Jachut

I dont drink Protein shakes - before you die, I'm 5 years banded, not sleeved and not post op. I dont like them, find them too sickly sweet, and if you read the labels, theyre often either a big hit of sugar or of artificial sweetener, neither of which I'm keen on consuming. I often make an egg flip - just an egg, skim milk and a dash of vanilla. Its not savoury, but not very sweet and with a shake of nutmeg on top, I really like them for Breakfast. There's about 17 grams of protein there and nothing artificial (I use real vanilla). I know some people will freak at the thought of raw eggs, but I've never had an issue and I've had egg flips since I was tiny.

Oh gosh, I love love love my smaller C cup breasts. I think our sizes are a bit different to yours and a C is probably a little smaller here, but I love being much smaller uptop. In my humble opinion, a well shaped small bust that doesnt burst out of everything is much more attractive than the kind of large bust that results from being obese. I admit some of those silicone DD's are quite um, spectacular, but I'd rather not have a pair myself thanks. I dont really know why anyone wants huge boobs, I love being able to run in comfort, buy nice underwear without having to find speciality sizes, I love not having six hooks on the back of my bra, I love being able to wear anything I like with enough bust to fill out tight tshirts becomingly but not make everybody stare at my chest. Before I just had big matronly unattractive old looking bosoms. Big aint necessarily better.

Even when you make it yourself soup can be a high sodium food, because the broth you use is usually high in salt! But at least home made, you can control it. Soup fills me up a LOT, I find it a very hard food to eat, I"m not sure why, probably the combo of liquids and solids. So for me, it is a fabulous low calorie choice that dampens my appetite for hours. I rely on soup, I eat it probably five times a week, in order to get a good lot of vegies and Beans in. I dont worry tooooo much about the sodium because I eat a very small serve, I make it myself and the rest of my diet is very unprocessed, Breakfast is usually things like rolled oats, so totally unprocessed and dinners are nearly always home cooked from scratch and fairly low in salt. My favourite is zucchini and leek - I use the food processer to grate 3 large zucchini (courgettes) and 2 leeks, then add to a big pot with some diced bacon (a couple of handfuls) and olive oil, sweat it down in the pan by adding about 1/2 cup Water and medium heat, 20 mins or so, then add your stock (I use Vegeta and hot water) - about 250 mls, simmer for about 20 mins, then add either cream or low fat evaporated milk (I just use cream, I mean I eat so healthy overall, I'm not worried by a bit of cream) and blend it all up. Its absolutely delicious!

That sounds a little unusual, to still be able to overeat non slider foods. But I sort of hear you on the certain foods that work better. I've never found the solid Protein and then vegies routine all that great, I am still looking for food when I eat that way. The inclusion of something like potato, rice, Pasta or wholegrain bread makes all the difference to me with hunger levels. I get physical satiation either way, but it lasts longer with a carb included but more importantly I have that vital psychological satiation that blocks the craving for rubbishy foods like cake, biscuits, all those deadly between meal nibbles. But have you investigated WHY you've got this capacity - I mean 2 pizzas? I couldnt have eaten that BEFORE I had a band, it just screams that something is not right or that you just plain havent got enough restriction and need to be filled more.

That's very true. The thing that worries me with huge time commitments is burn out, that you'll just get sick of it being all you do. I was in your situation Ada when I got banded, three kids, not working, a full time student but that's very flexible. I had time to put into my weight loss and I used it. But I took up running knowing that I'd be going back to full time work when I finished my degree and that there would be days when half an hour is what I had. I really appreciate being able to burn 500 calories in half an hour now. You make a good point about what you can handle - you really need to listen to your body. I guess you have to read yourself well and listen to the signals your body sends you - if you work very hard at the one hour jazzercise, there's probably not a lot more to be gained from another class apart from some calories burned, which will be less than you burned in the first hour because you'll be tired. If you can handle it, and whilst its not boring you to do so much, then that's fantastic, but if you find yourself dog tired and slowing down for the rest of the day, rather than energised, its counter productive and the calorie burn is not going to be worth the time commitment. As to actual fitness putting the most into your hour class is really all you need to do, because its the intensity, not the length of time that counts.

I started with a BMI of 35 and lost weight well on 1500 calories or so a day. But I dont know exactly. I just followed my band, listened to my body and ate a lot less, and exercised a lot more. I never journalled or counted or worried that I lost 2.5 lb this week but only 1.588888 the following week, I just went with the flow. I know some people love the journalling and the rules and the whole "program" but reading your post it DOES add a lot of stress to this journey! My advice: do it the way that you want to if but dont drop calories any more than you need to. You know what you're eating and losing, if the equation isnt satisfying you eat a bit less, move a bit more. At 1500 a day you've got room to drop without danger of starvation mode, if that even exists.

The real way to progression is not more and more and more exercise, its to work smarter with the time you do have. Classes are great fun and you should continue to do them if you really like them. They're great "maintenance" if you like. So do your jazzercise class, but dont follow with another class, go into the gym and do some circuit training or an interval run on the treadmill or something like that. But if you really want to get to that next level of fitness its intensity that's required, not time. That means stuff like Rockstardiva has mentioned, and you're looking for the I'm going to vomit feeling, lol. Things like boxing and kickboxing, hardcore spinning, cicruit, interval running and bootcamp. I've found with this, my time commitment is about an hour a day, not too scary. I've been able to lose on about 1500 calories, I maintain on about 2000 and because of that, I can eat a balanced diet which supports the energy I expend. I can keep a looser band, so I can eat anything and enjoy living with a band. My routine is: Saturday boxing, sunday day off, monday bootcamp, Tuesday a run (about 10kms), Wednesday another run, Thursday bootcamp, Friday usually just a run on the treadmill, something easy. Try googling interval training, educate yourself about the benefits of super intense exercise, half an hour of real interval training will blow two hours of low impact cardio out of the Water. It will 'switch on' your metabolism like nothing else. I find my bootcamp and boxing that sort of training and my long runs are relaxing recovery. I come home from those intense classes barely able to walk, lol.

I never found I had to do anything with my band when I hit goal - my weight loss just got slower and slower till eventually I realised it had stopped, and thankfully that was at 150lb for me which was slightly below my goal. Since being at goal I have had one top up fill about a year after reaching it, as I felt myself being able to eat more and being hungrier - my restriction had lessened over that time but I saw no need to fix it as I wasnt gaining. I was up to about 1800 calories a day which for me is great for maintenance. When I started going over that I had a 0.1cc fill. That was 18 months ago and I have not felt my restriction lessen at all since then. I have never let up on my exercise schedule, I still do a lot of intense exercise. Havent had any PS dont plan on it, so cant advise there. A huge congratulations to you for reaching your goal!

Probably. but its vegies and unless you add tons of fat or salt the more of them you eat the better. So I wouldnt worry about why or how you can eat a lot of that, I'd just be happy that you can. I personally cant eat fruit, I can barely choke it down and it really worries me. I eat a lot of vegies to compensate.

Uh huh! Its not that she was tall, just that a size 16 back then would be like a 10 today. Australian sizes are different, I know. We run about 2 sizes behind you guys so your 14 is our 10. But in Australian sizes, last time I was this weight I was about 14 years old. I was a size 16 and now I'm a size 12. I've had 3 babies and the hips have spread a bit so sizes have sure gotten larger! I just googled her measurements 37-23-36 - weight 115-120, height 5ft 5 and a half. That's pretty small. Definitely not today's 16.

My surgeon didnt require me to do a pre op diet as my BMI was 35. I asked him why surgeons differ so much and he said that its a good precaution and he DOES require it of most patients, but that the actual chances of having a liver too large to proceed are very minimal, it barely ever happens. of course, it does happen, but its not common.

I think in metric, but felt the same way about 100kg. Every now and then I could get below it for like 20 seconds. With the band, it was my first major goal, to get below 100kgs and I did stall at 101 for what seemed like ages. then suddenly I was 99.5, it was a joyous occasion! I felt like I held my breath for weeks, waiting for it to bounce back over but it never did. But I never felt "safe" till I saw the back end of 90kgs! Its like now, I have this psychological thing about weighing more than 70kgs. I usually bounce around the 68 to 69 level, but occasionally will see 70.2 or something. I dont need to lose weight but I really want to be on the other side of 65 (I would be REALLY skinny though) just so I have no chance of seeing a 70 pop up on my scale! Unlike you though, I dont need to ask if I'm nuts. I know I am, lol.

I get a stitch in my left side after a particularly big meal.

And this is the only reason why I would even insert my opinion, just to say there are successful bandsters out there that dont do shakes or even protein first. Otherwise, I have no business having ANY opinion on what someone does or doesnt eat. Its an entirely personal decision. I may not particularly believe in the protein focus but that's absolutely no indication that I'm either right or that my beliefs have any relevance to someone else.

There was a lot of talk about this on lapbandtalk too over the years. I dont like the idea of feeling like a child, eating of childrens crockery and using childrens cutlery. But I have white dinnerware that you can buy piece by piece, which we have because we chip so many bowls and mugs in this house! We've always eaten off salad plates, as I dont want to encourage my kids to see enormous huge plates of food as normal. Truth is, today's salad plate is the size of what was a normal dinner plate when I was a child. Anyway, so I've got this dinnerware and you can buy ANYthing, square plates, bowls, big plates, small plates, gravy boats, salt and pepper shakers, bug mugs, little mugs, you name it. So I have plenty of small bowls and plates and the whole family just uses them, so like I mentioned, i'm hopefully encouraging the kids not to be overeaters. Eating IS visual, I feel ridiculous with like half a cup of food on a whole huge plate and I often feel self conscious when eating out, when it seems like I've eaten NONE of my huge portion.

Where do you stay when you travel? Could you switch from hotels to serviced apartments where you could cook for yourself? I'm no fan of Protein shakes as a staple food, but maybe you could consider some sort of formula diet with shakes and bars - easy to pack and transport and then just go out for dinner every night? For the losing phase, this might work and then you would probably be able to at least maintain eating out so often if you choose right. And invest in some running shoes and run/walk daily or use a gym if its available? Where there's a will, there's a way but it would sure be hard in those circumstances.

I love the mystic tan! But I wouldnt want to have to do it all the time to maintain permanent colour. I dont know about tanning. Its so bad for you, we know that, but I love how people can get so moralistic about it, yet they smoke or are overweight etc. I'm going to Thailand in September and I am not taking my wintry pasty white Melbourne complexion into the tropical sun with no preparation. I agree, a couple of weeks building a base tan in a bed has got to be better for you than burning to a blistering mess on a holiday. You'd NEVER find a doctor in Australia to condone that though, we have such high rates of skin cancer here.

Yeah, that's exactly what I mean. Its like they think I'm going to steal their husbands or something. And like I said, I now find people assume I'm vain and obsessed with my looks. Anyone that knows me knows I'm not the least bit precious like that.

The theory behind drinking with meals is that it will wash food through and you'll get hungry sooner. its unlikely to actually physically harm you, just make the band less efficient. I found this to be complete bollocks for a good 2 years, then once I reached the higher levels of restriction, I could no longer do it. It is a sure fire way to make myself pb. Apart from tiny sips of wine. My surgeon had no problem with this - he said if it doesnt worry you it wont hurt you, and he believes the same about carbonation - its very uncomfortable to me so I avoid it, but he doesnt actually believe its harmful. Moral: every doctor is different and you need to figure out some of these things for yourself.

Great advice above, you just dont need that fill.

Actually, from reading on this forum for so many years, it can happen the other way too infection at the port often spreads up the tubing and leads to infection around the band site and then erosion. Infection at the port is VERY serious and must always be treated as soon as possible. From memory, other people that this has happened to have been able to be rebanded but generaly have to take the band out, wait for total healing and then have the band replaced in a second op some months later.

Gosh, Headhunter, ah, sorry, Spartan, nice comment! A few wrinkles and a dose of skin cancer is probably easier to live with than a permanent case of sh*t on the liver. If you make the grown up informed decision to tan after weighing up the pros and cons, I'd just wait till your scars are well closed and fairly healed.

I find it a negative change, I was more "accepted" as a heavier person than I am as a thin one. I get a lot of kind of pretend but not really judgement and bias now. People make snide remarks about my running for example, they indicate I'm vain and self absorbed becuase I like to stay in shape. I get eye rolls and ribbing about not stuffing myself stupid when I go out for lunch with work colleagues, I am not allowed to contribute to those general moaning about your body conversations that women have becuase its assumed I'm lording it over people because apparently I have no body issues. I was never above a BMI of 35 so I havent really experienced exclusion on the basis of being fat, in the sense that I was never a threat to anyone and just blended in - not noticeably fatter than the majority and not thin either. I do get more male attention but I dont see that as a negative - I mean lets be realistic. Thin is seen as beautiful in our society and I can be honest - I did this partly becuase I wanted to feel more attractive. I do consider that I *WAS* much less attractive at a heavier weight. I know, I know, what's on the inside counts but a bit of renovation on the exterior doesnt hurt and I dont find it offensive that people think I'm more attractive now than I was.

Long time banded here, nearly five years. I'm a size 8, 5ft 10, 150lb. I still have fat days, definitely and i'm still dissatisfied with my lower half. I have visible bones on my chest and those knobbly shoulder bones, but I cant see "skinny" on a lot of days. For me, I think a little of it is that at 5ft 10, I'm still a "big" girl, I'll never be petite. But yeah, bloated days, fat days, being afraid to get on the scale - that still happens for me.

That's great news BJean, there's a lot of happy post bandsters here. I also think its prudent to keep up with what's what in WLS. Bands probably ARENT forever, even when they work as well as mine have. It might be me seeking revision one day and there's no better way to be informed than following the long term journey of people who have experienced it.