Jachut

The absence of a mushies phase is a bit weird, but really 'normal foods as tolerated' means the same thing. So I'd do mushies, then solids anyway. The liquids phase is short, isnt it? I had to do 3 weeks of "solid liquids". I agree with you entirely, I'd err on the side of caution. But it just goes to show that like anything, there's no right and wrong way. Everyone's doctors cant be 100% right or wrong when they all prescribe different schedules can they? And same wiht the long term diet, Protein first, low carb isnt 100% right or wrong either, nor is just eating an average diet. Different people have to take their doctors advice on board but find their own groove. And I dont think its the least bit presumptuous. There's a lot of docs out there who are brilliant surgeons and have gotten into bariatrics becuase its a growing field, but they are not nutritionists and have they can have some pretty strange ideas about diet, depending on things liek their age and where they grew up. I'd question it too.

Nah, I jsut dont really find the idea of some arbitrary reward motivating. I just want to do it for the achievement. Plus I'm known to ah, indulge myself regularly anyway, lol. I'd set a reward, then think stuff it I'll go buy it anyway. So no reward scheme for me. The goal itself is my motivation - although I did set a lot of non weight goals - like running a 10K.

YOu can have my prayers, you CAN do it. Its as if we think the world will end if we simply take some time out to focus on ourselves. I have this argument with my husband over and over, its nowhere near the scale of stress that you are facing, but I am a full time student with 3 kids and a part time job, so I am pretty darn busy. I will ignore housework to get my exercise in, and yes, THAT causes problems too because then we're not organised for the next day, nobody has clean socks, the lunches arent made. There is simply no way to do all that I do without something falling behind somewhere, so rather than focus on what society tells me a *good* obedient little housewife would do, I focus on myself. Of the two, I am more important than clean socks. That is what you need to do too. Yes you are stressed, and you are probably working long hours. So set yourselves some achievable exercise goals, not superhuman ones. Three times a week for example. You have weekends right? You do go home sometime? You can either choose to use that time winding down, having a drink, watching TV or you can exercise - which in the end will turn out to be FAR more relaxing and destressing than veging out will be. And being stressed and busy really isnt a reason why you'd choose to put more, or lesser quality food in your mouth is it? This is the greatest skill we have to learn, how to still look after ourselves in the face of obstacles. Dont call it making excuses, becuase its human nature to not want to focus on something that takes such hard work. But it is possible to do it, and it neednt take a lot of time. When the stress levels reduce, you can take a bit more time to focus on it more thoroughly. But dont revert to your old ways of managing stress.

If you dont love something you just wont do it, so that's the most obious thing to consider. Personally, I think Curves is a pretty good workout, but you have to be dedicated to MAKE it a good workout. What they say about it being for every fitness level is true - I can get my heart rate up and keep it up and I'm very fit. But most people once they're fitter prefer a more traditional gym, and I definitely do too, I dont think you get really great results from hydraulic machines. I'd rather go to the gym, the only reason I go to Curves is that I've just started working once a week as a trainer there and I'm expected to work out at the end of my shift. Believe it or not, even fit as I am, I have toned up considerably in a month doing the Curves workout. But most people dont do it that way and to be honest, the instructors are of questionable knowledge, they really dont teach them much , and they seem to often spend their time chatting to the people they know, not watching what the whole group is doing. I dont think its enough exercise either, I always come home and do 40 minutes on the treadmill. They really should put treadmills, ellipticals and bikes in Curves gyms. For me, if I have to get wet then its an activity I wont do more than once in a while. I could never commit to a Water activity four or five times a week. But if you dont like it, you'd be made to pay for it becuase you'll end up not going.

Lol, yeah. I used to struggle when we had spag bol to keep my serving size down. It was a dangerous meal when dieting becuase I would eat a lot of it. Made like you say (which is how I make it too and I often replace half the meat with very finely grated veg) it IS a low fat, healthy meal. But in large quanity its not. I can barely eat 1/4 cup of spaghetti, I tend to eat more sauce than Pasta these days. I think we're going to notice it more once DH gets banded. We just tend to make lunches for him out of the leftovers but he very often goes back for enormous second helpings. Truly, I think we'll save a fortune once he's banded - I mean I never ate seconds or really huge portions so I havent noticed the savings with just me eating less.

I was like you, I had restriction for about 12 weeks after my op, and I had my first fill then. And in hindsight I cant say I *really* needed it THEN either, I was still losing.

Its easier when you're able to eat normally, and it wont hurt you for a few weeks to fall a bit short.

I run. I am swamped, absolutely swamped with uni work at the moment, assignment, after assignment after assignment due, and the kids have just had 2 weeks school holidays. There's not enough hours in the day and the MESS in my house, argh. And today, rather than finish another assignment, I have the acupuncturist, have to drive to uni to hand an assignment in, have lesson plans to do and a job interview this afternoon, and and and and .... So I run. It gives me some headspace, I plan, I calm down, I feel ready to sit down and chip away at the pile when I get home. Doug cant believe i *waste* an hour running when I have so much to do but it energises me, makes me more efficient and calmer.

I really believe in eating all foods, so I'd say WW. I dont "diet" but I guess what I eat and do is similar to a weight watchers lifestyle. Atkins really worries me, you may love the cheese and sauces, but I will never agree that that's a healthy way to feed yourself. I know all the justification behind it insists that it doesnt lead to high cholesterol and arterial disease, but well, I just dont believe that. Eat lots of meat, lots of saturated fat and too little fibre, starve your body of an entire food group and you are not going to be the healthiest you can be. And people always say that it worked brilliantly for the, but virtually everybody that says that has fallen off the wagon. You need a lifestyle forever, not a diet plan and WW is really the only one that fits that bill. And you *can* of course do WW and go lighter on the carbs. There's a lot of sense in decreasing carbs and completely eradicating really processed ones. But you dont need to cut them out entirely.

I dont know why people insist on thinking Special K is healthy! Assuming Special K here is the same as special K there, its just processed white carbs - its low on fibre, has a tiny bit of added Protein and doesnt offer anything more than any other processed cereal. Stick with oatmeal or muesli, those are GOOD carbs. And by oatmeal I mean the stuff you put in a saucepan and cook, not something processed into a mush that cooks in 1 minute in the microwave. Your body and your weight will thank you for it. If you pop your muesli bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds after you've put the milk in, its nice and hot. Or eat it cold. Or pour some boiling Water on it out of the kettle, let it sit for a few minutes to absorb, then eat it with yogurt. Otherwise, avoid cereal and have some good wholegrain toast instead, or something else entirely. Sorry for the lecture, lol, but you wont find a really healthy cereal amongst those sorts of choices, you've got to eat the grains in their natural state.

Just go and get a fill. There's nothing to be afraid of, that's the way its SUPPOSED to work. As you loosen, you will eat more and your appetite increases. And you will get looser over time both from weight loss and evaporation. Its easy fixed.

My 4cc band has and still does work well for me! And I've got 3cc in it and am not tight. I cannot imagine with the larger band how I would have found restriction. I've just been VERY lucky that I was able to work with what I had because I have never been anywhere near a sweet spot the way others describe it. My doc did say I had a fairly small stomach, which is why he chose that band. I dunno, it seemed to hold plenty, lol.

Yeah its that need/want thing. Almost everyone who has lost a lot of weight could definitely use some contouring, its a matter of if they want it or not. And a good proportion of people really do need it to look, well, normal for want of a better word. I dont mean that as in they look disgusting without it, I mean they have an obvious figure problem as a result of stretched skin. I dont know what the actual stats would be, but its perfectly possible to lose a large amount of weight and look fantastic dressed (or artfully draped) and look OK enough on the beach to not make everyone sick. My stomach looks nice and flat in that avatar, and it looks flat when I'm standing up too. But believe me, on the beach there are certain positions I avoid. I would never lean over on hands and knees to grab my Water bottle, lol. My stomach hangs like a deflated balloon when I do that. And I dont spend a lot of time sitting, bent in the middle either.

Do I *need* PS - no. Would I look great if I had a breast lift, implants, eyelid surgery, a lower body lift and extensive liposuction - possibly, especially if I wanted to look like one of those Hollywood women - great in a magazine and freaking scary in real life. In reality post weight loss, I have fared very well and am very lucky. But I really do have a problem area with boobs, and behind. The back of my thighs and my buttocks are really not my best feature, very loose and flabby despite all my running. And no PS in the world would talk me out of a breast lift, it would really benefit me. But how many people see those parts of my body? Hardly anyone. And the boobs can even be disguised in a bathing suit! So I"m left with cellulite on the backs of my thighs (for which there is no really succesful cosmetic procedure anyway), and who doesnt have that?. Definitely not everyone ends up with major problems like a pannus, and bat wings. But I was a BMI of 36 at my heaviest, I never carried a lot of weight on my stomach, I wasnt that fat for very many years and I'm 5ft 10 and didnt get stretch marks in any of my 3 pregnancies - its VERY individual. If you're 5 ft, round and got huge with pregnancy, chances are you are not going to have a flat stomach at the end. It can be fixed, dont stress about it. Concentrate on losing the weight first and go from there.

This is a question that's asked all the time and I think its a really telling one, its fascinating becuase it really shows the mentality that obese people have towards food. Now this isnt a judgement, because I had it too. But your aim is not to avoid buffets becuase you dont get your "money's worth", the aim is to not care. I mean, you can go out to a restaurant with huge white plates and fishbowls on stems for wineglasses and get a pea on a bit of puree called gourmet for $50 and is THAT your money's worth? You will NEVER get your money's worth eating out with a lapband. That's not the point. The point is eating out is about socialising, spending quality time with family and friends, celebrating. Its not about how much food you can stuff in your gob for your $15. Who cares if you cant get a take out box? They're not even legal in Australia, you never get one. If you dont eat, it goes out in the rubbish. I do get exasperated by the massive portions that are too much for unbanded people - I could never finish them before let alone now. Its stupid waste. But as to whether I can shove every bit of it into my body just becuase I paid for it, I'm not a garbage bin. Its wasted either way, if I eat it when I dont want it. So if your husband likes buffets why not still go, take just a bit and enjoy what you do have, and spend some time with him. That to me is your "money's worth".

This is something I'm dealing with in my 12 year old son. Its so hard. Poor kid obviously got the shite genes from both Doug and I whilst his brother and sister got the good ones. But its so personality driven I'm finding. He's lazy as all get out, just a couch potato. Its his nature, he plays basketball and will do active things when encouraged but that's it. His brother will play basketball, fill in for another team, come home and go and find some kids to go to the cricket nets and hit a ball with kind of thing. Exercise is one thing, but a basically sedentary personality is hard to overcome. Foodwise, the ball's in your court. I just do not buy junk. My kids arent allowed to have it. We do not have juice, we do not have cordial, we do not have sodas. We dont have biscuits and cakes. We have fruit, crackers, yogurt, the making of sandwiches. And he's still becoming overweigth. The only things that comfort me are the fact that he's going to be a BIG boy as in tall. He's almost as tall as me (and I'm 5ft 10), as heavy as me and has bigger feet and hands. Doug's 6ft 3, I'd say Fraser will easily be much taller. So he's chubby now but hasnt hit puberty, he MAY still have a huge growth spurt and thin out. Both Doug and I have weight problems, but neither of us was anythign more than "overweight" as teens, chubby but not one of those poor fat kids that cop the teasing, the ostracism etc. We were both active and sporty and able to keep up on that score. We both thinned out as adults in our 20's and got fat again in our 30's. At least I dont think Fraser's going to be morbidly obese in a year or two. He's just tubby. As for your daughter, I think you're onto it, and I know what you mean aobut not having that stop - my son doesnt eaither. He'd trample anyone to get to food. I was so tall too like your daughter and it was awful. But there's nothign you can do about that. You cant put her on a diet for her height, its something she just has to deal with. It would break your heart but you could also have a child who was unfortunate looking or whatever and you cant fix that either. What you can do is help her to accept herself. My mother had me on diets from the age of 10 and seriously, it did not help me one bit. I was still fat. What did help me was the non intentional lifestyle lessons - the love of sport, a basically balanced diet. Those are skills that I've been able to call on now as an adult that have helped my success. That's the way I'd approach it. She is who she is, you cannot live their life for them and MAKE them diet or exercise. If they are going to be fat, then in all probability, they WILL get fat, and you cant stop it. But what you CAN do is eqiup them with lifestyle skills. There's simply no excuse for filling our children with crap food, allowing them to develop disgusting habits and not exposing them to a wide variety of active leisure activities but instead letting them spend hours on the computer or playstation. You may not be able to prevent their being overweight but you might prevent morbid obesity and when they are adults if they want to do something about their weight, they will have the skills to understand what they need to do. As opposed to friends of ours whose kids think a nutella sandwich on white supermarket bread with red cordial is a healthy meal becuase its not pizza or McDonalds. It sounds like you're already doing those things and I think its all you can do.

I'd visit a podiatrist - you may need orthotics also. And the podiatrist should be able to recommend the best shoes. We have a store here called Athletes Foot, where supposedly they all can fit you with the right shoe. But they're young kids (which is what you usually find in retail) and they've obviously just rote learned the spiel about each shoe, and when they put you on their fancy machine, they're trained in what shoe to recommend, they're not really looking at YOU or YOUR results, iykwim. I dont trust those sorts of foot analysys. I'd go to a podiatrist or a proper running store, not just general athletic footwear. We have one called Active Feet in Melb, they're awsome, they'll spend an hour with you on the treadmill filming your gait etc.

I'm supposed to visit the doc to check in every 6 months, only unfill if my weight gets too low (which it hasnt) Hey Paula, our tits must be having a ball somewhere! Probably getting lei'd in Hawaii (pardon the pun, lol).

I would do it, but then I'd have to admit that I do often overcommit myself and end up a blubbering mess. If you really cant handle it, quit a job. Simple. But you wont know till you try.

Compared to the risk of dying of an obesity related disease, that's a very low rate!

Sounds like you're having a tough time. I hope your foot gets better, you're right in that your weight is probably an aggravating factor and your inability to exercise much, let alone be generally mobile makes it hard for you. Really, at times like this, I think you just have to think the dreaded D word. DIET. If we could all diet faultlessly, lose weight and keep it off we wouldnt be here. Its an impossible task. But we CAN all diet successfully for a few weeks, we've all done it before and you can do it again. Set yourself the limits, count calories, do WW, whatever works for you. Stick to it. You are on a diet until the 25th of April. There's an end in sight, its only a fortnight away. You can do this. It is not inevitable that you must gain weight due to insufficient restriction. You can hang on for just a few weeks. You really can do it you know. Have faith in yourself. Its the only answer and only you can decide not to just let go becuase you need a fill.

My surgeon saw my DH recently, as he's going to be banded too in June. He knocked an inch off his height and added a kilo or two to his weight. Just to get him to a BMI of over 36. They will band you from a BMI of 30 in Australia but not routinely, generally you'd need some significant comorbidities for that. I dont think he'd necessarily do that if he didnt feel the surgery was a good choice for the individual. Myself, when I first began investigating I thought I'd have to have a BMI of 40, becuase I based everything on all the American literature I found on the internet. I had a BMI of 36, I had no hope of gaining to 40, and I would NEVER do that to my body. To gain 10lb is one thing, to try to gain 40 or so is quite another, very dangerous and bad for your health and all that weight you have to lose again. So I just went along hoping for the best. Weights in the pockets, heavy clothes, lol, slouching when being measured. In the end all that mattered was I had a weight problem, it wasnt huge, but it was getting bigger and I'd been battling to one degree or another since puberty. good luck! I dont think its silly to gain a bit but dont gain dangerous amounts.

Hi Noela, exercise has been key for me too, in fact my dietary modifications have been very moderate, I basically eat what I ate before only in small quantities and without the in between meal Snacks. Truly its just like my mother used to tell me, dont eat between meals and eat healthy food. Its all its taken. That and LOTS of exercise, lol.

I had problems with that, I kept fainting. I ditched the Protein shakes and started eating real food - in very liquid form as was allowed on my post op plan. My rules were if it goes through a straw, you can have it. So.... I made Soup with real meat in it and real veges and real Pasta. I blended it up into a thick mush and then watered it down with chicken stock. OMG I never had anything so delicious! And then I began blending up things like the family dinner with tins of tomatoes or stock, making it as liquidy as I needed to. Breakfast was a fruit smoothie, with milk, yogurt, fruit and a weetbix in it (not the whole thing at once, lol). Once I got the carbs back into my diet (which is very hard on liquids) I was right, I felt great and recovery was extremely fast. I dont do well on low carb, my body just does not like it. So for me, that was key. And real food, proper normal things that I would eat every day. Still in tiny quanities, but it made all the difference.

I've done it probably two or three times, its not been as nasty as your experience, but I've just known I should stop and just kept eating. It is SO uncomfortable. It really ruins the experience. No PB, but only because I just cant PB easily, if I was someone that could decide that needs to come up and do it, I surely would have. But for me, it takes hours, and I cant "make" myself do it. I have to suffer the pain which is sometimes worse I think. Two times was on caesar salad of all things. I love caesar salad. I just didnt want to stop eating. And the third time was recently, DH and I had an unexpected afternoon together sans kids, we took off for a drive to a farm in the nearby countryside for a devonshire tea. I know that scones are danger for me, they are really hard to eat. I know that half of one is my limit. So why did I eat a whole one? I think I wanted the jam and cream, I should have just licked the little bowls, lol.