Jachut

Its harder now seven years out than it was to lose the weight over the first three. I feel like there is definitely an adaptation to the band where the body gradually resumes its old appetites and habits and I have to work very hard now to keep to the bandster rules and not to give in to my continual urges to binge on sugar - I really, really have a problem with sugar. I'm successful four days out of five, but once or twice a week I do tend to have massive sugar binges, where I will eat eight or nine Cookies (or similar). Generally I make it through a normal Breakfast and lunch and by 3pm, the urge simply overwhelms me and there will be no healthy dinner that night, I will just pick for hours on crap. This seems to do no damage to my weight at all but it upsets my very sensitive gut and makes me feel terrible about myself! I have taken years to get to the root of my eating problems (I've been banded seven) and its only inthe last year that I really have accepted that I do have a real disordered eating pattern. I am a perfectionist, over controlling, all or nothing and scarily I can identify with ALL of the thoughts and mental outlooks that you'll find on any list of anorexia symptoms. I've never managed to get myself anorexic thin, but its not for want of trying. I like the look of being underweight, I've never been happy to stop at a BMI of 25, that was never good enough for me, etc. This all escalated markedly for me with being diagnosed with cancer and I struggle now to eat sensibly, regularly and in moderate amounts that are consistent from day to day - rather than starve one day binge the next. I find it hard to accept that there's people out there that are much much heavier than I ever was who actually probably have an easier time of it because they dont harbour so many dysfunctional thoughts. Hunger never ever was a part of my problem - yet the band worked brilliantly for me my dampening that and limiting what I could eat - so whatever your issues, it is a tool you can work with. I'm actually really glad that I feel like finally, 45 years into my life, I think I have a better understanding of what makes me tick. I may or may not seek professional help- I feel I'm in good control at the moment but it swings to ovrwhelming at the drop of a hat, so I think it would be good for me. What I feel the band gives me is control. It takes away the fear for me that I will eat and eat and not stop. With it, I can allow myself the luxury of having confidence in my body's signals - so for me its a huge psychological prop. I actually at more and better with my band! So banded life is hard, but life without it would be hard too. Lets face it, obesity is a horrible disease that causes hardships in your life. You have it, so its a question of how to manage it, not whether the band is easy or not.

I make home made toasted muesli with oats, LSA, chia, almonds, coconut and sunflower and pumpkin seeds - loaded with fibre,good fats, and much higher in Protein than most cereals. I have a quarter cup with a Few spoonfuls of yogurt and halfa sliced banana. I rarely deviate - I am a total carbaholic and this gives me my fix in a healthier way, plus with my bowel issues I really suffer if I don't eat whole grains daily. Occasionally I have a junky breakfast like a piec of that with Peanut Butter, but I would never choose foods like bacon or eggs, I couldn't stomach those in the morning.

I'm embarrassed to say this, as it seems onto be socially acceptable not to be into anything and everything these days. I'm no prude either. But I loathe oral sex. I do feel self conscious buto me it just doesn't feel good. I don't like saliva all over me, it's too intense and invasive, it even hurts. I don't think we've done it since I was about 20 which is quarter of a century ago. And I don't enjoy giving it either,it's hideous. Our mouths and our asses belong at different ends of our bodies, eeeeew. But I can be coaxed once in awhile because I know he loves it.

The thing is, you dont have the surgery and get thin right away - if the military were to send you packing for being obese, you're still going to be obese for quite a long time, surgery or not. Or will simply showing you're losing weight be enough? by the way, what do you mean "frowned upon". Where does ANY organisation get off dictating how employees can deal with health issues? weight loss surgery is the most sensible, effective and long term way to deal with obesity. Sheesh.

I've always been scornful of this advice, saying that I eat more than that. But the longer I get out in this journey (7 years) the more I think its probably sound. I have a slightly stretched pouch and now have issues with heartburn and pain, which may or may not be related. Then there's the three meals a day advice, it really works with me just to ban snacking, point blank. Three meals a day and I will lose weight, guaranteed. But as a 5ft 10 person who runs every day and on three days also does an hour of vigorous weight training, can I survive on half cup meals - there's just simply no way I can do it. I'd be utterly desperately starving and it would be serious undereating for me. So I really try to keep my portions that small, so that I dont worsen the pouch, but eat five times a day instead. However - although I dont really need to lose and have maintained for years, I'm a couple of pounds up at the moment, and I dont lose weight doing this like I do with three larger meals. A cup is a much more satisfying amount, but it sometimes makes me feel stretched depending on what i've eaten so I play it by ear and try to stop before that point.

I didnt "need" surgery, but I did have a tummy tuck because other surgeries created bad scarring and minor herniation that I wanted removed. I had a very flat tummy but the skin was about half a size too big - following the surgery I look pretty much the same dressed and it is a fair bit better in a bikini but I do have a huge scar now - but I got to do it as a "medical necessity" so I jumped at the opportunity. Without that I would never have bothered.

You know, its taken a lot for this message to get into my thick head. I am a carbaholic, love love love muffins, Cookies, cakes, sweet nutty concoctions (like "healthy" bars) and chocolate. Strangely, I hate bread and whilst I like Pasta and rice and wouldnt ever give them up, I dont overeat them. Just the sweet stuff. I've had a band for seven years and never given up these foods, even though I've lost weight. I'm prone to periods of time of eating nothing BUT these foods, skipping all the healthy stuff to have a donut for lunch. Calores in, calories out is all that matters in the end - and I'm healthy overall - but this is my weakness. However, since my whole cancer journey, side effects of radiation and chemo, I cant eat wheat - or a lot of sugar. I'm not allergic, nothing drastic will happen in the short term, but over time it makes me chronically and horribly constipated - along with lactose, fructose and sugar. Despite the fact that I will throw up instantly if I try to stuff a donut down fast, its been the constipation and bloating, seven years later, which has finally cured me of my desire for yeasty sweet foods. I just dont want them.The mental association with toilet troubles is just too strong. Why on earth would the mental association with being fat, unhealthy and pbing not do it for me? Weird huh? And you know, I hear you on the pain and positivity thing. I should be ecstatic over the fact that i'm 2 years cancer free and all signs for a cancer free future are great. But I'm so consumed with my daily battle with my bowels, niggly left sided pain, a stitch in my left side, the need for an enema to have a bowel motion which is kinda crampy and awful and followed by several hours of low grade cramping, urges to push. Every single freaking day. And apparently that's a GOOD outcome following radiation and resection. I have to work very hard for it not not overwhelm my outlook but constant pain does wear you down. You dont have to feel you need to support everyone here when you need it yourself.

Protein shakes aren't magic, they're calories just like any other food. Don't worry about trying to afford them if it's too hard right now, stick to cheaper sources of protein. FWIW, I have never drunk them, I lost 120% of my excess weight and have kept it off for five years.

Cakes, cookies, muffins...

Oh,soy chai lattes, mmmmmmmmmm. Chai is an Indian spice mix, truly yummy, but commercial mixes are full of sugar, a small chai latte is about 200 cls.

Seven years, complication free, even despite having rectal cancer (two years cancer free as of yesterday, yay!!!)

We all get that looking slightly better kind of result that we've achieved a zillion times from losing 20lb. for me, I had about 80lb to lose, at a BMI of 35 and I swear, I had to lose at least HALF thatut the downside is before I could really notice that clothes were simply too big for me. I carry weight very evenly and I'm tall, so maybe I didnt look as fat as I really was, it wasnt really noticeable when I lost it either. Serious results to me meant tops becoming too big. I'd create an inch or two's breathing room in pants all the time, but never lost enough weight to lose of arms, shoulders etc. When I realised that I simply couldnt wear my shirts and tshirts and stuff anymore because the shoudler seams were at my elbows, that was an awesome feeling!

I walked, wll power walked. And dd Cardio Coach on n elliptical. I wanted to get as fit as I could, I thinkit put me in a good mindset.

I really need lots of fibre to manage IBS and having no rectum and no " push" muscles but Metamucil, Benefibre, Normafibe, all of them give me tons if pain, bloating and gas. But LSA mix or just plain ground linseeds, absolutely fantastic - soft easy to pass stools without urgency or bloating. Sorry for TMI but when you've lost thtat part of your body and naturally produce something that looks like rabbit poo, to produce something larger than what the cat left in the litter box is cause for celebration!!!! I sprinkle on muesli, str into yogurt, use to make low carb minute muffins or alternatively, eat a big spoonful followed by a glass of Water.

Funny that. I was referred onto a reconstructive surgeon by my colorectal guy when my tummy muscles kind f gave up te ghost after ll my bowl surgeries. Was told to go see my lapband surgeonto check it was ok to move my port. He is the nicest guy but he was a complete prick about it nd I've no idea why. Ranted and raved that I had nothing to tuck, completely ignoring the hernias I was developing, and with held info from the reconstructive Sargon to boot! I don't know whether he bought I was being taken advantage of being encouraged to have a surgery I din need?" I guess doctors are just regular people after all and are refectory capable of behaving badly!

Wow, I had entirely forgotten that one of the reasons I went to see my surgeon was pain in my feet - even at a BMi of 35. I remember hw much it hurt to get up from sitting now. If its any consolation, now that I think about it, it disappeared pretty quickly and I never thought bout it again, so there's your answer - weight loss! It doesn't need to e that much either.

Wide sides do the trick - Although that problem reduced amazingly as my BMI went from 25 to 21. A lot of that "excess" skin still contains fat and can be reduced by further weight loss if you're so inclined. When you get your body fat really low the excess skin s still there but much less noticeable and bulgy in clothing. Even o, I never buy cheap, flimsy or skinny bras.

I can only say gain, there I nothing WRONG with the 4 cc band. sure, products continue to be tweaked but it's like saying your 2007 car is a pile of poop js because it doesn't have Bluetooth and iPod connectivity like 2012 cars do. It's still a car, it can still be luxurious and reliable nd a pleasure to drive, still gets you from A to B. this is similar hysteria to saying HRT causes breast cancer when in reality you might get one or two more cases per hundred women. If you are the owner of a 4cc band, you do not have an inferior product, in fact purely on observation you may indeed have a few more advantages and perhaps two in a hundred of you will have a slip, whereas if you have a 10cc band mybe one in a hundred will suffer the same fate. We're still serving plenty if those I've slipped posts even though the 4cc band isn't in common use in the USA. These numbers are just made up, trying to put it in perspective.. You are not guaranteed or even likelyto hav troubles with your 4cc band.

I ate around 1500, ran for an hour a day and never counted or journalled anything, the got me down to. BMi of 21.

YOu really probably don't, unless you know you tend to vomit with anesthesia. I've even had intestinal surgery with band and fluid with no drama.

This I what I've kind of worked out myself through my years here. Back in 2005, nobody talked about taking monhs to get restriction. But if it meant the inference between going 5 years with your band or 25, which would you choose? My hubby has a 10 cc band and in my opinion, eats like a non banded person - slower and less than before but fast and large portions to my 4cc eyes. He lost about 50% of his excess weight, but he eats what he wants, doesnt diet and oesnt exercise. He looks fairly normal, meaning fat but not hugely obese. Not Roth the surgery if you add me. My 4cc band is seven years old, but I do ave a slightly stretched pouch.

There's heaps about people's workouts on here. Myself, I run,spin and o strength training.

Elcee coined the phrase nicely - the "not fat enough" police. Careful, they're alive and well here too. A At some stage all of us lw bmi'ers have copped a serve of "you ought to just diet and exercise"

They're forbidden on my lw fodmap diet as major gut irritants - anything ending in "ol" - xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, etc. And be careful because stevia isn't just stevia - it's mixed with xylitol to make it edible. If you've ever had pure stevia it's horrid.

Not me, I've got middle aged white woman flat but syndrome. My buttocks are like two droopy pancakes. Despite thousands of squats, lunges and running I've got no boobs either. I never ever in a zillion years would have believed I was a skinny body type, but any flesh at all on me us just flab. Thankfully I am nicely pear shaped and don't look like a boy, but I don't have curves.