bambam31

Don't feel guilty. Tomorrow is a new day. I drank wine tonight too and I usually don't. I got the munchies but decided to work off my wine with the hubby. Haha. Needless to say I don't feel guilty anymore.

Woot Woot!

That is one of the main reasons to avoid alcohol because of what you eat and drink as a result... It lowers your inhibition and willpower and at 7 calories per gram it is one of the most dense fuels you can consume short of fat (9 grams). It is truly empty calories... That said, we aren't dead either and occasionally letting yourself up off the mat isn't a crime ... And in the quoted case it may cause your significant other to try to feed it to you more often............ alcohol that is....... ... Sorry... I'm in one of them moods...

Ah... the good old caffeine and coffee debates...

Some surgeon's absolutely forbid coffee and caffeine... others say whatever you can personally tolerate... I love telling people of the story of my surgeon coming into the recovery room and letting me sip coffee... I have drank coffee ever since...

I'm not one to encourage breaking your surgeon's rules, but I would encourage you to challenge their advice with logic. There really isn't anything I don't eat or drink these days, even if only once in awhile... And yes, that includes coffee, ice cream, alcohol, diet soda, pizza, and every other thing that some people are strictly forbidden against or their band might swell up and cause their head to explode...

Probably not a problem - but certainly a waste of time and money IMO... Nothing replaces true exercise...

Hey bambam, long time no see!

Hey Jacqui! Yeah I'm terrible about long disappearing spells! Fortunately our village has excellent, steady, and reliable warriors like you with rock solid advice!

For maximum fat loss? Cardio Cardio Cardio! (with some strength training too but most of the emphasis on cardio) And it's a matter of finding the cardio beast of your choice that you can stick to... If you can run like Jacqui and you like it - you'll get addicted to it and that's great - but I despise running - absolutely hate it! My weapon of choice is a spin bike... No matter what tool or tools you choose (variety is best), make certain you're training all three of your target heart rate zones (if you are healthy enough).

I say if you're young exercise!! Take it from me.....10 yrs ago I went on a diet and lost 70lbs and didn't exercise because a friend of mine told me she didn't and still lost 80 lbs. Well I'm flabby and I'm sure that's the reason I am! At 60 I have no doubts that it's not going to go away no matter how much weight I lose. Exercise!

What a great post and SO TRUE! Without exercise you can still lose weight - and lots of it... but you will skew the percentage of where that lost weight will come from (fat vs. muscle) You want to keep as much lean muscle tissue as you can while losing all the fat you can... If you want to look good without your clothes on then you must focus on exercise, hydration (inside and out), and sleep - but regular SUFFICIENT exercise is a must! Focusing on these components will allow your skin to adjust and firm...

Hello

I can relate to u I also took up walking and keeping track on my calories which is 600/900 a day and nothing so fed up. Hubby on 2000 calories and this morning lost 3 lbs in 5 days (he has no band). Sooooo fed up.

You just have to learn your energy balance, which is different for everyone - but basic principles always apply unless you have very complicating chemical interferences. Its a balance of keeping a red hot metabolism through intake versus export. You will not be able to starve yourself thin and healthy... The human body is a survivor and it adapts to its' environment.... Calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and try eating about 500-750 calories less than that.... If you still don't lose after 3-4 weeks of honest calculations - then you should consult physician and start looking at chemical imbalances. Eating too few calories and killing your metabolism is a very common occurrence in band land and why so many surgeon's and nutritionists push low calorie diets is beyond me... They just don't work... They leave you tired, stalled, and frustrated... You can't be afraid to eat!

There is a book called "The World's Healthiest Foods" that is great desk reference for how to cook specific foods to maximize their nutritional value.

I am not a fan of most Protein drinks/powders because they taste like crap to me... including most of the ones already mentioned in this thread...

I use Protein powders everyday nonetheless.... If you can afford it I prefer BSN Syntha 6 and BSN Lean Dessert.... They taste AWESOME!

But I'm also cheap... so normally I get different blends in bulk at proteinfactory dot com... The products are normally a fair compromise between price and taste and they mix very well... I despise clumpy or gritty protein drinks!

Everybody treats you differently...... EVERYBODY....

It's a man's milestone when you walk past the mirror and get a glimpse of manland and then look again and say, "Whoa!! That's me?? Seriously??" From that point on it's like a new kid with a new toy... And you just gotta show off your new toys right?

Ugh, this topic is something that my dietician and Dr disagree on all the time! He says no matter what only 1/2 cup (Absolutely no more!!). However, my dietician tells us eat as much as you want as long as you are making healthy choices and eating less than you did before band.

Both are just way too simple of answers IMO... It's not just volume nor quality... ITS BOTH - and a whole pile of other factors... But the bottom line: Intake Vs. Export...

I did ease into a strict diet by making slow changes, and I still have a soda per day, which keeps me from feeling deprived.

Full octane soda or diet??? Full octane = Bah!!!!!!

To lose fat you need to create a calorie deficit. You best accomplish that through calorie restriction (limiting number of calories) and exercise. For example... My heartrate monitor indicates I burned 500 calories during spin class. My established estimated basal metabolic rate through just existing plus normal daily activities is 2000 calories. I want to restrict 500-750 calories a day for steady fat loss so I restrict my calorie intake to between 1750 and 2000 calories for the day to achieve that deficit. Calculating your basal metabolic rate accurately and also accurately calculating how many calories your burning during exercise are entirely another extensive topic. Many people make the mistake of trying to achieve their calorie deficit from the intake side alone. There is no replacement for sufficient exercise. Extended periods of very low calorie intake will crash your metabolism and your body will adjust your basal metabolic rate to it.

Brad

OKAY SO, I RECENTLY GOT BANDED, AND I AM HAVING SOME TROUBLE FIGURING OUT WHAT TO EAT AND IF IT WILL HELP OR HURT MY WEIGHT LOSS. YOUR RESPONSE WAS SO INFORMATIVE BUT I AM STILL A BIT CONFUSED, WHAT SHOULD I LEAN TOWARDS AND WHAT SHOULD I MAINTAIN AWAY FROM? PLEASE RESPOND! I AM VERY LOST!

I prefer to eat largely whole unprocessed foods and keep foods containing simple sugars to a minimum... That's not to say you can't reward yourself from time to time.

Brad

Spin classes are the best bang for your buck cardio and easy on the knees too! Add a decent heart rate monitor and you have a recipe for serious progress!!!

Brad

In the heart of my fat loss I was doing an hour of significant cardio most days of the week... (ie: 5-7)

I'm now doing cardio 3 days a week on average and another 3 strength training sessions a week. Sometimes cardio and strength training is on the same day. (ie: AM cardio / PM strength)

Brad

The degree of definition you can achieve I think depends greatly on where you're starting from and how much "damage" has been done. You can only get your skin to shrink so much and you can only get other tissues to alter so much... But it is possible to see great results if you work hard!

Good luck! Brad

Hot button topic. You'll get answers all over the map on this... I try to stay as close to 1gm per pound of lean body mass as I can.

Brad

It's not about how little you can eat. It's about your energy balance. Eat as much as you can while achieving the desired effect. You are IMO eating too little for your activity level.

Brad

I have been a couch potato, only walking a little here and there. My weight plateaued. I have just recently started using my clubhouse workout facility and in a week I dropped four pounds. I suppose I'm going to have to listen to common reason and work out.

My big thing is conquering the elliptical machine. Today I should be up to 20 minutes at level one. When I get to 30, which I think will take a couple of weeks, I will go to level two. I am doing it slowly so I don't kill myself or get bored. I mix up my workout by doing the nautilus machines (rower, leg press, chest press) and have 5lb weights for my arms at home.

I used to be a treadmill fan, especially because at my top weight it was all I could do. Tried three minutes on the elliptical and about fainted. Now I am finding the elliptical almost- I can't believe I am saying this- FUN and I really like how my knees and ankles aren't getting pounded!

Good luck finding YOUR fun workout. I didn't believe it was possible, but for me, it is!

Good for you! There is no substitute to sufficient exercise - it is vital to long term success! Just add intensity and variation as you get stronger and your body adjusts.

Brad

The absolute worst thing you can do is get frustrated and give up...

It wasn't until my 5th fill that I achieved the restriction I was looking for. I had none after the first. I only had a limited amount of restriction that didn't last long after the 2nd and 3rd...

The band is truly a journey! And even though you've been at it awhile - you're really just now beginning... It will get better just hang in there - it is SO worth it!

In the meantime learn good eating and exercise habits. Treat food as fuel. IMHO exercise is really the key to long term success. And the exercise needs to be of sufficient intensity to always provide a challenge. If it's not a challenge then it's time to increase it, because your body will adapt and get stronger.

Don't get discouraged - trust me - it's worth the effort!

Brad

Every surgeon is different for sure... Mine let me have coffee in the recovery room.... lol

Mine allows alcohol, caffeine, and carbonated beverages - carefully and in accordance with ones' tolerance - they all effect each of us differently.

Personally, I'm a coffeeaholic... I drink many, many cups every day.

Brad

Kudos to Jachut and KartMan!!! Great posts!

Brad

I was really concerned about strenuous exercise and my port too. My doc said there was nothing I could do exercise wise to disturb it...

Brad