kt_999

Hi MM You are doing great with the exercise... I am impressed :-) I am still having quite a lot of Soup but really can eat just about anything including egg omellete, tinned tuna and salmon, fish, prawns, any meat (so long as it is cut small and I chew a lot!), steamed vege and coleslaw. I am trying to keep calories down but do like the occassional bit of blue cheese! I also have the occassional glass of wine! I am looking forward to getting back into the exercise and can't wait until I can go running again but I think I'll wait until 6 weeks post op to try running... stick with the walking until then.

MM Yes I feel better thanks... I'm taking it a little easier on the exercise front now though! Unfortunatley my weight loss has slowed right down but it is still going the right direction so that's good! What exercise are you doing? What are you eating? Is your weight loss still as consistent?

SimplyMe No, my doc doesn't use x-ray for fills... shame as I'd love to see what it all looks like in there, and psycologically I think it would be good to see just how small stomach and opening are!! Does your doc use x-ray?

Simplyme... that is sooo exciting!!! I am definitely going to talk to my Doc on Monday... I just want to continue on my journey and this "no restriction" thing is kinda depressing!!! Good luck :-)

Edie... you are amazing! Congrats, you should be proud of yourself :-) Thanks also for the great support and advice you offer everyday to others on this board... I really appreciate your comments.

MM Yes I feel good... except I went for an 8km walk today around the block and I've "done" something not so good... have pain/uncomfortable feeling on the left side of stomach where band is... like I've pullled stitches out!! Husband is angry that I've overdone it and hurt my new stomach, I said to him that I would never do anything purposefully to hurt my surgery but I am just trying to be dedicated to the cause.. now feel upset and depressed!!! You have done/are doing awesomely you will succeed I can feel it and also... I love the beach and boogy boarding so am completely jealous!! LOL!!! You will have a ball :-)

Bravo HottyToddy!!! I agree that we have to be careful and try our best to follow the rules but I don't believe that we are the only month of Bandsters who are learning (sometimes the hard way) about what and how to eat! I am sure that we are all fine and just have to continue to do the best we can... none of us would purposely sabbotage or hurt our new "best friends"!!

Thanks Toni! I was a lower BMI to start so still haven't lost as much as some... but for me it has been a hard slog so far and I know the second half will be even harder... however I am motivated and just so excited about being able to fit into some of my size 12/14 clothes again (small steps... I refuse to buy new ones until I'm at goal :-) I am definately experiencing abit of Bandster Hell... I am hungry and have nooooo restriction... I would happily do liquids for another 6 weks if I could just have a fill now! How is your hunger?

Musical Momma I can totally relate... I started dieting 8 weeks pre-op and I find it hysterical that people are only know noticing any change after I've lost 16kg (36lbs) and I'm over half way to goal!!!! I didn't tell many people but still feel the pressure from them to carry on losing fast... which just isn't going to happen!

MM From what I've read here 6 weeks seems to be the norm so I may try for that :-) You are doing so well with your weight loss I bet you feel absolutely fantastic... and must be looking forward to your vacation?

Hi I'm pleased that you are doing so well... keep up the good work :-) There is a thread for June 2007 Bansters in the General area if you're interested... loads of June Bansters post there and the support is fantastic! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/june-2007-bandsters-33199/

Huntersmom I have only just started mushies too so can't really give a great amount of advise but the scale is still moving after a few days, it has definitely slowed down though! I am counting calories and walking a lot... like you I want to keep losing and will do what I have to to keep the scale moving in the right direction... I was losing weight before I started the pre-op so am basically using the same sort of diet which includes (for example) Diet yoghurt for breakfast, scambled egg for lunch and 3/4 cup meat and veges (blended) for dinner... I snack on the very low fat yoghurt if needed. I also have milk in my coffee and have had the occassional Merlot!!! I am also assuming that now I am back to eating something (and especially when I start solids in 2 weeks) that I will have plateaus like I did pre-op but I am prepared for this and I will not let it get me down or make me lose sight of the end goal! Am truly loooking forward to a fill too :-)

Sterbear... you go girl!!! We can do this, like you said, Willpower, willpower, willpower :-)

Ange, almost forgot again... Mum and I are both self pay, we also had to increase our mortgage by $15k which is a little scary but a great motivator!! Mum and Dad are a little luckier on the financial side but I'm sure that there bank balance also let out a wee gasp in horror!! Its great to have something to look forward too, especially something as exciting as a wedding, I'm sure you'll look fab by then :-). My birthday is in November and I want to have reached my second (and maybe final) goal by then which is 69kg. Just make sure you are prepared for what may happen post-op with regards restriction and hunger... I am 2 weeks post op and kind of hungry with little restriction but I am still losing weight because I refuse to stand still or go up before my first fill. I am following the rules but limiting my portion size, counting calories (less than 800 calories per day) and walking as often as possible. I lost 12.5kgs before the op using willpower and hope to keep this up now that the honeymoon period post surgery has worn off. I know that every says to relax, that this time is for healing and not weight loss but I can't accept that... why can't we do both! I just keep telling myself that this is the last time I have to diet like this and it's kind of empowering... forewarned is forearmed :-)

Ange Yes mum decided to get the op because I was... but she decided before I'd been done so it wasn't results based! The reason I decided to do it was because she has yo-yo dieted for all her life and I was following the same patterns and just couldn't bear a life of the same. We do really motivate each other though... it is harder for mum to lose weight because she is older but she is so dedicated and a strict rule follower so she keeps me on the straight and narrow... I love to excercise so I help to motivate her on that front, she has just joined a gym! We have told no one about the op so it is great to be able to rely on each other and still keep our little secret... for this reason we don't go to the ChCh coffee group but maybe you, mum and myself could meet for a coffee before your surgery if you want to chat? Take care and good luck :-)

Hi Sterbear I was banded 1st June and yes, I am hungry!! However, I am determined to continue losing weight and unfortunately will have to rely mostly on willpower until my first fill in 6 weeks... I know that it will be hard but I just can't get down to my goal weight quick enough and just keep reminding myself that this is the last time I have to diet so strictly... I'm hoping to have lost another 7kgs (15.4lbs) by the fill... I've lost 3.5kgs (7.7lbs) since the op but realise that this is going to slow down considerably now that I'm on mushies! It is very common to be hungry as the swelling goes down and most liquids/mushies go right on through... not sure if when we start solids we'll get some restriciton or not but from what I've read on other posts here I'm thinking not! Good luck with your journey... it is soooo great to be in Bandland!

Hi Ange Ross is great, I had no problems and have had an amazing recovery... weight loss is good also! My mum is being banded by Ross on 29th June too... she is very excited as I'm sure you are! You'll probably see her walking the corridors on Saturday :-) The nurses at St Georges are really good too, the first night is fairly uncomfortable with IV and blood clot things on legs and no drinks (I was very thirsty so asked for a glass of water and "spit" bowl which helped a lot). I only had Pamol after I got back to ward which was fine (they must give you a fairly lethal/long lasting pain killer in surgery), the port incision is the worst but I managed to sleep on my left side (port under right breast) that first night, I used a pillow down the side of the bed to stop me rolling over to far/fully which was helpful The two days after surgery they also inject a blood thinner into your lower abdomin (doesn't hurt but I did wonder what they were doing!). I was up first thing on Saturday morning in shower (they give you a seat which is helpful but I didn't need it by the Sunday)... make sure that you don't put anything you need on the floor, I put the toilet seat down and put shampoo etc on that and clothes in sink! Get walking as soon as you are able round the corridors... it relieves boredoma nd makes you feel better! I read "French Woman Don't Get Fat" by Mireille Guiliano and really recommend it, it completely changed my attitude about eating and made me look forward greatly to life as a Bandster where small portions are a must... I have bought it for mum for her hospital stay! You will be fine, good luck with your pre-op etc :-)

Hi Crystal I can understand how you feel but unfortunately with a BMI of 28 you may well struggle to find a surgeon to do it! I also know someone who gained 10kgs (22lbs) just so they could have the surgery (self pay) and haven't regretted their decision for one second but it does seem very extreme and sad that one would have to go to these measures... personally with the way I've struggled with yo-yo dieting all my life I just don't think I could do that... luckily I was fat enough :-) Good luck

Insubordination... your doc sounds fab! I think that my surgeon is being OVER cautious becasue they are new to the procedure... have only been doing lapband for 3-4 months. The 3 months before first fill thing wasn't working because a lot of people were just finding it too hard to get through it without putting on weight so they've moved it to 8 weeks to see how that works... fingers crossed that it will be moved up again as I really don't want to go through Bandster Hell for too long!!!! I wasn't allowed any fluids on day one and my surgery was at 10am... had a fluid drip thing for hydration but was only allowed mouth swabs until I talked them into allowing rinse and spit to help with the dry mouth which was great. Day 2 was clear liquids and from them for the next 2 weeks is full fluids... followed by 2 more weeks of mushies and then soft food to normal as tolerated. It is sooo funny how all are different... I think it mostly depends on experience and what they've seen historically as to what they think works best.

Hi Toni How ya doing??? I feel great but am definitly much hungrier than I was! I have been having a lot of cream of chicken/mushroom soup (packet, low calorie with no bits in it) and it is great but I must admit yesterday I had some feta cheese (not much) and just chewed and chewed until it was liquid and it went down fine.... so nice to have something of a different flavour and texture! Today was the first day that the scales haven't gone down so I suppose it's time to stop weighing every day! I am just so impatient to loose the weight! My first fill was supposed to be after 3 months but I heard a rumor that my doc is bringing it forward to 8 weeks as patients are struggling too much... YAY! When are you allowed a fill??? I treated myself yesterday and bought a really cool pair of ankle boots... loved looking at the clothes and dreaming of when I'll be able to fit into them... but for now shoes are good enough!! I truly believe that I'll loose all the weight I want to and keep it off for the first time ever... I LOVE MY BAND :-)

Hi Stephanie I am not a nurse or doctor but this is my understanding.... I had terrible gas pains... in the middle of my chest and especially bad in my left shoulder. I think that is probably what you are experiencing and it isn't fun!! Time is the only thing that helps (although some relief can be gained from a heat pad on effected area and walking), it is the gas from surgery that is used to "blow up" the area so that the surgeon can see what he's doing so gasX etc is apparently no help as that is designed to remove gas from the digestive tract. The bubbles will eventually break down until they are very small and can be absorbed by your body... for me this took about 7 days. The pain was a lot worse after drinking especially if I drank too fast! I still often get really bad "intestinal" gas pains down the sides and bottom of my abdomin usually after drinking... maybe swallowing to much air at the same time... to help with this I lie on my stomach with a couple of pillows propped up under my hips and it usually passes fairly quickly. If you can't lie on your stomach maybe try using your knees under your body with chest on floor to help move gas. Good luck

JoeyGirl I was in hospital for 2 days but by the time I got home I was still up 5lbs... I lost that weight over the next couple of days (fluid coming out!) and by the end of the first week I'd lost an additional 3.5lbs!!! So don't worry about the weight gain, it is just all the fluid they pump into you and it does come off.

Hi Sorry to post this but I thought that maybe some of you should be prepared for.... the bad breath! YUCK!! Since about day 4 (apparently) my breath has been well, vile to say the least (thank you to my DH, mother, sister and children for pointing this out)! I have had to buy packets and packets of Listerine strips to keep this controlled... luckily the strips disolve into nothing as I was concerned about swallowing a mint by mistake and it getting stuck!! I believe that this is due to ketones being expelled via breath (lack of carbs) and apart from upping the carb intake, which I don't want to do there is little else that can be done!?

Hi Janine My port is right under my left breast... I've had to pull the wire out of a few bra's to be able to be comfortable during the day! My surgery was at 10.00am on the Friday and was released at 12.00ish on the Sunday. I hated being in hospital but I think that all the fluids they pump into you plus the constant "top up" (on time) with Pamol (liquid painkiller) etc has really helped my recovery... the toilet and the hospital bed were much higher too which makes getting in and out of bed etc much easier. With that in mind I was sleeping on both sides the night I got home and a couple of nights later on my tummy with no trouble... after the gas pain subsided (7 days) I feel great and am back to walking 5kms (a little slower but OK). I must admit though that my appetite is returning with a vengence! I am going to have to rely on will power if I am to loose too much more weight before my first fill at 8 weeks... I wanted to loose another 10kgs (22lbs) before then but I now feel that that may be difficult :-( Take care and I hope your recovery continues to go smoothly :-)

Snoopy, I'm so very sorry for you and your family... you are in my prayers.