niche

i feel the same way. i don't "like" star but i can say that she is fascinating in a train wreck kind of way. i absolutely can't stand elizabeth. i think she is worse than racist, i think she's stupid. i am not a conservative but i can see the point when a point is well made. that woman never has anything to add to the discussion but canned conservative talking points. and we know those aren't *discussion* points. anyway, i'll be sad to see her go b/c with the exception of joy babs and elizabeth are hopelessly boring.

you go with your 6 lbs in a week!

tricia, what happened to your pretty face? don't get me wrong, your eyes are lovely. but i miss the smile! today: - 30 mins walk @ 4mph, 5.5% grade. i kind of regressed on the intensity of the cardio. i was doing 4.1mph or trying to run but today i barely made it thru the walk. maybe i'm dehydrated, i only had 3 cups of Water yesterday. - the 100's - 30 double leg extension - 100 crunches - 100 oblique crunches - 50 alternating elbow-knee thingies (scientific name) - 3 sets of 10: - bicept curls - tricept extensions - strong mans - arm lifts - chest press - flies i thought i'd get specific today since it really helped me develop this program when telly and tricia listed their exercises.

i bought almond flour to do this recipe from low carb and lovin it. it was a pumpkin 'pound cake': Vegetable oil spray, as needed 2 tablespoons wheat bran 2 1/2 cups almond flour 1 1/2 cups sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda) 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1/4 teaspoon salt 7 eggs 1 1/2 cups canned pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (no sugar added, imitation is usually best) Equipment: 9 by 5-inch loaf pan Serving Suggestion: homemade sugarless whipped cream Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Spray the loaf pan heavily with vegetable spray and sprinkle with the wheat bran, shaking the pan to coat on all sides--this will prevent sticking. In a bowl whisk together the almond flour, sugar substitute, baking powder, pie spice, and salt. In another bowl, beat the eggs and then whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla. Combine the dry and wet ingredients and stir until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and stir to combine. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the center, about 1 1/2 hours. Cool completely before removing from the pan. Slice into 12 portions. per serving: 12 carbs 244 calories

i went through this for a night. i slimed so much that i lost 6 lbs of water overnight! i can't say what the long term effects are, but i haven't had a night like that since i was unfilled. i can tell you that! the swelling went down. i was still filled tight but by 4 weeks out, it was a very good level of restriction. i can eat anything as long as i eat slowly and i don't pb much any more at all. best of luck to you!

i slept on my sides the night of surgery too! i just can't sleep on my back. but i was fully on my stomach by week 2.

YOU GO GIRL!!! you are an inspiration!

i'm 2 meals per day and one snack. breakfast just doesn't agree with me.

why not state your opinion of dr. fox here. he doesn't pay the bills for lapbandtalk! and i'm not being snide.

forgot to post earlier today... - 40 mins yoga i woke up really tight so stretching for 40 mins did a body good! tomorrow back to regular cardio and resistance. the low carb diet is going well so far except that i forgot i wasn't eating carbs while walking by an ice cream parlor. it was the first time that i genuinely forgot that i was on a diet. but i was reminded by a friend and totally disregarded the ice cream. it was amazing. this is my first "dieting" experience with the band so i was SHOCKED that i walked by the ice cream and didn't think about it another time! amazing!

i am on day 2 of the low-carb plan. i'm not doing the appetite suppressants but from my experience doing the low-carb thing in the past, the lack of sugar keeps me from being very hungry. yesterday, breakfast: - coffee with half and half and 1 equal - a boiled egg lunch: - 3oz pork chop dinner: - 1/3 head lettuce w/ bacon bits, chives and bleu cheese i'm not doing the totally radical stance of NO veggies, but i think i'm going to try to stick to lettuces b/c they're mostly Water. i'll keep you guys updated.

thanks sgt. telly! i am back on the exercise ball. today: - 10 mins jog @ 5 mph, 4% - 20 mins walk @ 4 mph, 5.5% - 180 arm exercises - 350 crunches - 350 leg lifts i bought some new jeans and i am wearing a size 12 no stretch! yay! i was talking to my cousin and i was talking about what my goal is and i said 8 and realized that i just said that so that no one would think i'm shooting for too much but i realized that what i really want is a 6. i'm gonna try! i'm gonna see if i can get there. don't get me wrong, i'm not basing my whole self esteem on this or anything but this is what I want!

DOC - good going on the ice cream front. i had a major setback lat week. i ate a whole pint of haagen dazs butter pecan WITH salt on it! so five days of no ice cream i commend you for. this week has been really spotty on the exercise front for me. i only got 3 days in. and only 2 days of resistance training. today: - 105 mins on treadmill @ 3.5 mph, 6 miles. not very intense, but i couldn't let myself only do 2 days this week. that would have been complete regression. tomorrow i am going to get back on the ball. hi intensity cardio with at least 3 days of resistance. i am also going to start a low carb program tomorrow. i have had success in the past with low carb programs so i am going to see what happens this time.

all of a sudden i'm able to eat sushi again, rice, seaweed and all. all i can say is like everyone else. GO SLOW. CHEW. i think the bad experience i had before was because i was doing the half chewing i used to do pre band. but then again, my restriction has loosened up considerably since i got this last fill.

i'm definitely a tivo while treadmilling person. i record my favorite shows/movies and don't let myself watch them until i get on the treadmill. i've been slacking this week so i still haven't seen the 4400 episode from sunday

i was just in the 'success diet for bandsters' chat when they were talking about the foxkins diet that the dr in WA state reccommends. and his thing is even more aggressive. he says all meat NO veggies. i don't know if i could do that, but i do know that when i did atkins for 2 years i had really good results. and i didn't crave sweets. and it is ice cream that is my downfall! so i'm seriously thinking of getting back on the low carb bandwagon. i think dr. fox's premise is sound, that if you get to goal weight you can pretty much maintain the loss easily. i mean it was always the maintenance thing that killed me about dieting.

i don't think it's crazy at all. the thing we know about the band is that it takes quite a bit of effort to lose even with the tool and that it is almost easy to maintain weightloss with it. so if you can get to goal weight (by hook or by crook as in this diet) you can probably maintain the weightloss with eating sensibly. and this sensible eating will seem like a treat after an all meat diet for 9 months. i did atkins for 2 years and i would have been in the shade if only i hadn't gained ALL the weight back. lol. but my blood work was normal, no deficiencies after that period which is longer than what dr fox recommends. so yes, those months may be unpleasant but his results are impressive. 72% ewl after 5 years is veeeery good. i think i may try the plan!

on the fills question: my doctor was doing a low-bmi study and was very liberal with fills. her basic thought seemed to be that three things 1. if you're not losing (and not eating liquids) you're not tight enough. 2. if you're feeling physically hungry you're not tight enough. 3. if you can eat over 1c of solid food at a time, you're not tight enough. so i never had problems getting fills. i go see her once a month and she's even asked me why i didn't come back after 2 weeks of not losing. she's also done a lot of bands and knows that getting to good restriction in a reasonable amount of time is important. so i feel lucky to not have any judgement of 'you're no longer obese so you don't need a fill.'

i am throwing my lot in with the weight trainers. i hear from every trainer that it is essential for the metabolism. i have been doing the weights consistently for about 3 weeks now. i usually hate weights b/c i actually have to pay attention and not zone out like i do on the treadmill. but i stopped getting any results from treadmill alone and when i told my trainer friends that, they pounced on me! i go weigh on july 11 so we'll see what happens between now and then.

oh yeah! i got a bike this weekend and i was already trolling in the exercise today thread for an ass transplant. i really need a seat cover or something! other than that, it is a blast to ride! i forgot how free it feels

i had a bmi of 35 when banded and have lost 40 lbs. i still want to lose another 35-40 more. i would love to frolic in a bikini, but my scars are quite noticible so i don't know if i'll be able to even after getting to goal. but on the larger question of is it worth it? i think so. because of the nature of the tool, i think it is probably an even better preventative measure than a treatment measure for morbid obesity. i have no numbers to back this up, but in terms of effort, i think it is much more difficult to lose with the band than to maintain with the band. so if you do the band before getting way over your optimal weight i think most people would be better in the long run. plus, if you're generally healthy exc for the weight you're more likely to physically be able to exercise etc. (whether you do or not is another thing) i heard that there are french studies to see if the band works as a preventative thing. i am part of one such study, where the participants are bmi 30-39. i don't know how it's going but the nurse says anecdotally that things are going well. anyway, i say all that to say definitely consider the band! i can't assure you that it's the perfect thing for you but i am very happy with it. and i have very little patience for the 'just eat less and exercise' crowd. most of them either have no weight problem or are fat themselves.

yesterday: - 30 mins on treadmill 4 mph 5.5% - 180 arm exercses - 350 crunches etc. i spoke to a trainer that said to alternate weightlifting areas every day b/c muscle takes 24 hours to regenerate. and on that note, i'm taking the whole day off today so they can really regenerate

i just had major eating craziness due to pms. i also have good restriction, but i was able to eat more in the last week. i'd say give it another 2 weeks or so to see if it levels out. but if you're still starving, go see the doc.

welcome and thanks for sharing such an uplifting story!

hi 20somethings! i'm a little late, but i showed up. i'm 27, live in new york city, borough of brooklyn. i am living alone for the first time in my life and i love it! among my friends, i'm known as the food girl bc i'm always having dinner parties etc. i haven't really told many friends about the surgery, but when people are stuffing their own faces i realize that they really don't pay attention to what you're eating. so far, the band has worked really well for me. i have lost 40 lbs so far and for low bmi i guess that's not bad in 7 mos. i definitely feel soooo much better. much more energy and more confidence. i'm glad someone started this thread it's nice to meet you all!