kt_999

Hi, I know that it seems ages away but my surgery is booked for June 1st (7 weeks tomorrow!!) and I just can't wait so I thought I'd start a June 2007 thread... anyone else out there due for surgery in June??? I started my pre-op diet (Optifast) last week... thought I'd try and lose as much as possible beforehand as I've kind of been doing the last super thing for most of this year! It's supprisingly OK... first 4 days were hell but hunger seems to have gone although I still struggle with the bordem (head hunger) a bit. KT being banded 1st June 2007 in New Zealand Starting weight 101kg, BMI = 35 Current weight 97kg, BMI = 33.5 (after 10 days on Optifast) Goal weight 65kg, BMI = 22

Hi Ange Great to hear from you. Mum has done OK, she started off strong and then just kindof lost momentum. She had a fill but it was too tight for her and I think that's put her off having any more... consequently she can eat too much and does! She does not regret it though as she is still 30lbs lighter than when she started and seems to have settled at that weight. How are you getting on? KT

Wow Nvalicia You have done soooo well! You have lost 2.5x as much weight as me and we were banded on the same day... amazing!!! I too changed my goal weight, and even though I'm 10lbs below my original goal I still have 10lbs to go! We will do it together!! I hope to be at goal by Christmas... I have a feeling you will beat me :-) Keep it up, you're inspiring. KT

I fully sympathise with all of you... this really wasn't as easy as I imagined it would be! I know that everyone said "it's just a tool" but I still thought that it'd be easier than this! The most amazing thing about the band in my opinion is that with the right amount of fill it seems almost impossible to put weight on... which is just so great, but to lose weight you still need to make good choices, eat hardly anything, fight all the old "head hunger" demons and excercise! I have lost soooo slowly. And to loose anything these days I have to have a couple of months off trying, psych myself into it and then make a huge effort to lose another 1-2kgs before having another couple of months off to recover! Luckily the weight lost during that time seems to stay off... it's the only thing that's worked for me. Good luck... keep on battling, it will be worth it in the end!

Hi everyone!!! I am the same KT that started this thread, but somehow managed to lose my connection to lapbandtalk and had to get a new login!! Anyway, I came back to say hi! Seems our wee thread is losing momentum... I truly hope it's because everyone is doing so well :-) The last time I posted I was frustrated with my weight loss but optimistic that I could turn things around... well I am pleased to report that I had a fill (9mls in a 10ml band) and wow.... restriction, frustration with restriction, etc etc I've had it all!!! Anyway, I finally passed my "original" goal weight. BMI says I am normal!!! YAY!!!! Unfortunately for me I've moved the goal posts and now still have 5kgs to go "keep on trucking"... I am soooo determined that I'll be there by Xmas!!!! NSV: The other day someone said to me... "look at you, skill as skinny as ever"!!! OMG, I have never been skinny but how nice is that!!! So many of us started in June 2007... I hope that you are all happy, healthy, satisfied. It's not so easy but it is attainable and you all deserve it! LOL KT

Hi HankFrank and other Junies I am feeling great thanks! I am a horse rider and have been regulary riding for the last 6 months (as soon as I'd lost enough weight!). I also really enjoy walking and have been trying to get as much excercise as possible... it's been very cold here though... roll on spring! I am very motivated again and have started losing weight which is fab, just had my 1 year bandiversary and although I would've liked to have been at goal I know that I will get there soon and be able to stay there forever! The band is working exactly as it should now... I thought that I had 9cc in a 10cc band but when I went to see my doc he said that I had 7cc and gave me another .5... finally I know what restriction is and I just love it, amazing that .5cc could make all the difference :-) I hope that you and everyone else are doing great... it's been one hell of a year... but I wouldn't change my decision to get banded for anything! Happy Bandiversary to all Junies KT

I am very sensitive about my weight and being a yo-yo dieter in the past (hopefully not any more!) I've had compliments that have turned bad in my head as I've regained weight... two that really stick out in my head are 1) a friend of mine who I met when I was 73kg (160lb and a healthy weight for my height)... I was telling her about my battles with weight over the years and she said "you'd be pretty no matter what weight your were..." fast forward to when I went up to 225lbs just before my surgery... fast forward to my current weight 175lbs, the other day we were discussing my journey (she is the only friend that knows about the surgery and has been so supportive) and she said (in the nicest possible way) you look great, when you put on all that weight you looked so thick around the face and neck, you finally look like you again!!! I know that I should take that as the compliment that she intended but all I could think as a yo-yo dieter was I guess I aint so pretty at any weight and I felt like sh*t!! 2) The to top it all off... the other day someone that I don't much care for but unfortunately through colleagues see often... said to me "funny, you look so much older now you've lost weight"... I promptly booked in for botox! K

Hi again :-) Thanks for the encouragment everyone, I was really motivated yesterday and went for a huge power walk and was really good with my eating all day! I'm off to the doctor today so will speak to him about whether I really need a small fill or whether I just need to get a better attitude! Thanks again

I was just reading past posts on the theory that some of the struggling bansters don't post like we used too! Well I am truly proof of that, it's been a long time since I last posted. It's good to see some familiar names though and I wonder why I stayed away when you are the best support there is! You may not remember me but I was banded on June 1st 2007, I was 101kg's (222lbs) then and am currently 81.9kgs (180lbs)... my goal is 73kg's (160lbs). To cut a long story short, I'm not completely unhappy with my banding since I haven't put any of the weight I lost back on... in fact, that is really quite amazing BUT... I am not at goal and I have been the same weight for well over 6 months! I have 9cc in a 10cc band and can still pretty much eat whatever I want, if I eat too fast and don't chew then I'm in trouble and will slime and throw up however if I chew, chew, chew I still seem to be able to eat loads??? I know I have to try harder but I don't know whether I've got sufficient restriction or not... I've booked in for another .5cc fill on Tuesday but not sure if this is the right thing to do? I really need to get motivated and just loose the weight, I know that it's "just a tool" but I really thought it would be a bit easier, I thought I'd be full after 3/4 of a cup?! I am really inspired to see that so many of you are doing so well :-)

Hi everyone Loving the new group... this should make it a lot easier to keep track! I was banded June 1st and am already ready for my first fill but my doctor likes to wait 3 months!! He can be persuaded to do it earlier (8 weeks) if weight loss has stopped however my weight loss hasn't stopped and hopefully it wont, but I am finding that my hunger has returned and my willpower needs some help therefore I would like a fill as soon a as is safe! I was wondering when everyone else is allowed a fill? Maybe if I get some numbers behind me I can persuade him to do it earlier?? I am happy to saty on liquids/mushies if this helps healing??? Cheers

Hi Janine I live in New Zealand... how about you? Are you enjoying the summer or winter? Great about the fill date... mine is 26th July and I also can't wait!! Since my doc told me he wouldn't do it any earlier I have been able to find some patience however which is great. I really do have to watch what I'm eating as all my good intentions seem to be going out the window as the plateau continues!!

Haze... woohooo keep it up, you sound like you are doing great!!! Yes the lack of energy is a little worrying in the first week or so but it does get better and the lack of calories is usually the culprit!!! Don't be surprised if you get a little hungry and maybe gain a few pounds during the mushies stage but I truly belive the choice we made to be banded was the best decision ever!!! Good luck and keep it up :-)

Hi Ange Pleased that you are home and everything is going well! Yes, I was hungry not too long after surgery... not really starving or anything but I think after so long dieting and on optifast I was more bored than anything else! After about a week I introduced some really TINY amounts of yummy soft food (cream cheese, feta cheese, pesto, different yoghurts, creamy soups (strained)) and really savoured the flavour in my mouth making sure everything was very liquidified before it went down... this helped me a lot and really made me appreciate food a lot more :-) It is very normal to feel hunger until to have adequate fills etc so this time really calls for good choices and willpower... but look at it this way, it's the last time you'll ever have to diet so hard!!

Hi Jen My port is quite high on the right hand side under my breast and stitched to my rib area so it can't be that deep. At first it was much larger (scar tissue/swelling I assume)... now you can't see it with your naked eye but I can definitely feel it!!! In fact I can make out sides vs top so I guess a fill will be easy for my doc!

Hi everyone At this point I must say I am just so jealous of all of you that are having fabulous weather!! It is winter here with snow predicted for the end of the week, and today it is raining heavily.... looks like it'll be treadmill only for me for quite some time yet!! Take care

Beckie, I am so pleased that you are OK... have been eagerly awaiting your reply :-) Take care of yourself, and hopefully everything will smooth sailing from here on in!

Lady Libra Thanks! I started on a pre-op diet 8 weeks before surgery and also started with a lower BMI so although I have done well to get 1/2 way there are others that have done much better but just have a longer journey. I have also only lost 4.5kg (10lbs) since my surgery on June 1st... and I lost most of that the first 2 weeks and since then I have struggled with little restriction on the mushies and now solid stages. I also think that after 3 months of dieting I have been a little bit over it for the last 2 weeks and had food options that I usually wouldn't even consider! However, today is the day I get back into the diet. The band needs my help to work and I am impatient and would like to have 75% of my weight off by my first fill at 8 weeks post-op. Hopefully then the band will really help with the last 18lbs which I'm sure will be the most difficult to shift! I'd like to be at my goal weight by the end of October. I lost the weight pre-op by doing 2 Optifast shakes a day and then one low fat, low carb, small dinner... and lots of walking!! Good luck to you... keep up the good work :-)

HottyToddy My doc is the same... no fill until 8 weeks, no exceptions! I did however get one day shy of 8 weeks as he was going to be away away for 2 weeks and I just couldn't bear the thought of waiting 10 weeks for my first fill!!! I too can eat anything it would seem and often wonder if I am doing any harm to my band. The weight loss has stopped and I am just managing to keep at the same level without putting any on with willpower and exercise. I have however decided today to go back onto Optifast for Breakfast, diet Soups for lunch and no more than 3/4 cup Protein and vege for dinner... I know that it will be very hard but actually it's hard already (and the guilt sucks!) and I'd rather it be hard and be losing weight at the same time!! I have set myself a goal that I want to have lost 10kgs (22lbs) by my first fill so I have some work to do!! Just try and hang in there... the time will pass, the fills will happen and the weight will come off once and for all. We are so similar in the fact that this just can't happen fast enough though! You are doing really well to be able to limit your portions as you do... better than I have been anyway so try and feel really good about that.

I made sure that the Soups were strained and as long as I drank them very slowly (I mean by 1/2 way through it needed reheating slow!!!) then I had no problems at all... they obviously just went right on through!! If I did drink them a little fast then I would get pressure in my chest and know that I needed to slow down, after about 2 weeks however I can drink like normal for the most part... obviously all the swelling from surgery has gone. Best to follow doctors advice though... all docs are different and I can only assume they base thier post-op diets on past experiences... my surgeon is quite conservative so I never told him about the soup!

Oh Marylou... hope you are feeling better soon? That is very low blood pressure, no wonder you passed out! I saw my surgeon yesterday and he convinced me that waiting for a fill is best.. I am just so impatient (definate character flaw!), anyway I booked in for my first fill on July 26... 8 weeks post op :-)

MM... I am so hearing you!! I have only lost 8lbs since my surgery date... however a week ago I had lost 11lbs... mushies suck!!!

Hi Beckie I would definitely call someone for advice or maybe post to the general discussion board here to get advice from more expericenced bandsters. I was banded 1st June and have had no swelling, bruising or anything so unfortunately I can only offer moral support... I'm sure that if it isn't hot to touch and you have no fever then it will be OK, but if it were me I'd want a doc to reassure me!! Good luck :-)

YeeHa!!! My mum is banded on that day too... best of luck to you, look foward to hearing how it goes :-)

Congrats on being banded :-) I was banded June 1st and feel great... that first week post-op isn't that much fun but you will be feeling great in no time! When does your doc allow you to have mushies? I was allowed mushies after 2 weeks but started drinking creamy Soups (strained) earlier than that as I just had no energy and was so sick of Optifast!! Keep up the good work and welcome to bandland!!

SimplyMe Thanks, I am very pleased with my weight loss but I did start dieting 8 weeks pre-op so it has definitely slowed considerably! I can't wait to reach my goal... I'd like to get there by my birthday (Nov) and buy something really sexy to wear :-) You are doing great too... how are feeling? You area lower BMI bandster as well... what made you decide to go ahead with the band? I'm a chronic yo-yo dieter and had just had enough really... I looked at my future and saw a life long battle with it and just thought NO WAY!!!!