neveragain

Here's the thing. It's 100% mental. It's one of those things that you need to push yourself to be able to get through. I know that's tough right now. I remember.

Having said that, you know yourself better than anyone. If you think that it's too much to handle, you're smart to not go.

KEEP AT IT!!!

I lost about 100lbs about 3ish years ago...and then I met my wife. Since then, I've gone up and down, but as of recently, I've packed about 70lbs back. Arg.

I wish I had the motivation to convince myself all the time. Alas...it will come back full-force sometime.

Strangely enough, people have to vent sometimes, though, yes?

It truly feels like living healthy is the hardest, most emotional rollercoaster-y thing ever. Am I the only one who feels this way? haha.

I'm jaboyak on there.

So, I have gout, as well.

If it is gout, you have to get on medication. No question about it. Go back to your doctor and have him check your uric acid levels.

Even if you don't get an attack, if your uric acid level is super high, it will do serious joint damage over time.

Weight loss will help a little, but diet is king for prevention. Also, it's not SO much that you have to stay away from meat. It's more that you need to stay away from organ meats. High Protein diets are okay, but I would steer clear of Atkins and diets like that. Cherries are also said to benefit the lowering of uric acid.

If you have any other questions, message me and we'll talk more about it.

Hello everyone, I'm John!

I was banded 5 years ago and I was 300lbs at my heaviest. I got down to 200lbs 3 years ago and since I met my wife, I've found myself back up at 270 again. I'm trying to get back down again.

Some support in this city would be awesome. haha.

John

bump for my old name! haha.

Mine was like that for a while, but if it starts to actually hurt more, go see your doctor to make sure it's not infected or inflamed for any other reason.

Is there anyone who is willing to be a gym buddy here?

Like everyone said, KEEP AT IT! You'll be in sore, but it really is "no pain, no gain"!!

Having a lap-band makes you a cheap date. haha.

I also order off of the appetizer menu and do the half-order thing most often. I try not to go out all that much, though.

So, here's my two cents:

I agree that these rules aren't "absolute", per say. They aren't the absolute cardinal laws of healthy eating. If you want to have a cheeseburger or a vanilla cone every now and again from McD's is it going to kill your attempt at weight loss? ABSOLUTELY not. Every once in a while, you should indulge yourself.

I, personally, am a fan of whole foods and a huge fan of the culinary world, so I'm not against the idea of a pure whole foods diet. I also like to believe of the calories in/calories out concept, but a lot of people don't understand that there's MUCH more to it than that. In theory, you could eat 1200 calories of pure sugar per day and still lose weight, HOWEVER, the lack of amino acid intake is a huge problem, not to mention the lack of Vitamin intake that help our enzymes work. Alternatively, though, if you were to eat 1200 calories of pure Protein and nothing else for a few weeks, it would kill you. No bull. Ask a survivalist. haha. The take-home here is that you need a diet that covers the bases: veggie/fruit, Protein, carbohydrate, and fat. How you do it doesn't really matter all that much, keeping portion size in mind.

I think the gist of what I'm trying to say is that if you can follow the "four golden rules", good for you, but if you're like the VAST majority of us, we take things in stride and adapt it to our own way of eating that works for us. My only suggestion of a strongly suggested rule would be for EVERYONE to take a Multi-Vitamin every day. The lack of Calcium and Vitamin D in our diets are being connected to cancers and other major somatic problems. Plus, you know you can trust a suggestion from an allopathic(MD) background. haha.

I'm quite indifferent, most times. However, with no other way to say it, the fatter I am, the less I like to run. haha. For example, two years ago at 200lbs, running was my thing. I loved it. Today, though, I tend to ere to the side of riding. Oh, and I don't ride on the road 80% of the time. It scares the crap out of me. I'd MUCH rather ride on a trail. haha.

For the record, I appreciate anyone who is brave enough to mountain bike. One day, I would love to do it more often, but the last time I tried, I nearly got myself killed. lol.

The MOST common reason why people gain weight after working out at first is the fact that muscles that aren't used much don't efficiently store Water anymore. Remember that the body is made up of anywhere from 45-55% water, depending on gender and percent body fat. When you start using muscles more than you did before, muscles start to take up water and swell a little. This is normal. This will increase your weight a little, but WORRY NOT!! You WILL lose weight. Also, remember that the more muscle you have, the easier it is to lose weight! Not to say that you need to become a bodybuilder to lose weight, that is. haha.

Come oooooon, the overnight, overseas shipping fee of like $1,000,000 is completely worth it. haha.

Hi everyone,

I got banded on january, and have lost 16 k.G since, eventhough I haven't moved a muscle... Lately, I haven't been losing weight at all, and I feel like I'm begining to have extra skin... so I figured to help lose weight and to look better when I lose the weight, I need to work out... i have never worked out my whole life... i'm 23 and have never been so active.... and now I read here about so many kinds of work outs that i don't even know that they mean.. I don't even know if we have it here in my country.... So any ideas? I read somewhere on this site that I should start with weight lifting and then do something different and not start with cardio, that freaked me out, cause tomorrow is my first day in an Aerobics class.... And I'm afraid that I might be doing the wring thing.... So is there a way to do things? like start with something and then something else?? And is aerobics good to tone things up???

And one last question can I do sit ups? if not then how am i suppose to tone my stomach up???

Thanx a million

Saro

Saro,

Don't worry so much about details right now. The most important thing is that you just get used to working out, in general. Working out can be really fun, especially if you make friends at the gym, maybe in the aerobics class or something. I've met a few really cool people that I became friends with in a spinning class and we've been friends for a while.

Here are a few things that you need to keep in mind about workouts:

1. There is a difference between feeling a sharp pain or feeling dull pain. If you feel a sharp pain, stop. If it's dull, it's okay to keep going carefully.

2. If you don't know how to do something PROPERLY, you need to ask someone how to do it properly because if you do it incorrectly, you could seriously injure yourself.

3. Your body does does not just lose fat from whatever part of the body you are working. For example, sit-ups don't just burn fat from the stomach. This is a common misconception.

4. If you want to try weight lifting, hire a personal trainer for a few sessions at your local gym so you can learn proper techniques and more about how to work out correctly. This is incredibly important. The bad technique can hurt you really badly, if you're not careful.

5. TRY TO HAVE FUN!

DON'T BE NERVOUS TO ASK A MILLION QUESTIONS. We're here to help you. Some of us have more experience than others, and you'll hear different opinions from different people on how to do what and when to do it, but you'll find that everyone agrees with the fact that you just have to find what you enjoy doing the most. There are endless amounts of things you can do to burn calories effectively. Just try everything and see what it is that you like the most. For example: I, personally, hate aerobics classes because I feel like I look like an idiot in front of a group of mostly girls who I've never met before. haha. However, my fiancee loves them. She made friends with a lot of the girls in the classes she usually goes to and now she loves to go a few times per week. In other words, don't be nervous to try different workout styles once. If you like them, great, and if you don't, at least you tried it once.

I'm sorry for rambling. haha. I hope you find something you like! Please, please feel free to PM me with questions, if you like.

John

If you've ever heard of it, you know it's a crazy workout. Before I was banded, I was around 295 or so and I got down to 200lbs before I met my fiance...and it allllll went back uphill from there. haha. I haven't weighed myself in the recent past, but my gut feeling (*pun intended* lol) says that I'm probably 275ish. It's incredibly depressing, but I'll tell you, though, I'm getting married in late September and I'm going to lose this weight again. I owe it to myself and her.

Has anyone else done this before or is currently doing this? Is anyone willing to diary with me? haha.

Thanks!

Gregg, that's some inspiration, man. Holy shit. haha. Did you do P90X or what?

After I lost 90lbs, I was fully convinced that I had gotten into the right mindset, but recently, I've been questioning this idea a lot. I'm a little hesitant, and a little reluctant to do this, quite frankly, but I would really like some local support. I tried getting a group going in Tucson, AZ for a while, but nobody ever answers. Anyway, so I figured I would get your opinions on what you think about Overeaters Anonymous and whether you are or aren't involved.

Thanks!!!

John

It's so funny that you posted this because I was going to post about MMA stuff, too. Yeah, I don't really see much of anything wrong with it. It's an incredible workout, too.

Does anyone use supplements of any kind, other than Multivitamins?

Honestly, I tried a few thermogenics for a little while and it helped, but I wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions!

Thanks!

I did p90x a few times and I LOVED IT! I've been lazy lately, but seriously, everybody should do it!!!

p90x is AWESOME. I've done it twice now and I feel great afterwards. I can't do all of it, but I do what I can and I'm improving every time I do it.

So, a little note about Orlistat/Alli, for those who don't know. The mayo Clinic (a little irony for the context, right? lol) says that it is under scrutiny for the possible cause of liver damage in extended usage.

Also, to the person who said that surgeons shouldn't make their patients lose weight before surgery, there is a myriad of reasons why doctors do that. Most of it has to do with the fact that, the bigger the patient, the likelier it is for the patient to have complications during surgery, and most unfortunately, death. Also, it's good for the patient to start a weight loss mindset beforehand.

Tara, you're totally right. Getting a lap-band has a lot of parts to it that are very overwhelming. Honestly, I think the best thing to do for EVERYBODY is to get involved in a support group. There are so many things that I had trouble with in the beginning, and even now, that I count on my lap-band friends for. Also, get involved in an exercise group. They will keep you accountable. If you have any other questions or want a lap-band friend, message me any time!! I would love to help you through anything I can!

John