AirKuhl

I'm male and 5'10". I set my original goal at 175 just because I thought that would be about right, but I really had no idea. Now I weigh 169 and feel that I need to drop another 10-15lbs. I would have never guessed when I started that I should weigh ~155 lbs, but that looks like where I'll end up. I always thought I was "big-boned" but apparently I was just fat, lol. It's hard to guess what a good weight is when you've been overweight so long. Everyone is different. Ultimately the number on the scale is meaningless, you can just look at yourself and know when you are where you need to be.

My kids are similar, my son is 12 and is thin for his age. You can tell by looking at him that he will never have weight issues, he just has that body type. My daughter is 10 and overweight. She will struggle with her weight just like I did. She eats better than he does. He seems to only eat meat, sugar and starch while she's happy with fruits and veggies. My wife is thin and as far as I can tell she appears to only eat ice cream and chocolate. Everyone is different. I could never count calories, weigh food, watch the scale, chart calories burned, etc. If I did that, it would feel like was on a temporary plan instead of a permanent lifestyle change and I would eventually fail. The band keeps me from overeating. I work out because I enjoy it, and I figure if I have a good sweat going and my muscles are burning I'm getting something done. I have a friend who is the opposite. He researched everything, buys only certain foods and weighs them carefully, has an exotic and expensive pile of supplements he takes every day, uses his computer to chart his calories burned and weight loss, uses a body bugg, has a detailed printed workout regimen, purchased and uses various home blood work kits, blood pressure, blood sugar, and even a home EKG machine, etc. He lost his excess weight and so did I. No way either one of us would have if we switched.

I started with a BMI of 39. The first 9 months were effortless, weight just fell away. I had a perfect fill were I could eat and drink anything, just lower quantities. Months 9-11, I stabilized around 26.5 BMI. I had to make a choice, do I get another fill or do something else? I was so happy with my fill and knew it was the right amount for long term maintenance, and have read so many posts about the bad experiences of people that probably are too tight, that I decided to try working out. Now after 4 months of working out, my BMI is 24.5. My fat content is lower than that implies because I have gained substantial muscle mass (I'm a guy, just to be clear). I still eat and drink anything I want, although I do enjoy making healthier choices. I NEVER feel like I am dieting or skipping anything. More importantly, my health is the best it's ever been. Blood work, blood pressure, liver function, pulse, heart rate, etc. are all well in range for a healthy 20yo person half my age. I sleep 2-3 less hours per night but have more energy all day. The shape of my body is also much better even ignoring the weight loss. Posture is much better, lower back pain is gone, shoulder to waist ratio, clearly visible muscles in arms and legs, etc. People who haven't seen me in months literally stop and stare open mouthed. I occasionally get hit on in grocery stores and coffee shops. By women who are even cute! It's a good feeling. None of this would have happened without excercise. I could have gotten the tighter fill and still lost the weight, but I think I would have been miserable and would have been thin but still soft and kinda flabby. Eating less will make you thin, but it won't make you fit. I had to start in the privacy of my own home with a Wii Fit and work my way up from there, and it was totally worth it. Now I'm just hoping my skin catches up with me, I totally understand the half-size too big comment.

Caffeine decreases appetite temporarily, but the rebound after it wears off can make you more hungry. Bit the band helps with that. Coffee is also acidic so it bother's some people's stomachs, banded or not. I drink a large Cappuccino every morning, 7 days a week, it's part of my morning ritual. No issues here. BTW, carbonation hurting the band or stretching your stomach is a myth, IMO (but always follow the advice of the guy you will turn to if you have a problem, i.e. your local doctor). I drink beer most weekends with no issues other than the empty calories.

Check with your doc just to be sure, but there are no limits as far as types of exercises, and the band is no one's business but your own IMO.

I had mine Thursday and was back Monday, desk job. It only hurt for a couple of days and it was pretty minor, I think I took a grand total of one of my pain meds.

Well, except the difference is that your body does have "leaks" in that you can burp and gas can also be absorbed. Still good to stay away from soda if you can, either too much sugar or too much artificial sweetener. Just like bread, chicken, Pasta, caffeine, alcohol, etc, carbonation is OK for some and unpleasant for others. Some docs tell you to avoid these things and some don't. I drink beer most weekends and never had any issue with it, my doc says no problem as long as I understand those are calories. My opinion is to always follow the advice of the guy you will turn to if you have a problem.

Toning just means that you make yourself a bit stronger but don't really build the muscles up. If you work out for size, your muscles will automatically "tone". There are lots of different ways to work a particular muscle group, a lot of it may depend on what gear your gym has. Feel free to ask, that's what they are there for. My personal preference is to use free weights and calisthenics instead of the fancy machines. I'm trying to become more fit and have good core strength. The machines isolate a specific muscle group, while free weights tend to involve lots of other muscles at the same time. My trainer is a former special ops guy, they trained this same way for strength over looks.

Well said, but using logic to debate with an illogical person doesn't really work. There are many good reason to avoid soda. Empty calories, too much artificial sweetener, lots of burping, discomfort, etc. "Stretching" something is a ridiculous argument, no way your body can maintain that level of pressure without burping. It's just not possible, even if you tried to do it on purpose. I'm not a doctor so don't take my word for that, but it is my personal experience. People fail with the band because they cheat with slider foods, or force too much food at once, or their doctors in some off-shore low-cost band factory did a lousy job of installing it and then cover their tracks by making up bogus rules. We all should research the facts, ask our doctors the hard questions, and ultimately follow our doctor's advice because they are the ones we'll turn to if we have issues. If your doctor tells you things that don't make sense, find a better doctor. Every med school class has a bottom half. :confused: Cheers, a person who hit 100% of goal in a year with no issues whatsoever, drinking carbonated drinks the whole time.

The only way to tighten skin is either shrink the skin or fill the empty space. Since we don't have much control over shrinking skin short of surgery, you can work on building up some muscle volume to fill it in. Aside from looking better, muscle uses a lot of calories just sitting there, so you end up either losing weight faster or being able to eat more and still lose. I suggest aiming for 2 sets of 15 reps. Find a weight where it's hard but still possible to do 15, but doing more is impossible. You want to hit muscle fatigue at the last rep. Muscle fatigue is that point where you simply can't lift it anymore. That's after the point where it feels difficult or "burns". That burn feeling is good and you want to feel it the last few reps. Make sure for upper arms you work the triceps and shoulders too. Most people focus on the biceps but the other 2 are probably even more important. Good luck!

I can't eat cheap white bread, it's just not worth the effort it takes to not get stuck. The only bread I eat anymore is the crusty sourdough stuff from a bakery, and only once in a while. I tend to stay away from pasta as well, but I'll eat some pizza every now and then. I don't drink much soda, but I will drink some beer on the occasional weekend with friends. I can drink maybe 5 or 6 and I'll drink pretty slowly compared to my old self. Carbonation doesn't bother me at all for some reason.

I agree that you should make your own. If you don't consider yourself a cook, just find a package of chili mix at the store and follow the directions. You only use one pot so very little cleanup and it's as easy as can be. I tried the Hormel canned chili stuff and it was so vile I threw it away. Yechh.

Nigiri is a style of sushi where you have a little rectangle of rice with a piece of fish on top, typically 2 pieces per serving. Miso soup is soup made out of miso,which is a soybean paste. It's served at every sushi place I've ever been to.

Wow, you really need to calm down. There are no hard and fast "rules", every doctor is different. I drink carbonated beverages, caffeine, I didn't have to lose any weight prior to surgery, etc. I eat and drink anything I want, whenever I want. I pay attention to what I eat and try to make smart decisions, but I have zero stress, never count calories, never feel like I'm missing out on anything and don't even think about my band anymore. I've never had any issues, pain, or other problems. I just simply eat less than I used to. I have lost 100% of my excess weight in a year. Have you? You are right about one thing though, there are plenty of bad doctors out there, and IMO they try to cover their butts by making up all kinds of ridiculous rules.

A good rule of thumb is to pick a weight where you can do 15 reps, but not 16. 15 reps is a good balance between pure weight training and cardio. If you want to build muscle more quickly, then change it to 10 or even 8 reps. Make sure you practice good form. It's easier to do more reps or higher weight if you hoist the weights too quickly, use momentum, or some awkward movement, but that doesn't help and you could hurt yourself.

One of my favorite foods when eating out. I can order exactly the right amount of exactly what I want and it's cheap because I eat so little. Typically 2 orders of nigiri and a bowl of miso soup and I'm good to go, a great, healthy meal for under 10 bucks.

I tend to overanalyze too. The one thing I learned for sure is that everyone is different. I eat all 3 of these frequently with no problems. If you are determined enough and chew enough, you can eat pretty much anything, but some things just aren't worth it. For me, very soft cheap bread like Wonder bread will stick. Scrambled eggs will stick, but not any other type. Certain types of Pasta don't work for me. Crunchy, fibrous veggies like asparagus is a challenge. But I can eat any type of meat, cold cuts, pizza, crusty bread, cole slaw, french fries, rice and lots of other things that others have issues with. You won't know until you do it.

One other thing I meant to mention. Try to avoid eating anything sweet, even if it's artificially sweetened. There is a theory that eating sweet foods is a type of addiction, so even zero calorie artificial sweeteners cause you to keep craving sweet foods so you end up eating something sweet with too many calories. I tried this myself, I ate nothing sweet for 2 weeks. It was REALLY hard, but after those 2 weeks I wasn't craving Desserts or sweet drinks anywhere near as much.

I self-paid. My family doc at the time was an idiot and his ineptitude kept me from getting insurance to cover it. My insurance does cover my fills, though, go figure. Worth EVERY penny, wish I did it years ago.

All good advice above. This is my biggest remaining eating disorder by far. Some of the things that have helped me: Make sure you eat all 3 meals during the day. Make sure you drink a lot of Water. If you MUST eat something, make sure it's not a slider. One of my go-to evening Snacks is I take a slice of turkey breast, spread some Dijionaise or a Laughing Cow wedge on it and roll it up. I have to eat it slowly or I'll get stuck, and it fills you up since it won't slide. I'll put one serving of almonds, about 15 or so, in a small bowl and tell myself that's it. I'll snack slowly to make it last. One entire can of Progresso chicken Veggie Soup is only 160 calories, and it's a full meal. Some hot tea will fit the bill sometimes. There are plenty of zero calorie foods. Celery, etc. Eat all you want. Brush your teeth. That minty taste kills a lot of head hunger. And your teeth look better! Turn the TV off and go do something, anything. Laundry. Clean out the closet. Vacuum. Tidy the garage. Go get you some with your spouse. Play a video game that requires both hands and some concentration.

I love the Wii Fit. I did it for 3 months and it was what helped me transition from couch potato to the gym. I don't use it anymore but no way could I have stuck with a fitness regimen without the Wii to get me kickstarted.

I exercise 4 days a week. Each time I jog, do weight training, 200 ball crunches, 2 sets of 15 reps on the ab machine with 100lbs, and 2 sets of 24 hanging leg lifts. I have no port issues. My doc has done pro football players and pro MMA fighters with no issues. If the port is installed correctly, you can basically ignore it.

I don't drink much soda but I do like a beer now and then. My doc is fine with it, just told me to make sure I understand the additional calories. I don't understand how it could stretch anything, ever hear of burping? Seems like the excess pressure would be released long before it could do any damage.

Pot is definitely illegal for most of us (FWIW, I have a license to legally smoke, I buy pot in a store with a credit card and pay sales tax for it). There are many things that are illegal because laws are often created for the wrong reasons, and are very slow to change. Google "dumb laws", there are websites devoted to them. For example, there's a law on the books in NY that slippers may NOT be worn after 10:00 PM, and that whaling is illegal in Oklahoma. The point is that we ALL break laws every day. We drive 5mph over the limit, we cross an intersection while the light is "orange", we wear slippers after 10:00PM. I agree that if you feel it needs to be illegal, then it seems logical for booze and tobacco to be illegal. And also beef, pork, butter, cream, soft drinks, fast food, gun ownership, skiing and so on. All these things can cause serious issues when abused. There is a problem with that logic though. In the USA at least, it's our job to NOT blindly obey every law simply because it's there. It's our responsibility to fight against unjust laws, and to always side with the rights of the responsible individual first. Our government is not here to give us a list of allowable activities, it's here to protect us from harm and make sure that we can engage in whatever activities we see fit to engage in provided no one is unwillingly harmed. There is no one in the government with the job of reviewing millions of local, state and federal regulations to see if any need to be updated of changed. It's our job to get those changed. They work for us, not the other way around, and need to be reminded of that regularly. Pot should be legal everywhere. But go ahead and increase the penalty for hurting someone while under the influence of whatever substance. Eliminate welfare for drug addicts who can't get employed because of the drugs. We make our choices and need to live with them. Pot is decriminalized in several states with more to come. It's only because there are people out there making that happen in a responsible fashion. Ask any cop, there are more important things for them to do than hassle the random stoner.

I've lost ~100 lbs. My wife says I'm boldly going where no man has gone before. :closedeyes: