Advice for a Sagging Stomach?

A reader asks for advice about getting rid of sagging skin around her stomach. She says;

I am a 42 year old female who had a heart attack at 39 because of my weight and family history. Since the heart attack, I have lost a tremendous amount of weight which has caused a lot of sagging skin in the stomach area. I am not a viable candidate for cosmetic surgery because of the CHF. However, I am becoming increasingly upset about my appearance. I don't know what to do about the sagging stomach. It's bad enough being sick, but to look terrible as well is painful. If you have any suggestions, please send them to me. Thanking you in advance!

Can anyone who's lost a lot of weight provide some comments here?

The photo above is of the extreme girdle; the Brazilian Waist Cinchers.

Weigh Day - Way Hey - 9 months + 1 week post banding

Hey all you Band lovers...

Its exactly 9 months and 1 week since I stumped up £4000.00 ($8000) to have my band and change my dumb fat life.

I have lost an amazing, whopping, mahoosive 5 pounds

How totally cool is that?

NOT
*sarcasm drips from lips*
Roll on 27th November 2007. Oh look - its another date where my life might actually being again.

Official weight 17 stone 9 pounds (247lbs)

Yawnnnn - but heres the daily update

Today = good

Breakfast = slice of bread
Lunch = 4 fish fingers and chips
Dinner = egg noodles, passata, tiger prawns and curry powder
Lashings of wine

Still under the 1800, just, although I have no idea how. I am feeling cool and cucumber like.

Replying to random messages on my hotmail address, and trying to sort out another housekeeper... Yes! She is leaving us in December. How bizarre. Her miserable Boyf' finally put the nail in the coffin because he was (get this!) 'crying' when she got on the bus Monday morning as he couldn't bear for her to be away for 5 days. Ahhh Diddums. What a criminally rubbish thing to do to a person. The poor girl was in tears Monday evening saying she didn't know whether to ditch college or what. We agreed on a plan where the Boyf' (idiot and manipulative son of Beeyatch that he is and actually 30 years old not 15 like it would seem) gets his way and has her at home to wash his socks and... yeah well. She gets to continue college thereby giving her an escape route if she needs one in the future (she will!) and gives me 6 weeks to find a replacement. Greeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaatttt.

I really need this stress man.

I have posted a couple of ads. One that I am renting out the room for £50 a week, the other offering dosh + board for a housekeeper. Which ever one is sorted first wins. It would be nice to be £200 a month better off, but then it also would be nice to have clean ironed socks in the drawers!

ohhhhhhhh why oh why does everything have to be so damn difficult? Everything starts to be great, and then KABOOM. Bunny is left with the smoking wreckage.

I cant wait till I go to Belgium and sort this ruddy band out. If it wasn't for the band, I wouldn't need a sodding housekeeper anyway. If I could bend over and feed the cats, or do the washing etc without getting gut rot for 3 days, it would be a miracle.

Lets hope they will see the problem and sort it there and then.

Anything else happen today? Had a spa pedicure and my nails done... took ages as always but looks fabulous.

Anything else? No...

Fast Food Blues

Dr. Flum specializes in surgical management of gastrointestinal disorders and surgical treatment of morbid obesity.

What is his advice for people who want to lose weight? He says if most people changed two things in their lives they would lose weight.

One is to avoid fast-food, the other is to walk on a regular basis (do 10,000 steps per day).

He says "One of every five Americans eats at least one meal per day in the car. Most of those meals come from fast-food franchises. There are fast-food meals with 1,400 calories (way more than half of a healthy amount for the day) and up to 800 of those calories come from unhealthy fats. If you can make one change in the way you eat, I would recommend not eating fast food or treating it as the very occasional splurge."

See more of Dr. David Flum's discussion about BMI, pear-shaped and apple-shaped bodies here.

If Your Pouch IS Broken: New Procedure

As reported at ClinicalTrials.govIncisionless Treatment for Patients With Inadequate Weight Loss Following Roux-en-Y Gastric BypassThis study is currently recruiting participants.It is estimated that up to 20% of patients who have Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) surgery will not meet their weight loss goal, or may even regain some of the weight they initially lost. One possible explanation is

Random day in the life of me... how boring

I have no idea if anyone cares about what I get up to in my daily life, or if they just want info about what I can do now I am banded... but I guess both must go hand in hand. If you don't know who I am or what I care about, my reactions to banding would not make sense sometimes I guess. It makes my journey unique. Uniquely boring maybe but hey that's life.

Today has been boring.

I did work with DS for the most part of the morning, he does his handwriting, Meleto, maths worksheets and spellings with little input from me, but together we have to go through the book Toe by Toe which teaches reading to dyslexics. I have found that its just good to teach how to read full stop! This is the only tool I have used to get DS to read, and its worked. It worked in about 4 months actually, but as he gets older, he needs to know harder words and stuff... so we are about halfway through that book. Its a fortune at £25.00 but the best £25 I have ever spent. If your kid is struggling to read, then GET IT!!!

Toe by Toe by Keda cowling and Harry Cowling ISBN 0952256401

Then I had to go to work. I had 10 lessons today. From 3:30pm until 9:00pm. Considering the money I get for this, people would think that this is one sweet job, but its not. Its damn hard work. I have done other jobs. Its easier to sit at a checkout for 12 hours straight that do 2 piano lessons back to back. Its in fact like have 10 separate jobs. Yes, you are doing the same thing - teaching music, but every pupil is so totally different - emotionally, socially, physically and mentally - that my mind has to do somersaults to get into mode. I guess you could say its like working half an hour at Tesco, then half an hour at Co-Op, then Sainsburys, then Morrisons, then Asda, then Tesco again, then Kwik-Save, then Rainbow then One Stop, then finally the local Corner Shop.

I have to drive to each pupils house too, so it really IS like this. Also, I don't get a chance to get myself comfortable, and then get into a routine - its BANG straight in.

"Hello there Johnny? Had a nice week? Right, play C major both
hands together for 2 octaves please..."

...whilst I scrabble for a pen, their notebook (usually under a pile of crap or the piano itself) and also concentrate and see if they are doing it right. Phew. 10 times.

Its completely exhausting. Then when I get home, I have to make the dinner. Yes. I got home at 9:30 last night, and could not be bothered in any way shape or form to cook. So I ordered pizza. I counted it all, don't worry, but you can see why the takeaway shops LOVE us. I work 3 days in the week, and Saturday. So before banding it was usually 3 takeaways a week if not more!! HA HA.

I have tried the whole Pollyanna thing, where I make a lovely wholesome soup or casserole or something so that I can eat it the minute I get in, but it just doesn't last. I am one of these people that I like to get in the kitchen and think, "Hmmm what do i fancy?" and normally its not what I made earlier in the day. Even the same with ready meals. It still takes 30 minutes to get the thing out, nuked and on a plate, where as all I want to do is sit on my (fat) arse when I get in. I would still rather flop on the sofa pick up the phone and wait 30 minutes for it to be delivered. It makes me feel good that someone else is running around for me!

I MUST get more organised and stop being so stupid about food.

Wow, that was easy to say. Lets see if I can do it. *cynical snort*

So yeah, that was my day.

I had nothing for breakfast as I was in bed.
I had 3 slices of bread made into sandwiches with tomato and salad creme for lunch
I had 3 slices of pizza for dinner.

Total calories for the day were just over 1500.

Well its weigh in time tomorrow. We shall see. I actually expect I will be higher than 17stone 5 because I really was so ill after that fill, that a lot of that loss must have been fluid. I am not setting myself up for a fall, but just being brutally honest. I don't expect to lose 2 pounds like the daily plate reckons. But next week maybe I will have. This has sort of been my trial week of getting used to it all. Its been easy peasy!

Then I went to bed.

Oh No work tomorrow... :'o(

And so the half term ends... Back to the grind.

I spent the whole time flat on my back in bed, so I feel kind of cheated, but at least I had a jolly good rest.

Next holidays - 7 weeks and counting!! HURRAH I am sure I can get through that. Then we are off to sunny Moscow...!?!?!

Our Visa's arrived stuck into our passports. Its well cool. All that Russian lettering and stuff. I haven't got a clue of what it says, but there we go! HA HA

Today has been pretty dull.

Food:
Brekkie was boring, 2 weetabix and milk.

For lunch I made pancakes for DS and me. DH was having slimfast. I thought that would be pretty terrific calorie wise, but actually it turned out fine. I made a batch of batter, and it made 12 pancakes. I added up all the ingredients and split it two ways and it turned out to be something like 540 cals which was not bad for that. Thats less than the spag bol i made the other day!! Random!

I cant actually remember how many pancakes I ate, I lost count after 2. I think it was either 4 or 5, but I am not completely sure. I know I had 1 with cheese and at least 2 with lemon... so I think its probably 4... But I took the calories for 6 right there on the chin just because it was a hell of a lot more simple!

Dinner was a super quick curry. It was made with the curry powder from Sri Lanka, onion, passata, coconut cream and green lentils and then I cooked up 6 tiger prawns to go with it. I had 100g of rice too. So that was a pretty good meal too. Haven't had anything else since 6, so that was that really. Sri Lankan curries are the best. No oil, thick sauce made with roasting the spices and adding passata, awesome - and SO tasty! I didn't have any peaches, otherwise I would have shoved some of those in too. MMMMMmmmm

So that was me grub.

I went on a bike ride this afternoon and burnt off 390 cals too!! HEY HEY

Total cals for today, 1144. After burning off 390 - net cal intake 754! Coooooool

Looking forward to Wednesday to see if I have indeed lost 2 pounds. I am wondering if it will be a true reading simply because I lost a lot of weight over the few days on liquids and little food after the fill... We shall see.

I really like the daily plate because it calculates how many cals you have burned according to YOU not just some generic female. Thats great. DH didn't burn as much cals as me HA!

Watched a film in Spanish tonight called Maria full of Grace. More like Maria full of Gear! She was a drug mule from Columbia. Its pretty shocking how people get tempted into that life really. It was a really good film, gripping. Imagine a kinder surprise egg. The toy is inside a little cartridge thingy... try swallowing some of them and you will get the idea. Not fun.

Night night peeps

Winner's Edge and Weight Loss Surgery

Hello Everyone!First let me say that I'm not a sports enthusiast and have only a vague understanding of professional sport strategy and politics. Even so, I enjoy the World Series of Baseball: have enjoyed it since I was a kid when we attended the LA Dodgers games in the early hay-day of record making manager Tommy Lasorda.So it has been with enthusiasm and wonderment that I've watched the first

Spent loads of money... again

Uhhhhh we spent loads of money today.
We bought DH a new laptop and other associated gumpf.

We sorted out the office cum classroom at home and shortened DS's desk so that mine and his fit side by side. That way, I can keep a better eye on him out of the side of my vision. He slacks off a little bit too much for my liking. We bought the new laptop so that DS can have the old one. I say old, its only about 6 months old and totally too much for whatever he will use it for, but his one, which was really ancient and outdated wouldn't run ANY of his schooling programme like http://www.time4learning.com/ or http://www.meleto.com/ or http://www.raz-kids.com/ or http://www.wizardsspell.com/

I was getting a bit frustrated at having him on my PC and me wandering about doing nothing whilst he got on with it. a real waste of my time to be honest. So this way, I am right here for him should he need help, and also I can get along with my work too.

I tell you what though, home schooling is not the cheap option it seems to be. We spend an absolute fortune on stuff. Mind you, I wouldn't have it any other way, and its still cheaper than private!

Whilst we were out I got a couple of tester pots of paint. I am going to change the colour of our bedroom. I painted it Dutch Gold about a year ago. I didn't like it from the moment of the first brush stroke, but DH persuaded me that it might look better dry. I knew by the time I had finished one wall that I hated it. So I have justified the cost to myself and the stress and upheaval and I am now considering doing it again.

I am going to go for green. I have never had a green room in my life. I don't know why I think it will look nice, or why I am choosing green, but I think it just needs to be green. Green is a fresh colour and a cool one. At the moment with the Dutch Gold its like a warm womb. It feels stifling and hot and horrible. I hate it. I think Green will be refreshing. so I have plastered a couple of squares on the wall to see what tone I want. I don't think you can get a good idea just like that anyway, but at least I can make sure it will go with the curtains!

Food today. Pretty weird.

I have had:

1 banana
1apple
9 chicken nuggets
1 french fires
2 slices bread with baked beans

I have consumed about 1400 calories so far, and am way under % on all my fat/carb/protein etc

So I have a theory about myself.
Maybe... just maybe the times I think I have blown it, I actually haven't! I know that when I ate the nuggets and chips for lunch (quite a lot for 11.75mls in a band right! HA HA) I thought, "Oh, I have blown today. Well I will go easy with supper, I can have one day off" and stuff like that.

When I actually put it into the daily plate, I realise that I probably chose wisely for a fast food dinner. That meant I don't feel guilty or starved, and I am coming in well under my 1800 target cals per day. How good is that?

If I had been on slimmingworld, I would have had like 'shed load' syns, and be feeling proper crud and sending hubby to the shop to get me some sweets or something. But slimmingworld make up their syns reckoning on having a load of free food as well. So of course you would be over budget on cals. However, I haven't had anything else apart from the above, so I am fine.

This has really pleased me. I think i can see light at the end of the tunnel.

also although I obviously don't have 11.75 mls in my band but more like 5mls, I really am getting my hopes up and thinking the band is working. I know I am not choking, or only eating a mouthful and then pushing my plate away, but I am having NO TROUBLE eating less than 1800 cals a day. Its dead easy. Now I have the tools, making sure I stick to it is simple as. Its the not knowing and our own stupid minds thinking we have done badly.

Thanks Daily Plate and thanks *ahem* band.

YAY, I'm out of bed!! HURRAH HURRAH

Got up this morning, yes I REALLY did, and came downstairs with the family.

Ok... sounds a bit good to be true, and I am sort of fibbing.

I got up at 10am when DH came home from collecting his bike. He got it repaired and had to pick it up this morning, so He went and got it. I did however get up on his return and iron his shirt and then came downstairs with him and had coffee whilst he had his breakfast (slimfast poor soul!).

So I think that was a valiant attempt at returning to the world.

I am feeling 100% today. I have been gingerly going about the daily tasks, but so far, so good!

I took DS to see the film The Seeker: The Dark is Rising.

Last night when he said he wanted to watch it I thought it sounded really scary... akin to Nightmare on Elm Street or something, especially as it being around the Satanic Festival of Halloween. *Shudders*

But it turned out to be a classic tale of Boy is rubbished by family, turns out he is a really cool dude destined to save the world, is now held in awe by his family and does indeed save the world. It had Ian McShane of Lovejoy fame and also Christopher Ecclestone from Dr. Who.
It was really enjoyable.

There were MASSIVE queue's to see Ratatouille, but there was 4 families in our screen. How cool. I really love going when its empty. But... is it me or do they pump in ice cold air to freeze you slowly to death half way through. That place is always sooooo cold! I think DS has hypothermia setting in.

Food today:
2 boiled eggs and 1 slice of bread and butter
1 packet of minstrels
spaghetti bolognese

And thanks to my splendiferous calorie counter I know that I have had 1095 cals so far today.

I am feeling good. I know I shouldn't have had those minstrels, but I didn't have anything else for lunch, so I figure I would have eaten something about that many cals anyway.

If I think about eating the bad foods, they go around and around and around in my head and make me feel guilty which makes me eat more, so I am dismissing them as my lunch. I mean, my dinner has more calories than them.

I am surprised actually at how many calories is in a standard Spag Bol. just mince, onion, carrot, tomato and pasta and its a whopping 600 cals. Maybe that's not bad, but I think its a lot compared to yesterdays chicken and jacket etc. I guess its the combination of two heavy calorific items (meat and pasta). I wll have to think about that some more. Maybe eating pasta with just vegetable sauces rather than meat will be easier for me to keep under the 1000 cals.

Not too bothered however as have been under my 1800 goal.

We are off to DH's Mum's pub this evening to do a Karaoke. Oh Joy. I cant think of a more unpleasant evening. Mind you at least its a smoke free place now, which goes a long way to make it bearable.

I will update this if i have anything significant to add, but I doubt it.

Take it easy!

Ok, here's an update, there is no way I could eat a whole portion of spaghetti, so I went for half a portion. Instead of 75g I had 35g which makes a big dent in my cal intake. I have now had only 973 cals.

After I have actually eaten this meal, It might be less, but I can only count it as a 3rd of the whole lot... so its on the over estimating side, which is good for me!

Ten Best Weight Loss Sites

Here's a great list of some of the top Health and Wellness sites. It includes the ten best sites for each of the categories of weight loss blogs, diet blogs, walking and other exercises, as well as a few other key health categories.

The list was put together by people at the Nursing Online Education Database. Enjoy and happy reading!

Gaining 75 Pounds While Pregnant

Actress Mila Jojovich has gained seventy five pounds so far in her pregnancy. This photo was taken about three or four weeks before her due date.

Most doctors tell women that the ideal weight gain for women of normal weight during pregnancy is between 25 and 35 pounds. But Milla was probably underweight at the beginning and her body may have needed to gain more than the recommended amount.

Just feeling fragile now

Spent the whole of today in bed. Got up at 5:15pm and got dressed for the first time in 6 days.
This has been a particularly bad fill. It usual to have 3 or 4 days sore, but I guess with the infection, it takes its toll a little more.

I was tempted to try and clean the house up today, but I decided that it really was best for me to just stay put, and now I am glad because I don't have any pain in my side at all... it just feels a bit delicate so I am simply being really careful walking about and bending and things.

This has been THE worst time for our H.K. to take a week off. I was so looking forward to Wednesday when she was coming back, but she phoned and asked for an extension until Monday. To be honest, It doesn't bother me, I just get to save my money but I do think she is taking a bit of a liberty to be honest. If you phoned up after being on holiday for a week and asked for another 5 days what would your boss say...? Hmm. Yeah "NO!" springs to mind. But there we go. Her next holiday will be on the 20th December when we all go to Russia. We get back on the 30th December, and then are going to France on the 2nd January for a week, so she will have a nice long holiday then. I don't think I am being unfair to be honest. She goes home every Friday afternoon until Monday evening every week anyway, so she is pushing it a bit I think.

anyway, I am not bothered to be honest. Its one less mouth to feed for a week when I am not working.

Today's food:
Breakfast:
2 Weetabix with milk and 2 tsp sugar
Coffee

Lunch:
1 tomato and 1 shape lasting sensation yogurt
1 pint squash

Snack:
8 grapes

Dinner:
1 small Jacket potato, 3 chicken breast strips/goujons and peas and sweetcorn.

So pretty good day today. I will update this portion if there is anything significant to add.

I have to say that obviously I am in bed all day, and I am trying with all my might to restrict the food intake so that when I feel full I stop, or once I have finished what I am eating, wait 20 minutes and see if I am full or not. So far its been working, but I must stress that I know I could have had 3 weetabix, and I know I would have preferred more than just a tomato and yogurt for my dinner... but I haven't been up for 6 days guys. I am conscious too that time in bed = no calories burnt... So I have to be even more careful. I think I can keep it up at least till I see Dr. Dillemans by which time he will fill me up some more and hopefully we shall be cooking on gas!

That said, it has shown me how I just assume that I need more food, when infact I don't. I am perfectly content with everything I have eaten today. I am looking forward to my dinner but I am not starving hungry. Its a case of cravings. If I am eating something I like, then I want more. Pretty easy equation I guess. So this is where I have my battle. I WANT more, but i don't actually NEED more.

It struck me last night as I was watching a programme about a 34 stone teenager who lived in Lincoln that there is no help for us. We don't get a dieting equivalent to methadone. We don't get a dieting equivalent to nicotine. We cant even do cold turkey like an alcoholic. We have to have our drug every day. No wonder this is the hardest struggle ever. Once you are 'addicted' to food then you are going to have a continuous battle for the rest of your life.

There must be a reason I get low and eat, or I get worried and eat, or something. Why don't I get worried and go for a run..? or shooting or something. I wish I could unravel this knot of misery. Why cant someone invent patches with the happy hormone serotonin when we feel like eating a mars bar, or a patch with endorphines to make us feel happy when we are low.

Jeez. I could go on and on. The worst thing is that we have to keep taking our 'drug' to survive, and no ones ever going to quit giving up crack cocaine by having a hit 3 times a day, so how are we going to do this, and how come others don't get this?

DH is of playing badminton with TB's husband tonight and I know that DS is itching to go with them. I hope they take him as he has been such a good boy these last few days. All going well with my port pain and all that we are going to take him to the Robin Hood Experience on Saturday. Should be good! They do banquets there in the evening from 7pm until 1am for £40 a person. Why didn't I know that before I got banded!! RARR I would well loved to go to that.
We toyed with the idea of having a medieval banquet for our 10th wedding anniversary before we decided to go to Sri Lanka. Boo Hoo.

Oh, and some cool news... we are going to Malta next year for our summer holiday. It wont be the same luxurious holiday that we had this year, but its still a 4* place and looks really good. Lots to do and nice and hot! YAY. Hopefully I will be MUCH lower in June 2008 than I was this year. So we have 3 holidays to look forward to:

Moscow on 21st December
France on 2nd January
Malta on 5th June

Yipee
I am really looking forward to Russia. Our visa will be back tomorrow, and that's going to be well cool to see a Russian visa in our passports. We are coming back on the train via Latvia. So we are going to catch the train in Moscow at 9pm on the 28th on December and travel through the night in a sleeping compartment to Riga in Latvia. It goes via all kinds of Russian towns including St. Petersburg. WOW. We will see a lot when we wake up in the morning and it will be a great experience for us all especially DS. He is one well travelled boy!

Just joined a REALLY cool calorie counting programme. http://www.thedailyplate.com/
You can use it for free to calculate how many cals you have had each day, but I actually joined as it was only £18.00 for the year. It will help me keep track of my food intake and I can be sure of cals too. If I am not going to slimmingworld, then I like to have something to chart myself with.
Check it out

My stats for today:
They say I should aim for 1800 cals to lose 2 pounds a week. Interesting.

Totals & % of my recommended daily intake

Cals 866 43.3%

Fat 6g 9.32%
Cholesterol 80mg 26.67%
Sodium 1,175mg 48.97%
Carbs 163g 54.47%
Sugars 65g n/a
Fibre 24g n/a
Protein 55g 110.36%

Getting cabin fever...

I am so bored.

Today the pain is much the same as yesterday, except it has migrated a little bit lower. If you put your hand on your left hip and slide it along the lower half of your stomach where your leg meets your belly towards the crotch, that's the area that hurts. All of that. From the hip to just above bikini line. Strange doesn't cover it. When I walk about I am holding up my tummy like I did after I had my Caesarean, only a little bit to the left.

pwhhhh *blows air out of lips in bored way and sags shoulders slightly*

I have decided that I am not going to put my latest photo on the website at the moment. I know when viewing it there will be a blip, and I really want to be able to contrast as I lose, and I wont be able to do that if I put a pic of me now on there. You guys know I am having a struggle, and the dates of the photo obviously will show something went awry, so the next Photo will be when I hit 16 stone flat out. There are 14 pounds in a stone so that's 224. That will mean I have lost exactly 2 stone or 28 pounds.

The scales were the same this morning, so no change today.

Food for today:
1 tub of tesco finest prawn cocktail (200g) a shocking 600cals
1 packet of asda 8p noodles 317 cals
3 HOME MADE crispy duck pancakes. Heavy on the cucumber and onion.


At the Chinese restaurant you get half a duck for a shed load of money, so on the way back from my last fill I stopped off at the oriental supermarket and picked up the exact same half duck for a LOT less. I bought a couple of packets of the thin pancakes and a jar of hoisin sauce to go with it. At the Chinese they also deep fry this bird once defrosted. I oven baked mine cutting out most of the fat problem. So that wonderful succulent juicy meat, is actually just a whole load of oil, but mine tasted exactly the same flavour wise but is just a little dryer.

We didn't have anything else, just this and DH had 8 pancakes and DS had 4.

I know I have had a little too much as I can feel it sat at the top of my band a little bit like very mild indigestion. I also have an itchy back right in the middle, but it feels like the itch is deep inside. I could and should have stopped at 2 pancakes to be honest.

Breaking lifetime habits are WELL 'ARD

Oooooh I just had the smallest of smallest of smallest of PB's. I just burped and a little something sharp tasting hit the back of my throat. I kind of have a vague pressure pain in my back between my shoulder blades... its not uncomfortable, but its weird and definitely band area -sort of itchy annoying from the inside and comes in waves. Its totally forgettable, but because of doing this I am noticing it and detailing it. Oooh Yeah, theres another one. Must be the food stopped at the top of my band. ACE

Not going to go getting hopes up too much though. We shall see. I think if I had eaten any more I would be in pain right now though...

COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

Anyway, the portions I have been eating are major small, and I am not getting hungry between meals. When I start thinking about food, its around the right time of day, so that's good.

Wow, I know I would have been in trouble if I had eaten any more! Jeez. Glad to have stopped when I did.

Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds

We carve pumpkins for Halloween each year and usually I throw away the pumpkin seeds. But this year I'm going to roast them in the oven. It's really easy, you just need some salt and butter. (See the recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds).

Pumpkin seeds have a lot of nutritional health benefits. A quarter of a cup of pumpkin seeds provides you with about 52% of the daily recommended amount of manganese. You may not have heard of manganese, but high-manganese foods will

* Help your body utilize several key nutrients such as biotin, thiamin, ascorbic acid, and choline
* Keep your bones strong and healthy
* Help your body synthesize fatty acids and cholestorol
* Maintain normal blood sugar levels
* Promote optimal function of your thyroid gland
* Maintain the health of your nerves
* Protect your cells from free-radical damage

That same quarter cup of pumpkin seeds also provides 46% of the daily recommended amount of magnesium, 40% of phosphoros, 28% iron and 16% protein. See all about the health benefits of pumpkin seeds here.

Pumpkin seeds, raw 0.25 cup 34.50 grams 186.65 calories
Nutrient	Amount	DV (%)	Nutrient Density	World's Healthiest Foods Rating
manganese	1.04 mg	52.0	5.0	very good
magnesium	184.58 mg	46.1	4.5	very good
phosphorus	405.03 mg	40.5	3.9	very good
tryptophan	0.11 g	34.4	3.3	good
iron	5.16 mg	28.7	2.8	good
copper	0.48 mg	24.0	2.3	good
vitamin K	17.73 mcg	22.2	2.1	good
zinc	2.57 mg	17.1	1.7	good
protein	8.47 g	16.9	1.6	good

The above pumpkin poster is by Diane Pedersen.

8 months and 9 days since banding

I am gonna do a resume of my banding

Firstly, lets refresh stats.

BANDED Dr. Dillemans in Bruges 14th February 2007 - 18 stone - 252lbs - 114.5kg

#1 fill (Clayson) - 15th March 2007 - 4ml (cc's and ml's are exactly the same)

#2 fill (Clayson) - 26th April 2007 - 1 ml - total 5ml in a 10 ml band
#3 fill (Clayson) - 14th June 2007 - 1.2 ml - total 6.2ml in a 10 ml band

#4 fill (Dovey) - 30th June 2007 - 1.5ml - total 7.7ml in a 10ml band

#5 fill (Dovey) - 8th September 2007 - 2ml - total 9.7ml in a 10 ml band

#6 fill (Dovey) - 20th October 2007 - 1.75ml - total 11.45ml in a 10 ml band YEAH RIGHT

Doesn't look good when you put it that way huh.

Weight today - 17 Stone 5.5lb - 243.5lbs - 110.5kgs

Starting weight Weight - 18stone - 252lbs - 114.5kgs

LOSS TO DATE - 8.5lbs - 3.86kgs

Lowest weight - 16 stone 3lb - 227lbs - 103kgs

Weight regained - 16.5 lbs - 7.5kgs

SHOCKINGLY POOR

The date when I was at my lowest was Wednesday 16th May 2007 when I weighed

16 stone 3lb - 227lbs - 103kgs

This was before I fell down the stairs et al.

I am gonna put a photo of me on shortly too. Not yet cos I can't actually be bothered to get up and get changed (I am ill remember!), but soon. I didn't want to put a photo on being fatter than some of the others. I really psychologically wanted to see a smooth steady drop... but maybe that's me avoiding the truth, and obviously for those of you out there who are trying to decide if this is for you... then I need to show the truth.

So I am gonna update the Photo section shortly. Probably tomorrow I will get DH to take pic of me again in the same get up as the others. But I want you all to know how hard that is gonna be for me ok?

Today's food:

This morning I cooked up 3 scrambled eggs and 2 slices of toast (no butter).

I actually ate just under half of that.

Lunch I cooked 2 quorn Cumberland style sausages and some antipasti - pepper, courgette, aubergine, tiny mozzarella balls etc. It was About 200g of antipasti and the 2 sausages chopped up. I actually ate 1 sausage and 3/4's of the veg.

Dinner I cooked Quorn Swedish style meatballs in gravy, peas and mashed potato. Funnily enough I got a bag of baby carrots and also a bag of broccoli and cauliflower florets out as well, but as I was preparing to cook I was paring it down thinking 'Hmmn. I don't think we will eat that much actually...' so put the baby carrots and broccoli and cauliflower back in the freezer!

I actually ate half a meatball, a spoon of mash and a spoon of peas. DS finished of the meatballs I left, and DH wolfed the leftover mash.

I am rapidly going to say that this is not a 'change' in restriction, but a change in my attitude.

I am eating slowly and when I feel full, I am stopping. I have also only eaten when I have been hungry. So I am using the band to help me, rather than trying to force as much as I can down my gullet to see how much it stops!

See the switch?

I am making a concerted effort, even though its obvious from the history of fills above that something or someone has completely messed up. I shall be sorting it shortly, never fear!

Fast Weight Loss with the Atkins Diet

Kent used to weigh over 400 pounds. He's lost 200 pounds by adhering to the Atkins diet. The weight loss was fast for him, though it was not easy initially to give up all his comfort foods such as pizza and a 4 liter per day Diet Mountain Dew habit.

He has maintained the weight loss for over two years now and is running his first marathon this week. Read his story and see him at his heaviest weight here.

Today's update

Today has been particularly cruddy.

I felt steadily worse over the course of the day, and after writing my blog earlier this morning, I thought to myself "I have to eat something". I know, I know... It should be 5 days of fluids, but OMG its so hard.

Having nothing in your system and being on liquids = diarrhea. Pain in my stomach and the trotts? Enough was enough. I had been in utter agony for 2 days and knowing that I could easily get rid of one of these problems just by eating something, I did.

I had a coffee and then half a bowl of porridge.

It was well nice. It was a new type I think... Quaker oats with bits of apple and sultanas and cinnamon in it. Yum Yum Yum!

So after I ate that I went to bed as my guts were just raw. I had run out of paracetamol as I had been eating them copiously all weekend. I had 4 lessons to do today, and as I was lying in my bed feeling exceptionally crap I knew that it was not going to be happening.

I think I went to sleep. Poor DS is downstairs saying "Mum can I have some sweets; crisps; another ice cream as I have already had 18 today already?" etc and I am just going "Yeah Ok baby... Mummys not well, you have whatever you like. Love You"

What kind of mother am I? Its so horrible to be sick and have no one around to help you or anything. Thank goodness he is a good boy and knows how to make his own lunch and stuff... doesn't make me feel any better though.

So I was lying festering in my pit, and talking to TB on the phone when I realised that my port scar was not just swollen and raised, but hot, red and angry.

Goody.

I made an appointment with the doctor in the village and went to see them. I couldn't drive. TB's hubby dropped her around and TB, DS and me walked down to the surgery. It took 20 minutes to walk about a quarter of a mile!

The quack looked me over, said I obviously had an infection and prescribed me with flucloxicillin 500 4 times a day for a week. He also gave me codeine for the pain. So I have had 2 doses of antibiotics so hopefully by tomorrow things should start looking up.

I can't believe I have an infection in my port. What an absolute nightmare. Its so weird too. my scar is all swollen and red and stuff, but the injection site is about 2 inches below the port scar. I have no idea how this all works.

My band journey has certainly been an interesting one!

This evening DH got fish and chips. I ate some fish, no batter, and was really pleased with myself. So today I have had porridge and fish. Hmmm. Well below 1000 cals me thinks.

I will keep you posted

Half-Assed : A Weight Loss Memoir

Jennette has lost almost 200 pounds. She has one of the best personal weight loss blogs out there and a few months ago she was approached by publishers about writing a book about her story.

I'm excited the book will be available soon. But I was disappointed to read that the publisher didn't accept Jenette's title suggestion; Half of Me: The Last 200 Pounds are The Hardest.

Instead they picked a title which I don't find half as appealing; Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir
Even worse, I wonder why they didn't include her whole picture on the book cover? Why just include her lower half? It's so much less appealing, don't you think?

Height: 5'9"
Age: 26

Starting Weight: 372 lbs
Current Weight: 176 lbs
Goal Weight: 160 lbs

Total Loss: 196 lbs
Left to Lose: 16 lbs

Starting BMI: 54.9
Current BMI: 25.9
BMI Lost: 28.9

Jennette already has such a large online following that I wonder if it wouldn't have been better for her to go the self-publishing route. She could have created her book with Lulu.com, sold it on Amazon, and attracted a lot of attention through word-of-mouth reviews around the net. I wonder if her book would have been an even larger success if she was in control of the marketing herself.

Jimmy Moore interviewed her last week. Here she talks about how surprising it has been to have such a great affect on other people. She mentions that;

I once got a comment from a woman who had spent several days secretly reading my blog at work. Afterwards she said she didn't feel like she wanted to die anymore. I was stunned that words typed into a text box could do that to someone. I felt a heightened sense of responsibility afterwards to remain honest and open about my experiences. Words have a lot of power.

I write a post about once a month where I try new fruits and vegetables and people have told me they've tried golden kiwi or mangoes because I wrote about them. It's funny to think I'm influencing the profits of the mango farmers of America in some small way. I learn a lot from my readers too. An entry might start about one topic and spin off onto something else, like how to cook radishes that sound really tasty or discussion of what a super-taster is.

See the very interesting interview here.

Best Weight Loss Pills

Best weight loss pills

There are countless weight loss pills available today, all claiming to be the best weight loss pills ever. Most of these are scams to make money out of all of us. Very few actually live upto the claim. If you are on the heavier side you must have asked yourself this question a thousand times. Looking for the best weight loss pills, you might have even been scammed a few times.

What are weight loss pills?

Weight loss pills are pills overweight people use to help them lose weight. There are no miracle medicines which on there own will get you a slim, slender body magically. Of course these medicines help one a great deal to lose weight and keep it that way. You might already know that weight loss pills can be divided into different categories, according to there mode of action. Therefore the best weight loss pills for anyone depends on which gives the best and safest results without disturbing the human physiology.

The 3 major players in weight loss pills are - appetite suppressants, fat burners and fat blockers. Fat blockers are now available more easily, and have recently gained enormous popularity. Xenical which is the brand name for Orlistat in particular has been very popular. Due to its undeniable success Xenical has been considered to be among the best weight loss pills ever. It works by blocking and enzyme called lipase. This subsequently inhibits fat absorption and therefore blocking fat absorption eventually helps one lose weight as then you are absorbing less calories.

So is Xenical among the best weight loss pills ever?

I will let you decide this. Here are the facts - clinical studies have proven that Xenical works on varying degrees on different people, but undoubtedly it does work in everyone. The reason for this variation seems to be related to individual compliance, diet and exercise. Clinical studies showed that in one year between 35.5% and 54.8% of the subjects achieved at least a 5% reduction in body mass. Overall up to 24.8% actually achieved at least a 10% reduction in body mass! More importantly from the morbidity point of view, the most impressive finding was the reduction of incidence of type II diabetes in almost 37% of the subjects. No doubt Xenical is considered among the best weight loss pills ever.

A point to note is that although the above results are very impressive, after the subjects stopped taking Xenical i.e. after one year period, a significant number of subjects regained 35% of the weight they had lost i.e. if someone lost 30 pounds over one year they regained 35% of that. To understand this further, an important thing to remember about Xenical is its mode of action. Although it is among the best weight loss pills, it’s mode of action is by binding fat and preventing fat absorption. Once you stop taking Xenical (and therefore let the fat absorb) and continue with the same fatty diet as before commencing Xenical then of course the fat which was before not being absorbed by Xenical now goes to your system and hence results in weight gain. So the solution is to start with Xenical and modify your diet along the way. Although it is among the best weight loss pills out there an effort on ones part is important for long term goals.

Sideeffects of Xenical

Common side effects are gastrointestinal related i.e. flatulence, nausea etc. Usually these are more severe when initiating treatment. Most of these last less than a week. It is important to remember that fat soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E, K and beta-carotene are also not absorbed. Therefore while on Xenical taking multivitamins will prevent one getting deficient in these vitamins.

Contraindications of Xenical

Consult your doctor before commencing Xenical if you are nursing, pregnant, have any kind of malabsoption syndrome, or reduced gallbladder function.

Where can you buy Xenical?

I have seen that the best deals to buy Xenical are through online pharmacies. Please stay away from the following online pharmacies (these have had bad reviews and customer experiences):

www.easy.md

allmedspharmacy.net

www.pharmacysources.net

Frontier Pharmacy Group

To know which are reliable pharmacies where you can buy medicines online email me at m98075@gmail.com

Lumpy Bumpy Sore and Bloated

Went for my fill on Saturday. Another drive to Barnes. Another meeting with Dr. Dovey, who wasn't up for chatting for some reason. I was early for my appointment, very early, but he saw me and then left the building. Strange. Oh well I guess its nice to finish early for a change.

I met D after for some TLC in Starbucks and a peek through her weight loss expedition too. It was SO LOVELY of you to come and meet up. I must admit I am very depressed at the moment, and I didn't feel much better after the fill. Chatting to someone who knows what you are going on about really does help.

I have come to some opinions..

There can be either 2 things wrong with my band experience. Each throws up new questions...

Here they are:

1.) When I fell down the stairs in May, went to Sri Lanka and then re gained everything I had lost up to that point (20 odd pounds) I dislodged something or caused a leak in the system... one end of the tubing come off or something like that.

2.)Dr. Clayson from The Peel Medical Practice in Tamworth did nothing except inject my tummy with very expensive water - missing the site completely and therefore I was empty until I met Dr. Dovey.

Arguments for the first case:

1.) When I fell down the stairs I was in agony in my stomach. I ended up being admitted to hospital for 3 days where they systematically gave me a rectal exam, ultrasound and x-ray and various drips and plugged me full of morphine.

2.) I weighed 16 stone 4 before the fall. I now weigh 17 stone 12, slowly regaining the weight in the following 5 months down the track.

3.) Every time I get a fill I am incapacitated for DAYS. I have to plan my fills carefully so that I don't need to work after them. My stomach swells around my port scar and is sore and hard like a rock. (check the photo) Today the scar is a little inflamed and red round the edges from the swelling.

coincidence?

Arguments for the second case:

1.) I never liked or trusted the guy Dr. Clayson in Tamworth. He was a smug arse.

2.) His hands were shaking when I was there and he was giving me my first fill

3.) I didn't feel a thing. No whooshing in my band area, no pain in my port. It also didn't feel the same as when Dr. Dovey does it. With Clayson it was like getting a tetanus jab. With Dovey there is all this pressure and I feel the needle connect with the titanium plate at he back of my port and everything.

Arguments against case one:

1.) I know that you are able to do all kinds of violent sports with a band, and 3 months after it should have been ok.

2.) Even after going to sri lanka I didn't put on an ounce, it was only slowly after that

3.) I have some kind of restriction now, which I dont think I'd have if there was a leak or something

4.) I am allergic to loads of stuff and its possible the reaction at the injection site is just me

5.) I lost 6 pounds after my last fill, and then put it back on, but I hadn't exactly been eating good things :o(

Arguments against case two:

1.) there arent any.

Dr. Dovey actually said to me that he thinks Clayson screwed up and that I had absolutely no fluid in my band. The initial restriction was simply from the swelling after the operation and the fact that there was a band there giving some form of restriction. Also I was being a very good girl, eating carefully, stopping when I was full and taking my time, not drinking wine and not drinking with meals.

He now thinks I have 5 mls in my band in total from what he gave me.

If I count Clayson's fills I would have 12 mls in there or something, so you can see why I am worried that its not working or broken and that there is a leak!!!!!!!!

I think basically that I have to forget Clayson's fills, and only consider Dovey's fills. That means I have 5mls in there. Its a complete swine because I thought I was so much further along the line. But I am going to run with it.

Just to put my mind at ease, I have booked a Fluoroscopic fill with Dr. Dillemans in Brugge on 27th November. I am hoping that this will allay my fears, restore my faith in the band, and then I am going to SO HAVE A GO AT CLAYSON! I will be wanting my money back actually. And my petrol money for the 5 hours drives there and back. Yes, I think so...

I am going to try and consider that I have just had my operation, and now I am on the way to being restricted. 5 mls is not a lot, and most people need 6 or 7 mls to get good restriction... but guess what? Dovey said my next fill is Free!! Ha ha. I wonder why that is... maybe they know the other guy was RUBBISH.

So In 4 weeks I will have another fill anyway under fluro, so things should start to shape up.

I am also taking myself in hand and not drinking whilst I eat, and am not going to eat junk like takeaways and stuff. I am also not going to have any more wine, as I don't think its helping at all.

The morning before my fill on Saturday weighed 17 stone 12 pounds. This morning I weigh 17 stone 6 and 3/4's. I have done 2 days of fluids granted, but it makes me feel better.

I got down to 16 stone 4 before all this crap.

My next target is 15 stone 13 and 3/4's.

I know I am making progress when I hit that! I know its a far off target, but I think it has to be. anything less will be an empty target as I have been there so many times before.

I am also going to dob that slimmingworld Pig in. MWA HA HA HA HA

POSITIVE POSITIVE HERE WE COME

Halloween and Holidays Around the Corner – Diet Tips Anyone?

Not Sure which diet is best for you?Check out our Diet Reviews===========================Tips On Weight Loss – 3 Helpful Tips For Parents To Lose Weight During The Autumn Months And Holiday Season By John PurfieldAre you worried about gaining weight during the fall and winter months? Well don’t worry, while it is challenging enough to maintain your weight, you can actually lose weight during the

Ham and Veggie Casserole

Many gastric bypass weight loss surgery patients include eggs as part of their regular diet. In fact, the egg may well be the perfect bariatric food. An egg contains the highest quality of food protein known, each Grade A large egg contains 6 grams of protein. It is so nearly perfect that egg protein is the standard by which other protein is measured. The egg is second, only to mother’s milk,

Losing Weight for the Wedding

Claire Barnes was engaged to be married a year ago but she really wanted to lose lots of weight before the wedding. She started her diet and exercise in August 2006. A year later, when the wedding took place, she had reached her goal and had lost a whopping 84 pounds.

See her story as well as the larger before and after pics here.

Five Fantastic Facts That Can Help You To Have A Good Night's Sleep

Not Sure which diet is best for you?Check out our Diet Reviews===========================By Suzanne HolmanHave you ever been lying in bed, unable to sleep as you anticipate the followingday?September brings memories back to me of experiences throughout many years ofschool. Were you at all like me, lying awake the night before the first day of school,wondering who would be in my class, who would

Losing Weight One Day at a Time

Leelee wants to weigh 140 pounds. She now weighs 184 pounds and her highest weight was 220. She'd like to lose 15 pounds before Christmas. She's started her own weight loss blog for motivation and inspiration.

Cheer her on at Losing Leelee!

Choice of 3 Free Gifts - WLS Cookbook Sale!

Our Neighborhood Cookbook is back in stock! To celebrate we are offering you the choice of one three free gifts with your purchase:2006 Best of You Have Arrived Newsletters on CD5 Day Pouch Test Wallet CardRecipe of the Week CD (30 Recipes)In addition, we are pleased to offer you a $2.00 savings off the cover price.Order your cookbook and free gift today!Just $18.00 + $3.75 S&HA $26.00 ValueClick

Walking Off the Pounds

Jodi Davis has lost 162 pounds. She did this five years ago and has kept the weight off. It took her 16 months to lose that much weight.

She succeeded in her weight loss with the help of a daily walking routine. She's the mother of three children and could never find the time to walk before, but somehow she became determined to do it on a daily basis.

She's written an e-book about her experience. It's free to read and sponsored by the Blue Cross of Michigan. See her inspiring walking for weight loss blog here.

Tori Wins Best Post-Baby Body

Tori Spelling gained 40 pounds during her pregnancy and now seven months later she is back to her prepregnancy weight of about 115 pounds. She says she achieved this with the help of the NutriSystem diet which is delivered to her door every day. She's also spent a lot of time working out.

Tori is the cover story for this week's Life & Style magazine. They gave her the best post-baby body award. See a larger photo at The Skinny Website.

What are weight loss surgery "slider foods"?

Good Morning Neighbors!Since we have been talking about the 5 Day Pouch Test so much the word "slider foods" has become a regular part of our vocabulary. Slider Foods is a commonly used term in the bariatric community to describe foods that simply slide through the pouch without providing the sensation of fullness.In a malabsorptive procedure the pouch is made and the stoma or outlet is attached

From Size 22 to Size 8

Melissa was a size 14 for much of her adult life but gradually moved up to size 22 by the time she was 28 years old.

Now, two years older, she is wearing size 8 clothes. She's gone from being a couch potato to an active person and she speaks very highly of the Curves program which helped her lose the first 65 pounds.

She said the most weight she lost in any given month was six pounds. It's taken her two years to lose 92 pounds.

See her very inspirational before and after pics here.

Boost Potassium Intake with Salmon and Grapefruit

Potassium is one of the nutrients gastric bypass patients tend to be deficient. In fact many weight loss surgery patients (WLS) supplement their diet with potassium. By including certain foods in the diet weight loss surgery patients can increase their potassium intake.Read more: Potassium Rich FoodOf course we have heard all our lives to eat a banana when low on potassium. But did you know there

Kaye's Huggy-Touchy Empowerment Talk (again)

Previously Published 8/30/2007 in the You Have Arrived Postcard.Hello Neighbors!Today's postcard is about the personal empowerment that group support brings us. I know, you probably roll your eyes and think, "Here Kaye goes again pushing all that huggy-touchy empowerment talk." Perhaps some days I do get a little sentimental-corny about it, but trust me, when we travel together we become an

What did I say?

Yes that's right

I quote:

"I have had less to eat this week than the last 2 weeks. Less wine as
well...I am guessing I will probably put on weight, as is the wanton and
perverse reaction of my body when I think I have actually been good for a
change."

I was TOTALLY right.

I put on 2 pounds this week. HOW CRUD

This week I couldn't give a stuff about my band I HATE IT.

I want to be able to eat NOTHING

I want to be full on fresh air and a baked bean ok????

I want to puke each time I even sniff fresh baked bread, let alone eat a whole shagging baguette!

I actually ate a WHOLE baguette, stuffed with prawns. I also ate it quicker that my husband ate his roast beef one. Quite a lot quicker to be precise.

WHY IS THIS THING NOT WORKING FOR ME????

I know I have to be careful but for GAWD'S SAKE.

If I could be careful I would have lost the flaming weight without resorting to the having a band in the first place!

I had the thing done so that it would MAKE me careful. I WANT to be full after a sniff of a strawberry yoghurt!

ARGHHHHHHHHHH

It's so damn frustrating.

Who says they cant inject you with 8 ml right there... They are bleeding me dry with the £100 a throw fills. It has so far cost me £600 to lose half a poxy stone.

I know it will work eventually, but I am EIGHT MONTHS DOWN THE ROAD!!!!!!!

I need a break. And quick.

I am just about as far away from liking my band as anyone can possibly be. I think the whole things is a load of rubbish, waste of money, agony for months and too much sheer sodding hopelessness of a tragic woman's plight to look better.

I thought I felt crap before I started slimming. I feel a whole damn lot worse now I can tell you.

Before I joined slimmingworld 2 and a half years ago, I was fat.

When I had my band done 8 months ago I was fat.

today I am STILL FAT.

I have lost pounds though! THOUSANDS OF THEM!

£500 in slimmingworld fees
£100 (approx) in gizmo's like Easy Yoghurt makers, juicers, faddy diet stuff
£hundred's on horrible food that tastes like "The Real Thing's" washed out distant cousin
£6000 on the Lap Band and hotel bills and food for me and TB for a week.
£hundred's on new clothes I bought in my excitement

I am teetering on the absolute last, tiniest, craggy, splintery ledge at the bottom of the bottom of the bottom of the chamber of the deepest darkest pit of human despair in the entire universe.

My name is Bunny and its been 5 weeks since my last fill.

*round of applause*

Stop Telling People to Lose Weight

On her blog, Losing Leelee points out what everyone should know;


When people tell you to lose weight

First of all, overweight/obese people do think about it or at least attempted to lose once in their life. It is not that they don't want to, it's deeper than those words, 'lose weight'. Being overweight myself, I can tell that it is not easy to change yourself. To lose weight, you have to find the core of the problem of your weight gain. It varies for every individual. My problem was stress and boredom. Whenever I was frustrated I would stop what I was doing and head towards the fridge. Eating took my mind off work because it was an excuse to take a break. Then there were times when I had nothing else on my mind that I would think of what to eat. In the end I paid the fridge another visit. It took me about 3 years to stop this habit by going on different diet plans (took me a while to find one that suited me). I wasn't losing much at the beginning, but I gained knowledge in return.


When people tell you to lose weight when you are losing weight

I understand people can't read your mind to know that you are losing weight. But the fact that some of those who know you have lost weight will tell you to lose more weight, or imply it. For instance, when I had lunch with a few friends I remarked how stuffed I was. It didn't take long for someone to say 'you should lose a bit of weight'. Uh yes, I am already working on that, thank you! And what's wrong with me anyway? After feeling refreshed from losing 20 over pounds at the time, did you think I looked as big as ever? See, when you dictate to people on what to do, especially a delicate matter such as weight, it agitates them. Why? Weight is also an emotional part of us. Ask anyone who has been taunted at school as an overweight child, left out among a group of friends, mocked while walking down to their local shop because of their weight.

Sometimes talking about the past hurts, and on top of that having people tell you what and what not to do is degrading another.



See her weight loss blog here.

The Hair Care Revolution And Bangs

With new products focusing on the health of your hair you have more control and can now work with many different hair styles. The new formulas are created to meet the needs of a fast paced society. These new products feature ingredients that restore moisture and nutrients that tend to make hair stronger and thicker in appearance. With time being a factor for many women, the need for these

Marie Osmond Loses 20 Pounds

Marie Osmond, 47, signed up with Dancing with the Stars in the hope that all the dancing would help her lose weight. She's succeeded in losing 20 pounds so far. Her mother died early of heart disease and Marie wants to improve her own health. See her story at OK! Magazine.

After the 5 Day Pouch Test

What happens after the 5 days? After the 5 Day Pouch Test is when things get exciting. Having successfully broken a carb-cycle, regained a feeling of control over the surgical gastric pouch and possibly losing a few pounds one is ready for re-entry into a compliant way of eating. This means focusing on protein rich meals, observing the liquid restrictions and avoiding starches, particularly

Cathy Works Out at the YMCA

Cathy Baughman works out at the YMCA for about an hour five or six days a week. She used to weigh 310 pounds, and has succeeded in losing 142 pounds.

She pedals up and down on an ARC trainer, a machine designed to take pressure off the knees while exercising the legs and arms.

See her inspirational story here.

Lifetime Weight Control

Published today in the You Have Arrived Newsletter.This is the bullet list of guidelines provided by my center. Again, I realize they may differ from other programs and present them here as an example of one center's counsel for LIFETIME weight control. I know personally that when I follow these rules I feel terrific, my weight is stable and I feel confident and proud of my tool ownership.Chose

Losing Weight After a Heart Attack

Huey had a heart attack when he was 58 years old and had to undergo two surgeries to clear his blocked arteries. It was at that point that he decided to lose weight. He's gone on to lose 135 pounds.

He used to eat a lot of meat and that was the most drastic thing he changed about his diet. Now he eats no meat at all. He remembers how the fat would clog up his sink pipe and could imagine what effect it had on his arteries.

He also exercises very intensively, seems like too much according to what he's told the reporter at the Daily Iberian. But the reporter says that even though Huey is about to turn 72 soon, he has "the vital signs of a teenager".

See his weight loss story here.

(The photo above is the popular poster "Growing Old is Not for Sissies")

Where did that week go??

Blimey... I didn't realise I hadn't blogged for a week. That's scary.

I am actually alive and well as you can see. I have had a random week... nothing much has happened, but loads at the same time.

We are about to be £400 a month better off as we changed our mortgage! YEAH!
So as ever, when we are riding high on the elation of something actually GOOD happening to us, this weeks complete kicks in the butt are:
1.)MOT due - know it will fail and will probably cost £300.
2.)Someone left the freezer unplugged.. lost everything. Claimed on house insurance - YAY...then realised we have a £100 excess... bugger.
4.)Central heating boiler packed up and its freezing in this house. Will cost £300.

*cynical sigh*

Should have known better than to try and actually *SHOCK HORROR* Save money!

What fools we are!

****INSERT ECHOING MAD LAUGHTER OF THE INSANE***

Weight wise... God knows.

I have had less to eat this week than the last 2 weeks. Less wine as well...
I am guessing I will probably put on weight, as is the wanton and perverse reaction of my body when I think I have actually been good for a change.

We shall see.

Tomorrow we are going to have a rapid weigh in and then back to the ranch because I have my American cousins coming for the night. They are something like my 7th cousins. I met them when I did my family tree, and we have stayed there with them in San Diego, and they have been here. Its so cool meeting people who are in your family from YEARS ago, and you still look like them! Its quite scary to be honest.

So tomorrow the house will be in chaos. H (This is what I am going to put instead of writing housekeeper out every time as it sound pompous and rubbish) is getting up at 6am to sort the house out, and then I am going to be putting up a tent in the garden for the boys (DS and Devin) to sleep in, putting up the folding caravan for Carmella to sleep in, and making the two singles up in the spare room for Marcie and her Mum Lucie. Phew. We are going to have a massive BBQ in the evening and TB and her hubby are coming along too which will be great.

Can't wait.

night night

Gastric Bypass Dumping Syndrome

Hello Everyone - Welcome to Monday!Lately I've received several letters from people who are suffering from dumping syndrome or constant feelings of a low-grade dump. It's hard to pinpoint the symptoms but can be described as simply feeling "off". A return to the high protein diet that worked for weight loss will often diminsh the symptoms of dumping. Several people have successfully returned