that's just part of my life and not related to what I'm eating or not eating. I love it. And its why I've never regained an ounce.

Jeez, that's a pretty tall order. I would have to do the shakes the whole time to lose that sort of weight in that time frame. I'd start sooner rather than later if I were you. But its so unfair! I didnt have to do any preop diet whatsoever and anyone who thinks that it "proves" anything about your potential success with the band is, quite frankly, an idiot.

It takes a while but it comes eventually. You start to have a more realistic view of yourself, although I think, even 2 years after hitting goal I do tend to see myself as bigger than I am. But I definitely see the difference these days and I dont think of myself as fat anymore, dont pick up clothes and think they'll never fit me etc.

If you're going to use your elliptical, i'd highly recommend cardio coach - www.cardiocoach.com for an interval style program that you can play on your MP3. OK, so you will have to build up to it, but there's spots all the way through to cut off your workout if that's all you can do. Seriously, it makes the time fly. What you have to do is start out much more lightly/slowly than what you're doing so that you can keep going for a more reasonable period of time. I'm a runner, but to learn to run I had to slow my running to what seemed like ridiculous speeds - I could walk faster! But it built the endurance and the right muscles and got me to where I needed to be. Cardio coach will get you in touch with the sensations of exercising, let you know when to go hard, when to rest etc, its a really great program that will get results, and you can start out with an easy one and purchase harder ones later one. Its pretty cheap, about $15 for an instant download.

Lol. I must say though, I've never had the "I cant remember eating THAT" experience with a PB, like you do with vomiting (where on earth do the carrots come from?).

I'm actually banded, not sleeved, the reason I pop in here occasionally is I was invited to do so by Wasa when it was started, to help get things going and to chime in on the exercise questions. Now I pop back every now and then becuase there's lots of people I know here and i like to see how everyone is doing. I might post on things I know something about, the more general conversational posts. I got banded December 05, so coming up to 4 years. I'm one of the lucky ones, I have a perfectly functioning band. I lost about 100lb and I do lots of running and circuit training. I had a BMI of 36 when I got banded and hadnt really been that heavy for more than a few years although I always struggled with my weight a bit and had to work hard not to get fat. Pregnancies were my downfall, as for a lot of people.

I will add - when I say "in public" I do get plenty of warning and have always made it to a bathroom, lol. Its just that everyone else in there at the time can get to enjoy it too!

A pb for me has NEVER been as simple as opening my mouth and simply regurgitating. I always heave violently and if it has happened in public, you can bet your bottom dollar everyone else within earshot hears it too - its loud and violent exactly like vomiting. the only difference is I'm not desperately nauseated, panicky, and vomiting entire stomach contents and acid. Its usually a small amount. But it often takes two or three heaves to eject what was bothering me.

Overabsorption of nutrients causing obesity? Where on earth did you hear that one? the only way you can get too much of any one nutrient is by eating too much of any particular food. The body will absorb what you put in it (more or less, many factors can cause you not to absorb much of what you eat), not overabsorb from reasonable amounts of food. You certainly dont get fat from "overabsorbing" the nutrients in healthy amounts of food. Nobody needs a bypass becuase their body absorbs too many nutrients. They need a bypass becuase it suits them psychologically and they are prepared to run the risk of their body absorbing too few nutrients as a trade off for physical and emotional relief from obesity. And anyway, a bypass only adds malabsorption to drastically reduced food quantities - the main weight loss benefit still comes from much fewer calories going in in the first place There's nothing wrong with not being prepared to take that risk, that's not close minded, that's just having feelings on the matter. However it doesnt follow that lapbands are entirely safe or effective for everyone either.

Its kind of you to suggest, and I dont want to sound rude, but to be honest, I dont consider things like sugar free pudding healthy. I think you're way better off with fresh fruit and milk than adding artificially sweetened flavours. I just dont understand how people think they're eating well when they're eating stuff like this, just becuase it has 30 grams of Protein. It also has a whole host of unnatural and possibly harmful products added to taste like cheesecake or chocolate or lemon meringe pie. Whereas milk and fresh fruit are just, well, milk and fresh fruit. Then again, I just ate a party pie - a small version of our Aussie meat pie. There's possibly NO beef in them at all, but lots of lips, claws, assholes and earlobes. Disgusting to even think about but mmmm they taste good. So perhaps dont listen to me!

There is no exercise that will "lift" sagging breasts. They contain no muscle whatsoever, simply fat and glandular tissue and they sag because ligaments and skin are stretched. Opening your wallet and lifting enough cash for a boob job might give you good biceps though! I found that the sag lessened as I lost more weight and shrank down to a C cup. But they're very sad and only surgery would fix them. Its just that they're small enough to tuck into most things now. Including my socks!

Not really, but i'm a lot more prone to gastrointestinal upsets than I used to be before a band. I tend to get very windy and bloated with things like plane trips, for example, that can take days to settle. It drives me nuts.

I can really understand why this irritates you. It really IS true with the band that you have to work hard so you do learn new habits. I think we probably all underestimate a bit how much the band does for us, but the weight loss is far less automatic than with any surgery and, whilst I think I'd gain if I lost my band, I'm pretty sure I wouldnt be as fat as I was. Because like you say, I've learned the value of being really fit and I wouldnt give that up. I wouldnt stop running or going to the gym and that's honestly half the battle. Some people just need more, they simply cant muster the ability to do that extra work that the band requires and that's fine, they also dont "lose" their surgery the way many lose their band. But its not comparing apples with apples. I'm glad of my choice, and I'm glad that I feel (even if only in my imagination) that I can take credit for my success. Which is hard to say becuase that sounds like I dont think people who have a bypass or sleeve or rny are doing any work at all. See how impossible it is to even begin to compare without insulting people?

A fill sounds like a good idea, you dont stop needing them just because you're at goal. This is a lifetime thing. Also, being busy sucks, I've had two months from hell too. But you just HAVE to keep exercising no matter how you do it. I swear that's how I dont gain because I sure dont eat as carefully as I did when I first got banded.

Would you consider surgery on the left foot? I had this problem as well, in my teens and it made any closed in shoe very uncomfortable. I had both feet done at the same time, fun fun fun. But it never recurred.

I'm in the losing more is better camp, but that's because I think thin is elegant and attractive and because I have the sort of body that does need to be thin. I'm fairly fine boned and lightly muscled, I'm meant to be more willowy than curvy. It IS a personal decision and many people with a different body shape can carry a little more weight better than i could. But one thing I really disagree with is that old "oh, that's what the charts say but I would look sick at that weight". I think many obese people have a totally warped idea of what normal body weight looks like, and they only think they'd look sick at that weight when in actual fact to anyone that didnt know them fat, they'd look totally normal. And I dont know why but there IS something confronting about shedding every ounce of the excess weight.

I was surprised by similar pockets of fat, I didnt think I carried it there, but it did remain and was stubborn. For me, continued weight loss was the answer. That's the thing, people sometimes get a bit nasty about getting down to a BMI of 21 and say you're anorexic or obsessed, but that's what you have to do to get rid of all those lumps and bumps. You do not have a specific muscle there that you can exercise to reduce the area (and that doesnt work anyway). Its just where your pecs and some of your back muscles attach. Even now, with a C cup breast, I cant wear tiny little bras with very thin backs, or I do get overhang, there's definitely a little skin there.

Well, I disagree, lol. I think a milk and fruit smoothie is a healthy Breakfast, probably because I dont think you need a gazillion grams of Protein in any one meal and I dont think you need to avoid carbs like fruit. This is something I make for breakfast quite often because its a good way to get in fruit. BUT - it tastes better and has more body with a little protein powder in it. I keep vanilla Optifast for this purpose - I hate most protein powders, have never found one that didnt have a revolting aftertaste.

It really depends on your natural body shape. Every body shape CAN get thin and toned, but will still look different. If you're more of an apple, it will take you the longest to lose from your abdomen, back and chest and even neck You'll probably get really thin arms and legs first and the last bit of annoying weight will probably be something like your tummy, or underarms. I'm the opposite, I'm a pear and I noticed face, shoulders, arms and chest. I got a real shock one day when I realised how darn thin my hands were too. My stomach got flat very easily, but I still carry weight on the thighs and behind. I'm pretty sure I always will. I was trying on dresses the other day, I cant buy anything tailored and straight unless its made for me becuase I'm freaky skinny around the shoudlers and chest so that everythign that fits my hips gapes there. I hate my neck too, you can see every muscle and tendon in it, and I cant get spray tan even on my chest becuase the hollow on the top AND bottom of my collarbones is inches deep. But I still have a fat bum!

I never noticed being hot and I didnt sweat but after I'd lost a fair bit of weight, I was freezing. I swear I froze to death for a year. Gradually I adjusted but nowadays I do wear more than I did and will have a coat on in much warmer temperatures. What embarrassed me that I hated was heavy breathing. Every bit of movement, it wouldnt FEEL terribly hard but I would breath harder even walking across a room to sit down. I was forever conscious that people would think I was panting and out of breath. I never worry about that now, my breathing is so much quieter and i can breath through my nose as I need much less oxygen. And THAT was only at a BMI of 36!