Jachut

I remember you! Sorry to hear its not all going great at the moment for you though.

Yes, but as you lose, you lose lean body mass as well. So when you get to 199, you wont have 24% body fat, you'll likely have a bit more. It is completely inaccurate to measure and obese person's body fat percentage and lean body mass and work out their goal weight that way. Everybody loses significant lean body mass with a large weight loss, it is unavoidable. Healthy loss means minimising this, but it still happens. But the theory is true - I've been this weight before as a young adult and I'm significantly thinner this time around - due to all the exercise. I'm a whole size smaller than I was at 163ish last time.

Lipo would even exacerbate streched skin!

I'm 5ft 10 and 163 and although my upper body is now borderning on downright skinny, I still have plenty of meat on me below the waist. I could easily stand to be 15lb lighter than I am now, if I could make it come off the precise spots where I want to lose it from, lol. I think 150 to 155 sounds like a perfectly fine weight for a 5ft 8 person, absolutely spot on. It wont be super skinny, its nice and safely away from the upper limit of your range and being "overweight", it would be a great goal! What is your concern with it - were you good surprised or bad surprised? Yes, you are healthy now, so if you really dont want to lose more, that's up to nobody but yourself. Personally I feel that if I've gone to the trouble to have surgery, I want an EXCELLENT result from it, I want to be slender, not almost slender. And at 176 and 5ft 10, I was definitely not slender, no way would I have been happy to stop there. I 've lost 13lb more since that weight, the muffin top has gone, the belly role disappeared, 70% of my cellulite went away and my boobs FINALLY went down to a nice normal D cup. Those last few pounds make a really huge difference in the fine tuning, they are really really worth shedding.

Yeah, I think good restriction varies by definition amongst people. I think loose, able to eat anything, just help to reduce quantities is good restriction, whereas the next person might think that because that allows them to eat a cheeseburger or a few slices of pizza, that's nowhere near enough. I think we all come into this with varying amounts of damage to our ability read our own bodies. I dont like to use the terms "self control" or "willpower" because I think that implies a moral judgement. I just count myself lucky that my ability to listen to what my body wants and needs is not too badly damaged and that therefore I dont require tight restriction. Also that I am able to run lots and burn tons of calories so I have absolutely no need to restrict portion sizes to 1/2 a cup in order to lose. Therefore I dont really think restriction can be quantified. Its different for everyone.

Yes, and I'm a bit of a foodie too. I love it now more than ever now that I dont overindulge. I love nothing more than to spend Saturday shopping properly (like at a good deli, a good butcher, a good grocer, not a trolley round the supermarket) for a new recipe and spending the afternoong cooking. And then we have a fabulous dinner! I dont see the problem. A small amount satisfies and a lapband is not a sentence to a life of boring food. We dont make really fatty or unhealthy stuff, its usually great quality food. We dont make enormous amounts. Leftovers go straight in the freezer for work lunches for Doug.

PS: I am VERY lucky. Its not common to have as much freedom as I do with my band. I think its partly becuase I exercise a lot, burn lots of calories and therefore dont have any need to be tight, I can keep my band loose. I was a volume eater, so I dont really have problems with uncontrollable sugar or ice cream or junk food cravings. More common is to have certain foods off your list, to PB and get stuck a little more regularly than I might but still be able to eat a pretty normal diet overall.

Oh gosh, that is NOT normal. You sound as if you may need even a complete unfill to settle down and then start trying to reach a good level again. Today I've had a bowl of muesli for Breakfast, a tuna sandwich on wholegrain bread for lunch. I'll probably try to fit in an apple this afternoon and tonight we're going out for dinner, so I dont know what I'll be having. The difference between now and pre banding is not in the foods I can eat but how I can eat them. If I eat fast, I'll be in trouble - even with yogurt.. If I eat too much I'll be in trouble. Certain foods like bread I have to be VERY careful with, but I can eat them. Occasionally a bite goes down wrong and I get stuck, sliming, pain in the chest and maybe PBing. But I eat a diet that wouldnt cause others to even know I was trying to lose weight.

That really SUCKS!

I'd only help paint it for a fair share of the capital gain over the next 20 years, lol. I've done that. Helped friends paint the outside of their Californian Bungalow way back in about 1990. They bought it for $130,000. Its now worth $600,000 odd (they've long since moved on, into much better neighbourhood). We built our house in the outer burbs. Its still worth jack shit, lol (oh boy what I know about Melbourne real estate now that I could go back and rethink that decision!). And they didnt give us one single bit of help with doing the garden etc. Ditto SIL. Gorgeous Cal Bung over the other side of the bay. We helped them with everything. They've made a $750,000 capital gain on it so far. Notice a pattern, lol?

That's a GREAT milestone to reach isnt it? Congratulations, you are now one of the "normal" members of the population. And you'll feel, once you're not even overweight, that you look BETTER than 99% of people. So very many people are overweight these days that it now looks normal to us.

I was never given a guideline, but everyone knows commonly, about 1200 a day will do it. Nonetheless, i've lost and continue to lose well on about 1500 to as much as 1800 per day. The weight loss is not consistent now, if I cut back it would be. I really shoud try to do 1400 a day or so for a while, but I just like not even thinking about food too much. Cardio is my secret too. Run lots and eat very little and you'll lose really fast. Run lots and eat moderately and you'll lose more moderately, but either way, you get there in the end. Dont exercise and you'll plateau out, stop losing at times, have to really watch the calories, maybe low carb it etc.

Wow! Vinesqueen!!! How are you?

Depends what you're into. In Australia its jsut so much the rage to refurbish our federation and Edwardian style homes and Melbourne has loads of Californian bungalows too. All that period style tizz isnt really my cup of tea. Give me open, modern and spacious anyday. I'm one of those awful people that would come in and completely disrupt the streetscape by sticking something timber and steel in the middle of a row of stately old weatherboard homes. So whilst I'm really "into" interior design and appreciate it its more in the vein of bulldozing, lol. And I simply dont have the money to really indulge what could be a passion.

Yay for you Wasa, WELL DONE! I'm losing at the moment, quite fast, and not really trying. My goal was at the top of my healthy weight range and the weight loss since then has REALLY improved my shape, so I'm thrilled. But I do wonder where its going to stop. I suspect I will need a partial unfill in a few kgs's time. I dont want to eat unhealthy foods just to get calories in. And no way am I cutting back on exercise.

Gosh Kat, that's scary. Its is my belief that overfilling and constant mucking around with the band can lead to complications. I just think that, I dont necessarily have anything to support it with. My gut (haha) tells me that the minimal fill you can have to lose weight is the best route to go by. So I'm not even sure that a remote control band is a good thing. I do agree above though that doing an unfill on yourself is somewhat different to filling yourself. But overall, if it aint broke, dont fix it.

I've felt like crap today, same thing, sore inside the ears, nose and throat. That's because I did TONS of exercise earlier in the week. Like I ran 8km and walked another 6 in one days, did a run and circuit one day etc. Upping or changing my exercise routine ALWAYS results in a minor cold or similar for me. I feel better already though, I'll be fine tomorrow, lucky as I'm doing a 10km fun run Sunday. Hope you feel better soon.

I must confess I"m at a bit of a loss as to when to go now. Unless I need another fill, I guess I'll probably just report in at 6 monthly intervals. I kind of forgot to ask last time I was there back in June.

I ate pasta - but it was mainly bolognaise sauce with a few strings of spaghetti blended into it. I just gave it a stab or two with the blender, so it was lumpy but still broken down somewhat.

Oh gosh, I know the frustrations. Try doing a group assignment with a bunch of 20 year olds when you're 40. Sheesh. I do actually care about my results. These people, honestly. No reference to the criteria sheet, no regard for what the assignment was asking us to do, no ability to reason, analyse and hypothesise from data. Basic kids schoolwork was all they were capable of. We got a Pass. I was disgusted. Officially my worse assignment result ever. But unless I want to play the boring mature age student and come over all bossy. Its quite possible to do badly whilst still having turned up and attempted to study, if you dont basically give a toss about it anyway.

I'm also a member of a lap banding board where jealousy is a real problem. I dont post anymore. I've been successful, I've lost weight but all these people want to do is bitch, moan and complain about why they're not losing and make excuses for why they cant do what they ought. I cant post about my running because then I get flamed in the manner of "oh, that's OK for YOU, you dont have anything else to do, I'VE got children and a job so I cant run five days a week". O-kaaaaaaaay. Hmmm. Dont know who these other four people living in my house are then and not sure what it is I do all day at uni, but anyway. And I wouldnt dare post bikini pics because that would be lording it all over everyone with how great I am right? Not hoping to motivate others, show them its possible and simply enjoy what I've worked so hard for? It doesnt apply to all obese people by any means but there very definitely is a fat mentality - one where you dont take responsibility for your actions, you wont make the effort to change and you dont want to face that, but would rather make pathetic excuses - people who probably became fat because that is their outlook rather than the other way around. And you just stamp down anyone who proves otherwise. Sounds like OH is a bit like that?

I'd have to echo that sentiment. If I lost my band today, I would regain some weight, but I wouldnt get up to 113kg again. I truly HAVE learned some food management and exercise behaviours that will stay with me. And just having this slim body, I would be more motivated to keep it. I love running, truly love it. I would never stop just becuase I didnt have a band. And I really truly believe that the running and exercise is 3/4 of my weight loss success. And I know from prior experience that its at least 3/4 of the battle in keeping weight off. But most importantly, and this is not saying that RNY'ers or GBP'ers dont work hard for their weight loss, but I feel real pride in what I have achieved becuase I know that whilst I've had help, I still made it happen. Losing weight with a band is still work, still down to your choices and that makes the victory that much sweeter.

I had a really similar thing going on with a formal called Alternative Baby when Eliza was small. I've always been interested in attachment parenting, was a cloth diaper user, breast feeding advocate etc. I'm also interested in alternative educational philosophies such as Steiner, Montessori etc. So I had an "interest" in that kind of a forum. Trouble is I'm not a hairy armpitted militant hater of everything mainstream. I dont abuse people for bottlefeeding or using disposables or daring to actually reprimand and discipline their children. I dont think everyone who sends their kids to mainstream schools is stupid and deluded. So I would log on hoping for useful information, interesting discussion and even lively debate. And I would see yet another post for abusing someone that dared to sigh that she would be glad when school holidays are over, like she doesnt lover her kids, is a bad parent etc. Or someone that DARED to let her baby cry for more than 2 seconds whilst she was paying at the cash register, but who'd be surprised since she was selfish enough to use a stroller rather than a baby sling? It used to shit me right up the wall and over the other side. In the end I'd be taking pot shots at these people and by the end of my time there, I'd log on simply to get into a fight, lol, the best one ever was over welfare. Having grown up white middle class and fairly priviledged, and being fairly right wing myself, that one was interesting to say the least. But it wasnt satisfying, it was rather sad and very frustrating and I gave it up in the end. I just decided I had nothing in common with those people, despite sharing some common beliefs about parenting, that was where it ended and there was nothing to be gained by hanging around them. They had a right to be what they were just as I do.

There's plenty of people around who are just plain lucky and can eat a lot without gaining. I accepted long ago that I just was not one of those people. There's also plenty of thin people around who eat sensibly and dont label foods good/bad, partake in celebratory cakes and drinks etc but just dont overdo it. I'm one of those now! I dont fear food, but I can also look at people stuffing crap in their mouths all day long and think "well, you're lucky you stay thin but you're probably not healthy" There's a price to treating your body like that, some of us pay it in fat but nearly all of us pay for it with cardiovascular disease, diabetes etc at some point in time. Whether it kills us or not is something we find out down the track. The way people eat in general though, the types of foods and the overeating, the amount of alcohol they consume (oh, the Aussie man and his beer!) is just plain disgusting when you really look at it. No wonder our kids are becoming obese at younger and younger ages, we are raising them in a culture of utter excess. Its very sad really. And it takes a very strong person to break from it, so we can all give ourselves a big pat on the back!

It makes me really mad when people say this. My mum is doing it at the moment. Oh, dont get TOO thin she says (as if there is such a thing, lol). Or "dont get anorexic". For freak's sake, my healthy weight range is 63 to 79kg and I want to be about 68, 70. Does that SOUND anorexic? I'm not talking about weighing 45kg's. People act as if once you're OKish weightwise, then its silly to want to lose more. Excuse me, but I didnt go so far as to have surgery only to stop at a so so weight. I want to do a good job of this. I want to get my dream result, not some half arsed this'll do kind of result.