Jachut

Lol, I run backwards on my treadmill and do side skipping too, during my circuit training. I do it to help develop muscles that tend to be not developed by the amount of running I do - things like glutes which if weak, can lead to running injuries. My kids think I am INSANE! They laugh at me, but I keep going. I can run backwards up an incline of 8 at 4 mph now, quite a feat!

Ack! I have the thinnnest arms, the shape of my upper body, arms and shoulders in particular, I couldnt be happier with. Definitely my best feature and if I'm being horribly vain but objective, they're really nicely shaped. But catch them in the right light and yep, there's arm cellulite there. You've got to see it from the right angle, but its there. I. Freaking. Hate. Cellulite. I have tons of it on my backside. Its disgusting.

I'm totally open and honest about my surgery. I'm not the least bit embarrassed or ashamed about it, even though people assume that because I had it, I must have weighed 300 or 400 lb (I didnt). The way I see it, I am proud of the fact that I said "enough" to the stupid and pointless exercise of trying to lose the weight without surgical help. It. doesnt. Work. People just do not lose 100lb and keep it off. Statistics bear that out. What made me think that I would be the 1% that could do it even though I'd failed a million times before. I also would never ever want to imply to others that somehow I am in that special 1%. I'd feel gutted every time someone I knew lost a lot of weight (not that they've ever kept it off) because it would make me feel I was lacking something. Whilst I dont like people thinking I took the "easy way " out and I'm quick to point out how much work it is, I also dont want them to think that I could do this without help.

I think you have to remember there are people with varying degrees of illness getting banded. You have people with truly disordered eating. You have people with real issues they dont know how to cope with other than eating. You have people that cant take any responsibility for their own actions and decisions and expect the band to "do" something for them. The biggest thing I've learned on here is how many obese people are victims. Everything happens TO them. None of it is their fault. They blame their obesity on everything but their own actions. They think the whole world exists just to descriminate against fat people. This is the group I tend to really lose my temper with. Its such a waste of time to be such a wimp. You also have people who have NO idea what a healthy diet is and genuinely think they're doing the right thing. You have people with metabolic disorders such as PCOS, problems like diabetes, physical disabilities that render exercise difficult etc. If you wiped all of these factors then perhaps you would have 100% compliance. But I agree, I tend to think that getting banded is the hugest, most positive step any of us would have taken towards attaining a healthy weight. If you cant even muster up enough willpower and enthusiasm to make it through the first weeks, then what hope is there? You know though, I've been on here long enough to see that that's not the case all the time. Plenty of people go into this misguided and get a shock at how hard it is. But plenty of them also then get their asses in gear and learn to work it. But the ones that say "but I"m hungry" or "but my friend's doc says this is OK", I just think "oh boy".

Many doctors will say that because they're liquid, they wont fill you and are therefore a poor choice. When you're banded, you realise that this isnt always true, many *liquid* foods like Soup fill me remarkably and are actually quite difficult to eat, more so than many solid foods are. Personally, I think no food should become a staple. Protein shakes are a high dose of protein and thus useful, particularly for people with small appetites. My opinion (and its just my opinion) is that I'm suspcious about any processed, packaged food and I wouldnt have them every day, especially soy based ones. I'd prefer to eat the food, but we cant always do that. If you like them, they're not going to do any damage to your band, that's for sure. But they might not do you as a meal. I find if I do have one, I eat a banana with it, and that is a really filling breakfast for me.

I swing wildly between 2 extremes. I'm a size 8 now at 5ft 10, so I'm tall and thin, but I still feel flabby and fat a lot of days. All this talk though of "normal weight" and my normal weight really isnt. I stand next to just about anyone, and I'm very much thinner and fitter looking. All my friends have had babies, they've all got the middle age spread happening, many of them are actually obese. I cant help but feel fantastic when I compare myself. But it doesnt change the fact that its still excruciatingly embarrassing those first moments when you bare yourself on the beach, that I feel desperate in the change rooms when i see the state of my backside, that some days I feel like I need my own post code. It doesnt change the fact that I'm older than I was 10 years ago and look it. But I'd have to say after 18 months at goal, it IS getting better. I'm becoming more used to myself and how I look and I've really forgotten what it was like to be 250lb.

I can down a bread roll one day and pb yogurt the next. In general I'm very very lucky, I can eat anything. But sometimes, for short periods of time my band gets very moody and doesnt like things. At the moment, for the past couple of weeks, I cant eat salad. Ugh. Instant pain, guaranteed pb if I perservere. Given its summer here its a pain in the neck, but to be honest, I've never liked basic garden salad before anyway, the kids dont eat it so i may as well just cook the darn vegies. Pasta salad, potato salad, anything like that is fine, although of course there's minimal green vegetable and maximum fatty mayonnaise so those arent healthy foods. But if we go to a barbecue at the moment, I eat the potato salad and leave the lettuce!

I had a similar thing, not quite so tight as you describe but I was pretty much at maintenance anyway and I thought I'd just get a tad more and try to take off an extra 10lb. Well, in reality, I just ended up eating tons of crappy slider foods instead of anything decent and its taken me a LOT of hard work to get back onto a good diet, as bad habits crept in again. It just never works the way you think it will, if you cant eat solids, you really are quite likely NOT to lose weight. If you find you're losing then I dont think its that unsafe to let it loosen on your own, as long as you're not having reflux and night coughing and tons of pbing. But dont be surprised if you dont lose well.

Well, that's hard to say, because although I've run regularly throughout my whole journey, who's to say what I would have looked like had I not done so? i can say I dont *need* plastic surgery. I have no hanging apron or terrible bat wing arms. But I also do not have the body I'd expect to have for the amount of exercise I do. Its not fair, but I'm STILL flabby and loose. And that's just because all over my body, my skin is about 1/2 a size too big for the body its covering. I look somewhat toned because you can see muscle definition on me, but its all just a bit sad and droopy. I could look FANTASTIC with a tummy tuck, buttock lift, etc but to be honest, the problem I have does not justify the awful scarring from those procedures. The state of my poor boobs does. I've also heard on more than one occasion that jogging destroys your face, lol. Sadly, I think that anyone who loses a lot of weight will have the signs on their body to show for it. Unless they're VERY luck and VERY young, I just dont think there's a lot you can do about it. I'd never ever ever trade my old body for the one I have now though. I may not look perfect but all around me, people of my age are fat and out of shape, so in comparison, I do OK, lol.

See this is where I think Protein first is a crock. That looks absolutely horrible to me. Where is the fresh fruit and vegies? If you were to chuck say an apple, a banana, a cup of steamed vegies into that mix, it would make a huge improvement, its not so much the amount as WHAT you're eating. That's all dense food calorie wise, and a lot of fat. You need to balance it out with low calorie, low fat foods that are mostly Water - you need the fibre, you definitely need the Vitamins, antioxidants and minerals and you just simply dont need that much energy dense food in a day. I think trying to get tight enough to eat tiny quantities of dense food is the wrong approach, I think the amount can remain more reasonable if people would only eat some decent produce. Fudgsicles would be better replaced by some fresh fruit. 3/4 of a CUP of tuna is an enormous amount of tuna, I'd be more inclined to eat 1/4 of a cup of it on wholegrain crackers with some sliced tomato. Sorry, I know that many here would disagree with me as the protein is the the main focus for many of you. Just my 2c though. I read that intake and think too many calories for very little nutritional variety.

Yesterday went for a 7km run along the beach, we were at a friends holiday house. This morning we're home (beach is only 45 mins away, we tend to come and go all summer). Will probably walk if Doug ever gets up, if not I'll do a circuit. We're going back down this afternoon, so I'll probaby do the beach run Saturday and Sunday. Dont think I'll get a chance to do any weights till after then.

That's a very astute point on banding for the higher BMI patient, Wasa. There's loads of evidence coming to light in Australia that banding is much more successful for those with a lower BMI. I wonder why? Behaviour? Or are or bodies working differently? But that's not to say that there's not many people here on this very forum who have lost to normal from a pretty high BMI. Its not unheard of either. Give yourself a chance Michellah08, that's hardly a positive way to be thinking from the get go. Many of the poor statistics are due to elements entirely in your control, you CAN do this if you want to. Even if the band DID take you to 55% of your excess weight lost, you can think about a sleeve to take you the rest of the way, if your loss was getting ridiculously slow and difficult. But give the band a chance, afterall, its already there inside you. It does take a while to get with the program though, you need a bit of restriction first.

Actually anything cold - yogurt, cottage cheese, orange juice, is likely to block me up. And I'm afraid to eat anything like ice cream or a thick shake becuase it gives me a REALLY painful belly ache that aches all the way up my throat and into the roof of my mouth. Its excruciating. And I really struggle with Soup. It is definitely not a slider food for me, its a guaranteed eat only half a cup before I'm done food and therefore is a GREAT lunch for me.

Having never been super big myself, I still used to feel uncomfortable in the gym, even though people just like me always outnumbered the super fit ones. Really, there's all shapes and sizes in a gym! Truly, if I saw someone very obese come into the gym, I would have nothing but admiration for their bravery. I wouldnt think a single mean thought about it. Yes, people notice you're big. But to be brave enough to do something about it is admirable. Dont be ashamed! It does help if you can find a gym with the right atmosphere though.

Forgotten when I last posted... Sunday DH and I walked 15kms. So last night, had an easy recovery jog - ran 10.5kms in - wait for it - the scintillating speed of an hour and a half, lol (I can run a sub 60 min 10k). Gosh it was nice though, didnt get out of breath the entire way. Knees really shot this mornign though after a 12kms walk, a 15kms walk and a 10kms run, so I did my circuit today sans any tough lower body work - seriously, i dont really NEED to do basic leg exercises like squats, my quads and hammies get more than enough work. I didnt run on the treadmill either, just put the incline up to 9 and walked at 4 mph in the intervals. Did pushups, arm and back work, lots of work on the glutes (even some side skipping up the treadmill incline) and plenty of core work). Not sure tomorrow, might have a rest for the next 2 days I think.

Without getting into the whole debate about free weights vs machines, I think you're WAY better off doing your ab work without a machine. A gym ball is the best equipment, because it requires you to stabilise yourself on the ball as well as perform your ab work - which means you strengthen your entire core - visible abs, lower back, internal smaller muscles and obliques. There's so many things you can do on a ball from crunches to planks (resting on your elbow). Planks on the ground (where you get into a push up position, down onto your elbows, lower your butt so your entire body is straight and HOLD for 20), side planks, both of which you can do resting on your knees first for an easier version..... the list is endless. Try googling for ideas and you tube usually has great visual demos of common exercises. Even basic crunches lying ont he ground with your knees bent is going to be more effective than a machine you're not comfortable using.

It built up more gradually for me. I realised how tired I always was and how unhealthy I was feeling and with 40 fast approaching, I realised I was going to be one of those fat, frumpy out of shape middle aged women and my youth would be gone forever. The "Oh My God" moment was realising just how futile and stupid dieting is and that weight loss surgery WOULD be my answer. That I COULD do it, there was nothing to stop me and all I had to do was be brave enough. Since I have been banded, the changes I have had to make have been fairly moderate. It has REALLY shocked me just how much those little habits add up, you dont necessarily get to be fat by being a complete pig and eating three Big Mac's in a sitting. Just that extra couple of things a day adds up over the years.

I think everyone probably thinks this and should have a darn good go at it. You have to be happy that you gave it your best. But most people here have decided to have WLS or have already done so..... Well, I gave it my ALL many times before surgery and once more for good luck before I finally decided to get a band. I gained about 2kg on that attempt. However, statistics do say that about 99% of people will not lose the weight - or more specifically will not keep it off - someone has to be in that 1%. And until you are completely happy that there isnt a valid alternative, WLS is best postponed.

I cant stand her. I dont think her actions are motivated one iota by wanting to help others, its entirely narcissistic look at ME, listen to MY opinions, worship ME stuff. She's a pain in the arse.

Maybe I'm kidding myself, but I dont think so. I just dont really have "issues". Oh, I tend to eat inappropriately, boredom being a main factor and I love those sweet carbs. But what person DOESNT have some bad eating habits? I truly believe I was fat because I simply cannot eat as much as the next person without gaining weight. I *only* moderately obese at a BMI of 35 as I simply never did the sort of eating that would take me further. I ate basically healthy foods, with too many extras, simply because it was an enjoyable thing to do when I went out, when I went to the shops, when I was with friends. What I ate made me fat, but it didnt make many of my friends fat. The higher alcohol intake you tend to have when you're young and and at uni and first working made me fat, it didnt make others fat. I gained appropriate weight in pregnancy and lost it so i cant blame that, but after the babies were born and I spent long hours at home, I ate more Snacks and did less exercise, so I gained a bit. I also believe that breastfeeding (which I did for six years in total) caused me to gain a fair bit, it never worked as a weight loss tool for me. That's all there is to it, I simply needed to eat less. I really havent had to change a long with the band, I just eat less than I did but basically in the same way. I had no trouble adjusting to that. I have managed to break a few bad habits and increase my exercise. I'm very lucky really. There simply has been nothing to really deal with. I have a childhood, adolescence and early adulthood as being "heavy" but not obese, and I tended to diet a lot to try to get skinnier, and I think that was detrimental as well but I dont really have self esteem issues, bad memories of my youth, traumatic experiences related to my weight other than just not feeling attractive.

Um, probably becuase she LIKES it? Why do you assume there would be any other reason? I really like club soda and ice as a drink. I vastly prefer it over still Water. Its also great half half with white wine to reduce your calorie and alcohol intake. I can handle carbonation fine though and my doctor doesnt believe it needs to be avoided.

You have to start with what you can do, depending on how strong and fit you are, but what I eventually built up to over about a year is running five times a week. In an average week, I might go for two longer runs (10kms each) do a shorter interval run (one with bursts of sprinting or some hill training), 2 hour long circuit sessions (weights with treadmill) and maybe a couple of walks with my husband (that tend to be 6kms or so). I'm pretty active. You dont necessarily need to do that much but it got me well past my goal and keeps me there.

We can always rely on Jack for the tough love/tell it like it is without EVER being offensive or confrontational. He's really said all there is to say and I'm glad you've taken it on board. The very fact that you have means that in the long run you wont be an excuse maker, but will succeed. There's an awful lot of people who would turn that into a full on fight and refuse to see what needs to be seen, but you havent. You have to think outside the square, find ways to avoid the problems and stay on track. I mean, if you're so stressed at work that you cant eat much solid food, there is no reason not to take healthy vegetable Soup, Protein shakes etc. None at all. And if you cant walk outside in the cold and the dark then you need to take your exercise indoors. DVD's, buy some dumbells, barbells and google circuit training, get a treadmill or elliptical if you have the roomn or finances, join a gym near work if that would suit better, there really is ALWAYS a way that you can come up with something. You just have to want to do that, and be in the frame of mind to do that, more than you want to make reasons not to.

I'll sing the praises of exercise too. I was lucky, I lost fast and well from the word go with my band, but bear in mind a LOT of people need to find good restriction before they really lose. My DH was banded back in June and is really only now starting to lose weight regularly with his band. What's changed? Good restriction with a fill that I had to push him to go and have, which has finally meant that although he eats very healthily he is eating little enough to lose and he has finally realised that he has to exercise or he is not going to lose.