Jachut

Haha, i dont think your brain ever catches up with your body - food tastes good and your head will always want to keep going long after your stomach has said stop! I have some funny food stories, having an ileostomy, lol, but they're a bit disgusting, lol. Needless to say, minestrone is NOT my friend!

I dont think it matters - i can eat before I run with no real problem, my general workout time is early evening, at which time i havent eaten for hours, and i eat dinner about an hour after my run, or mid morning, when I've had breakfast an hour or two beforehand and have lunch several hours after. That precise, pre/post workout nutrition schedule is for elite athletes, people get very carried away that they've done a spin class so they need some post workout sports nutrition product. Truth is for the average woman, and man too, your regular diet is plenty and the whole point of exercise for those losign weight is to create a calorie deficit so its a bit stupid to go and gulp down a 200 calorie Protein shake immediately after lifting a few weights and then wonder why you dont lose weight! Its really only if you're trying to gain serious muscle weight or you're fuelling gruelling workouts for reasons other than weight loss that you really need to worry about this stuff. Yeah, your metabolism is raised after exercise so if its lunchtime, its a good plan to eat then but if its not even meal time, then why put calories in just for the sake of it? Enjoy the raised metabolism and burn more fat! Otherwise, eat when its convenient and when it feels best for you. The only thing I've noticed, and as you can probably tell, I've always been a sceptic of all this kinda stuff, but now, with an ileostomy, my workout is better if I do drink gatorade or Powerade rather than Water. I truly need the electrolytes. But even with stuff like this, I think for most people plain water is the best bet.

True, true, I forget I'm 43. I compare myself to women in their 20's and 30's all the time, that's the age I feel. When I truly look at my contemporaries, my dear girlfriends whom I've had for years, I can truly appreciate that I am looking sensational for a woman in her mid 40's and apart from the minor detail of having had cancer, I am in amazing physical shape fitness wise, I can outperform women half my age easily. At a glance, I do look 10 years younger than most of my friends. So on the one hand, I *can* see it, and on the other I cant. Someone said in another thread their goal was to be able to maintain within an 8 pound range. I have NO tolerance for gaining at all, my alarm bells ring at 2lb gained and I cut right back until its gone.

I certainly agree with that, wholeheartedly. Lapband surgeons are SURGEONS, they are not dieticians and reading this forum over the years has made it very obvious that they operate mainly on their own personal feelings and beliefs on diet and not to a small extent on whatever will produce the best stats in a given time period for thier clinics too. Nutritionists are also not dieticians and are very like personal trainers. There are good ones, but it is not a difficult qualification to achieve - in australian anyway its back of the cornflake box stuff - and often based more on current fashion than individual attention. Case in point - I visited a dietician recently - a dietician, not a nutritionist. My lapband doc send me, my weight is terribly low and I cannot gain at the moment. I am having a lot of trouble with chronic diarrhoea with my ileostomy and I had just come out of hospital where I was treated for a bowel obstruction. So I went to see this dietician with a view to working out how to eat low residue without living on a horrible white bread and Pasta diet - I may believe in eating carbs but I dont believe in living on them or taking in large quantities of processed ones! Seriously, this woman had absolutely NO idea how to treat an ostomate. She sent me on my way with her standard "diet sheet" for gaining, which included a lot of the red alert foods for ostomates - wholegrains, lots of dairy, blah blah blah. It wasnt tailored to me at all, and she totally ignored the whole point - that my diet needs to be low residue (which basically means low fibre). You really are on your own to a large extent when working out your perfect diet, anyone you visit is going to push their preference and they're unlikely to be well versed in several ways of eating, so that you could sit with them and really work out hte pros and cons and what might be best for you personally. You definitely need to educate yourself and come to a reasonable decision about what you believe and what works best for you.

So true, for every so called "fact" there is an opposing one that sounds just as credible, just as official. What works for one does not necessarily work for another. to me, Atkins, Dukan etc ARE fad diets, but that's just me. That's becuase I dont see them as a way that *I* personally can live. They look like torture to me, i'd rather be fat than live like that. But I hate rules, regulations, and above all, I just think its absolutely and utterly ridiculous that people actually believe that human beings, the ultimate opportunists, hunter gatherers (whatever you want to call it) are actaully somehow secretly programmed to live by just ONE eating philosophy. Cavemen didnt do Atkins or Dukan any more than they ate McDonalds and white bread - calories calories calories. Atkins works for some people, just like Dukan will because they genuinely do better on low carb high Protein diets, but it works for MORE people simply because its lowere calorie than what they were eating. I think if you want to do it, do it wholeheartedly and be prepared to live by that philosophy and above all realise its not for everyone, that everyone will have a story about why its bad, or why something else is better.

Oh yeah, for sure. At the moment, my BMI is 19, I'm skinny as, but I dont see it. Its partly due to a surgery and chemo, and my oncologist and surgeon have both expressed concern over my weight and advised me to gain a few pounds and my band is unfilled. That freaks me out, the thought of deliberately gaining weight. Anyway, today I am up to 132lb, having put on 2lb over the past week - I am defnitely having a fat day. I'm mentally planning all the ways i can cut back, how I can fit in more exercise in my already tough exercise schedule, there's no difference in the fit of what I'm wearing, but I'm freaked over 2lb. Its seriously insane - I have always thought I had no eating issues but I realise I really need to work on this. My figure has its faults, like anyone's and it has some flab and those faults bother me, I also cant seem to stop trying and plannign to lose more weight (never manage it though, there's no more left to lose!). What do I think will happen when I'm seriously underweight- that my life will change? Dont get me wrong, I'm in control of this, its not serious stuff that i would act on - but there's still PLENTY of headwork to do when the weight is gone. Accepting yourself and letting go of your overweight person/always on a diet mentality is not easy.

Something like Zumba is relatively mild and should be safe as long as you listen to your body and go at your pace. Walking and gentle jogging would be safe also, I was allowed to start back jogging gently 10 days after a major bowel resection - gentle being the operative word and with insructions not to absolutely exhaust myself. Heavy duty stuff like interval running and lifting weights has to weight a bit longer - six to eight weeks at least for most people.

I find I have to stay vigilant, but if I really catch myself eating inappropriately and can truly recognise it, I can usually stop it before any damage is done. So much eating is done on autopilot!

Your nutritionist just hates carbs :-). Its a very American thing, here in Australia its much more usual to be prescribed a basic, healthy diet from all food groups, without the focus on low carb and without the need for Protein shakes. I've eaten bread, rice and Pasta all along, I eat a few pieces of fruit a day, I drink the occasinal glass of wine and eat the occasional sweet treat, I eat potatoes with my dinner sometimes, and like any Aussie, I occasionally enjoy a pie and sauce! Also, you cant eat vegemite without toast! I just eat less, keep to three meals no Snacks and run or go to the gym every day. I lost 130lb in 2 years and have kept it off for over three, even with no fill in my band. I dont think the average person needs to avoid carbs at all, but we also dont need three or four slices of bread, some Cereal, a muesli bar, Cookies AND potatoes with dinner all in a single day. My carb intake did drop quite a bit when I was banded. I'd get plenty of the carbs in fruit and vegies, but my grain foods would consist of a slice or bread OR some oatmeal OR some pasta or rice in a single day.

Any pain should be checked out. I'm the greatest for thinking its nothing, but I ignored digestive symptoms for way way too long that DID turn out to be cancer. Most times, it isnt, and with a lapband, there are often vague pains, even the tubing touching something can cause pain, gallstones are common (OK, so you dont want em, but they're relatively easy to deal with), when I had restriction, I would often get this horrible centre chest pain, SO intense and it would radiate into my throat and the roof of my mouth, but we couldnt find a single reason for it, although it mimicked gallsones. It was brought on by cold food or carbonation and my doctor thought it was simply cramps, and I certainly havent had a sign of it since all my fill came out for another surgery a few months ago. 99% of the time, the pain is nothign serious but there's nothing to be gained by not checking it out.

To me its all about calories too - and for most people, not all but most, low carb works mainly because its low calorie. Meals tend to be very low calorie without any bread, rice, pasta, pastry, sugar or even starchy veg like potatoes, unless you eat alot of fat. There's lots of members here who need to low carb it or they dont lose, but for the average joe, as long as your calories are down, it really doesnt matter WHAT you eat. For the sake of your health you want to eat well, but you can lose weight eating nothing but crap. For example, a few months ago I had surgery and now have an ileostomy, my system tends to run in overdrive and anythign I eat has a very short transit time. My small intestine has not done what it should and learned to absorbe water better, so I have chronic, copious diarrhoea. To manage that, I have to eat white bread, rice, pasta, cereals, bananas at each meal, and avoid too many fruits, vegies, etc. My simple carb intake is through the roof compared to what my diet was normally like but I havent gained a gram, even with my band unfilled. It worries me because it sucks in terms of general nutrition and I hope i can overcome it with reversal of the ileostomy but weight wise, it makes no difference at all.

I dont think so - not because you should never enjoy a piece of cake but because cake must be soft, but like bread, it is a DANGER food. it is very very easy to get stuck and pb on cake, its soft, spongy and soaks up fluids in your stomach. You eat a tiny piece that grows to twice its size in your pouch and before you know it, slime and vomiting. I wouldnt risk it. Everyone's danger foods are different, I could always eat bread and dense cake like carrot cake, but soft muffins and cakes, no way.

At a week out, with the newer bands, it is certain that it will get better. You know the advice though - that you shouldnt be looking for "full" but rather stopping at "not hungry anymore". Easier said than done, I'm struggling with this more and more as time goes by - i was unfilled five months ago for a surgery and chemo and after five years with the band, my mind and body have really been retrained to see a smaller meal as normal. But my stomach capacity is larger than that and i never get that "full' feeling anymore like I did with fill in my band. And I just have to stop when I know I should, not when my stomach says to. Its really hard! Just practice it as much as you can, any weight loss from now until you get restriction is a bonus - but restriction or not, its YOU who has to change, and you may as well start with it now, as difficult as it is. Hang in there, it will get better.

It doesnt matter, if you just get back on track, everyone has days like this! Put it behind you and look ahead. I had a day like this yesterday, I've been so good, I've not gained an ounce since being unfilled five months ago. Anyway, yesterday was chemo day, and chemo makes me feel sick, but like pregnancy, it also makes me crave weird or specific things at various times. Anyway, I've not even thought about Mcdonalds in five months, but yesterday i wanted it. I had a small Big Mac meal and I really really really enjoyed it. No problem, I"m not overweight, I'm living my long term life now and it didnt bother me. But three hours later, I wanted the licorice allsorts on top of the fridge. Then I wanted a few shortbreads with my coffee, then I wanted chicken schnitzel and chips for dinner! The whole day just spiralled downhill! I have an ileostomy at the moment, so everything I eat exits my digestive system only half way through the journey and that combined with chemo also makes my tummy very sensitive and easily upset. I didnt sleep last night, lol, the activity in my abdomen even kept DH awake and I was up every hour emptying my bag out. This coming from a successful bandster who would say she has changed her eating habits for life. I still say that, even after a day like yesterday because this morning, I am back on track. No Oh, I've blown it, I'll start a diet on Monday crap, today is a new day and yesterday is history.

Ugh, I'm a dedicated exerciser, but not in the early am. I even struggle a bit to go to a 10 am gym class, I just have more energy in the afternoon. I never make the 9.20 spin class on the weekends, much as I intend to every week. Nonetheless I have gotten up early in the morning to run on occasion and when I do, I have a routine. i get up at about 5.30, I iron a shirt for DH for the day, have a coffee, a quick dunk under the shower and unstack the dishwasher. I have to spend half an hour or so waking up in this way, I just absolutely cant get out of bed and go. I might say, my blood pressure tends to run at around 90/50 and I do get a bit of postural hypotension, I cant even get straight out of bed into the shower on a workday or I'm likely to faint, or at least feel very sick.

This is where I have flab too - my lower belly is perfectly flat but I have a "sad' belly buttom. When I pull my stomach UP, I could be a stomach model, lol. But two PS here have told me this is never done, its not successful, the scar tends to be unsightly too becuase of where it is and how it has to be done, and generally it cant be hidden in a bikini.

With restriction in my band, the first year was pretty easy. It was automatic weight loss, and whilst I often had to say no to things I wanted to eat but wasnt truly hungry, that wasnt hard. Weight loss got harder to achieve further down the track, but even then I foudn I changed my habits naturally and easily. Now I'm unfilled due to other issues non band related and it is harder to maintain my loss with no restriction, but not THAT hard. I truly ahve changed and wonder why food ever had so much hold on me in the first place.

Its hard to distinguish between foods they really dont like and foods that they just dont want to eat because they'd rather have pizza, isnt it? I mean, I dont eat things I dont like, and I think expecting a child to is rather barbaric. But I eat things becuase I know I should when I'd really rather have something else that's not so nutritions or is high in calories all the time. I expect my children to eat sensibly in that way but if they really dont like something then they dont like it, end of story. I have also never eaten snails or kidneys or brains and I never bloody will. I am NOT going to eat something that revolts me just because I "should try it" and same deal with children. If something looks that disgusting to them, then they're not goign to be forced to eat it.

Mine went when i got down to a BMI of 19. Of course, the trade off is no boobs and a bony ribcage showing through my chest, but damn, my thighs and my butt look good. Cellulite is fat, and if you lose the fat, the cellulite disappears. Sad to say, a BMI of say 24 is very healthy overall, but most people at that weight still have a nice coverage of hip and thigh fat and with that comes cellulite. Its part of being a woman and I have to say, my overall shape was better a bit heavier, even if I had a few dimples.

I havent had any truly bad experiences, but its been assumed in both hurtful and non hurtful ways that I'm a certain type of person because i"m not fat. I feel way more judged than I ever did before when I was fat. Like one day when I was in Body Pump - like anyone facing a huge mirror, I do look at myself whilst working out! I check my form, and yes, i admire the work I've done and what its resulted in. Not overtly, not over the top, but I dont stand and never look at the mirror! So I was a little taken aback to hear a nasty whisper at the end of the class from the woman who was behind me (and looking at herself too) about " up themselves bitches who hog the mirror" followed by snickers. Sheesh. I often get that "but YOU wouldnt need to worry" kind of remark in any diet/exercise/fashion discussions. I get really pressured and pushed into eating things I dont want to eat because apparently I can eat anything without getting fat and my fat companion feels guilty about her enormous muffin or massive milk shake and wants me to partake to make her feel better. Hello!, I am not fat because I dont eat/drink that stuff!. Then you get the eye roll or the tutting noise becuase you're being precious. That's the worst one I think - my girlfriends do it to me regularly at our monthly girls night - i eat a main, I stick with a glass of wine, I'm not interested in 3 courses, several drinks etc. They dont mean harm, but it makes people uncomfortable becuase it shows up their unhealthy behaviour. but I have never experienced outright nastiness or jealousy from a friend or loved one (or anyone else either) and that would be very hurtful, but what can you do?

My coffee drinking habits never changed, in fact it was the first thing I was given in hospital - but I' drink mainly plain coffee with a dash of skim milk, not into fattening lattes and cappucinos and such. I wouldnt make fancy starbucks concoctions a regular part of your diet.

Depends on its size, we have different brands here, but a sushi roll or "handroll" is about 10 cm long, what's that, ah, maybe 3 and a bit inches - those are about 180 to 220 calories or so average over most brands for a tuna variety.

Make a hearty Soup - something with meat or chicken in it and some heavier vegies - like carrots, swedes etc, you know, the real is it a stew or is it a soup type of soup. Then blend it all up and Water it down as much as you need to with extra broth. Liquids only means that it has to go up a straw, it does not mean you cant have real foods rather than Protein shakes and Jello all the time. One night when my family had roast lamb, I even blended up lamb and vegies with broth - it was fantastic!

I've just had major abdominal surgery for rectal cancer with my lapband in place, that involved removal of a good deal of bowel and rectum and creation of an ileostomy. I've had a bowel obstruction since, and still my lapband is just fine. If its in there and well healed (as it would be after a year and a half) then a competent surgeon can work around it. I was extremely lucky that my colorectal surgeon had started his career with lapbands and by pure chance, workign with my lapband surgeon, but its not an insurmountable problem. I now have to eat a diet that's quite high in white bread, rice and Pasta and as such I am unfilled, there was no need to remove the band at all. Its there in the future when my stoma is reversed if I need to refill it, I will, but so far have had no weight gain. I've had chemo and radiation prior to surgery and am now having chemo again. of course it makes me sick, and of course sometimes I do get so nauseous that I vomit, I've got chronic diarrhoea and due to having my intestines exit before my colon, I am probably not absorbing the nutrients from a lot of what I eat. Both my surgeon and oncologist are on my back about my weight, but even through all this, I am eating well with an unfilled band and have enough energy to run and go to the gym. However, my band wasnt unfilled until right before my surgery, I got through a round of chemo and radiation with the fill in place. It can be done in seconds, at any time, so dont necessarily rush off and unfill if that's not what he wants to do. I feel for your husband, it really is the cruelest blow to reclaim your life and your health, to achieve a lifelong goal of weightloss only to have something like this happen, to make you think you might lose it all. But it really does not have to be that way.

Towards the end of your liquids phase, the liquids can be getting thicker, as long as it will still go up a straw. So there is no need to stay with protein shakes and yogurt. I made some really yummy soups that were just this side of a mushy, but you can dilute them as much as necessary with broth - just anything with a good savoury flavour! I couldn take weeks of sickly sweet protein shakes and although I made nice fruit smoothies and such, you cant have everythign sweet. I also made 'soups" out of a couple of family meals by liquidising them with broth - roast beef and steamed vegies and a bit of gravy with chicken stock is pretty darn good! Again, if its liquid and goes up a straw, it's fine, nobody said you cant have "real" food.