jagoholmes

Every 6 months or so is the usual, because it gives you chance to check if everything is still ok and react to anything quickly if there are any problems.

Remember any weight loss is a really good thing, even a pound!!! Lets not forget that 1lb a week over the course of a year is 52lbs So don't be too negative or quick to jump on board the next solution if what you're doing at the moment is still working. I always say that you should squeeze what you can out of every solution, before you go trying anything else, especially if it's been working for you up to now. A little hunger at times is still a natural part of weight loss I'm afraid

Yep, it's pretty common for one partner to be a completely different size to the other. No everyone is physically attracted to someone who's a similar shape and size to them. I suppose the test of true love comes when someone changes shape entirely... either smaller or bigger!!

This is one of the great things about the lap band, the minimal scarring. Some people use aloe vera which is the sap from the leaves of a natural healing plant or you could try any good high street skin lotions, keeping the scars from drying out will speed up the healing times.

Well it's quite a normal response to jump on the scales as often as you do and in some ways its good becaues it keeps your goals firmly in your mind, although twice a day is a little too frequent. Changes don't this quickly anyway and unfortunately doing this means you'll often be feeling down about yourself if you haven't lost anything. Once or twice a week on the same day/time is more than enough.

This is a great place to find all the advice, support and help that you need. Just ask your questions or voice your concerns. There's a very real chance that many of your worries will have also been experienced by others.

It's like most things, the fear of the unknown. This is where forums like this one come in to their own. You can cut through the marketing and hype and find out the truth about lap band surgery... warts and all!

I guess it's going to depend on how you react and how secure you make her feel, certainly if you get a lot attention now and are confident in the way you look (sounds like you are!) then there's going to be no stopping you after you start to lose weight. Jealousy is a funny thing, some people just seem to be more so than others so she'll have to come to terms with it.

Get to ER asap

Not everyone gets this pain. http://www.lapbandreviews.org

Sounds like good progress to me. Everyone loses weight at different rates, as long as you're moving forwards week by week, keep doing what your doing. I always look at it this way, even if its half a pound a week over the course of a year that's still 26lbs. Imagine that, waking up in a year from today 26lbs lighter... that's progress surely!

Its great to see the successes and you are definitely one of those. For the many bandsters having a tough time, or who haven't really made the changes needed or who are just about to start on their journey, with the doubts and fears of surgery it's great to have another finished article for them to aspire to. Good to have you here.

Well done, 30kg is a great achievement so far, sounds like you're getting your life back.

It's a great weight loss motivator hopetolose. Once you've spent some money it seems to really focus the mind.

Unfortunately very few people are truly happy with the way they look, so someone at any weight can be desperately unhappy with themselves. We're constantly bombarded with images of stars and celebs who look perfect and they then become our role models subconsciously. Yet it's not real life at all, many of the most 'beautiful' men and women in the world don't look as good when they're not in the spotlight. It's not real life and it's not realistically attainable for most people. Being overweight and unhealthy however is a different matter entirely, doing nothing means you are risking your life. So everyone deserves a chance to live a few more years!!

Wow B-52 that's fighting talk and I like it. Unfortunately everyone doesn't have your no nonesense approach to the lap band and I'm guessing... life. But certainly the problem with a lot of lap banders is they have been misled that it's a 'set it and go' weight loss solution, but it isn't at all. You do still have to make sacrifices, but that's life. If you want that body to die for and you are desperate for a solution (which by the way you should be to opt for weight loss surgery at all) then you've got to do what it takes. Think of the lap band as a tool to get what you want, it's not a solution in itself, but you have to work with that tool to get results. Good post B52

You're so right, it's all in the mind. Your body doesn't NEED chocolate, sugary Snacks, soda, beer etc. It's your mind that driving you to it and controlling the way you think negatively about your weight loss what is such a great achievement so far. Conquer the mind and the world is yours.

That's an important lesson to us all, to speak to the experts when you have any problems, before they become very big problems, you probably lasted a little too long before going though. Hope you feel better soon.

Plateaus are a normal part of losing weight unfortunately. 80lbs is MASSIVE by the way and if you can maintain that for a few weeks and perhaps relax a little in what you do, then that's a success. You can't always lose weight consistently all the time, just look at some long term lap banders to hear their stories and you'll see what I mean. There are really good success stories here - www.lapbandreviews.org It can't always be plain sailing, just be patient, then get yourself ready in another few weeks to have another push really focus and lose some more weight. Weight loss is easiest this way.

Add variety to what you do, this is very important. For exercise to be effective at improving your fitness or helping you to lose weight, it must be progressive... get slightly more challenging or different each time you do it. Strength training is very important. The more muscle you have the faster your metabolic rate will be. Finally, if the rest of your life is quite sedentary, you will struggle to lose weight. You need to get more active ALL the time. I've found that regular walking combined with resistance training is one of the fastest ways to lose large amounts of body fat. But walking in chunks throughout the day and not simply sauntering, be in a rush to get somewhere.

Forever Living do a really nice shake.

Sounds like it's been a tough journey for you. Keep going you can do it!

It's very normal to have an increased sex drive after losing weight. Even though you say you've only lost 20lbs, it's still a lot of weight to lose. Sex drive is very much related to the way we look and feel. The more confident you are the more likely you are to want to have fun in the bedroom (or anywhere else!). Let's be honest if you hate the way you look and feel, it isn't going to come across as sexy to your partner and you'll be too inhibited. If you hate getting naked with your partner or always make love in the dark, then you aren't getting the best out of sex. There's also a slight novelty factor at first, it's almost like getting your body back and feeling feminine again. Well done so far. It might be a good idea to prepare your husband for whats to come, if you lose weight and feel EVEN better about yourself, you'll never get enough... I'm sure he's not complaining though! Lol

It really depends where you are on your journey. If you are at goal weight then you should be really looking at using higher weights, but if you are still a long way off, it can sometimes be a problem in that with higher body fat levels comes a raised testosterone level, meaning you can build muscle much faster. Now this isn't necessarily a problem because we want more muscle... more muscle the faster the metabolic rate. But what can sometimes happen is the increase in muscle tissue, especially in men tends to make them look a little bigger. Also you will never see any toning of muscles if they are covered in a layer of body fat. Its like displaying a priceless Ming vase covered in bubble wrap, you just won't see the benefits, so keep your training to larger muscle groups, moderate weights and circuit training style to get the best of both worlds, fat burning, muscle building and cardio. Jago

I think its a great idea, it will help to refocus you on your goal. Well done so far. Jago