Aussiegal

yes I would be keen to share information. I am about 13 months post op...happy to share my 'wisdom' and would love to share info.

Dear Kerrie I wouldn't worry too much now...you WILL lose weight but you do have to be patient and prepared for ups and downs. I lost about 10 kgs before the op (oh the irony) but I know I wouldn't have sustained that for long so it was the best thing I ever did. You will find that the first 6 - 10 weeks will see a nice loss and yes your doctor won't do a fill for a while so don't stress. The fact that it is there anyway will be a tremendous change even without the fills. Just make sure you listen to wha tthe doc says and your dietician...although I haven't had a dietician for some time...she was pretty useless most of the time so I have had to experiment a bit more than normal. Get a therapist too...they will do more for you than the others put together...it can be quite emotional. It terms of food...if any lapbander puts there mind to it they can sit through a three course meal...god knows I have. So the little tips about putting things on small plates, or if you are serving up 'regular' size portions draw a line down the middle of the plate and eat only half. Start with the best or good foods first, drink lots of water before hand, don't drink with your meal, leave about 30 mins after the meal until you have a drink, don't try to keep up with other eaters (most people eat to fast), order the entree size, your eyes ARE bigger than your stomach, take your time - chew etc, make sure you know where the bathroom is in the restaurant, allow yourself the 'naughty' things occassionally (but be careful about why you are rewarding yourself). It's total behaviour change which is very difficult if you have had a love/hate relationship with food. Feel free to contact me if you have more questions. cheers

no I win on that one...152 cm 5 foot 2 inches...so I always thought that if I could just get a good foot worth of growth I wouldn't need the band!! Alas. You have done amazingly in such a short time. I have been very slack for the last three months...I didn't get my fill when I should have and really haven't been as focussed but I am reasonably satisfied to plod along. I have to remind myself I have lost almost 30kg!! And I don't have to shop in the fat lady stores any more!!

hello, I am on the northside. Your stats are great...do you mind if I ask how tall you are?

Hello to the Aussies on this site...I have been surfing a bit today trying to find you. No offence to my US sisters and brothers but I would love to find some Aussies in my neck of the woods to compare notes on (esp on food and talking in kilos...I have to keep converting to pounds). I had my band in Sept 04 and have lost about 30kgs give or take, over half way there I think). Am up to the point where things have slowed down and I am looking for a bit of inspiration re food, recipes, motivation etc (seeing everyone's before and after pics has certainly been inspiring). Anyway I am finding this site quite helpful though...I think the USA is quite a bit ahead of us in terms of numbers and I can't really find any sites like this in Australia with so much information exchange going on. Anyway i will continue to follow the threads! cheers

Hi Selina...I am in Brisbane...where are you. I am looking for other people in Oz to compare notes with too. There doesn't seem to be much about in Australia...although I found something called Ozband but there aren't so many of us here so the US one provides some more info exchange...I have already discovered many things I didn't know. cheers

Hi Kerrie, I have been looking for other Aussies on this site for support, advice, and a conversation about Aussie foods and kilos not pounds! Hello!! G

Dear Penni Can you tell me more about the Erosion issue. I read your site but I wondered what this is all about. I have never seen any reference to this at all. cheers

THANK YOU...finally I have found some sensible eating lists! Apart from the one my dietician gave me 12 mths ago which is far too much good and isn't very logical in practice I have been 'experimenting' all the way. I like the combo list...it is nice and simple. cheers

You better go back to your doctor if this has been going on for a while. Bacon is evil I have to say unless it is really crispy and then chewed well. I have had a few bad runs with bacon. Try proscuitto instead, or just nice lean leg ham. try a few really deep breaths. see if that helps

Dear Dubliner Don't worry it is freaking me out too. I can't bear to count calories etc. If I could do that I wouldn't have needed the band. I thought this site might offer some new good food ideas but I am not finding them yet!

Dear Cheri I small potato or a 1/3 cup of mashed potato is one carb portion so that means you can have it but count it as a carb not a vege!! And lose the butter!! If you have to make it mushy use a splash of low fat milk, or I like hommus in mine. Or add to it some Beans, chick peas, lentils, herbs (like parsley or fresh coriander) to make it interesting. A bit of olive oil would even be better than the butter. The other think i do and I am not sure if they have this in the US is shepherd's pie, so you make up some savory beef mince with diced onion, capsicum, garlic, cumin, chopped tomatoes, a bit of red wine (like an italian style sauce) and then put it in a dish and then mash the potato up and spread it over the top, sprinkle a little cheese and paprika over the top and bake until the cheese melts and it's great. Last forever, the whole family will like it, You only need a little and it goes down well as a meal in itself regardless of what stage you are at, or add a salad to it.

This is really not good Tina but I know how you feel...although for me it is less often. There is either something not right with your band or you are eating too much (sorry). Or maybe of the wrong things. Protein is always going to be really difficult to eat especially teamed with salads or veges so I tend to split these into separate meals mostly. And actually I hardly eat meat to be honest unless it is minced. So steak, chicken are things I will eat but really carefully and chew well and eat slowly. I usually have salads and veges first. Everything in small bites. Sometimes if you get a piece of food lodged in there then everything else will just pile itself on top until it goes up to you oesophagus!! the other ephiphany I had was that maybe your meals are too close together. Are you eating just because it is that time of the day, or because you are actually hungry. Sometimes the food can take 12 hours to digest,,,esp raw or low processed foods so you are probably still a bit full from lunch. You probably need to have a good chat to your doctor or dietician and I find that writing down what I ate that might have triggered the problem and then removing it for a while helps to sort out what's ok and what's not.

I actually couldn't get the protein drinks I needed to have for the two weeks prior to surgery or after (supplier problems) so my dietician just put me on a very special restricted diet of certain veges and salads and things and I had no problems after my surgery.

Dear Dixie They say to stay completely away from calorie rich liquids eg juices, soft drinks that aren't diet, etc etc so yes that includes booze. However, there is a lot to be said for a medicinal red wine every other night. Good for the heart and basically let's face it we have very small stomachs now so any more than that and we are under the table!! I have been known to overload on a weekend or two and have paid dearly for it not only with a hangover but because you are drinking at the same rate you used to but eating less you get very drunk, very quickly and can throw up...which is bad for your band. So these days I am a one or two glass girl! If you don't like wine then have your spirits with soda Water, water, or ice with squeezed lemon or lime. No softdrinks.

Don't cheat! with hard food. If you are not feeling like the pure liquids are doing any good then move on to youghurts, even thicker yohgurts will feel more filling...I am not sure what sort of stuff you have in the US but I went pretty quickly to yoghurts with say a little bit of fruit in them (pre-mixed) or a natural youghurt with some tinned fruit and or even some museli (not too much as it will expand a bit), mashed potato (no butter but maybe milk just to make it thinner!) with say mushy peas and corn in it, soup with a little bit of bread soaked in it (again not too much...just say half a slice and really soggy), THEN later in the week you could go to really soggy cereals like Weet-bix, or all bran, or porridge (oats)...extra care with these as they do expand but they are filling so you will feel less hungry. Also you might need to keep busy to take your mind off it...although if you are on here it might be hard ; )

Dear All Hi I am from Australia, I haven't been able to find a forum like this in Australia but I have already had a good read through many of the postings on here. I will be banded on 8 Sept - really looking forward to it now but having some problems with the pre-op diet - my dietician has been a little vague about some things regarding what I should eat so I am sticking to high Protein - fish, chicken or beef everyday, all the rabbit food I can eat (except corn, potato, sweet potato, beans) and diary (low-fat cheese, milk). no carbs, sugar, juice, soft drinks. Plus I am doing the slow chewing and not drinkig with meals to prepare! Is this OK? I am about 113 kg (sorry not sure what this is in pounds) and am 5'2". Have been big all my life, ironically now I am losing some weight but I have ever been able to sustain for long periods. So now I about to join your club! I also need a little more about the gory details of before the surgery and after - no one has been to forthcoming with this info. Any advice appreciated. cheers from Oz

New to the forum but had to reply to this first. I have been taking anti-depressants for about 6 years. They all make you gain weight - until now. I have been on one called Lexapro which for me has had the affect of DECREASING APPETITE - finally! It was a vicious circle - depressed because of weight, taking anti-depressants, putting on more weight. Lexapro (not sure who makes it) is great, especially since I am two weeks away from my lap-band surgery and eating rabbit food and protein drinks. Looking at everyone's comments - it has been difficult to find this sort of feedback and I am feeling less anxious and more excited as the date draws near.