bambam31

I always drink Chinese green tea to lose my excessive amount of weight of the body.Green tea reduces weight very quick and burn almost 200 calories in a day.It also prevent the fat cells of the body.

Not a prayer that drinking green tea will burn 200 calories in a day... There are studies showing it is beneficial but nothing near that extent. Please cite the study showing this...

Personal heart rate monitors during cardio are very important! Don't rely much on the ones on gym equipment - they are at best generalizations.

Brad

I like to think of activites such as working outdoors, cleaning, walking, etc. as part of an active lifestyle. It burns calories but may not be of sufficient intensity to be considered dedicated exercise. There just is no substitute for dedicated exercise.

Brad

I prefer a.m. cardio and p.m. strength training.

Brad

Hi there,

this is my first post. i have a surgery date for the lap band on 01/27/2011, i just went to a post op meeting and that most of the people there had the Gastric bypass or the Sleeve, i currently weigh 314lbs and 6' 2'' and would love to be down around 200lbs. but with that said the group didn't talk very highly about the lap band, that it is the hardest way to lose weight and easier to gain weight, and that very few will keep it of.. they were telling us future banners to with the sleeve, now im really confused, thinking i might be making the wrong decision.. did y'all me or women go through this guessing game too???

thanks cliff

Every weight loss surgical method has its' success and failure stories. No matter what method you choose you can only treat it as a tool and must work very hard to achieve long term success. There is no easy way to lose fat long term. I wouldn't give up my band for anything! And a band doesn't reroute your plumbing so you there's no nutrition absortion component like there is with the bypass.

Brad

Brad of course you can be healthier just by eating less and losing weight! Not to the extent of if you change to better types of food, but still healthier non the less. If you go from morbidly obese to obese do you not think that is healthier? Or obese to just overweight?

Thanks for pointing that out... Yes... going from morbidly obese to what is commonly referred to on this site as a skinny fat person would be HEALTHIER... but not necessarily HEALTHY.

Brad

THere are a few that lose weight strictly by just eating less, but by far the more successful ones change their eating habits! It's not easy.......but it can be done!

Do not like this approach... We can lose "weight" by eating less - that's true. But are we really healthier? Did we have surgery to just get a bit better or did we do it to change our lives? That's an individual question. The average loss with a band is 60 percent of excess body weight. To me that is entirely unacceptable. I want as close to 100 percent of UNWANTED fat loss as possible. We can't get anywhere near that goal by just eating less, rather, its determining when/how eating less factors into the big picture.

Brad

I also agree with Brad you have to increase muscle mass to up the metabolism rate I do not want to lose too much muscle mass while on this journey so the idea of a super low cal, low carb diet that would leave me thinner but weak and flabby is unapealing to say the least. I used to train in the gym 5 days a week (Wife wouldn't let me on weekend's ) I do 3 times a week now and have scaled back my weight lifting to 10 exercises of 3 sets of 15 with no more than 150# and don't rest more than 1 min. between sets. I alternate 1/2 hour on Track or Stationary bike for cardio. Thats enough for a 62 year old man with a bad back caused by nearly 200 pounds I have been hauling around. As I lose weight I don't plan on upping the weight training (except if the weights get too easy to lift ) but I would like to up the cardio by walking around my home on non gym days.

I was eating well over 3500 calories a day and am shooting for 1500 non gym & 2000 on gym days This may sound like a lot but I am 6'5" tall and my goal weight is 200-220 and at age 62 my doctor says that this is a reasonable expectation. Heck I'll be 63 soon and the older we get the less calories we need. I just cannot picture myself as a tall old skinny but flabby dude, Yuk!

Brad, thanks for the great advice and I think you are spot on about mixing it up but we can't have a feast day wo/ a work day attached to it, everythings gotta be paid for somehow.

Cheers,

Tom

Excellent! Very well said!

I also agree with Brad you have to increase muscle mass to up the metabolism rate I do not want to lose too much muscle mass while on this journey so the idea of a super low cal, low carb diet that would leave me thinner but weak and flabby is unapealing to say the least. I used to train in the gym 5 days a week (Wife wouldn't let me on weekend's ) I do 3 times a week now and have scaled back my weight lifting to 10 exercises of 3 sets of 15 with no more than 150# and don't rest more than 1 min. between sets. I alternate 1/2 hour on Track or Stationary bike for cardio. Thats enough for a 62 year old man with a bad back caused by nearly 200 pounds I have been hauling around. As I lose weight I don't plan on upping the weight training (except if the weights get too easy to lift ) but I would like to up the cardio by walking around my home on non gym days.

I was eating well over 3500 calories a day and am shooting for 1500 non gym & 2000 on gym days This may sound like a lot but I am 6'5" tall and my goal weight is 200-220 and at age 62 my doctor says that this is a reasonable expectation. Heck I'll be 63 soon and the older we get the less calories we need. I just cannot picture myself as a tall old skinny but flabby dude, Yuk!

Brad, thanks for the great advice and I think you are spot on about mixing it up but we can't have a feast day wo/ a work day attached to it, everythings gotta be paid for somehow.

Cheers,

Tom

Excellent! Very well said!

So Brad I need to clarify something I read earlier. Out of seven days of the week, you eat low calories for six of them and then have one high calorie day? I'm curious, what do you consider high and low calorie amounts for you? This is intriguing to me and something I'm considering trying. I'm thinking if that a one high calorie day may be just what I need to not feel deprived so much.

Sorry... I am way behind on LBT... Life sure gets busy...

Interesting information if you research fat loss and leptin levels. That "cheat" meal or day (depending on where you are in the journey) will replenish leptin and help keep your body burning fat. Continuous low calorie approaches crash leptin levels. Once again... how many people do we encounter here who eat 800 - 1200 calories a day but the fat loss stalls... It's not a secret why, but breaking out of that cycle is very hard pschologically because what it takes seems self defeating (eating carb rich food).

Anyway... For me anything above 3000 calories is a high calorie day. For awhile now I've been eating 3 days low calorie (for me about 1500-2000) followed by a recovery day (3000+) BUT... I workout religiously... If you try this without sufficient exercise - you'll induce disaster. But quite honestly if you try to do this journey without sufficient exercise, you'll never get even remotely close to your maximum potential.

Good Luck! Brad

Congrats on your progress! It's very rewarding when a plan yields great results! Calorie counting does work and having a long term strategy for managing those calories works even better!

Brad

Many, if not most, banded people go through a period where they keep getting fills and end up with a band far tighter than is necessary or optimal. It's the thought process that if reduced food intake is good - then even less food must be better. We label food as the enemy and at times are scared to even eat. Some even end up on the extreme end of the scale and cinch their band to the point that they can't even get liquids or their own saliva to pass through the band.

What people don't realize is they are setting themselves up. A person who eats very low calorie day after day after day will eventually stop losing because your body will adjust your metabolism for survival. You literally end up at the point where someone eating three times as much as you is actually losing three times as much as you... Most newly banded people poorly understand their body - which is what got most of us here in the first place. This thing is a journey and it sounds like your gf is struggling through one of the tough spots.

It's very important to get a solid understanding of what's necessary to lose fat, retain lean muscle tissue, and how the band fits into that equation.

Brad

I wanted to get some feedback from my fellow gym rats about what supplements you are taking, and how effective they are. I have been using VPX's NO Shotgun and NO Synthesis for over a year now, and I have yet to find anything that works better. Unfortunately they have lost a bit of their affect due to my body getting used to them. Can you guys make any suggestions as to what you use and the results it has given you.

I've used BSN No Explode and Labrada Super Charge Extreme. Personally, I think these (and similar products) are overhyped and WAY overpriced - just as most supplements are. I spend most of my supplement money on nutrition rather than alleged performance enhancers.

Brad

So long as you aren't entering a calorie surplus I find it's better to spread your calories throughout the day rather than all at two or three sittings.

Brad

brad, how do you learn your energy balance? The right mix of foods and exercise?

What I mean by learning your energy balance is effectively determining how many calories you are burning in a given period of time (Basal rate, exercise, lifestyle choices, etc combined) vs. your calorie intake over the same period of time. For example, look at a week at a time, rather than every individual day. Over the course of 7 days try to have some low calorie days and a high calorie day. You want a long term calorie deficit but not a set number day after day. Try cycling calories as well as carbs and see what you get for results. Tweak the numbers to achieve optimal results.

Brad

Wal Mart sells Body Fortress brand Protein shots. They taste awful but are a quick way to get more than 20 grams of fast absorbing Protein (Whey). A box of six is around 10 bucks...

Brad

I do not know how you can eat 3000 calories with a band that is adjusted tight. I could not eat that many calories if I tried. I would be throwing up. My Dr. is totally against Protien shakes...He says anything you put in your Mouth should come off of the table and be eaten with a fork. He also said not to drink fruit or Vegitable Juices. He says to eat the Vegitables or Fruit...Do not make them into juice. I do vary my Caloric intake from day to day. I have a friend that has had her Band for 5 years and has been at Goal weight for 4 of them. She told me she basically eats what she wants...Making sure she gets enough Protein. She said she has always eaten that way since her band. Her theory is people make it harder than it needs to be. I have followed her advice and I am not losing all my weight over night...But, have lost 40lbs in 3 1/2 Mos. My Dr. told me that was really good. He said the average weight loss with a lapband is about 2lbs a week. I cannot eat more than 4 oz @ a time and I usually eat 2 meals a day and one snack...sometimes I only eat one meal and one snack. I eat when I am hungry...eat very slowly and stop when I get full. There are times I cannot eat more than 2 oz. Until I started reading everyone on heres post...No one else I have talked to eats as much as You guys do. Yes your body does adapt...that is why bands are adjustable...so you can tighten them up as you go. My friend that is 5 yrs out...just got another adjustment about 6 mos. ago...her band was no longer tight enough.

My approach is to eat as much as you possibly can while still achieving your fat loss goals. After all, why would anyone choose to unnecessarily deprive themself? Any bandster with decent restriction - who has religiously journaled all of their micro and macronutrients - knows how difficult it is to meet your daily nutrition needs. Trying to do so on a couple of itty bitty meals day after day will without question leave you essential nutrient deficient. Vitamin deficiency can cause a whole host of long term problems - even though the person has the ability to lose the weight they want. Most doctors will also suggest you steer clear of processed foods - and you should. But they don't hesitate to recommend mulit Vitamins. Multi Vitamins are just processed micronutrients. There is so much conflicting information regarding multi Vitamins along with their absorbtion and bioavailability.

Personally, I try to keep liquid nutrition to a minimum, but it has it's place - even in a well planned nutrition program. What you're missing out on with liquid food choices is the thermodynamics of the solid food. Your body has to work and expend calories to break down and convert the solid food to fuel. Likewise with juices. When you consume juice instead of the whole product you miss out on valuable Fiber and phytonutrients - yet usually end up consuming most of the sugars.

Finally, I completely agree that most people make it a harder process than it needs to be. Learn your energy balance (which must include sufficient exercise) while ensuring you are providing your body with adequate nutrition is really all there is to it. Problem is, most of us had no idea what any of that was going into the process - or the ranks of the banded would be drastically reduced to begin with....

Brad

In late November I completed a 17 week period of food journaling in Fitday. I like to do that from time to time to keep an eye on how I'm doing. My fat intake averaged 108g a day for 34% overall intake from fat, but only 10% of that was saturated. Avg. calorie intake was 2,886 with 320g of carbs and 165g of Protein.

Brad

I am a grazer... I eat small amounts all day long - it helps keep metabolism burning instead of smoldering and also helps avoid big spikes/valleys in body chemistry.

I only eat an organized full sit down meal once or twice a day. If we could only find a way to reverse the process so the band was it's loosest in the morning and tightest in the evening...

I follow the meaning of this post, but seem to be the exception so far. I eat 800-1000 cal/day, with 80-100 Protein. In the last month I have lost nothing. I walk on the treadmill 40min 4/week at a 2.5-3mile average. And yet I still an not losing weight.

I had the same problem in the past when I worked out in a personal training group. We rotated cardio and weight training and read our food every day so there was no room to cheat. I lost 35lbs at first and then it stopped. I continued with this plan for another 4 months and finally gave up.

I am beginning to fear the lap band hasnt done anything except give me a vacation from work. As you can see I am very frustrated.

Good advice from Bob. No two people are the same. Everyone's activity level (calorie export) is different. No two people doing the exact same activity for the exact same amount of time are going to burn the exact same number of calories. They are ballpark figures... Add to that the fact that everyone's body chemistry is different. Let's say two people eat 50 grams of white potato. The body chemistry response will not be exactly the same. However, that being said, the basic principles are the same. And it's those principles that we need to learn. Once we determine how our individual body reacts to input, we make adjustments to manipulate the results. It can take a fair amount of trial and error and almost always garners an equal or larger amount of frustration. But once you learn your body and it's energy balance - the light bulb will come on - and the fat will come off...

Stay focused! Brad

Unfortunately there's only so much you can do to get your skin to tighten up. You certainly have age on your side! You'll maximize your chances by significant exercise, hydration (inside and out), and plenty of sleep.

Brad

There's mean people everywhere and of every size. Don't let those people stand in your way to success - use it as motivation!

Brad

Good replies! This sensation is DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)... It's a normal and good thing - as you progress this sensation will become harder and harder to achieve.

Brad

There will forever be good days and bad days - must never lose focus on the energy balance.

Brad

Loud!!!!

Brad

This is about a lifestyle change - not how little we can eat. Don't you wish you had a nickel every time you read or heard, "the band is just a tool." The solid fact, however, is that the band is just a tool. It is not - no was ever - meant to completely replace all will power, exercise, or making good food choices.

The key to success relies on making a lifestyle change which includes sufficient exercise and learning your energy balance. Low calorie diets just don't work long term. They'll give you short term results (even excellent at the outset) but long term plateau's and a sluggish metabolism.

Periodically, just to keep myself honest, I measure all food intake and exercise export. Over the past 6 weeks, I'm averaging over 2,900 calories a day intake (yes, with a band) while at the same time burning on avg. 2200 calories a week in dedicated exercise.

Good luck!

Brad