bambam31

Meal replacement shakes have Vitamins and minerals consistent with a complete meal, however, many are very loaded with sugar and are much higher in calories than just a Protein shake, which are normally lower in carbs and high in protein... Brad

Protein shakes are nothing more than liquid food. But sometimes (especially early in the day) it can be difficult to eat much solid food so they are a quick fix. Also handy as a matter of convenience sometimes when good or tolerable food choices aren't readily available. It's always better to eat solid foods when you can but protein shakes are a better option than skipping nutrition or making bad choices. Never skip meals! Particularly important when you first wake and your body is catabolic from fasting while sleeping. Also remember there is a stark difference between a true Protein shake and a Meal Replacement shake. Always read the ingredients! Brad

Initial process is conducive to hair loss not only because of Protein reduction but also due to stress imposed in the body from big changes. Stay focused and it will improve! Brad

Yep have had Quinoa without issues. It's a very healthy food choice. Brad

Watch ingredient lists very carefully on Protein bars... A lot of them are just processed crap that amount to nothing more than a glorified candy bar. Brad

Cycling is excellent low impact exercise that burns a good amount of calories! Swimming too... Brad

Most docs will green light crunches but focus on full body activities for your main source of exercise because you'll burn far more calories. Your quads are the biggest muscles in your body so be certain they are getting a workload. You can't lose belly fat by doing spot exercises anyway but crunches will help firm those mid section muscles. Brad

There is success in that you know how to correct it - but also have been warned what happens when you revert to the old bad habits. Consider it a valuable lessen learned. One good thing is that initially when you have a rapid gain a lot of it is Fluid so get back in track and drink lots of Water. After a few days weigh yourself and you'll see that you shed a good percentage of that scale reading already... Brad

Congrats to you! The confidence boost is huge isn't it?!?!

Obesity is the end result of many factors - most of which are the result of bad decisions and correctable with lifestyle change. That's also why a calorie is a calorie is a calorie is not an honest statement. The chemical response to a Protein is not the same as a carb and a simple carb not the same as a complex one. Carbs and calories are not the enemy - we are. And we can be our worst enemy in many cases. I like the heroin analogy pertaining to sugar. That is so accurate for many people. But ultimately it comes down to personal decisions... Some people can drink alcohol and have no issues - other should avoid it because they don't know when to say when - same applies to simple carbs. If you can't keep control then avoid it in the first place. While I think it's dismissive to blame a school lunch program for anyone's weight problem, it's also an area that the educational system is missing the boat. There is no good reason why learning about the human body and its use and application of nutrients is not mandated as part of the science curriculum. Eating and lifestyle habits are learned early in life and bad habits in that area are very hard to correct. Almost every 5th grader has had to dissect a frog yet how many of them know that carbs and Proteins have 4 calories per gram, alcohol 7, and fat 9??? Why not??? They should focus on educating kids on their bodies and fuel sources as a starting point - it affects every aspect of a students life and performance. And also stop pushing processed crap for the sake of a buck... Brad

Just discuss with your surgeon. Mine told me that there wasn't any exercise I could do that would injure the band. Braf

Your band starts out with very little Fluid so as the surgery swelling subsides you lose that restriction. And with that loss the hunger will return with a vengeance. It's best to know what to expect so that you can be confident that its' normal and have a strategy to deal with it. You have to get into the mindset of staying focused and determined. The rewards are soooo worth it. Brad

Very very very common.... Focus on healing... You may be many fills from sufficient restriction and the real fat loss period may be months away... Focus on fundamentals right now and increasing activity and exercise levels as soon as your doc releases you too... The Water intake is great... Keep it up... Don't get frustrated. When the surgery swelling subsides the hunger comes screaming back and it will take shear will power to remain in a calorie deficit... Long term success requires lifestyle change and now is a good time to commit to that! Brad

"I totally agree but over-promises from the bariatric medical industry can be partially blamed.imo I don't recall much advice or guidance on how difficult this could be and the glossy videos and seminars certainly make it look like a cake-walk?" ....So true! Marketing medicine for the buck... Frankly, I'm appalled at the lack of true information and strategic aftercare... That's one of the keys why the success rate is not higher. People have to do their own research from people who have been successful and take matters into their own hands...

I've done so myself many times, however, don't fret over a scale reading. It's a poor measurement of success anyway. As previously mentioned, strive for a better body composition by improving your body fat percentage. If after several weeks you have no progress on the scale or with NSV's, then it's time to make an assessment because you've likely reached your energy balance equilibrium and are stalled out. Don't get too hung up on the “muscle weighs more than fat” rationality though either. Yes, gram for gram that's true, however, most bandsters trying lose weight have a prolonged calorie deficit – and the odds of adding muscle while in a prolonged deficit is nil. I too have a bowflex that I use as one tool in my exercise routine! Brad

I went through periods of tracking with FitDay... It helped me stay focused. Overall though high value calories are the best fuel and exercise is a must long term. Brad ps... Shout out to Lellow, my fellow Aug. 2008 bandster!

And what's so frustrating is that there doesn't seem to be any consensus amongst surgeons... Their opinions are all over the map... If they can't figure out what the most common strategies should be then hth are we supposed to? Comes down to individual trial and error and throw the rest out the window...

I didn't lose massive amounts of excess fat and increase muscle mass by eating 800 calories a day and walking at a brisk pace. The average success rate for a lap band patient the last I knew was 60% loss of excess fat. Well the last I knew 60% yields a letter grade of D- …. If you want extraordinary results – you have to educate yourself about your body and literally work your butt off. This is a topic that is by no means simple. There are so many variables in play. There is no single answer that will effectively yield optimal results for every person. You have to learn how YOUR body uses nutrients and make adjustments to achieve the desired result. That being said, every human body is an amazing adaptive machine, yet survival is the ultimate goal. It will trick and cheat YOU far more times than you will it. We desire to lose fat – not weight. Fat is simply stored energy. We were banded because we have too much fat – not because we are retaining too much Water or have too much muscle. So we have to create and manipulate the equation to convince our body it doesn't need that fat. That comes easier for some more than others. We have to eat – but - eat too much – especially at one time - and your body will store the energy for future needs. How many of us in our pre banding years ate once or twice a day and went LONG periods between meals? Shouldn't be a mystery now why your body was hanging on to as many calories as possible – because it wasn't certain which was around the corner – feast or famine. So it slooooowed the metabolism down to conserve energy (which made us lazy and tired) and then stored as much as possible. For many of us, a variation of this continued post banding. We couldn't physically eat as much and didn't eat very often so our body, as a means of survival, slowed our metabolism down and prevented us from losing the desired fat. Or we intentionally ate a very low calorie diet (that I despise!) which allowed us to lose a lot of fat initially – but that came to a screeching halt once our body adjusted. Remember, every pound lost is a ratio of fat, muscle tissue, and fluids. We want to tip that ratio toward fat loss as much as possible. But in order to do that we have to create an environment that convinces our body to keep our metabolism high and operate at peak performance. We do that by eating MORE frequently and with high value calories (fuel). Calories are like fuel grades. Sure your car will run on 85 octane. But it will likely perform better on 93. But 93 is more expensive, and we are creatures of convenience and desire, so we normally settle for the less efficient fuel – and our food choices are all too frequently the same. Certainly nearly everyone has heard that if you are retaining water – then the best thing for you to do is increase your Fluid intake. That signals to your body that the fluid it is retaining is not really needed in storage because there is no shortage in supply. Bottom line... if you are having problems losing FAT, then try to eat small amounts of high value calories FREQUENTLY. I can't say necessarily how many “meals” a day, because I eat small amounts all day long in lieu of dedicated “meals.” As a quick rule of thumb, however, try to eat a food choice every 3 – 4 daytime hours that includes, at least in part, a complete Protein. By complete I mean a protein choice that contains all of the essential amino acids. Add to that sufficient exercise and water, both of which promote a healthy metabolism. The increased metabolic activity from eating MORE (which in turn gives us the energy to be more active) actually creates a larger calorie deficit in the long term than eating less. It worked for me and it may be the key to getting that excess fat off for you too. Brad

Fat loss comes down to the energy balance, but as previously stated, quality of the calories matters in keeping optimal performance and results. Brad