bambam31

If i had to choose it would certainly be sugar free over fat free. Brad

Medium rare Ribeye with corn on the cob was dinner tonight! :bolt: Brad

LeighaMason, good job on your exercise progress! It will increase your metabolism and allow you to enjoy more food. What explains the weight gain? Well I'm with BestyB and kcg on this one. It's almost assuredly fluids. From your post I'm assuming this is a significant increase in intensity and calorie intake all at once. It will take some time for your body to adjust to that, and in the meantime the shock of it all causes a lot of people to gain fluids. Rest assured that it isn't a legitimate fat gain so long as you're not eating a bunch of simple carbs, and still have an overall weekly calorie deficit. It would help to limit Fluid gain by slowly increasing intensity and calorie intake, rather than an abrupt and sudden change. This may sound weird, but the most effective way to rid yourself of extra fluid - drink more fluid - preferably pure Water. I find myself holding the least amount of excess fluid when I drink a gallon of water a day in addition to my other beverages. Unfortunately, that yields more trips to the restroom than I have time for so I frequently have to scale water intake back. Muscle gain is an interesting topic. It's really hard to gain period, but especially so for women (due to hormones). Training the muscle you have and making it more efficient is much easier - and often confused with a muscle gain. I know this is hard to do, but I would give your routine a solid 4-6 weeks in order to have a good evaluation period. Then you can make adjustments from there. If you have a good intense workout regimen going then don't worry about gaining a bunch of fat unless you're eating junky or extremely large amounts (which is hard for us to do). Good luck and keep up the hard work! Brad

My hunger really started coming back around day 5 and within a few days after that it was raging! Brad

Try eating tougher foods later in the day and see if that helps. Supplementing with protein powders may be an option. Yogurt and cottage cheese are good protein sources too. Brad

IMO, since men have more muscle mass than women, I think it's much easier for us to lose - especially when properly exercising. Once you get your metabolism cranking, the calorie expenditure from the muscle mass alone will carry you further. Brad

"For $20,000 I could be skinny too...." Grrrr... Brad

This may be relevant to your situation. Good Luck! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f9/what-you-eat-how-much-118172/#post1496197 Brad

Centrum Chewables here, along with chewable Calcium plus D supplement. Brad

Hence the "IMO" qualifier... I stand by my post no less though... Good luck on your journey! Brad

Cookie cutter approaches are pointless IMO. There is no way a 160 pound woman who is sedentary has the same protein (or any other nutrient for that matter) needs as say a woman of the same weight who is leaner and leads an active lifestyle. Everone has to determine their own total daily energy expenditure and nutritional requirements. The principals are the same but the numerics will be different. Brad

Your body needs a complete protein source - one which provides all 8 essential amino acids - in order to avoid a catabolic state (your body will break down its own lean muscle tissue in order to supply itself with the amino acids it needs). Your body has no storage mechanism for protein except its' own muscle. For this reason I strive to eat at least a small amount of a complete protein source every 3-4 hours or less. Some examples of complete Proteins are poultry, eggs, fish, animal meats, and dairy. Brad

The only thing you truly hurt today is your pride, but you do want to keep days like this to a minimum. Once you start getting restriction from fills you'll need to pay particular attention to avoid overeating. Repeatedly pushing the envelope while restricted will cause your pouch to stretch. Good luck, Brad

Once you achieve satisfactory restriction, this is the way to go! Upping the calories and exercise simultaneously is a great way to get your body to give up the fat! Good luck and keep moving! Brad

Congrats! You've done your homework and are ready to "get the show on the road!" Good Luck, Brad

No offense here... Just want to give you as much ammunition as you need to make your case :tt2:... Good Luck! Brad

Exactly, people are quick to blame the band for all sorts of things. She could have been having heart attack symptoms but ignored them just figuring it was the band acting up. She tells two people she hasn't felt well and thinks her band is to blame. She has a massive heart attack in her sleep and WHAM - everyone just knows it was that band that caused her death! But, that does bring up a good point for discussion. The band from time to time does give us all aches and pains. It is important for us to promptly recognize what is normal and what is not. If you get unexplained symptoms that are out of the ordinary, don't come to LBT for three days seeking advice. If it seems abnormal seek immediate medical attention - it could just save your life. Brad

Knowing how inaccurate third party communications (and rumors) can be, I'd not be so fast to blame the band until the specifics were known. Death relating directly to the band is so rare it is practically non-existent. Brad

I have added a mix/match of the ingredients to my pre/during/post workout nutrition. I really like Mint chocolate shakes. I posted on your other thread that some people probably look at the ingredients, see simple carbs, gasp, and rush to click off the page before they gain weight. :tt2: The simple carbs are a good thing during strength training because they help replenish lost glycogen stores, and speed muscle recovery. Keep your overall energy balance in check and those simple carbs are only a positive factor. Brad

Now that sounds challenging! Congrats! Brad

Your body will take you much farther than your mind thinks it will. Our heads are self-defeating. Challenge your muscles and listen to their response. Brad

How long have you been banded and how is your exercise routine? Sufficient restriction is important, but the band is only a tool. Extraordinary results require an extraordinary effort. Good luck! Brad

Well I agree and disagree with the other posters... The key to losing fat - (I say fat because even muscle loss = weight loss and who wants to lose muscle?) is understanding and applying the energy balance PLUS understanding how your body uses food as fuel and how those fuels differ (carbs, fats, Proteins, alcohol). Your body has a strong will to survive. It will not voluntarily give up its' fat stores. You have to coax and burn them off. You do this by creating a calorie deficit created by BOTH exercise and reduced food intake. Creating this deficit by intake alone will not take an obese person down to a healthy body fat percentage - at best, it will create a skinny fat person. Calories In Vs. Calories Out is a bit too simplistic. 1000 calories of cotton candy and 1000 calories of skinless chicken breast are profoundly different. The difference in insulin response alone (not to mention other body chemistry) is huge! All calories are not equal. Ponder this... "Joe" eats 1000 calories a day, day after day. He needs to lose 100 pounds. This low calorie diet gives him a deficit of 2000 calories a day. By this calculation he should be able to completely lose his excess body weight in 175-200 days....(Bet he doesn't)... But what if he continues this trend for several years? Does he completely disappear? Of course not. Because it's not just about calories in/calories out - it's about managing your metabolism via your energy balance. I eat 1000 calories some days - I eat over 3000 other days. I still have challenging food demons, but I manage them. If I'm going to eat cheat foods, I do so on planned high calorie days. By cycling calories this way - combined with a challenging exercise schedule consisting of both strength and cardiovascular training - I keep my metabolism white hot. My body fat percentage continues to fall, while the scale stays relatively stable (small lean muscle tissue gains). This lifestyle allows fat loss on calorie deficit days and muscle gains on calorie surplus days. There are several scenarios of posts on LBT that leave me grumbling... One of them is very low calorie diets. People who eat very low calories (600-1000) love the weight loss they initially see. But how much of that weight is lost muscle? Your body is a machine. If it's being starved is it going to give up metabolically active lean muscle tissue which is high maintenance to keep - or fat stores which costs next to nothing to maintain? Some of both, but the ratio is going to tip toward the lean muscle tissue. As muscle tissues decline, your body adjusts it's metabolism in a fight to avoid starvation, the weight loss slows and then comes the unavoidable - yet easily predicted plateau. They havn't lost weight in months, but hey, plateau's are normal right? No... they aren't normal - they mean your body has adjusted your metabolism accordingly to try to stave off starvation. It won't give up without a fight. But their doctor prescribed the 800 calorie low carb diet, so that must not be it... :tt2: Here's another one... I've read a lot of posts where people are eating 1000 calories and gaining weight and they try to suggest it's muscle gains... Not a chance... It is physiologically impossible to maintain that large of a calorie deficit and gain muscle tissue, which actually requires a calorie surplus. One person is starving themselves eating 800 low carb calories a day, while at the same time I sit here on a high calorie day snacking on Peanut M&M's dipped in Peanut Butter. "So Brad, if your so damned smart and think this is so easy, then why did you get so fat you needed WLS?" Because I didn't understand the energy balance and how my body used fuel and how those fuel types differ - BUT now I do... And I want everyone else to know too... It may be simple - but it isn't easy... The band is a great tool to help you achieve your goals. Your body is a wonderful efficient machine when properly understood. Fuel it appropriately and it will reward you! Good Luck! Brad

It's about understanding and applying the energy balance - plain and simple.... Everything else (snacking, slider foods, grazing, alcohol, blah, blah, blah) is a side show... As I sit here typing while eating peanut M and M's... :tt2: Brad