Jachut

I couldnt eat a whole one but there's not much that's great about freezer food that comes in boxes anyway. Much much much better to cook from scratch without the salt, additives and chemicals and buy things like decent meat and not what they scrape off the abbattoir floors, lol.

I dont think 125 for 5ft 2 is at all unrealistic - I'm 5ft 10 and 150 and I'm not bony skinny, scrawny or anorexic looking, I'm nicely covered, in fact I still have a big bum!. You should aim to stop where you feel good, at the end of the day that's what matters. But dont sell youself short by saying "oh, I've had 4 kids, I couldnt weigh that again". You hear SO many heavy people discount healthy goal weights becuase they just cant imagine them and truly, its not only quite easy to get to a BMI of well under 25 if you eat and exercise right, but its also pretty easy to stay there. I dont have to even think about it these days. So if you dont want to stop at a higher weight, dont. And you cant really solve the sag problem by remaining overweight, if its skin only sag and not skin and fat sag it'll be easier to hide. Skin only sag doesnt show as a muffin top or a bulge. It really only looks bad when you're naked. I learned that when a surgeon showed me pictures of true skin only pannuses, when I went to get my saggy old bosoms looked at. Those are THIN, they're just long curtains of skin. Most of the before tummy tuck pics you see are still full of plenty of fat and it would be possible to lose a lot of the bulk in them by continuing to lose weight. Not that you should have to, why NOT just cut it all off and be done with it? But the point is, you're not solving a lot of problems by remaining heavier if that's not what you want. My boobs are a case in point. There's no fat in them, they're just skin, they are pretty tragic. But it hides well with a good bra and even with a good bikini top. I still had boobs 30 lb ago but I also had cellulite, rolls on my tummy and love handles. I look much better overall at 150 than I did at 180. However, if you feel good, and believe you look good at a certain weight, you're happy, healthty and can maintain it, then its a great weight for YOU. I think charts are a bit overrated. I'm 42 and I dont see that as any reason all not to weigh less than I did 20 years ago (by about 10 lb) - nor do I see any reason any reason not to be fitter and stronger, and to continue to become more so. I fully expect to be running 10kms at 70. Why on earth let age get in your way?

Gosh, that's awful and very traumatic.

Not this type - but losing weight made me aware I have hernias at each end of my caesar scar. When they became visible, I suddenly noticed them. I pressed on one and SQUELCH - it was disgusting! they look like two golf balls under the skin, its weird. I saw my doc when i went for a pap smear (just the gp, not a gyno) and she said "oh, dont worry about it". But I think I'll follow it up becuase hernias of course can strangulate and if its squelching, its obviously bits of my guts poking out (disappears when I like on my back)! Plus it looks awful. I also notice that after I've been on my feet all day or done a lot of running they ache.

Really? That's interesting. it just bothers me because on my other hand I have my grandmother's engagement ring which is a gorgeous platinum and diamond number and then I have these yellow gold rings - lovely rings and the setting is nice, but they just dont go with the rest of the type of jewellery I wear.

Why not combine lifting weights with cardio in one workout? There's tons of stuff on the net - things like turbulence training, but basically, standing round hoiking dumbells for isolated muscle exercises isnt that efficient - whole body compound moves (like squats whilst pushing a barbell above your head) ARE. Pushups, pullups, dips, lunges, THOSE are the moves to focus on. Do them fast and hard circuit style and dont waste your time on the gym machines, and i guarantee you'll TORCH the body fat. It really really works. Do it at an intensity that almost makes you puke. Use heavy heavy weight and low reps and work fast - your heartrate will go through the roof. For cardio - long and slow builds endurance, which is fine to a point. Any overweight person will find they shed weight from doing that when they've been inactive. But eventually your body becomes efficient and do too much and you do tend to compromise muscle. Instead, do interval workouts - shorter time, shorter distance but with sprints and recoveries. It just about makes you puke but it really works. Do this on your non lifting days. I agree, the days of running for hours on end, or cycling and working easy in that "fat burning zone" (total myth that one) are well past. Even though I lost most of my weight running relatively long distances, I needed to switch over to get the last of it off. And I can still pull out a 10km run whenever I feel like it, I dont need to do it 4 times a week to maintain the endurance. But I burn more fat working short and really HARD. But hard is the key! It needs to just about make you puke.

I hope your mum recovers well. My mum had a mild heart attack nearly 2 years ago at 66, and she was a little overweight, but we have a family history of high blood pressure and heart disease on her side. She's recovered really well, lost about 30lb and walks a good 5 miles a day as well as playing golf and going to Curves. Like you, its made me realise what a great thing I have done for myself, health wise. My surgery was mainly about appearance because I was healthy but I felt at 38 I was getting older, and I was really worried about what sort of shape I'd be in by 50 if I continued to gain. I knew I couldnt avoid health problems forever. Not a day goes by now that I dont feel absolute exhilaration at my physical condition and capabilities. I run along the road grinning like an idiot usually.

To be honest, I think its a part of any weight loss surgery experience. After four years with my band I find the same. I have sat on perhaps 10lb more I'd really like to lose for 2 years now, and I cannot lose it. I could lose it if I dieted. But I'm useless at it, just like before surgery. I last a day or two and then fall off the wagon. I havent gained, becuase I'm a really dedicated exerciser, I think god about 20 times a day for that. I never miss a session and I work REALLY hard. I do very very intense circuit training and interval running most of the time and when I'm being "lazy" I might just go out and run, steady pace, for 45 minutes a day. That keeps my weight absolutely stable. But like you, I wish I could get going again to lose like I did in that first year. Even though everyone tells me I dont need to lose anymore, that 10lb would be fantastic. I dont know the answer, there's not enough you can do to shock your body into losing when you've already been on a low calorie diet for 2 years, your metabolism has adjusted, you dont need as many calories to survive in a day as you once did, and you probably need less than other people your weight you have never lost weight. So it comes down to hard slog.

Mine has been made smaller 3 times now, nobody ever mentioned anything to me about a number of times you could do it! But it needs one more adjustment. However, its yellow gold which I no longer wear anymore, I got talked into it in the first place because white gold was "immature". My MIL, dont ask, stupid cow. How my ring is any business of hers I dont know, but I also have an antique

this was discussed on the vertical sleeve forum and I made a comment that it wouldnt work and boy, the poster got offended. Someone's trainer had recommended it so it MUST be true right? Think about it though. The damage is ALREADY done to your skin. The collagen bonds in your skin are ALREADY broken by being overstretched. The stretchmarks are ALREADY there. How on earth can wearing something tight prevent what has already happened from happening? Post surgical compression garment support healing and prevent new damage to the skin, but if you've stretched it out and broken its internal structure there's not a damn think you can do about it now except start to love yourself sags and all and save for surgery. But you may be lucky, you might not have done much damage, your skin might snap back, it certainly can and does on many people after pregnancies and there might not be a lot to show for your temporary overweight status. Depends on a lot of things but mainly choosing good parents is the best tactic. I hope that doesnt offend you as much as it did the other poster, but its just the truth, plain and simple. You dont need a medical degree to know it either. But obviously, it cant hurt either and if its worth it to you to try, then do! Same with creams and lotions and such, they're all going to make your skin nice and smooth and look better anyway.

Well, nothing changed for me (and I've never heard of this being the case at all to be honest) - but I cant see a downside for you - either things stay the same, and you sound like you had no problems or they get a bit tighter. Which is hardly going to have a negative impact! I'd say its all good, whatever the case. I mean how many of those stupid man jokes have you heard about "hey doc, could you just put a couple of extra stitches in there" crap they go on about after we're lying there exhuausted having just delivered the fruit of their loins? I think we can assume tight is good :-)

First place to start is steady walking - most of the time, incline for walking or running should be on about 1 to 2% to better simulate outside walking, walking completely flat can actually be harder, if you have a very slight incline, you often find you can go a bit faster because your legs "engage" better. Its like when you're cycling on a stationary bike really fast and the resistance is too low, and you kind of get Jerky, when you add a bit of resistance it feels better and smoother. Give yourself a week or two, and walk for time, not distance, say 30 minutes would be a good place to start. Try to make it at an intensity where you could talk, but not sing and have a few bursts of a couple of minutes where maybe you couldnt even talk. It doesnt matter if that's only 2 miles per hour, its the intensity for YOU that matters. Then have a look at your treadmill's programs. Pick any sort of fat burning ones between 30 and 40 minutes, they should include inclines etc. then after a few more weeks you could start on the serious stuff - some sprint and hill work. My treadmill has some more advanced programs that are pretty good, and if you're a treadmill user, you simply MUST have a look at cardiocoach (www.cardiocoach.com) and when you move to running www.treadmilltrainer.com. These interval workouts come with coaching and great music and they are super duper efficient fat blasting workouts. Cardiocoach can be as challenging as you make it, I run to it outside and make it into sweat through your clothes puke in a bucket kinda stuff, but you can walk to it too. It tells you when to put up the incline, encourages you to keep going, when to sprint, when to rest etc. Its seriously great, there's 7 volumes and they're cheap MP3 downloads. Oh, and if you're treadmill's near a DVD player check out www. treadmoves.com. these are pretty good workouts, involving walking, jogging and some light strength training, again, you can adapt these to your fitness level by how fast you move. They make the time pass pretty quick. These programs really are the best way to get the most out of your time and effort on the treadmill, just plain walking really doesnt do an awful lot in the long run, but its a great place to start when you're heavy and/or unfit. I'd really focus on walking steady on a slight incline for a while to start with.

Maybe for you, breastfeeding and losing weight quickly are not a good match, they certainly werent for me. I gained most of my weight breastfeeding, even though I didnt gain any permanent weight from pregnancies. If you cant eat enough now, loosening your band will help with that, but then you're not going to be losing anyway. I would try the liquid calories route, but I would NOT rely on Protein shakes - unless they are organic, non artificially sweetened and not soy based. No way would I be filling my baby with soy derivatives. smoothies made with milk and fruit would be a better option. I personally would be happy to accept slower weight loss to continue breastfeeding - you've got your whole life to lose weight but only get one chance at feeding your baby. You may choose to cut it shorter than you would otherwise, to start focussing on yourself again, but perhaps just put the weight loss aside for six months? You'll be giving your baby your best start in life and when you look back in 20 years, THAT's what you'll value, not whether or not you lost weight in that time. But contrary to the way the breast feeding fanatics make it sound, formula feeding your baby wont make them fat, stupid or unhealthy. What's best for your baby is usually what's best for YOU too.

I just had breakfast: 4 prunes about 3 tablespoons of all bran 1/2 a piece of wholegrain toast with jam Too me about 20 minutes to eat. For lunch today we'll probably have sandwiches. I can usually eat a small sandwich - not the American version, lol, meaning 2 slices of wholegrain bread, with sometihng like tuna and avocado as a filling, with the crusts cut off. For dinner tonight, we're having lamb cutlets. I normally eat a cutlet, a spoonfull or two of mashed potatoes and about 1/2 a cup of mixed steamed veg.

By general weight loss surgery standards, at a BMI of 36 I wasnt even that overweight yet. I hadnt realised though just how badly I was sleeping - due to reasons mentioned above, like hands falling asleep. I think sleeping had become like it was when I was heavily pregnant, I sleep on my side and my shoulders and hips would get really sore from the weight of my belly. I was starting to get fat enough that I wasnt sleeping comfortably. I didnt notice so much that it was discomfort waking me multiple times a night but I sure noticed it when I started sleeping soundly again - it made a huge difference to how I felt during the day.

Definitely. I spend ages trying to find some info on it but I stalled at EVERY weight I'd held for a long time. I stalled at 104kg, 97kg, 91kg, 84kg and 79kg - not for terribly long, but maybe six weeks or so. I thought I'd have to call 79kg goal as its right at the top of my healthy weight range, but I did contine to drop VERY slowly after that point.

Lol, we had a monty python night with the kids the other night - Life of Brian, Holy Grail and Meaning of Life.

I wouldnt worry about it anyway. What matters most with exercise is good honest effort within YOUR limits. As long as you're pushing yourself, you will get a result, no matter how big or little the calorie burn is. Its pushing your body beyond its own limits that forces it to adapt by becoming fitter and stronger. Even if you only burn 100 calories in a session but you've put in true effort, then that's great! Eventually, of course, you get to the point where a 500 to 800 calorie exercise session is not only possible but not even particularly tiring. It may take a few years, but it does come. However, every single person has to start with what they can do, and nobody can deny that swimming is fantastic aerobic exercise that works every muscle in your body. It sounds like you did great.

Swimming's great but you'd have to be a VERY good swimmer to burn over 500 calories in half an hour. Its more like 250, 300 for a good swimmer who can swim constant laps. And for the average person who stops at the ends etc, its even less. If you were running, you'd be running pretty had to burn 500 calories in half an hour - at a speed of about 10kms an hour. I'm a good swimmer, but I know what running at 10kms an hour feels like and i couldnt match that intensity in the pool. Also, calorie burn for swimming tends to be a bit lower because you dont get as hot and also, you dont have to support your weight or force it to leave the ground like you do with running. Now if you could go all out at about 90% of your maximum effort and swim maybe 40 or more 50 metre laps of freestyle in 30 minutes, you might get that sort of calorie burn.

Yup, she's one of those. But she lives only a few suburbs away.

If you were already vomiting before you got pregnant then you probably needed an unfill even then. so I would DEFINITELY discuss this with your doctor now!

I've never been a believer in low calorie diets, I do think you need to eat well and lose slowly to lose in a healthy way. I ate about 1500 calories all the way through and eat about 1800 to maintain. The charts all say that at my height and activity level (5ft 10, 150lb, regular runner) women should be able to eat 2,400 or more, well, its just not the case. There's an obvious calorie discrepancy between what many of us can eat and remain slim and what the charts say we should be able to - probably a major reason why many of us got fat in the first place. Nonetheless I lost steadily but slowly on 1500 and I believe I did lose mostly fat and retained a good lean body mass. I have more fat that I could lose though. When you're losing though, I think you cant avoid being on pretty low calories, you just cant fit the food in and I dont think it hurts for a short period of time. Worry about it later when you're healed up.

Its almost 4 years for me and has been a smooth journey. I got banded at 245lb, at 5ft 10, that's a BMI of 36. I too had no real comorbidities, but the weight was makign me tired, lethargic and I worried, at 38 about going down hill pretty quickly, as I knew I would continue to gain. I hadnt been fat all my life, I'd always hovered at a BMI of around 26, which to me was humungous, but it was after 3 babies that i slid into obesity. I'd been active and athletic until that lifestyle change that comes with having children. I lost quite slowly - I had driven myself nuts (and made myself fatter) dieting, had never had ANY success at it and vowed never ever to do it again. So I never counted calories, Protein, carbs, nothing. I just eat healthy and that's it - I buy organic, cook from scratch etc. I took up running, slowly at first, and then onto a couple of half marathons - took me 2 years plus to get to that stage. I lost about 70lb first year, probably 25lb the next year and a couple the year after that. I'm at the point where my weight is perfect, at 150lb, but I think I still have a bit much body fat. My exercise focus has shifted - my main love is running, but I'm focussing a lot more on VERY intense circuit training and interval running in an effort to fine tune my figure. I've never had a regain, my weight never budges, I firmly believe that's all the exercise I do. Banding was the best thing I ever did for myself. I place a high responsibility on myself to do the right things and make the right choices, I'm very dedicated to my running and I believe that made it a very effective and workeable tool. However, like mentioned above, I dont feel "cured". I have an overly sweet tooth and a bad tendency to indulge in processed carbs - cakes, Cookies, etc. i cant control myself around those foods and it will ALWAYS be a matter of willpower not to eat them. If I didnt have my band, I think I would regain, for sure.

have an unfill. There is nothign surer than you will eventually want and need to eat reasonably and you are going to end up having multiple PB episodes. This can damage your band, and cause slippage. You may start to have reflux symptoms, especially night reflux, which is also dangerous. You will probably find you dont lose weight as well as you thought you would due to under-eating. You will pretty soon start to feel like a social leper as you cant risk eating in front of anyone or anywhere where you dont have full control of the menu. Honestly, you'll be miserable very quickly, probably wont have much reward for such sacrifice and may even suffer band problems as a result.

Ugh, I'm with you. I absolutely dont know HOW people can go about their everyday lives strangled by these things. I hate them. My view is that if I need a shaper to look OK in a certain outfit, then the outfit is not right for me. I always feel sick within the hour of trying to wear something like this and eventually, the constriction of my abdomen will give me horrible gas pains and crippling cramps.