SageTracey

Without knowing how long ago you were banded, it is not possible to say how you will go about drinking 3 litres of Water per day. In the early days you will find it difficult but it will get easier to drink greater quantities of water the further out you are. I drink at least 2 litres a day, often more. It's just a case of having my water always available and sipping frequently. The important thing is to remember not to drink with food, nor for whatever period of time before and after food that your dr recommends. My surgeon says 30 mins either side of food and I have learnt to do that over time. You are off to a great start in that you already drink so much water! PS Nothing wrong with cappucino from my perspective, I have mine every day and am still losing weight. Down 64kg (144lb) so far.

This is a three-legged stool made up of the band, food and exercise. You will lose some, possibly even most of hour excess weight without exercise but it will be slower and harder. I suspect you will also be at a greater risk of loose skin but that is not certain. one benefit of losing weight is that you feel more active so, rather than exercising, why don't you take up activities that you enjoy? good luck

Awesome NSV. I love clothes shopping now.

PS Get better quickly

Continue eating as if your band was still at its previous fill level.

With the benefit of hindsight, I can assure you that the prospect of discussing important matters such as this is far more daunting than the actual event! I didn't want to tell anyone other than my husband and our sons for fear of judgement or that they would try to talk me out of it. Surprise, surprise, everyone I discussed it with said they were pleased that I was doing something so positive for my health. Same thing when our son came out - my husband, in particular, was extremely worried about telling his sisters because they are quite conservative and old-fashioned, yet when he did, they were wonderfully supportive all round. It's really not possible to predict people's reactions. Good luck.

Hiccups is a classic sign of overeating and/or eating too fast with the band. Take this as a learning experience and practice your new eating habits. Good luck.

First of all, it would be best to ask your medical team all of these questions. Secondly, at my second last fill, my surgeon had difficulty accessing my port (ouch!) and said it had tilted. He said it could be a precursor to my port flipping but that he sutured it in place so well that it was highly unlikely to happen. The difference between you and I is that I was about 18 months post op at that point whereas you are still fairly newly post op. Since then, I have continued to exercise vigorously and have had another fill without any difficulties - i.e. my tilt self-corrected. Good luck.

My husband is my hero. He has never had a weight problem but always wanted to eat more healthy so this has been a win-win situation. He has been beside me every step of the way (literally) and now has his cholesterol and blood pressure under control due to our new, much more active way of life together. Plus we have become even closer.

Congratulations! It's awesome fun buying new clothes. I keep on doing it In fact, today I went to a clothes store at a shopping centre because I wanted a pair of three-quarter length pants for work (it's summer here in Australia). The shop was having a sale with a whole rack of clothes going out at just $3 each! So I picked up a pair of slacks, shorts, a lovely sun dress plus the three-quarter length pants I went in for.

i have a bodymedia fit and love it. It helps me to keep on track on my calories burnt, steps taken etc. And because it syncs with My Fitness Pal, it means I have a really good picture of how I am going. Good luck.

Sounds nice. I'm going out for dinner with my husband and friends cos it's my birthday and then we are all going to dance the New Year in. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy banded 2013!

Sounds perfectly normal. Your body is going through major changes, especially the initial weight loss which can affect your menstrual cycle. I had my period immediately after surgery and then again a few weeks later. Once my body got used to the changes, my cycle settled back into normal - and then menopause kicked in, but that's another story! Good luck.

Yep, carbonated is painful! I relaxed yesterday with some carbonated cider and I had the most awful stomach pains until I passed enough wind to feel comfortable again. I won't be doing that again.

Straining is not good for you whether you are banded or not. Your profile says you are pre-surgery but your post says you are worried about hurting your pouch so it is not possible to know exactly how far post-op you are. If you are still on liquids or mushies then it might just be a case of nothing out,nothing out. Make sure you are getting plenty of natural fibre, Water and exercise. If really worried, contact your doctor. Good luck

I use Berocca - recommended by my pharmacist

Perfectly normal so please don't stress.

Congratulations. A great goal to work towards and you have plenty of time to learn and prepare for such a major life changing event.

It's tempting to think that any illness, ache etc is band-related, and while your fellow bandsters are sympathetic to this, your dr is best to advise. Good luck.

Plateaus are normal. Some people find they can kick start weight loss again by changing up calories (up or down slightly) or varying their exercise routine. The key is to change what you are doing so your body has to respond.

It's easier to start and continue exercising when you enjoy it so look for activities that you enjoy. I love cycling, dancing, walking and swimming, which gives me plenty of variety as well.

Hello Byrd. Your profile pix look great so you are obviously doing really well! I was banded 13 April 2011 and I'm doing great. I've lost 63kg (135-140lb I think) and so many clothes sizes that I now have an entirely new wardrobe. I have a new found energy for exercise - cycling, walking, dancing, swimming and a really positive attitude to life.

Enjoy!

No such thing as a silly question. You can't be expected to know everything. My surgeon placed large plastic bandaid type bandages over my incisions. They stuck to my skin and I was able to shower right away.

That's great, just remember that our doctors etc will be closed over the holidays so don't leave it too late if you realise that you do need an unfill. My surgeon prefers not to do fills in the three weeks leading up to Christmas just in case.