KartMan

They are there because there is a market for them. People like to hear what they want to hear. Fox feeds into their fears and prejudices, and is making a killing doing it. Having said that, the way to beat them is to point out every one of their lies and distortions, to “call them out” as Obama said in his speech to Congress. Whining about them only makes them stronger, and shutting them out like the White House has done recently is just plain stupid. Whoever on Obama’s team is doing that should be fired, it will get them nowhere. My current hero is Jon Stewart form the Daily Show for this little gem (oh, I see you posted this link too - it bears repeating)

Unless it is Red and Blue font on a White background, I heard that those are always true:lol: I love Snopes and Factcheck BTW, also a big fan of the SiriusXM station POTUS - it is about the most complete station I have found on the airwaves.

I would guess that Patty and others like her feel as though listening to GB and RL is more valuable and relevant to them than anything the “left wing” professors are lecturing about. The sad thing is that too many people (those on the left and the right) get the majority of their information from sources that slant the way they do. Unfortunately, we seem to have lost the ability to be critical thinkers in this country. We do it on “our” side too, there are far too many liberals out there that only listen to Keith O. and Rachael M. on MSNBC. C’mon people!!! Wake up and think for yourselves.

Exercise was huge for me too, but not necessarily to lose weight. I lost 80% of my excess weight before I even started exercising. The problem is, that a big chunk of that loss turned out to be muscle rather than fat which is not good at all. Now that I am at goal, I do only minor cardio and a fair amount of resistance training. I am not necessarily trying to get buffed out, but I do want an appropriate amount of muscle mass for my frame. My body fat tests show that I am now taking off what little fat I have left and am slowly gaining muscle.

Well, as much as I love the gym right now – I do try to make sure I have a balance. If for no other reason, you don’t want to burn out on it. You want to make it a regular part of your life like eating, shopping, sleeping.

I lost about 105% of my excess weight in less than a year so I consider myself to be pretty successful. For me, the biggest thing has been sticking to the portion rules. I was always a volume eater. I didn’t really have a problem with snacks or sweets. But when I sat down for a meal, it was a freaking lot of food. I have had good restriction since day one and have only needed tiny fills (currently 4cc in a 10cc band). With good restriction, my portions are a fraction of what they were pre-band and I still stay clear of snacks and sweets. I think of food as fuel now, I try not to go for things I like as much as going for things that will fill me up with relatively low calories. I estimate that pre-band I was consuming 3000-5000 calories a day and now I am at 1200-1800 per day.

2Fly, I can relate. I have been very successful on the band, I lost about 105% of my excess weight in less than a year and am terrified that it will come back. In the back of my mind, I have already told myself that I will go in for a revision in a New York minute if I have any major band complication. I have never been thin in my whole life, now that I am I will NOT go back to fat. I too am obsessed with working out, not so much for weight loss at this point but more to tone up all those loose areas now that the fat is gone. I do worry that it is a little much at times, I work out 1-2 hours a day 5-6 days a week. I don’t think of it as an obsession though, more of a release. I don’t have any other vices (no drugs, smoking or drinking) so exercise has become my addiction – is that really so bad?

I think BMI is a good starting point for setting your initial goal, but once you get close to it you need to see how much fat vs. lean your body is carrying. The only legitimate way to test this is by getting a hydrostatic dunk test. In my second test, I learned that nearly half the weight I was losing at the time was muscle, not just fat. We all have to be very careful of this, the last thing you want to do is lose muscle (all weight loss, is not necessarily good weight loss). Armed with the data from the test (and subsequent tests), I was able to tailor my diet and exercise plan to the point where now 100% of the weight I am losing is Fat and I am actually gaining muscle mass at the same time. I went from 22.2%BF in July to 15.4% just last week. And I absolutely agree with Jacqui, don’t let people tell you that you “look” too thin. Most people are jaded by their own fat or what society has come to expect as normal. In most cases, those are actually overweight in a pure medical sense. I would say let your body be the judge and measure it with Body Fat testing and the health of your skin, hair and nails.

I started out with a weight goal of 184lbs, which would take me to a BMI of 24.9. As I got close to that goal, I started looking into Body Fat percentage rather than BMI as a goal. At my first hydrostatic dunk test,I discovered I had 22. 2% Body fat, 1 month later I was able to lower it to 21.1%. I found that if ate properly and got my exercise in, I could make this Body Fat thing work for me. I learned that 15% Body Fat is ideal for a man my age, so I set my goal to that. Well, it has only been about 3 months and my last test showed that I am at 15.4%. Since it is working so well, and I feel like I am making tremendous progress in the Gym, I have decided to drop my goal down to 13% BF. According to the charts at 24HR Fitness, 13% is considered “Athletic” or “Excellent”. Who would have thought that I would be considered “Athletic”?

Bill, that is great – keep it up. I hit my weight goal a few weeks ago (101 lb loss from 285 to 184). I was wearing XXXL Shirts and 44 pants. Now I’m in M shirts and 32-34 pants. My new goal has shifted from weight to Body Fat. The work in the gym is really starting to pay off in that regard. I started out about 3 months ago at 22% and am now under 17%. I feel like I am only a week or two away from my Body Fat goal of 15%. I know that I will need to find another goal at that point because scratching off goals seems to be my major motivating factor. I am thinking about dropping my Body Fat to 13% as a tough goal to shoot for.

I hit that one a few weeks back and boy was it a good feeling, congrats to you. Keep up the good work.

That is great!!! That was one of my favorite days in this journey. Kepp up the good work.

I am down a little over 100lbs in about 8 months (below goal weight:thumbup:). I stick to counting calories more than portion size. I try to hover around 300-400 calories per meal (I have a forth meal on workout days) and often have a snack of popcorn/100cal snack pack/or nuts at the end of the night (usually end up with about 1500 calories per day (1800 on workout days)). I drink right up until a meal, but am strict about no drinking during or up to hour after a meal. I almost never have any sort of sugary drink or liquid calories. I do still drink 2-3 cups of coffee a day (yes, with caffeine:ohmy:), but with no milk and only splenda for sweetener. I’m not purposely trying to avoid carbs, but I find that my carb intake is very low. I do have an occasional splurge day where I will allow myself to have a high calorie meal or a treat for desert, but I always follow up the next day with strict calorie control and a little extra time in the gym. My philosophy is it’s ok to slip from time to time, but don’t let yourself fall. I work out religiously 4-5 days a week (I actually look forward to it) with a little cardio but mostly weights because I am focusing on reducing my body fat rather than actual weight loss.

Ok, it’s not my final goal – but it is one that I have really been waiting for and am super excited to have achieved. I knew it would hit sometime this week and I did it this morning:thumbup: I jumped on the scale and it read 185! I started this journey back in February at 285. Another of my big goals is to hit 24.9 BMI, which is only a pound away (184lbs) and should happen in the next day or so. I have set many other mini goals along the way that have been great to hit as well: - Overweight instead of Obese (BMI) - L Shirts and 36 Pants (started with XXXL and 44) - Lowest diet weight 206lbs - Onederland - M Shirts and 34 Pants - 100lbs Loss :scared2: My real goal is to get to 15% Body Fat. I started checking that about 2 months ago (I was 22.3% then). I am under 19% now and figure I need to get down to about 170-175lbs to reach 15%. I expect to be there in 1-2 months. Who would have thunk it:confused:

I go to 2 different groups, each is once a month. Both have very low attendance. The one fro the surgery center usually has 6-7 people, th one formed from people on here has 3-4 people at each meeting. In both groups I am the onl man.

Find something you like, and do that. Exercise is a broad thing and can mean many different things to different people. I positively hate running and won’t do it. But I love bike riding and sort of like swimming, so those are my cardio choices. I don’t love free weights, but I like most of the machines in the gym, so those are my resistance devices. The point is that exercise is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. Find something you like and do it. I suggest forking out a little cash to a trainer, they can help a lot. Many people don’t like exercising because they have no idea what they are doing. The gym is full of equipment for all shapes and sizes and all experience levels, but it can be a little daunting. Enlist the help of an expert, you may surprise yourself – I did.

I sort of agree with your premise, but totally disagree with your decision not to exercise. I do believe that you can and will lose weight just by cutting calories (thru smaller portion size). It only makes sense (I did it myself). Here is the simple math. 3500 calories equals a pound of weight. If you consume 5000 calories in a day (don’t be so shocked, many of us fatties consume that or more) and your body burns say 3000 in its normal activity, you have a net gain of2000 calories or about half a pound. If you live like that, you will gain weight. Now, if through portion control, you cut your calorie count down to 1500 per day and still burn 3000, you will have a daily caloric deficit of 1500 calories and will lose weight. The important thing though is that it’s not enough just to lose weight, you want to lose fat. The body is funny, it doesn’t just burn your fat. If left alone in a deficit situation, it will burn some of your fat and some of your lean mass out of self preservation. It is holding onto that fat as a reserve. You need to consume in grams the equivalent to your lean mass in pounds of Protein (I have 153lbs of lean mass, so I try to get in 150g of protein every day) and exercise, your body will burn more of the fat than the lean. How do I know this? I looked into it, did a lot of reading, talked to a nutritionist, talked to my trainer, but most importantly saw the real results of it in my own body. At about 6 months post op I had lost about 80lbs. I went in for hydrostatic dunk test and found that my Body fat was 22.3% (which is good BTW). This is when I learned how important protein and resistance exercise is. I went back a month later and found that my Body Fat had dropped to 19.1% but that my weight loss was 55% fat vs. 45% lean Now by adding in exercise and getting enough protein, I actually gain lean mass and lose fat mass (yes, gaining weight in this way is a good thing). My last dunk test was on 10/2, I am down to 17.3% Body Fat (almost an athletic standard), but more importantly I had lost 4.1lbs of fat while gaining 0.9lbs of muscle. Why is muscle important? Well, if for no other reason it actually helps you in your weight loss. Muscle at rest burns more calories than fat does. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn - even when you are doing nothing. You have you own little fat burning furnace in your body, but you have to kindle the fire through exercise. Look, nobody was more of a fat a$$ lazy bones than I was, but I flat out love working out now. Why? I get a high from it, it feels great. And I see tremendous progress. Now that almost all of my fat is gone, I can see muscles on my arms, chest, legs and even abs. Now, don’t get me wrong – I don’t look like a body builder – but I actually look very physically fit – not such a bad thing.

This is such a broad topic and I could take it in so many directions - let me just take a chunk of it from my perspective. Do you have to be hungry all the time? Well, no – I never was and never am now. Why? It’s the allusive thing we call restriction - some get it, some don’t. I had it right from the beginning and have rarely lost it. When I did start to lose a bit of restriction I topped off with a little fill and was good to go again. Pre band, I was not a snacker or a sweet eater, but when I ate a meal - it was supersized (massively). I have no idea what may calorie count was back then, but I would not be surprised if it was 4000-6000 a day. With good restriction, I am easily able to maintain less than 1500 a day now and almost never feel deprived or hungry. When you are very overweight as I was, and dramatically drop your caloric intake you will lose weight – it’s the old adage calories in calories out. For me, the weight flew off – about 2-4 lbs per week with no exercise. So can you do it without exercise? Yes, I did and as I said the weight was flying off. However, Protein and exercise are critical though. I found out through hydrostatic dunk testing that about half of my weight loss was Lean Mass and not just Fat. This knowledge motivated me to hit the gym and I have since turned that around. Follow-on dunk tests have shown that now I am gaining lean mass (muscle) and still losing fat. Mind you, I wasn’t very motivated to exercise at first, but now I absolutely LOVE it – it is the highlight of my day (kinda freaky huh?). Do I diet? Well, not in the traditional sense no. I have really good restriction, so I know my portions will be small. I try to pick things that I like, that won’t get stuck, and that will give me the protein I need. I stay satisfied between meals, so that takes away any urge to graze. I honestly don’t think that much about food at all. I eat my little portions because it’s the fuel my body needs, but food is no longer a fixture of my life. I do from time to time give myself little treats which haven’t slowed down my overall progress. Last Friday I went to the movies and had candy and a tub of popcorn (popcorn goes right past my band). Last night I treated myself to a pretty high calorie dinner followed by key lime pie (yummy). When I do these things though, they are the exception rather than the rule and I try to cut calories some the next day and hit the gym a little harder. I know not everyone has the luck with restriction that I have had, I know that some people’s bodies don’t shed weight as fast as mine did, and that some people have a real hard time with exercising – but my experience shows that these are all possible outcomes of banding.

I’ve noticed a drop-off in posting as well, in fact I PMed plain about it a few weeks ago. It seems that up until about a month ago this site was buzzing in all corners, but recently overall posting seems to have tapered off. Here are my theories. 1. There was a rather nasty and very public brawl between some veteran posters, a few people fighting each other, and the moderators. I didn’t personally get involved, but it looked pretty ugly from the outside looking in. I think some people got banned, some others left or are laying low, and some others were just turned off by the whole mess (I was). 2- The economy is really down. I’m guessing that hurts this site in a few ways… I think not as many people are getting banded due to financial reasons or lack of insurance coverage, which drives down new interest in the site. Others are preoccupied with keeping their jobs or finding new jobs, so they are not frequenting as much. 3. Some boards get a little clique-ish, that may be the case here. On this board like many others, people that have been around a while sometimes get irritated by the way new people post. They get upset that people ask the same tired questions over and over without reading first, or that they don’t follow board etiquette, or that they can’t spell - whatever. Veterans, get over yourselves – these are common issues on boards – deal with it. Newbies, would it hurt to read a little before blurting out your question? Personally, I have a lot going on in my life right now and have found it hard to come here as often as I did a few months ago. Also, a couple of my favorite posts in R&R have come full circle and are just rehashing the same old issues – so I’ve lost interest. This hasn’t affected my weight loss though. I’m happy to report that a few weeks back I reached the 100lbs lost mark, am under my weight goal and am now in “Normal” BMI range. The band is still working great for me, I look fantastic (yes, I’m gloating:tongue_smilie:), I eat healthy, and I love working out.

Time for an update on these goals: Have LB Surgery – Achieved 2/18/09 Overweight (29.9 BMI) – Achieved 6/13//09 :eek: L Shirts & Size 36 Pants - Achieved 7/15/09 :thumbup: Lowest Previous Diet Weight (206 lbs) - Achieved 7/19//09 :w00t: “Average” Body Fat = 18-24% (Hydrostatic Dunk Test) - Achieved 7/19//09 @ 22.3% Onderland (199 lbs) – Achieved 8/2/09 :eek: M Shirts & Size 34 Pants - Achieved 8/7/09 (I never believed I could wear a M shirt) :wink5: Lose 100lbs - Achieved 9/25/09 Goal, Normal BMI (184 lbs 24.9 BMI) – Achieved 10/6/09 “Good” Body Fat = 14-17.9% (Hydrostatic Dunk Test) - Achieved 10/2/09 @ 17.3% :sad: Size 32 pants – Seriously? Are you f***ing kidding me? Size 32? - Achieved 10/2/09 :eek: “Ideal” 15% Body Fat (Hydrostatic Dunk Test) – Very doable if keep losing and hit the gym My Navy Boot Camp Weight (180 lbs) – Post Goal Goal “Excellent” <14% Body Fat (Hydrostatic Dunk Test) – Might be unreasonable, but I feel it is possible OMG Weight (165 lbs) – This is a stretch goal

Honestly, when I first started this I just wanted to stop gaining weight. My other big goal was to not have to shop at the Big-n-Tall store, cuz I was right on the verge. I had a goal weight in mind, but not a lot of other goals visualized. As I have progressed over the last several months, I have come up with a few others: 1 – Have LB Surgery – Achieved 2/18/09:thumbup: 2 - Overweight (29.9 BMI) - Achieved 5/17/09:thumbup: 3 - Lowest Previous Diet Weight (212 lbs) - Achieved 6/27/09:thumbup: 4 - L Shirts & Size 36 Pants - Achieved 7/15/09:thumbup: 5 - Onderland (199 lbs) – Almost there 6 - Size 34 Pants - Working on this 7 - Goal (Normal BMI, 185 lbs 24.4 BMI) - Working on this 8 – My Navy Boot Camp Weight (180 lbs 23.7 BMI) – Post Goal Goal 9 - M Shirts & Size 32 Pants - This is a stretch goal 10 - OMG Weight (165 lbs 21.7 BMI) – This is a stretch goal:eek: What are your goals?