Jachut

A pb for me has NEVER been as simple as opening my mouth and simply regurgitating. I always heave violently and if it has happened in public, you can bet your bottom dollar everyone else within earshot hears it too - its loud and violent exactly like vomiting. the only difference is I'm not desperately nauseated, panicky, and vomiting entire stomach contents and acid. Its usually a small amount. But it often takes two or three heaves to eject what was bothering me.

Overabsorption of nutrients causing obesity? Where on earth did you hear that one? the only way you can get too much of any one nutrient is by eating too much of any particular food. The body will absorb what you put in it (more or less, many factors can cause you not to absorb much of what you eat), not overabsorb from reasonable amounts of food. You certainly dont get fat from "overabsorbing" the nutrients in healthy amounts of food. Nobody needs a bypass becuase their body absorbs too many nutrients. They need a bypass becuase it suits them psychologically and they are prepared to run the risk of their body absorbing too few nutrients as a trade off for physical and emotional relief from obesity. And anyway, a bypass only adds malabsorption to drastically reduced food quantities - the main weight loss benefit still comes from much fewer calories going in in the first place There's nothing wrong with not being prepared to take that risk, that's not close minded, that's just having feelings on the matter. However it doesnt follow that lapbands are entirely safe or effective for everyone either.

Its kind of you to suggest, and I dont want to sound rude, but to be honest, I dont consider things like sugar free pudding healthy. I think you're way better off with fresh fruit and milk than adding artificially sweetened flavours. I just dont understand how people think they're eating well when they're eating stuff like this, just becuase it has 30 grams of Protein. It also has a whole host of unnatural and possibly harmful products added to taste like cheesecake or chocolate or lemon meringe pie. Whereas milk and fresh fruit are just, well, milk and fresh fruit. Then again, I just ate a party pie - a small version of our Aussie meat pie. There's possibly NO beef in them at all, but lots of lips, claws, assholes and earlobes. Disgusting to even think about but mmmm they taste good. So perhaps dont listen to me!

There is no exercise that will "lift" sagging breasts. They contain no muscle whatsoever, simply fat and glandular tissue and they sag because ligaments and skin are stretched. Opening your wallet and lifting enough cash for a boob job might give you good biceps though! I found that the sag lessened as I lost more weight and shrank down to a C cup. But they're very sad and only surgery would fix them. Its just that they're small enough to tuck into most things now. Including my socks!

Not really, but i'm a lot more prone to gastrointestinal upsets than I used to be before a band. I tend to get very windy and bloated with things like plane trips, for example, that can take days to settle. It drives me nuts.

I can really understand why this irritates you. It really IS true with the band that you have to work hard so you do learn new habits. I think we probably all underestimate a bit how much the band does for us, but the weight loss is far less automatic than with any surgery and, whilst I think I'd gain if I lost my band, I'm pretty sure I wouldnt be as fat as I was. Because like you say, I've learned the value of being really fit and I wouldnt give that up. I wouldnt stop running or going to the gym and that's honestly half the battle. Some people just need more, they simply cant muster the ability to do that extra work that the band requires and that's fine, they also dont "lose" their surgery the way many lose their band. But its not comparing apples with apples. I'm glad of my choice, and I'm glad that I feel (even if only in my imagination) that I can take credit for my success. Which is hard to say becuase that sounds like I dont think people who have a bypass or sleeve or rny are doing any work at all. See how impossible it is to even begin to compare without insulting people?

A fill sounds like a good idea, you dont stop needing them just because you're at goal. This is a lifetime thing. Also, being busy sucks, I've had two months from hell too. But you just HAVE to keep exercising no matter how you do it. I swear that's how I dont gain because I sure dont eat as carefully as I did when I first got banded.

Would you consider surgery on the left foot? I had this problem as well, in my teens and it made any closed in shoe very uncomfortable. I had both feet done at the same time, fun fun fun. But it never recurred.

I'm in the losing more is better camp, but that's because I think thin is elegant and attractive and because I have the sort of body that does need to be thin. I'm fairly fine boned and lightly muscled, I'm meant to be more willowy than curvy. It IS a personal decision and many people with a different body shape can carry a little more weight better than i could. But one thing I really disagree with is that old "oh, that's what the charts say but I would look sick at that weight". I think many obese people have a totally warped idea of what normal body weight looks like, and they only think they'd look sick at that weight when in actual fact to anyone that didnt know them fat, they'd look totally normal. And I dont know why but there IS something confronting about shedding every ounce of the excess weight.

I was surprised by similar pockets of fat, I didnt think I carried it there, but it did remain and was stubborn. For me, continued weight loss was the answer. That's the thing, people sometimes get a bit nasty about getting down to a BMI of 21 and say you're anorexic or obsessed, but that's what you have to do to get rid of all those lumps and bumps. You do not have a specific muscle there that you can exercise to reduce the area (and that doesnt work anyway). Its just where your pecs and some of your back muscles attach. Even now, with a C cup breast, I cant wear tiny little bras with very thin backs, or I do get overhang, there's definitely a little skin there.

Well, I disagree, lol. I think a milk and fruit smoothie is a healthy Breakfast, probably because I dont think you need a gazillion grams of Protein in any one meal and I dont think you need to avoid carbs like fruit. This is something I make for breakfast quite often because its a good way to get in fruit. BUT - it tastes better and has more body with a little protein powder in it. I keep vanilla Optifast for this purpose - I hate most protein powders, have never found one that didnt have a revolting aftertaste.

It really depends on your natural body shape. Every body shape CAN get thin and toned, but will still look different. If you're more of an apple, it will take you the longest to lose from your abdomen, back and chest and even neck You'll probably get really thin arms and legs first and the last bit of annoying weight will probably be something like your tummy, or underarms. I'm the opposite, I'm a pear and I noticed face, shoulders, arms and chest. I got a real shock one day when I realised how darn thin my hands were too. My stomach got flat very easily, but I still carry weight on the thighs and behind. I'm pretty sure I always will. I was trying on dresses the other day, I cant buy anything tailored and straight unless its made for me becuase I'm freaky skinny around the shoudlers and chest so that everythign that fits my hips gapes there. I hate my neck too, you can see every muscle and tendon in it, and I cant get spray tan even on my chest becuase the hollow on the top AND bottom of my collarbones is inches deep. But I still have a fat bum!

I never noticed being hot and I didnt sweat but after I'd lost a fair bit of weight, I was freezing. I swear I froze to death for a year. Gradually I adjusted but nowadays I do wear more than I did and will have a coat on in much warmer temperatures. What embarrassed me that I hated was heavy breathing. Every bit of movement, it wouldnt FEEL terribly hard but I would breath harder even walking across a room to sit down. I was forever conscious that people would think I was panting and out of breath. I never worry about that now, my breathing is so much quieter and i can breath through my nose as I need much less oxygen. And THAT was only at a BMI of 36!

Lol, maybe we should all have "time to cut out the cookies" or any other trigger food tattooed so close together and tiny that you cant read it. When you CAN read it, its time to really cut out the cookies! Reminds me of that "welcome to jamaica have a nice day" joke *snicker*

Um, yes, they can change big time. My friend has a big one on her lower back which is now unrecognizeable, completely distorted and dropped and the one on her stomach is now only half there after she had a tummy tuck, looks REALLY weird, like a huge butterfly is being eaten by her scar. Its a bit sad, but really, that's what'll happen when you get to 80 too.

Well, as long as the quality and skills of the surgeon werent an issue, I'd choose close to home. We're lucky here but to me, having to go out of the country to surgery is awful. I simply dont know how people can do it, not being able to just get in the car and drive a few suburbs to their appointments. BUT - and that's a big but, I'm a band patient, not a sleever. I think with a sleeve, that doesnt require constant follow up, out of the country surgery is a much more viable option and I wouldnt choose a band over a sleeve and certainly not a bypass over a sleeve simply to be closer to home. I'd pick the surgery I wanted first and foremost.

Glad you're well. It must be so different being a WLS patient and not obese. I wonder how quickly full energy and stamina will return and whether it will actually make any difference. You're much fitter now of course.

I dont like new balance shoes either, both times i had a pair, i started developing ITB problems in my left knee. I'm on my fifth pair of Brooks Adrenalines - wide, slightly inward rolling feet, they suit me perfectly. I dont even try anything else, just go and buy new ones. Lots of people swear by Asics too but they're too narrow for my feet. but it depends what you're doing - I'm a runner, I wouldnt need such stability if I were doing the elliptical and gym, a more neutral or cross training shoe would do me fine.

I agree, you've probably heard what you wanted to and not really processed the "its a tool" part. There's NOTHING wrong with that, I defy anyone here to say that at least one tiny part of them wasnt hoping for easy automatic weight loss. some of us got it. I certainly lost most of my weight without trying particularly hard on the diet front. But I never got particularly heavy in the first place - a BMI of 36 when I was banded, and naturally, along with that goes the fact that i probably didnt have eating habits quite as disordered as someone who got to 400lb. I also live in Australia, portion sizes out can be large, yes, but we havent quite reached the stage where a human hand cant fit around a McDonalds soda cup and where the car has to have special larger cup holders. By and large our portion sizes are much smaller and the idea that ANYTHING comes in a can, packet or box is a little foreign. I cooked from scratch, I ate fresh, organic produce, and had a basic healthy diet, just with a lot of crap thrown in on the top. All I had to do was cut the crap, which the band helped enormously with becuase I couldnt fit it in! I didnt have to change my understanding of food, the way I shopped, the way I prepared it. I've never had a drive through Breakfast in my life and to me McDonalds was a once a month thing because I wont let my kids overeat that sort of food. So that was the easy part for me. Just eat less, not differently. But I eat bread, cereals, Pasta, grains. We are not told to do Protein first here and to be honest, whilst I dont disagree with the theory behind lowering carbs and such (which I did naturally when I cut out the junk), I think its just another 'diet' behaviour. I'm never on or off my diet, I'm not "bad" or "good" on any particular day because nothing is off limits. so you can see how different we all are, there's no "right' way to lose weight, you just have to find what works for you. I did put in a LOAD of effort on the exercise front. I took up running, and built up to about 8 to 10kms five days a week or so, and I also did/do regular circuit training. I know more focussed strenght training would help me fine tune, but I hate it and to be honest, I think the best exercise is the one you will do. However, I'm starting a boot camp tonight, being at goal weight is no reason not to continue to work harder, challenge yourself etc, I love being fit and I love maintaining it. One way or another, there has to be a lifestyle change or you simply wont lose and maintain that loss. You have to face it, but you dont have to feel a failure because its coming now and not before you were banded. The band's there ready to work with you when you're ready.

I would combine circuit training 3 days a week with maybe 2 pure cardio days. By circuit training I mean free weights and whole body compound moves. It is pointless standing around doing bicep curls that work 1 muscle you need to do stuff like squatting whilst pressing a barbell over your head, lunging with dumbells, pushups, stuff like that. Move fast, lift as heavy as you can possibly manage, and try to put together a routine that goes for say 45 minutes. Include some running on the treadmill or some spinning in it, maybe between sets of exercises. Your heartrate shoudl be right up there - this type of workout is cardio/strength combined, not slow like traditional strength training. On the other days, take it a bit easier, do a nice slow jog on the treadmill for instance. This will be hard and at first the circuits might actually make you feel ill and VERY stiff and sore, but it really really works. Working one muscle at a time on the machines is not nearly so effective - except for the leg machines - leg press, leg curl, squat machine etc. The ones that just work one or two upper body muscles are really not the best use of your time.

I've got mixed feelings on these machines. One, theyv'e been around for a while and they havent really taken off in gyms. Which tells you a lot. Two, there's lots of private exercise studios around that focus on these things. I did a trial of 5 sessions for a small fee. What I found was that I did feel like I'd exercised, but not to any great degree. The exercises I was able to perform on the platform were not the usual heavy weight whole body moves that I'm more likely to do - I'm more into functional fitness and do things like squats with presses, sandbag training etc. You could only stand round doing things like bicep curls, not really very effective exercises for losing weight and really changing your body. I felt like I'd lifted some weights but not like it was any harder than normal. that I believe tells you a lot. You FEEL it if you work harder. Its like saying you do the ellipitical instead of the treadmill because the readout tells you you've just burned 800 calories in half an hour. If you REALLY burned that much in half an hour, you'd be aware of it. So being exhausted when you get off the treadmill after half an hour and being NO more exhausted when you get off the elliptical, there's simply no way you burned double the calories. As it is with these plates. I felt the same as I normally would, well less so actually. The kind of workout you could do on them was not as strenuous or difficult as my normal ones.

Kind of, but also a bit different. I know logically I'm thinner and some days I feel fantatic. I also have days where I still feel big. so between those extremes, I suspect my own picture of myself in my minds eye is inaccurate. I suspect I think I'm bigger than I am but I just cant quite think of myself as a thin person either. But I have adjusted to knowing my body's size in any given situation. I know where I'll fit and where I wont, lol.

If they make you look and feel better then go for it. But as far as loose skin goes, the damage to your skin is ALREADY done. It was done as your weight increased. You cant prevent it now, after the fact, by wearing anything or applying anything to your skin, nor can you prevent it with exercise or Vitamins. Those collagen bonds are either broken or they're not. The loose skin results from gaining weight and stretching it out, much much less so from losing it.

Definitely any food you can overeat or any food you tend to choose over healthier alternatives because you just cant be bothered trying to get down what you should be eating. I'm a bread eater, so I do eat sandwiches. But a tuna and salad sandwich is hard to eat, slow, dangerous, takes effort. I can eat about 5 rice cakes, slathered with butter. More really. Naturally I tend to "feel like" rice cakes more than I feel like eating the sandwich. Less nutritious, much more fat (love the butter on top!), virtually no Protein, all carbs. Bad choice. So for me, rice cakes are slider foods. So are healthy foods like cheese, yogurt, soup. I eat them so I dont have to bother with harder things. Doesnt mean they're bad, just means i need to make sure I eat a balanced diet and not always choose them. Then there's the foods you can eat when yo've just pb'd - chocolate, ice cream, pudding. Not so good.

To me, the banana would be the most worthwhile part of a Protein shake. If i ever drink them, they've always got a banana blended it. Fibre, potassium, Vitamins, minerals and antioxidands - good food. Limiting donuts is one thing, limiting healthy fruit and veg is just silly.