Jachut

This isnt really right. Tricking your body into satiety like a band does doesnt negate the fact that you're underfeeding it. It still has to learn to be VERY efficient with what it is fed. Starvation mode is a contentious issue, and not everyone agrees it exits, but for some people super duper low calories dont result in much weight lost - although over time it HAS to. But the sad fact is for ALL of us who have lost weight, they dont remove the band at the end because in the process of losing we have all taught our bodies to become remarkably efficient and most of us can probably never again eat the calories that a person of our weight who had never been fat could eat. We will always have to undereat to maintain our losses. It may not be by much, but even an excess of 100 calories a day does result in a lot of weight over say a decade. Moderate calories and slower weight loss is better. Most women cant really achieve adequate nutrition under 1000 calories a day and honestly, a band that restricts you to 700 or so is probably too tight (apart from in the post op phase). If you eat too little, you will lose a lot of lean body tissue as well as fat and that compounds the metabolism slowing problem doubly - since muscle is metabolically active and the more of it you have, the more you can eat. I had a good example of this the other day. As a 5ft 10 150lb woman, who is very fit, I can eat quite normally - about 1800 calories a day to maintain my weight. That's fantastic. But to do that, I have to run for an hour most days and do some good honest heavy strength training on a regular basis. My pals at uni were incredulous, being 20 somethings who had never been fat - most of them ate much more calories than me - because being that age, there was a fair bit of alcohol and fast food in there - and never exercised. They stay THINNER than I am and were generally much smaller too (I'm very tall) so the calorie disparity is really obvious. I dont care, 1800 a day to me is generous, satisfying and allows for a very normal diet. But it illustrates a point.

I was a slow and steady loser. No really spectacular fast loss for me. What worked? Steady, consistent exercise and good nutrition, not panicking through plateaus, consistently pushing myself further and further with my exercise, instead of thinking I was working hard enough. And patience. and you know, I really believe you have to look at it in terms of percentage body weight, rather than pounds lost, like on Biggest Loser. 25 lbs is the same percentage of 200 as 50 is of 400! You've already lost enough weight that you've done your health a really big favour and cut your risks. Give it another six or seven months and see how great you feel then!

Actually all evidence points to the band working better for lower bmi patients. This is YOUR journey and yours alone. You owe nothing to heavier patients, their lives are theirs to lead and you having surgery or not doesnt affect their ability to. Its not a limited commodity that you're stealing from someone who "needs it more". 60lb is a lot of excess weight. Its bad for your health and carries risks. And if if you've never been 100lb or 120lb overweight, then its also soul destroying - you feel out of control, disgusting, ugly, whatever. Its as devastating for you as it is for someone with more to lose. Nonetheless be prepared for negative comment and even outright hostility, particularly on forums such as here. Some people feel very precious about deserving surgery more coz they're fatter.

I love running, it is the best thing in the world to do. I know, I know, it makes people groan and pull the blankets tighter, lol. But if you can get through the getting fit part, to the point where a moderate run feels no harder than a brisk walk used to, its wonderful. Its great headspace, you get the endorphin rush, you do it simply for the love of it and not because you have to. Can you tell I love it? I do like team sports etc but at heart I'm a solo exerciser. I love the introspection and thinking time it gives me. I've never been one to believe in therapy and other such "quackery" but really, when I think about it, I've used my running time all along to focus on my weight loss, make positive affirmations, imagine great outcomes etc and I think it really has helped.

Not to mention, along the same vein as band mills, all the idiot doctors jumping on the wagon who have no freaking idea of how to manage a lapband. I seriously think, and cane me for it if you like, that the approach to the band by many of the doctors is just fraught with problems. Take fluoro for example. In Australia we dont use this. Most people go along and get small conservative fills regularly. Filling a band to complete blocked off point whilst viewing it, then backing off to just prior may get you to super restriction a fair bit faster. But the trouble is, what goes through in that five minutes on the screen no longer goes through 12 hours later when the swelling has set in. Then starts the fill unfill procedure, all without the stomach really settling, so reflux, vomiting etc ensure. So out comes ALL the fill. Should let things settle right? Only when time comes to refill, back out come the big guns for the big super aggressive fill and wow, surprise surprise, the whole cycle starts over. Now I know people have had problems with good doctors looking after them. I am not making a blanket generalisation here on all band problems. But it is blindingly obvious from this forum alone that medical mismanagement is one major reason for problems. Not to mention the fact that if you are going to eat only 1/2 a cup of food, then you need to be pretty freaking tight. Too tight I'd say. When you eat mainly Protein, you have to keep it to half a cup because protein is calorie dense. Wholegrains carbs fruit and vegies though - filled with Water and air. Same calories gram for gram as protein but filled with water and air which fills tummies. Which means if you include those foods, you can be a LOT looser (hey, no reflux, wow) because you can eat half a cup of them and maybe 1/4 of a cup of the protein food and wow, same calories, but looser band! There's a post on this board right this minute, from someone who professes being a doctor, advising bandsters not to eat salad because its worthless and will take up space that should be saved for protein. :thumbup: I'm sorry but that's just completely stupid. How about we leave a bit of stomach space for both? Maybe I'm delusional thinking that might be sensible? That's just Jachut's personal theory. I dont pretend to be a doctor, I dont insist I'm right, I only know this approach works for me, is way more commonly the approach taken in Australia and appears to work for ALL the bandsters I know in real life, and none of us has exploded into gigantic fat marshmallows from eating bread. I'll finish my rant by saying again, i agree, the band is not for everone and the sleeve is promising to be a very effective surgery that has less inherent maintenance and problems. It is worthwhile investigating for anyone considering WLS. Can someone just answer me though - if you can stretch out a GBP or DS pouch and regain weight, and the sleeve is just the first half of a DS, then why cant you stretch out a sleeve pouch?

You're brave Fanny, I posted a reply this morning and deleted it. I've never heard such irresponsible advice and i agree with your comments entirely. In the rest of the world, salad is not served first and it consists of more than just iceberg lettuce. Furthermore, things like nuts seeds and avocados contain healthy fats and increase the Vitamin and antioxidant uptake. Not eat salad, so that you can eat more meat? I cant really believe that's desirable.

Interval training. Its horrid. You'll feel like your literally sweating blood. You'll want to puke. But it WORKS. Basically, take your regular cardio, and inject intervals of 150% effort (you know, heart about to explode through your chest stuff) - over time increase the length of them, you may only be able to do 30 seconds at first, then recover a few minutes, then another 30 seconds. Your current fitness level doesnt matter, as long as its 150% for YOU effort. A 40 minute session built around intervals 3 times a week and 3 hour long sessions of steady state cardio (I like running myself) works for me. It works with walking, cycling, running, the elliptical, swimming.

Surely soft steamed vegies go down? With maybe just a bit of butter and salt and pepper - yum. Or mash them in with potato. I'm all for "normal" diets with the band and I can do it but for many I think the reality is a staple stock of moist foods that work. But there's a LOT you can eat within this description. Have you tried, for example, cooking other meats in the slow cooker with liquids. I dont think I'll be eating too many lamb chops straight off the barbecue in my future, but a steak cooked in the slow cooker in cream of mushroom soup - easy to eat. Curries and casseroles cooked on low heat for long times - fantastic. Oatmeal can be as soft as you need and its fantastic made into bircher muesli - soak oats, seeds, and some cut up dried fruits in apple juice overnight, in the morning stir in some natural yogurt - a lovely mushie breakfast. You just need to be creative in the kitchen, knowing what to do with basic ingredients makes banded life a lot easier.

I've only ever had a tiny unfill of 0.1 cc and this was my ONLY symptom of being too tight. I never even got tight enough to not be able to eat in the morning or have trouble eating any particular food, I was just restricted to about half a cup servings (which should be OK right?) but everytime I ate, I began to realise I'd be clearning my throat for half an hour afterwards, there'd be phlegm there. That was enough for me, I figured I'd gone past my sweet spot and had the last tiny fill removed, and have just accepted tht for me, that's max restriction. I will not risk my band given that its got me well into normal BMI territory anyway.

If its fat that you need to lose and not loose skin then: Cardio Cardio and more cardio Something really HARD - like interval training, interpsersed with longer sessions of steady state stuff. Depending on your fitness it may be fast walking, but if that's relatively OK for you then you need to push past that and run or do something equally intense.

Its willpower, pure and simple. And over a period of time, you learn to focus on the outcome, not the process. When I go for a run, I tend to alternate between it feeling so good, I dont really know how to explain the feelign I get when I run other than euphoria and it feeling awful (particularly when doing interval sessions). But nothing worth having comes without work and I love how fit and strong I am now. I really value that. That's my focus, not the minor inconvenience of a bit of discomfort. And I think I really have learned to let my wind wander to another plane whilst I'm doing it. I'm always having that "shit, how did I get here" feeling, like when you're driving and suddenly realised you've covered about 20kms and cant remember any of it! "Just Do It" is a pretty good motto. But sheesh, 2 hours would do my head in. You know, you'd get just as good or better results by pushing a bit harder for a much shorter period of time. Or break it up with some strength training. That must get soooooo boring.

I agree. And I have to be completely honest - my DH is also banded and has lost about 50lb. I did begin to find him, hmmmm, not unnattractive because I loved him but not as hot as he used to be. He looks way hotter now and I do find myself initiating things, not just waiting till he did. So whilst I would be hurt and angry too, I can understand it and I know for sure I'm way more often in the mood now that I dont feel disgusting. I enjoy showing off and wearing nice stuff and all of that and it does make you more attractive because you behave as if you like YOURSELF.

Lol, I always always do this. In my mind, vegetables are the most important food group. All colours, all those vitamins, minerals and anti oxidants, I think they're way MORE important than protein, which most of us will get enough of without even trying. But virtually nobody, banded or unbanded gets enough vegies. Glad everyone is healing up, going well and enjoying success, although I hope that passes soon Oregondaisy.

Well, I am 5ft 10, was about 248 or so, BMI 36 and I lose all my weight relatively easy. In fact not only did I lose 100% of excess weight, I lost about 120%. The lapband appears to actually work BETTER for lower BMI patients than it does for heavier ones. Not the least because we're often still able to exercise relatively intensely from the get go. It also appeared to me that I found good restriction much more easily since my band fit better from the start - less fat round the stomach, doctor was able to choose the smallest band for me, and there's been less remarkable loosening as I've lost weight becuase of course there wasnt as much fat there in the first place. There was plenty elsewhere though!

If you cant exercise, just eat extremely carefully and accept that a plateau may occur - its better to heal. I've hurt my hip too - waaaaah - I was playing kids games during phys ed last week, lots of sprinting in different directions and awkward moves, it was stiff and sore, I've run all week, its better this morning and we did phys ed again. I went to chase the ball and rip! I've really done it now, a hip flexor. How about swimming? If you're like me, yeah, maybe once or twice, but way too time consuming for every day. I've found I can squat, and of course do upper body work, and walk up an incline on the treadmill, so modified circuit training, maybe a swim or two and gentle walking for the next week or two for me. Just experiment with what you CAN do that will get your heart rate up a little and make do until you're better.

Mental definitely. For me, the physical part of it was really very easy, the band has worked absolutely text book perfectly for me, I had it put in, I ate less, I lost weight, simple. I never had half the food issues that many others here have suffered from, so eating less of my regular diet has been absolutely fine. Of course, I had to cut out a lot of the extra crap, but I basically ate a health diet with extras. I wasnt a fast food junkie, a sugar nut, I didnt drink milk shakes or stuff like that and we're encouraged here to eat a normal diet in smaller portions, not Protein first or low carb or anything. So it just wasnt a huge change. I knew I'd have to exercise, but I'd made the decision to have surgery so I was ready to commit to that and I found something I love - running - which helped enormously. I run purely for pleasure these days, I really love it. But mentally, it wasnt anything deep and meaningful like coming to terms with myself or facing deep dark issues that came to the surface as I lost weight. Again,that part was easy. Its now. I'm a thin, fit healthy person. But I dont know how to stop "being on a diet". How do I change the focus from always wanting to improve myself, now that I'm here? What do I replace it with? I still need every day to be a "challenge". I still get up affirming to myself "today, I'm going to be good", "today I'm going to run 10kms" even though those things are second nature. I even eat poorly for periods of time, I think just to give myself focus while I"m "getting back on the wagon". Its really difficult to accept that the body you have is what you've got, there's no more weight to be lost, what's the choice now - accept it, relegate it to a lesser part of your daily focus or go on a never ending Quest for perfection through rounds of plastic surgery? I think about plastic surgery often - and truth is, I dont want it at all, but it would keep that journey going so I wouldnt have to face actually having arrived!

I dont find I need to carry anything. If I get caught out for a long time and am hungry, well then I am, it wont kill me. But if I know I'll be out - liek today - I have four hours of lectures and tutes today between 10 and 2 and I'll leave at about 9 I'll just buy a coffee or two and eat something when I get home - but the only reason I wont buy a sandwich or something at uni (plenty of healthy options there) is coz I'm too cheap to spend $7 on a sandwich. I could take lunch I guess, but it doesnt really worry me to wait. I have all the running round with kids sports etc too, and generally, as long as I've eaten good meals at Breakfast and lunch, I can wait till 7 or 7.30 when we get home for dinner. So, lol, I just wing it and starve if I have to. I'm not organised enough to carry food, and I dont eat Protein bars or stuff like that that would be so easy to carry.

I am noticeably, definitely tighter at night than in the morning and always have been. If there's going to be a meal I get stuck on or cant even eat more than a few bites of, its dinner. And the stress from kids doesnt help, I have the same issue sometimes.

My upper body is perfect, just the right amount of fat on it to give shape, but low enough fat for nice muscle definition, and I have killer collarbones and a nice long neck. I'm really happy with everything above the waist - even my deflated boobies, which look pretty OK when I'm dressed, now that they're a perfect C cup. I'm not into huge boobs. I have a nice flat stomach, dont need to lose any more weight from there. what I want gone: those annoying little love handles that hang over the top of anything that's firm fitting the saddlebags, I always had them, now they're really obvious "pockets" of fat on an otherwise muscular and thin thigh. Ditto the inner thigh fluff. My bum's still huge, lol. I'm very much pear shaped, the area between mid thigh and hip bones is my problem zone. I'd love to be able to spot weight reduce just there. BUT - I really may at some stage try to scrape together the money for some lipo to finish it off. Because in reality if I lose anymore I'll start looking skeletal above the waist. And I'll still be the same shape, only a bit smaller below.

You cant really compare - I mean I'm 5ft 10 and I was in a size 20 by the time I hit 100kg. I was an 18 at around 90kg, a 16 at about 84kg and a 14 between 73-84. At 70 kg give or take a few hundred grams, I'm a size 12 in most things, but size 14 isnt ridiculously big on me. I can wear a 10 on the top sometimes. jeans west is where i buy most of my jeans - they're all a 13 from there. Yet I can get into size 10 jeans from Target! My 5ft 10 girlfriend swears she's a size 12 at 80kg, no way no how could I have gotten into a 12 at that weight - but I'm pear shaped and she has no real hips but what we joke about as log legs - very heavy legs with no definable knee or ankle, calf as wide as her thigh. I can wear knee high boots, there's no way she can. So we're all completely different shapewise - but it doesnt matter a bit. Once you can shop in regular shops, its a joy.

Sure sign for me each time was absolutely neon yellow urine, lol, not like dark dehydrated urine, but I've just swallowed 16 Vitamin B pills urine. I have NO idea what that means, but it was a giveaway each time, and although we were stopping at two children, and I fell pregnant accidentally the third time, I knew within 2 days of conception that it had happened.

Hmmm, I lost about 70 in the first year. My starting weight was about 245, BMI 36. I did 3 weeks liquids (only 1 day clear), 2 weeks mushies an then onto solid foods. I ate (and still do) a diet based on ALL food groups meaning I dont restrict healthy carbs such as wholegrain cereals, breads, brown rice. I also occasionally eat white rice and Pasta. I dont count Protein, or do protein first, I eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegies, moderate dairy and I firmly believe this is NOT a diet, but a new lifestyle, so yes, treats do come into it occasionally. However, overall, I reduced my calorie intake to about 1500 calories a day, 3 meals a day, perhaps one snack. By the end of the first year I had about 2.2 cc in my 4cc band. For the first couple of weeks after banding, I walked about 2 miles every day. After that I spent a few weeks at the gym doing an interval style cardio program on the elliptical. Then at about 3 months in I cautiously tried a jog. I ran 3kms that night and was hooked, I ran at first about 4 times a week outside, then I bought a treadmill and began to run 4kms a day, most days of the week. I trained for several fun runs and by the end of that year, my routine was mostly outside running, 6 or 7km at a time. Keeping up that routine and building my running up to distances of 10kms or more (not every time) and over the second year, I lost about 30lb, then I have maintained ever since, about 18 months now. Honestly, I dont want to sound smug, but I found it really easy. I wasnt trying to do some super duper strict diet, so the control on portion sizes just meant I was eating normally, which wasnt hard. I didnt have a lot of appetite or head hunger between meals in that first year and I really do believe you have a window of opportunity with this, because a more normal appetite has gradually returned to me, however I still have small portions and exercise regularly so I havent gained.

I've never been that fond of pizza and would only ever eat gourmet wood fired and home made ones - that pizza hut shite, yuck. And your pizza that we see on movies and TV looks lots different to ours. So given I dont like it a lot anyway and now its difficult to eat, I've really only bothered when I had no other choice since I was banded. Pasta is more of a staple in our house and we do eat bolognaise and lasagne semi-regularly. And when I go out, most pasta dishes are 'safe' for me in that I know it goes down and stays down. I just limit serving size and stick to non cream sauces.

You really have to overdo the Protein to start problems like calcium leaching - I think for the average woman, over about 100 grams a day and your body doubles the rate it excretes calcium. 40/30/30 wont hurt anybody. I dont find I can do it, all that protein makes me very upset and nauseous in the tummy and believe me, you wouldnt want to be downwind. I run better on a more carb based diet personally but I think its down to your personal constitution - so experiment a bit.

There's a lot of evidence that regular moderate wine consumption (particularly red) is good for your cardiovascular health. This question always comes up at the info evenings and my doctors stats indicate that regular moderate wine drinkers lose more weight. He doesnt pretend to offer an explanation for that. However, I'd rather relax after dinner with a glass of wine than with a bowl of ice cream or some chocolate. Perhaps that's a reason? Lol. As far as alcoholic drinks go, dry wine isnt particularly fattening, so its a better 'treat' than a lot of other things. Pure carbs of course though. But then, I dont low carb it so I dont care.