Summerrain

Looking fantastic and post as many times as you like, you deserve too!

To look at your photos you'd never think you had a weight problem, you look amazing. Congrats on your weightloss and your engagement.

Looking like and feeling like a normal weight person and never being the biggest in the room again!

The pre op shakes are hard. I had to do it for a month, the first week was hardest as you detox, hence the headaches and filling sick. Drink lots of Water inbetween, Jello. I also drank chicken broth if I got desperate for something with a savory flavor. I also had the Protein bars, actually I probably had more Protein Bars than shakes in that one month period and still managed to loose ten kilos (just over 20 pounds). I have not touched a Protein shake since being banded ten weeks ago, just the thought of them makes me gag! Hang in there, it's tough but so worth it.

Hi pbk, yes initially when you start a diet you always loose fast then it tapers off, I think the majority on here can say that. I've been banded only ten weeks so I'm still fairly new to this lifestyle change. The reason I got the band is the most obvious, too loose my weight, my second reason is I wanted to stop the yoyo dieting because after twenty odd years of doing that I ended up fatter and fatter and even more depressed about my weight. My third reason I got it was to learn to eat like a slim person and change my non existent activity to being active. I don't count calories nor do I want to, I've done that it worked fine for a while then I got sick of it. My nutritionist has taught me about portion control and if I need to eat carbs, which is fine, she has shown me the quantities and the better carb choices. I no longer want to have this obsession with food and knowing what the right choices are has made it douch easier. If I need a treat then I have one, it's part of normal eating so no need to beat myself up. But now I don't eat a whole cake over the period of a day or a whole box of Cookies in a night. If I get the craving for a cookie I have one and I'm satisfied. Think I've had three cookies in three months. I no longer crave all the rubbish I used to eat, I actually crave vegetables and fresh seasonal fruits. I also do some form of exercise everyday and I actually am enjoying it. The word diet is no longer a word I use, I've made a lifestyle change for the rest of my life. I could only have made this change with the lapband because it is my tool to help me get to where I need to get , I couldn't do it on my own. It's taken away my awful hunger which was why I always failed. For the first time in over twenty years I'm finally in control of food and not the other way around. Argh my battery is going flat so going to hit send and will finish this post later Some people count calories others don't, it's personal choice. Some people have different eating plans to others. Some can eat certain foods, others can't. There are so many different surgeon instructions. Some exercise a lot, some don't. In the end I don't think there is a "normal" bandsters. What is important is what works for you to loose the weight. Glad you're giving it another go and I wish you all the best!

Agreed five months when your just starting out is too long. I got my first fill three weeks after banding then every two weeks and I've hit the green zone with three fills and that was two months after being banded. But I did already have 4.2 Mls in my band on day of operation.

Relax cpvillacis, you'll probably find most of that is fluid retention also. We are bound to make mistakes, just get back on track asap, I only had to do liquids one week, mushies 2nd week and started solids on my third week. As you've worked out there are very different instructions by each surgeon. I doubt you've done any harm, just try and plan it better next time so you don't fall into the same trap. So get back in track and stick to it and be a good girl, lol easier said than done sometimes but it does get easier as the weeks go by.

Congrats!!!

Well done!!!

Well done!!!

The thing is with drinking with your meals is to not drink till the food has passed through the band. You need to eat the right type of food with the right texture so as it passes through the band it makes contact with the nerves so those nerves then send a message to your brain to say hey you're no longer hungry, which happens at about the 20 minute mark. Now if you drink before the food has passed through the band then it will Water it down and won't be of the right consistency to help get that satisfied feeling. So as it has been explained to me by my surgeon and my nutritionist, yes it's fine to drink with meals if you need to BUT wait till the food has gone through, take a sip, wait a minute, then eat. I've been following this rule and I have not had any problems hitting satiety at the 20 minute mark.

Congratulations! You've worked hard and are now at goal!!

Ty for posting this tmf. Professor O'Brien in those videos is my surgeon. He explained that when drinking with your meals you eat your food wait that minute or two for it to pass through your band then you may sip your drink. I've drunk Water with every meal this way and I have still managed to loose over 50 pounds in two months and with no problems hitting satiety after 15 to 20 minutes of eating. It's important to remember chew, swallow wait a minute and if you do that when you drink it does not wash your food through as the food has already passed through the band to trigger the responses to the brain.

Cardio to burn the fat, weight training to build muscle and tone.

Ty for the info, I'll go look for them tomorrow as I can't stand to even look at the optifast without gagging.

I know exactly how you feel, I used to start huffing and puffing after five minutes of walking and I used to move slower than a snail. Fast forward 56 pounds down and I can easily walk a few hours without getting breathless and the best thing my kids say hey mum slow down lol.

Yes I take my vitamins every day, I take the Swiss multi vitamin capsules, biotin and an iron tablet as I find when my food intake is restricted and loose a large amount of weight I become anaemic after a few months. We need to take our vitamins for life now.

Randii I'll put my hand up, I did it a couple of times on my mushie stage, I remember being so hungry I just wanted something more solid to chew on. I did it with chicken twice. Hang in there you'll be on solids soon, the liquid stage is hard especially if you had to do it for a few weeks before surgery too.

Hi roro, I would think no as the opening to your stomach is much bigger and food should pass through easier. I asked my doctor this question as I'm always scared to do damage to my band and she told me I would have to constantly be over eating or getting stuck for this to happen. Fingers crossed with all the liquid removed your dilation will go back to normal and you can start your journey again.

You'll find, hopefully, they will ask you lots of questions about how you are going, how much you're eating, what sorts of foods etc. they will weigh you and ask if you have any questions. Ask anything you're not sure off. Each time I go for a fill my doctor spends the first 20 mins or so talking to be, reinforcing the rules etc. I ask a lot of questions and I write them down so I don't forget.

I love your positive attitude and your bubbly nature. Keep being who you are and if people don't like it they can move on simple. I don't agree with everything I see posted online be it in this forums or other forums but as I see it we are all entitled to feel and believe in what we do or don't. I was raised a catholic but I'm not a practicing catholic. Maybe I just haven't found my connection with God but because you have I'm not going to put you down for your beliefs. People just remember we are all individuals with the right to our own beliefs and even if you don't agree with others and feel the urge to voice your opinions there is a polite and mature way to do it.

The reason the band is much tighter in the mornings is because of Fluid settling down around the band when we sleep, once we are awake and as the day progresses that fluid drains away hence the looser band at night time. I queried this with my doctor today when I went in for a fill and it makes sense. Kinda like if you wake up with swollen fingers or ankles in the mornings and the fluid drains throughout the day.