bella71

So it is ok to be rude about their surgeries when you don't want them to be about yours? That sounds just as hypocritical to me. And judmental to boot.

Are you blind, Missy? I said in my quote that there is nothing wrong with those surgeries. If I need a boob job one day, I won't hesitate to get one. When it comes to wrinkles, I'm genetically blessed, so I probably won't need botox.

Relax, and put your energies somewhere productive. :thumbup:

It is an opinion. I never would have considered plastic surgery, but now I am. I don't know how the earlier analogy applies, though. Is getting my boobs done easier than some other way of dealing with the problem?

I was saying that to demonstrate that lots of people undergo surgical/medical procedures to improve their lives. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. That includes breast augmentation/lifts, botox, etc. The irony is that the people who partake in these improvements will sit back and judge someone who gets a Lap-Band. It is sheer hypocrisy.

Myfitnesspal. It's free and it's awesome.:smile:

It always amuses me when I hear people talking about the Lap-Band as being the "easy way out." These folks don't see me getting out of bed at 5am, while it's still dark outside, so I can get my work out in. They don't see me journaling what I eat three times a day. They don't see me consciously avoiding foods that will cause pain or stall weight loss.

Would these people say the same thing to someone who gets Lasik eye surgery? Maybe they should just schlep around with coke-bottle eyeglasses and stay legally blind their entire lives, because fixing the problem would be "the easy way out." Sheesh.

There was a Weight Watcher's devotee who once said something similar to me. Ironically, she had fake boobs, her hair was dyed, and she had enough Botox in her face to paralyze a horse. What a hypocrite...

So the next time some one tells me I took the easy way out, I will respond, "Yep, lucky Me!!" :smile:

I have been reading about High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) as being an effective method for burning fat during workouts. Has anyone here been doing this? It consists of short intervals of intense exercise (jogging, elliptical, etc.) followed by slightly longer periods of less intense recovery exercise.

I've been doing some HIIT the past week on the elliptical, in addition to my C25K workouts. Last week, I had a pretty good week in terms of weight loss.:smile:

Here's a link to the Wikipedia article: High-intensity interval training - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My post-surgical emotion was less weepy, and more irritated and pissed off. I was extremely cranky. I yelled at a couple of residents and a nurse practitioner at the hospital. I read the riot act to a particularly dense pharmacist's assistant at the local drug store. My poor mother deserves a purple heart for putting up with me post-op. LOL

Once the port pain abated and I was able to sleep on my stomach again, I was back to normal. Unfortunately, that took about 3 1/2 weeks....

I've only been banded for three months, but I did start a blog of my own. You can read it at: MY HAPPY PLACE

You are more than welcome to leave comments. :redface:

I would love to get a boob lift. By the time I reach goal, my boobs will be reaching the floor! :redface:

I'm concerned about going under the knife again, though. It's no picnic, and the recovery time is annoying. We shall see...

Closet shopping is so much fun! It's free, too. LOL. I still have several really nice suits I can't fit into yet. They were expensive back in the day when I bought them, and I'd love to fit into them again.

I'm not ready to buy new clothes yet. I have a lot more weight I need to lose. I want to wait until I get closer to goal, so buying "in between" clothes seems like a waste to me. That being said, I hate wearing baggy jeans!!! It feels and looks terrible.:redface:

Hang in there chickie. I find that if I eat a lot of simple carbs, I just don't lose weight. I've gotten to the point where I pretty much have eliminated all the bagel chips, crackers and stuff from my diet. I'll have whole wheat melba toast with my tuna salad, but that's it. I don't do well with rice, either. Corn tortillas and tostadas seem to be OK. I've read about how some people are carbohydrate resistant, and I'm definitely one of them. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to eat bread again. But if I'm losing weight, and feeling good, I don't care.

Lean Proteins, fat-free Beans made in the crock pot, and leafy green veggies are my staples, and I've never felt better. :redface:

Good luck :thumbup:

Awesome!! Keep up the good work, and very good advice you have in your post. :redface:

My only regret is that I wish I could have done it 15 years ago! Better late than never. LOL

If you are having doubts, hang in there, you will succeed.:thumbup:

Congratulations on your journey to a leaner and healthier you!! I have found this website very helpful, and the people here are very supportive.

When I was in the mushies phase, I loved turkey taco meat, mashed sweet potatoes with cinnamon, and chopped spinach.

Good luck!

I'm down 6 lbs this week!!!! I can't believe it. I added another workout day, and I didn't make any trips for frozen yogurt. :eek:

I love this challenge. It gives me the motivation to make better choices. I want to do another challenge right after this one! July 4th Challenge, anyone? :wink:

I use the www.myfitnesspal.com website and iPhone app. I think it works for iTouch too. I love this tool. I use it every day to track my food and exercise.

It definitely depends on your body composition and the size of your frame. If you build muscle, you will fit into a smaller dress size than someone who weighs the same, but is not as muscular.

Also, if you have an Amazon-like big frame, like me, then you might still wear a larger dress size. My skeleton couldn't fit into a size 6. LOL

BTW, this isn't superficial at all. Just part of the journey.:biggrin:

Way to go!!!! So awesome! :biggrin:

I eat 3/4 cup of Nature's Path Organic banana & Almond Cereal, with 1/2 cup of almond milk. 243 calories, 43g carbs, 7g fat, 11g Protein. And very filling. :biggrin:

That's the bulk of my carb intake during the day.

Are you exercising? It is a good way to jumpstart your weight-loss. Remember that you lose weight when your body is taking in less that it is using up. If you only reduce intake, without increasing the amount of calories expended, then weight loss will be very slow.

Keep at it... no one said it would be easy!

Exercise helps tremendously. So does limiting starches. Make sure you are getting plenty of Protein. I journal what I eat, and I find it really helpful.

Your body will get into the swing of things soon. :biggrin:

1) Sitting in a strange chair without having to worry about whether I'll fit in it.

2) Being able to walk up the hill from the parking lot to the courthouse (and then up the courthouse steps!) without having to stop and rest.

3) Being able to use the elliptical machine without it constantly pausing, because I was going too slowly.

4) Baggy Clothes!

5) Looking in the mirror and seeing collar bones staring back.

6) Looking forward to the future with glee instead of dread.

Thank you for all the comments about my post. According to what you guys are saying, the diet principles that my doctor gave me seem a little off. This is a rough draft of what they say:

Drink 64 oz of H2O a day

Eat 70 grams of Protein

Take Multi-Vitamin

Everything in moderation

Chew foods to the consistency of applesauce

Eat Slow

A meal should take at least 20 minutes, no more that 30 min

I see my doctor on the 25th and I'm going to ask him about my question. I do not want to get sick, so I am eating slow and chewing very well. I just feel like I'm not getting in all the veggies and fruit that I probably need to.

Manda87: I will order that book. Maybe that is just the kind of help I need. I think it will help me if it has helped you!

These guidelines are pretty much what I follow. It makes no sense to me to say "eat a cup of food", when different foods have different densities. One cup of fish is very different from one cup of beef or a cup of spinach. as long as you are getting your protein in, and eating vegetables in reasonable portions, you should be meeting your goals. If you are still hungry less that 4 hours after eating these portions, consider getting a fill.

I sometimes take more than 20 minutes to eat. I think the point of the time limit is to keep people from grazing, because when you graze, you wind up eating much more than intended.

Thank you both for your replies, they are very helpful! BetsyB, I will definitely look into that lotion you mentioned! And thanks for the well wishes, Bella! 5/13 can't come fast enough! :thumbup:

Just curious - have either of you had any issues with any particular grains? I know rice is sometimes not very well tolerated, but any experience with any of the other grains? Bulgur, spelt, farro, wheat berry? I am very fond of quinoa (technically a seed) as it is considered a "complete" Protein. I'm not opposed to Protein supplements, I just don't want to rely on them too heavily.

Thanks again, ladies!

I really don't eat rice. I do eat quinoa. I like the taste, and I like that it's a complete protein. I also eat corn tostadas and soft corn tortillas (low in calories, and great with my homemade vegetarian crock pot pinto beans!).You shouldn't have any problem meeting your protein requirements if your daily caloric intake is at least 800 calories. Mine ranges between 800 and 1000, but I always make sure to eat my Proteins first.

Every time I try to open the spread sheet, I get a server error. Does anyone else have this problem.

Down 4 lbs as of Monday.

I'm a big fan of eastern philosophies when it comes to food (consuming a predominantly regional, plant-based diet with an increased sense of awareness) particularly as described in Paul Pitchford's "Healing with Whole Foods" and T. Colin Campbell's "The China Study". I'm not convinced that a vegan, raw food, or macrobiotic lifestyle is entirely necessary, but I admire the teachings and the discipline.

So my question is: has anyone ever attempted to lose their weight specifically combined with a whole food, perhaps eastern-based lifestyle? I mean, I know a minimally processed, nutrient dense diet is the *ideal* we strive for, but has anyone (either on these forums, an author, or on another website) ever lost all of their weight with this specific focus and documented some of the benefits? I'm looking for a good resource to help me out.

I'm not a vegetarian, but I've never been a big fan of meat so I worry about getting enough Protein and I don't want to rely solely on Protein drinks. My hope is that by loading myself up with all these amazing powerhouse foods and antioxidants I will give my body every fighting change of bouncing back to optimal condition. I don't want to just lose weight, I want to be strong and vibrant and healthy from the inside out. Like we all do!

Along these same lines, are there any supplements (Vitamin E, for example) that people take that are particularly good for maintaining skin composure/elasticity as we shrink? What about topical treatments, such as cocoa butter?

I've spent a lot of time reading books on pre/post LAP-BAND®® lifestyle and the do's and don'ts both in books and on this website. Now I wanna go a step or two deeper... :smile:

Since my Lap Band surgery, I have been focused on eating organic, unprocessed foods as much as possible. I avoid pretty much anything with additives, preservatives, or pesticides. I have to say I feel much better, and I have lots of energy. Eating this way costs more, but since my portions are small, it's definitely worth it. It is vital to get as many nutrients in as possible, because we eat so little. So far, my weight loss has been pretty consistent.

Good luck with you surgery on 5/13