Jachut

That's right. The first few minutes hurt, you're stiff, you feel heavy then suddenly those endorphins kick in and you feel fantastic. I honestly run along the pavement grinning like an idiot I feel so elated. Its even better with music. Then afterwards I feel such a sense of achievement, I feel on a high for hours. Its stress relief, its head time, I just feel really sorry for people who dont get that from exercise.

Wow, bet that feels fantastic! Numbers on the scale really dont seem to mean alot until they actually make a difference to what you can wear.

We got laminate boards (not real timber) for the fact that they're virtually indestructible. There were about $100 per square metre so a tiny bit less expensive than a timber floor, I just knew it would be dinted and scratched very quickly. We're not take your shoes off when you want to come inside people - firstly there's nothing irks me more than being nicely dressed when you go visiting and being expected to take my shoes off at the front door and secondly we tried it as a rule for the kids and they just run outside in their socks and track dirt in anyway. Cleaning wise it depends on your finish - ours is a little difficult because it shows trackmarks where you've walked if the light shines in it a certain way, drove me freaking insane at first but now I dont care. I bought myself a Hoover Floormate which is a big thingy like an upright vacuum and it squirts out small amount of water/detergent then squeegies and sucks it back up so washes the floor (really well too) and dries it in one go. Its made a humungous job of mopping the whole house much more manageable. I've thanked the good Lord many times over for the fact that we dont have any carpet anymore. How many vomits can three children produce? For Pete's sake its at least a once a week occurrence in this house, and they're like that kid in the exorcist, it goes everywhere. I did have to go out and buy rugs because the house suddenly was really dusty, just goes to show how much dust carpet anchors. I just bought really cheap ones, but they've done the trick and soften the look a bit because we've got lots of dark antique furniture, the boards are imitation merbau so a mid red. We had to put all new skirting boards in, big job but worth it. I love love love the floors. I waited 10 years for what I wanted and even though we want and need to move, I can hardly bear to think about leaving my floors, lol.

I honestly cannot say there's been a negative for me so far. Easy surgery, easy recovery, miraculous weight loss, head catching up to body. I"m so happy!

Just my lifestyle in general. I like to go out to eat, I do it regularly with friends. I buy lunch out lots of days, becuase I'm rarely at home. I like a drink occasionally. I could never give up coffee. I am not willing to risk discomforts and PB's in order to lose faster. Sometimes I wonder why I had the band if I'm not willing to see it all the way through but I'm just not. I am not prepared to limit the variety of what I can eat, my long term health is important to me and I'm not willing to go on some crackpot low carb diet either. I like bread, cereals and Pasta and I believe they're a necessary part of a healthy diet. The thought of relying on Protein shakes for Breakfast makes me ill, those arent food, they're a chemical cocktail. Ditto low fat or artificially sweetened products. I insist that I get to live on a satisfying, enjoyable, varied diet. I thought I'd include fast food in that but the truth is I am finding that sort of thing really hard to stomach. The last few times we've had takeaway, which isnt often, I've been unable to eat it. Luckily I love exercise and am willing to do more than average to allow me to live the lifestyle I want. It definite exists. Its addictive. I love it. Its not a chore but one of the benefits of being lighter, that I can run again. Everyone's answers though just prove that really its all down to calories in versus calories out. We've all got different attitudes yet it works pretty much for everyone to one degree or another.

That's me to a degree. I'm just "big boned". I have a girlfriend the same height as me, 5ft 10, who weighs about the same as I do now and is two entire sizes smaller, an Australian 14. Now sizes are bigger than they were 10 years ago when I was 85kg for sure, but we've always had this discrepancy between our sizes. Its just different bodies. She has legs like tree trunks :confused: No knees, no ankles, her legs are huge and just go straight up and down, she's as narrow at the bum as she is at the ankles. I however have a bounteous bootie. I'm definitely pear shaped. I have boobs and a waist, she doesnt, she's quite flat chested, but thick through the waist. She looks smaller than me, no doubt there's a significant difference in muscle to fat ratios too between us, I'd say I have more fat. It seems to take me forever to move through a size. Its taken over 15kg to really go down one dress size, but visibly that one size has made a huge difference. I also know that when I weighed a healthy 70kg which is in the middle of my healthy weight range, I was still "big". Not as much as I am now, but I will never be petite, I'm not one of those tall supermodel types. I think my skeleton alone would be at least an Australian 14.

Good luck, you have so much life ahead of you. I only wish I'd known about it earlier (except of course I'm conveniently forgetting I was nowhere near fat enough till I reached my 30's, lol).

I agree with the enzymatic pet products, they work well. But I'd probably get the carpet professionally steam cleaned. Sigh, I gave up on carpet. With 3 kids our carpet was wrecked beyond belief, it was only cheap builders range carpet to begin with that went in when we built the house. It was a pale mushroom pink, how could we have been so naive? It looked like wall to wall pizza when we ripped it out, lol. Now we have a lovely houseful of laminate floorboards, no carpet at all (except in the bedrooms).

It was 6 weeks before I had a fill an I could have gone a bit longer but that initial restriction usually does go away. As to what you're eating, well I guess "normal" is eating within your limits, what you can tolerate and only until you're no longer hungry and you sound like you're doing really well there.

Ah, you're too kind. Bow down to me when I actually get to 70kg, in the meantime I'm just on the journey, same as everyone else. Actually my "levelheadedness" could just be me rationalising my breakouts, lol.

I think some habits will never be broken to be honest. I find eating standing up good, reduces the little blockages if I"m eating something a little difficult to eat. LOL, its probably one of my ways of eating round my band. Think on it though. Had a shocking day yesterday, DH took my car keys to work and I was stuck at home without car or money until 2.30 pm at which point I had to fit the whole day's errands into a few hours, finishing off with the boys at the doctor to get a plaster cast removed from one arm, a couple of flu shot prescriptions and some asthma medication. Although I had a nice leg of lamb in the fridge, it was too late to cook by the time we got home so we had takeaway - fish and chips. Well firstly I thought they were disgusting, I no longer enjoy battered, fried salty stuff like that, I actually felt nauseous. But I still felt a bit down that I'd had such a horrible dinner - until I realised I'd eaten precisely one dim sim and a bite out of a potato cake, couldnt face the chips. Probably 300 calories. In my past life that would have been a piece of fried flake, a potato cake and a heaped plateful of chips with extra salt and vinegar. About 1500 calories, lol. So even though you think you're not doing well breaking those habits, consider the frequency and degree to which you do break out and you'll probably find you've made vast achievements over your previous eating habits. That's what its all about. Its not about never eating bad foods, its about fitting all things into a balanced diet without going overboard anywhere.

Are you exercising Vanhos? It makes a really enormous difference to how much weight you''ll lose. Not just a stroll round the block but putting some effort into it within your abilities five or six times a week for an hour type of exercise. Many people loathe it but its really really necessary. But 50lb a year is a great loss. You're body and your health will thank you for losing that weight and they'll thank you for losing it at a slow, steady pace. Dont compare yourself to bypass patients, who often regain a good portion of what they first lose. the best thing about the band is it doesnt force you to do anything. You can choose to begin working properly with it if you've been a little off the wagon at any time and it will always be there ready to support you.

I've not been told not too but I agree, I'd prefer not to have eaten for a good while before so the upper part of my stomach is empty.

I'll be with you in spirit across on the other side of the world. I can run 4kms now. I was thinking about training for a 10k fun run or something.

My stupid idiot of a husband has taken both sets of car keys to work this morning. It is Eliza's daycare day, I have a lecture to get to, I needed to take the car in for assessment due to minor accident damage, I have a hair colour appointment at 11. am and I live in a stupid outer suburb and cannot possibly get to any of these things by public transport. The boys had to walk 3kms to school and will have to walk home too, they have basketball this arvo and I need to get Ewan to the doctors to get the plaster cast of his now healed broken arm. Instead I am stuck in the house with my wallet and handbag tightly locked in my car. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH. I have insisted that the stupid nong head courier the keys home to me when he gets to work. But to the topic on hand - major stress and annoyance - I just ate two Arnotts cream biscuits and yep, I feel lots better!

Paula, we were at the pool a few weeks ago and a little boy of about 3 dropped his swimming trunks and peed right into the toddler pool, lol. You should have seen the mass exodus! Everyone was horrified. I didnt get what all the fuss was about to be honest. I mean surely the toddler/baby pool is full of pee anyway right?

It depends on a lot of things really. One you're very young so chances are you'll have less of a problem than someone two or three times your age. But you're either born with good skin or you arent too, and some people will have stretching and some wont. I think it depends heaps on where you carry your weight too. Those apple shaped people really have a disadvantage because they develop really big tummies that are very stretched out when the weight is gone. Whereas others of us that are pear shaped never have that problem. I've got plenty of weight to lose but to be honest, my stomach looks more like an after photo than a before photo on any of those plastic surgery sites so I'm praying it'll stay that way. I can live with a bit of wrinkly skin. It also depends how much perfection you're demanding as a result. At your age its fair enough to want a really really good result. You've got bikini wearing ahead of you afterall. At nearly 40 I dont really care much about that, lol. I really dont think there's anything much you can do to influence whether or not it happens though, you're either lucky or your not.

I have a no bullsh*t method of toilet training that worked for my boys. I waited till their third birthdays, they were well and truly ready. I could have done it earlier but from all I've ever seen that only means more work. So on their third birthday, I just took away the nappies (diapers). No pull ups, no training pants, just regular undies. It took about a week both times. The first two or three days were difficult, we had to stay at home but they got the hang of it really quickly. So I took the same approach with Eliza who just turned three a few weeks ago, only I did start at about 2 years 10 months with her. Same deal and it was going great but now she's inexplicably taken a backwards slide. She started getting lazy and having accidents and when they started happening at our daycarer's house I did as she asked and sent her in pullups. She was only having wee accidents though, she always got the poo in the toilet. Since we started using pullups, she's gone right back to totally not using the toilet. I've been getting very frustrated. Yesterday I decided that despite what our daycarer wants, NO MORE PULLUPS and yep, she's using the toilet again. I've found a girl who knows her own mind much more difficult to train than a couple of boys, lol. So in summary, I reckon you decide its time and then you just do it. We also have never used a potty, why bother when its just another transition you have to make? Also what do you do when you're out etc. If they can use the toilet at a shopping centre or friends house, then they can use it at home.

I dont have the tummy problem but I've developed an obsession with your boobs, lol. I keep coming back in to look at em.

My fills are free forever, but I still dont want to be mucking around with them. I had 1 ml (or cc) six weeks after surgery. Two and a bit weeks after that I had .3 ml. Three weeks after that I had a check up but elected not to get the fill since I was still going fine. Three weeks later I had .1ml, that was last Friday. As mine are free I guess I have the luxury of tiny tiny increments and its only half an hour's drive to go back if it's a) either too much or if I want more. But I feel my current level will suit me for a while.

Hehehe I dont even want to think about it. Although I'm not a person to be embarrassed by such things. Its just a body, mine is the same as everyone elses. I did once have surgery on my hand when 7 months pregnant though. Therefore I couldnt have the twilight sedation they normally give in such procedures, just a local in my hand/arm. I was a bit peeved at the conversations going on, I think they forgot that I was "awake". The surgeon barely looked at me, they were talking about their weekend and who was doing who amongst the staff!

This makes sense to me. I find I tend to do it naturally anway to some degree, especially with exercise, I get bored and try something else.

I feel like I can work with what I have, that its a good balance of eating and lifestyle freedom and not having to try too hard to eat well enough to continue losing. I can eat enough and enough variety to completely halt my weight loss if I choose (and have had a few weeks where I ate like this) as I can still get in 1800 calories a day if I make the effort. However I can also stick on 1200 or so without hunger and cravings. It seems like a good tradeoff to me, make some effort and make sensible decisions and I still get to include foods like bread, red meat and the occasional meal out, with no need to panic if we end up on the spur of the moment choosing to have a pizza or something. I could go tighter, lose weight faster and with less effort but their would be a price to pay for that - I couldnt eat certain foods, would be much more restricted in my lifestyle and would be risking PB's and discomfort. Therefore I think the "right" restriction is a purely individual thing. Some individuals need to be much more reigned in with their food choices and quantities than others do.

Its nothing like "normal" by my way of judging since I can eat anything, dont get much pain or discomfort unless I eat way too fast. I eat 3 meals a day, i just cant eat as much as I used to and I'm losing weight at a pound or more a week. But then, given the number of little irritations, idiosyncracies and problems others have with their bands, I think perhaps its less "normal" to have no problems at all. I would be worried for my long term health on that kind of intake though and would be probably making lots of effort to get nourishing liquids down until I could get to my doc. You need to eat regularly.

You've still got all that good work to be proud of, it takes a long time to change habits of many years. Over time I've found its gotten lots easier and now I can honestly look at food as just sustenance and nothing more. It takes little effort now to avoid what I shouldnt eat and on the days when I do desire it, I have what I want, in small amounts. YOu will get to that point too but it takes a while. Just hang in there.