AirKuhl

I'm not a big soda fan but I do drink beer pretty much every weekend. It's fine with my Doc, just don't forget to account for the extra calories. There is no "standard procedure". Every doc is different. My theory is that you need to follow the advice of the person you will turn to if you have a problem, as in your doctor. If you think your doc is full of crap, find another one. Reading the forums you will see that there is a WIDE range of doctor's opinions. My doc is at one end of the spectrum, I had no pre-band diet, no comments on smoking, solids after one week, I can eat or drink anything I want (just less than before), no limitations on caffeine, alcohol, carbonation, etc. He does "fill holidays" where he'll unfill you before a vacation and fill you back up afterwards for the price of one fill. His attitude is you still need to live life to the fullest. Your doc may be different. I chose mine carefully after talking to a few docs because he made sense to me. As long as you listen to your doc and don't cheat with sliders, you will lose weight. I hit 100% of my goal in about a year and now at 1.5 years I'm 10 lbs under. No complications and no stress, scale watching or calorie counting. I'm not on a diet, I have permanently changed my behavior. This is what works for me. YMMV.

It's not possible to gain 5lbs of muscle in a week (I wish it was!). You may have been a bit dehydrated before starting and got better hydrated over time. Different scales weigh differently and you weigh different amounts throughout the day. Ultimately the number on the scale is meaningless. It's how you look and feel that counts.

I went from losing 10lbs a week to 10lbs a month to 10lbs a year (projected). Although I'm below my goal and no longer "overweight" per the BMI charts, I think I can still lose 10 more lbs. It's hard. My belief is that your body adjusts to exercise and calorie levels, and that you need to shock it every once in a while. If you focus on cardio, try weight training for a week or so. If you are on a 1,000 calorie level, try 1,500 for a week and then go to 800 for a week. Your metabolism is fighting against you during weight loss because it's a built-in survival instinct to store energy (fat). And we're all great survivors, lol.

I always drink a Protein shake after working out. Your body needs the protein and the liquids so it's a good combo. After finishing the shake I usually drink a bottle of Water or some other zero calorie drink. Occasionally I find myself craving some fruit as well so I'll eat an apple,orange or banana. I usually am not hungry for "normal" food for at least 2 hours after a good workout though.

Actually, your blood sugar bouncing around is what will slow your weight loss. A small snack when needed will speed up your weight loss, not slow it down.

Hmm, can't say I have that. But as an experiment, see if drinking something hot right before eating helps. Maybe you have some post nasal drip or excess stomach fluids that build up, so you clog up, PB once to get rid of it and you're fine.

Very true about going into lower weight classes, but remember that a band with a mild fill is an excellent way to maintain existing weight if you struggle a lot, as opposed to losing a lot of weight.

Yes there are, although he didn't specify whether it was UFC or some other MMA organization. My doc didn't share their names and I didn't ask. I wouldn't want him to share my name either.

A bit over a year now Peak 268 Start 262 Goal 170 Current 168 New goal ~160 Starting pant size 44x29 Current pant size 32x32

All you need to do is look in the mirror and be honest. You'll know if the weight gain is mostly muscle or fat. As far as what you told your doc, what you REALLY meant was that you would not gain back any fat. The number on the scale isn't very important. He can look at you or check your body fat % (not BMI) and know what happened. As far as your 20 lbs+ go, based on your lifting advances I would guess maybe at most 10lbs of muscle, plus some Water weight if you're better hydrated now and maybe a bit of fat.

Being overweight triggers hormonal changes that lower male libido. Having high blood pressure may cause erectile dysfunction. BP meds definitely can cause erectile dysfunction. All of the above can cause psychological stress that dramatically lowers libido. All of this stuff gets worse with age. Put this all together and it's probably pretty clear what's going on. He needs to drop some weight and he'll be an animal again. :-)

Some people will judge you, whether you are at the gym, at work, the store, or wherever. Who cares? Now that I'm thin and a regular at the gym I talk to some of the other regulars and most of them think it's cool to see a fat person working out. If I hear someone say something I tell them, "Hey, where else do you want to see them, the donut shop?" and they always say that's a good point. Sure, there might be one or two a-holes that think they are being funny, but, you need to realize, people are already doing that to you elsewhere. Don't let it bother you, it's their problem, not yours. In general the gym is as supportive a place as you can be. If you still feel uncomfortable, definitely do the Wii Fit or EA Active thing for a while. I did that for a few months to get prepared to exercise in public and it gave me a lot of confidence.

I've got kids I rough-house, ride motorcycles, work out a lot, no problems. My doc has done a couple of Oakland Raiders and pro MMA guys, no problems reported.

I have a shaker of half Splenda, half cinnamon that I use. Also, sugar free jello powder.

I have the same problem, here's a few tricks that work for me. Make it a goal to eat nothing for at least 2 hours before going to bed. If you must snack, force something small and healthy before that cutoff. Alternative: Zero carbs 2 hours before bed. If you must snack, make sure it's zero carbs, a cheese stick or something similar. TV watching: You're not hungry, it's a habit. Find something that takes a long time to eat or has very low calories. Celery, carrots, sunflower seeds and turkey Jerky work for me. Brush your teeth. Amazing how that taste in your mouth breaks head hunger sometimes. Drink more Water. Or if you like it (I do), unsweetened hot tea. Eat more Protein and less carbs at dinner. Get up and do something. Anything, a hobby, clean up, a video game, anything that keeps you and your hands busy.

Wii Fit is a great way to get started in private so that you don't have to feel self-consious. EA Sports Active is actually pretty intensive and I highly recommend it. You can get better rubber bands at Best Buy or many other stores. The games are really good to get you kick-started, but eventually you should reconsider joining a gym. You can take it to the next level there, and the ritual of going there, getting dressed and working out in that environment helps you stay motivated. If the gym you went to is full of idiots, find another one. In my experience most gyms are very friendly and welcoming. Some gym rats get a little cynical this time of year because there are soooooooo many New Years Resolution types that will take over all the equipement for 2 months and then give up and disappear. But 99% will think it's cool you are there. After all, where else do you want to see a fat person than at the gym?

Just to clear up a common misconception, there are all kinds of species in the world that are not what we commonly consider male or female. There are hermaphroditic species, species that reproduce asexually, species whose sex changes over time, species where one member carries both sperm and ova, species where males carry the young after being impregnated by the female and so on. As mentioned before, some humans are born with characteristics of both sexes and some completely associate with the sex that doesn't most closely match their physical layout. Having an "other" option in the poll is a neat way to give an option to any people who don't feel strongly associate to one sex or the other without a lot of tedious terminology, and I applaud the OP for including it.

Lol, make sure it's Laughing Cow you fat, lazy slob! Putting in the option of "other", which is a completely neutral term, was harmless and non-judgmental. Even if you meant it in jest, it's still a viable option for anyone feeling somewhere in that gray area for physical, mental, societal or other reasons. Automatically reading in a lot of meaning into the term without knowing the poster or their intent is judgmental and narrow-minded. As a supporter of gay marriage and equal rights for all races and sexes, it makes me sad to see the zealots undoing all our work by alienating the very people we try to educate. People need to lighten up, a sense of humor is the lubricant that makes people interact smoothly and eliminates tension and misunderstanding.

Good idea, I'll have to try that. I always have Laughing Cow wedges in the fridge for Snacks. My secret weapon is Hellman's Dijionnaise, only 5 calories and tastes great. For those that love real mayo, the only lower calorie version I've ever tried that tastes OK is Hellman's Canola mayo.

I tend to not count calories, but looking back at what I've eaten recently, I would guess that I average 2500 calories on days I work out and 1500 a day when I don't. My weight loss has been pretty slow, about 14 months to hit my goal weight, but it seems to be staying off.

I like tofu and cook with it pretty often, especially when I make something with a good sauce. However, for me it is not a substitute for good meat, the taste and texture doesn't work. There are countless delicious vegetarian foods. Sadly, the ones that pretend they are something they are not usually taste like ass. A lot of heavy meat eaters may end up trying those lousy fake meat substitutes, assume all veggie cuisine tastes like that and never try it again.

Everyone here is being really polite and supportive. So just in case you need some different motivation: HEY FATTIE, SHUT YOUR GOB AND MOVE YOUR ASS! <special thanks to Jachut's sig, all copyrights reserved>

I didn't lose any hair. Hair loss during weight loss is almost always related to insufficient nutrients and Protein. Make sure you supplement both and you'll be fine. For me, one Centrum Vitamin per day and making sure I got ~100g of protein took care of that.

Grats! It's fine to be both. I'm angry with myself for putting myself in the situation I was in. I was not a victim of my genes, or society, or fast food, or marketing, or anything else. It was 100% my fault, and that is true of 99.999999% of people who are overweight. BUT, I'm proud that I realized that my destiny was within my control, took steps, and succeeded. You and the rest of us on here should be too.

Good: As I got lighter I got way more energy, slept less but felt more rested, can tie my shoes while standing up, clothes are much more comfy, more confident and happy in general. Bad: I sometimes forget and take a big bite of something and PB. I used to be a major chili-head but post banding my heat tolerance has gone down. I should have set aside more money for new clothes. I get cold occasionally. I hadn't felt cold since the '80's. Ugly: I sure wish my skin kept up with the rest of me. My body is now beach worthy except for some loose skin on my torso. It seems to slowly get better over time but I wish it would hurry up.