Jachut

Brandy I think you're right, healthy self acceptance is what we're after, no matter what size. That's SELF acceptance, not necessarily public acceptance, because I dont know about "real" role models. Average women yes, we cant all look like supermodels and shouldnt feel we have to try to. But I have a problem with decidedly overweight people becoming our role models instead. I mean back to Queen L, she's really quite overweight (but I never said she wasnt gorgeous or sexy!). That's not healthy either. We dont want to be teaching young girls to try to look like emaciated catwalk models, but we cant go too far in the other direction and start saying that "big is the ONLY beautiful" when its just plain not the healthiest state to be in. Its something that comes up all the time here and it disturbs me, which is why I responded harshly to a post way back in this thread about size 16 being too small for a Lap Band. I cant be bothered gong back to find the poster's name, she got the sh*ts about it, but it happens all the time. People complain about how they get discriminated against because they're fat and yet they turn around quick as a wink and make disparaging remarks and assumptions about thinness. Like, since when should a thin woman not be a role model? Its not freaking unhealthy to be thin. Its unhealthy to be anorexic or bulimic, or jsut living obsessivly to stay thin, but last I checked, if someone was born thin and utterly gorgeous looking, they're just lucky, not sick, and they're not necessarily unworthy role models. Yet we descend on them like a pack of hyenas. To go the complete opposite way and start saying that Queen L (for example) is the epitome of health, to me that's stupid. The Dove campaigns are trying to accomplish self accpetance for women, whatever their size and that's commendable, but in the one in Australia anyway, there's no thin women in it. Which is ridiculous as plenty of people are thin too. I dont particularly respond to an advertising campaign including cellulite. I have to have the "fantasy" of the product I'm buying achieving miracles, lol. On a conscious level I know it wont, I know the pics are airbrushed etc. But why the heck would I buy something to make me look the way I already look?

Take it from me, I have 3 kids and have learned through experience (and the first time really gave me a fright, lol) that eating or drinking anything with a lot of blue colour in it (and purple is a variant of blue) will result in the most alarming green sh*t. Its the gatorade, dont panic.

I've been this weight for about seven months now. I'd love to be 5 or 6kg lighter, but really I'm pretty darn happy with where I"m at now. The only reason I'd want to lose more is a) I'm a runner and the lighter the better but really mostly :blushing: because I still have saddlebags. I think truly I'll have some lipo late next year when I have a breast lift and call myself done. I maintain this weight effortlessly and I dont lose when I try to. I think my body likes it here. And if I lose more I suspect I'll just get skeletal up top and STILL have saddlebags.

I dont see any reason why you would need to give yourself a lesser amount - if you would have lost weight on 20points (for example) before then why wouldnt you after banding? You dont get banded to starve on minute amounts of food, simply to make sticking to smaller portions and sensible choices easier. So the same number of points would be fine for most people. Although.... I'd have to say now at 70kg and wanting to drop a few more (and it's not happening, lol) the normal points amount for me (20) would probably be a little much these days. I've had a big weight loss and it doesnt come off easily these days. But early on, you can still eat quite a lot and lose - as a generality of course.

I get bored with breakfast too which is when I tend to skip it. My kids often eat non breakfast food for breakfast, tuna on crackers is a favourite. Although the other morning Ewan ate his roast chicken dinner that he missed the night before as he stayed at a friend's house. Its his favourite meal, he didnt want to miss out!

Yeah, do remember for example that protein isnt even mentioned in Australia, since by our standards, nearly all adults get too much without even trying. So whilst we may not be on the right track and one day it might be proven that eating more protein is beneficial, there's no need to really go overkill on it. 50 to 60 grams ought to be enough for an adult woman. Your diet that you've listed isnt at all balanced, try to include some fresh fruit and veg in there.

I'm considering pilates on the advice of the physio - apparently he thinks part of the problem with my back is an imbalance between the strength of my hip, buttock and hamstring muscles with my abdominals from all of the running I do. My abs are pretty strong, but my back is much stronger! I like the kind of body pilates and yoga gives, much more so than getting chunky from lifting weights, its strong yet graceful.

Yes, there is such a thing. Over about 90 to 100 grams a day and your body will DOUBLE the rate at which it excretes calcium. Its terrible for your kidneys, predisposes you to kidney stones, not to mention osteoporosis if you eat like that long term. And how on earth would you have room to get in your quota of fresh fruit and veg, not to mention fibre? And there's lots of credible evidence around that too many soy based foods is dangerous, if that's the source of your protein.

I was very lucky, I had no appetite at all for about 8 weeks so the liquids for 3 weeks was really easy for me. I did blend up "real" food though, like good homemade soups with meat and pasta in them, I made sure I was getting a good mix of protein and carbs. I couldnt have survived on V8 and protein shakes.

Isnt that a lovely thing to say to your mum? My 10 year old son is such a fashion victim. Honestly, you'd die if you saw him, he's right into the skinny leg jeans, he's got this hot pink hoodie he wears, all the bright fluoro colours, he's got blonde tips in his hair and wears it all sticking out in every direction, he's the consummate metrosexual. Sprays himself stupid with aftershave every morning, complains about the decor of the house, has girlfriends at school left right and centre, and is Mr Popularity. He told me it really helps to have a hot mum! All the girls tell him, your mum's so pretty, lol. This isnt the wealthiest of areas and people's looks and health status really do reflect that, so many people are fat, out of shape and badly dressed. So apparently, I'm a real "asset" to Ewan's Quest for popularity (he wants to run for school captain next year).

I order whatever I want usually but I do tend to avoid big heavy meals - big slabs of meat or chicken. Safe options for me are salads (love a good caesar salad) or Pasta. Neither of which are always the lowest fat options - a caesar salad can be HUGE fat - but I dont eat out often enough for it to really matter. I just tend to pick things I know I can eat safely, I can eat meat and chicken without problem but they have more potential to get stuck if I forget to chew when I'm talking. Fish I struggle with a bit, I adore salmon but I only eat it at home as I find it very difficult. As far as fast food restaurants go, well we dont go to them. I might buy the kids McDonalds for lunch as a treat during the school holidays or we might take them there before the movies (and Doug and I wouldnt eat) but that's it. We would never visit there as a family for dinner. But pizza Hut and mexican and stuffm we just never do it becuase whilst the kids like it, we think the food's crap. If we're going to go out we make it a treat and choose really nice food.

I lost tons in the first weeks, it came off fast and steadily. I find it incredible that people dont lose, but I guess that's because I had really great restriction at first, the post op period lasted about 8 weeks for me, no appetite combined with super enthusiasm and I lost about 30lb in that time, which was a third of my excess weight. It steadily got slower after that, lost 30 in the next six months, 30 lb the second year, but that got me to goal, I've lost about 10lb in the last seven or eight months.

I just had a fill yesterday after a bit over 10 months and having maintained below 73 for all that time. I just found I was getting hungrier week by week, I had started to prowl the kitchen after dinner looking for food, I was eating mid afternoon, could eat a whole sandwich, eating way more dinner than I used to etc etc. I hadnt gained, but I could see that I might start to soon if I didnt reign it in. So I had .1ml. My doc didnt argue, he said good thinking, better to nip it in the bud now. I'd imagine it IS something you have to think about forever, because we do lose Fluid through evaporation. I had lost weight since my last fill - only 3kg but at a BMI of 22, 3kg is significant and that probably contributed too. I asked my doc and he said probably yearly I'd need a teeny tiny top up. He wasnt worried about me becoming underweight. I can drop to a BMI of 18 without being underweight for starters, but I look and feel healthy so it obviously isnt a problem. As a runner himself he also appreciates my desire to be as light as is healthy because that means better running/less injury, so he's supportive of me losing more if I want to. .1 hasnt made me appreciably tighter, but I have got that satisfied feeling between meals back.

Oh golly, I've had sunburn (who hasnt?) but never blistering burns like htat. I'm a bit weird, I'm pretty fair (and freckled) but I do tan dark. I try to avoid it though, in Australia we're indoctrinated into the dangers of the sun becuase its SO strong here. We have the dubious honour of having the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world. But its so easy to do isnt it? You just have to miss a bit. I burned one day wearing 30+ this past summer.

Its uncomfortable but no, it doesnt hurt really. I get stuck, start sliming, and it feels like you swallowed a golf ball. You have an urge to shift the mass stuck in your chest. For me, thats as far as it usually goes, I get up, walk around, jump up and down, spit in the toilet (lots of saliva) trying to shift it, and it can either clear at once, or take 20 minutes. When I'm going to PB, I suddenly get a sharper pain in my actual stomach (but not a horrendous one) and my legs start to shake and I see black spots, lol. I know to leg it to the loo then becuase its going to come up. If my legs dont go weak, I can stand there for ever trying to make it come up and it wont.

Do eat during the race, it makes a huge difference. I find a gel after 10km really gets me going again. And yes, of course, drink regularly. I only get tight when I stop.

Wow Josh, that's a huge difference! Well done.

I can eat the nuggets at McDonalds. I can eat the topping off pizza and then a little bit of the crust, (but I dont like it anyway), if we have fish and chips I just have a potato cake (which will mean nothing to most of you, lol, its an aussie thing). Quite often, if its fast food I will elect to just have some Soup or something instead or just have a coffee. I just dont enjoy it much these days, I tend to stand and stare at the menu board for ages and just not really want any of it. I dont a hve too much trouble in proper restaurants, I can eat most non junk food, but I will always go for a caesar salad or some other type of salad because they're super easy.

There's a million reasons to do it. If people would only realise how good it makes you feel!

I do because I"ve always been a wimp with big pills. I can take them with my band (take fish oil) but I can only take one before I start to gag and cant swallow them, and I was always like that. So I take kids chewables

Oh, good ol spag bol can be healthy! I make it with lean mince, canned tomatoes, loads of grated veges like zucchini, mushrooms and carrot, tons of garlic (so good for you) and even some kidney Beans. Its choc full of Iron, Vitamin C and lycopenes from the tomatoes, antioxidants from the veges, not to mention fibre, fresh thyme and oregano out of the garden. Add a little fresh grated parmesan for Calcium, substitute wholemeal Pasta for white - since when was THAT an unhealthy meal? Although that second recipe tastes delish too.

Oh, give the canned multipurpose dough a try for me will you? You can use it for anything apparently - pizza, scones, bread, ick. And whipped cream in a CAN? I know we have that here too but *shudder* When did it become so hard to take some real cream and a dash of vanilla and actually beat it?

Sorry, there's credit to that theory but you get out of exercise what you put into it, like anything in life. Sure, you a greater proportion of fat taking it easier and keeping it in that fat burning zone. But you burn more fat in total by working harder becuase you burn way more calories. And another thing happens, as you get fitter, you can work at a higher level whilst staying in your fat burning zone. I can run at 10km an hour and my heart rate stays under 130 and I can run like that for a whole hour. So I burn more like 700 calories in that hour by running 10k rather than about 400 by walking 6K, all staying nicely within my fat burning range. The effort pays off in the long run. But of course, your prime goal is to burn fat, so a mixture of both types of exercise would be ideal work hard for short periods 3 days a week and maybe take 3 days of long, slow easy exercise like walking. Best of both worlds then. Its entirely true that if you work hard, you train your body to use fuels other than fat - that's why people training for marathons for example do a mix of speed/hill work and long, slow paced runs. You need both. Whilst the human body is primarily an aerobic machine, it is designed to work easy AND hard, it is not unhealthy to work hard enough to move out of your fat burning range, and it doesnt cause sugar cravings or the need for a gazillion Protein supplements either. But if you dont work hard, then your fitness isnt going to increase that much, your calorie usage will never be optimal and your weight will probably plateau out. And it is pretty much unrefuted that much harder work (such as interval training) will have a far far greater afterburn, having you burning calories at a much higher rate all day than slower exercise, where as soon as you stop, your body returns to normal. You only have to look at the evidence in front of your eyes - the fittest looking, slimmest people are the ones who work harder, nobody ever got ultra fit and cut from strolling round the block. As staged as a show like The Biggest Loser is, look at what they're doing, look at the trainers. They're well into their cardiac heart rates most of the time they're working. Its not to say ANY exercise is not beneficial, and its not to say that if easier exercise is easier to stick with then its a better choice, but those theories are just not entirely accurate.

No, it wont, but you ought to cover your scars till they're well healed as it can make them permanently red.

When you need one, in the early days for me, it was monthly for the first three, then a couple of months before the next and then six months and so on and then I just had my sixth (I think) 2 and a half years after being banded and a year after my last and well into mainteance. I found I was getting hungry again so I had another, lets see if it works, it was only 0.1ml.