Scotty

i haven't got one yet. I thought I might though...this site has some nice ones. http://www.hahoriginals.com/catalog/default.php/cPath/66

I saw your photo on the site before and I'm glad you are posting. I'm a Scot too although I live in London these days and had my band put in 9 weeks ago by Mr Rogers at the Princess Grace. I know EXACTLY what you mean about the creeping guilt. I've been using Weightlossresources.co.uk to reassure myself. I went to New York for a long weekend a couple of weeks back. I haven't had a fill yet so was worried I might go a bit mad. I was convinced I would have undone the good work by the time I got back. At times I knew I had eaten too much. I was luck enough to fly out First Class and trying to say no to the freebie food and wine on the plane was more than I could manage. A couple of times I felt uncomfortable. I really didn't feel like I was holding back - cocktails etc! But low and behold, when I summoned the courage to get on the scale when I returned, I'd lost another pound! When I input the food I'd eaten into my diary, I was still within my daily calorie allowance. It seems there's a difference between feeling like you're pigging out and actually doing it. It goes to prove how much of the change is in your head when you get this device! You must be so looking forward to your holiday. It's going to be wonderful and I like your month off strategy! Best wishes! Scotty

I had my weekend in New York City. I was quite nervous about eating as it would be the first time I'd be out with friends, eating Breakfast, lunch and dinner. It started badly when i overate on the plane and felt too full. Did the same thing in the evening. Began to get worried that I was doing damage and felt quite out of control. The next few days were OK and having just added up my calories for the weekend, I didn't overindulge as much as perhaps I thought I had. However, I seem to have lost all restriction suddenly and am worried that my band might have slipped. Tomorrow is my weekly weigh in day and I am petrified that I will have undone all my good work. I've been very good the last two days but who knows... I felt I was losing restriction before I went away which is probably because I have now lost around 18lbs. (until I get on the scale tomorrow morning!). It's been 8 weeks since my op. Should I be thinking about getting a fill? Any advice, welcome!

If things aren't tasting right, or nothing seems to be appetising, it may be that you're deficient in various minerals, notably zinc. Try crushing a Multivitamin into your smoothy or something. I much prefer savouries to sweets and milky things too. I had a ball with Soups in the liquid stage. I wasn't so keen on the mushy stage but it soon passed. There are aspects to the emotional path we are on which remind me of the stages of grief. I think most of us go through the denial, depression, anger and acceptance but not necessarily in that order! But there is another stage I have found, which is relief mixed with contentment that I have managed to take control of the only part of my life that felt really out of control. It's still a rollercoaster though!

The small regular meals thing is a bit of a fad I think. I have a friend who's a nutritionist who says that eating like that has little effect on your metabolism. Your body uses up energy at a near enough constant rate. We know that because our core temperature stays the same except when we do vigorous exercise or are ill. There's so much nonsense talked about nutrition. So little is really understood about it. And the professionals seem to change their minds with the seasons. Remember when eggs were bad for you? Read this. I found it on Weightlossresources.com - * "Going to work on a couple of eggs might be the way forward if you want to shift those pounds. According to new research from the Rochester Centre for Obesity in America, eating eggs for breakfast could help to limit your calorie intake throughout the rest of the day, by more than 400 calories. * In the study, 30 overweight or obese women ate either an egg-based breakfast (2 eggs) or a bagel-based breakfast, containing the same amount of calories and almost identical levels of Protein. The researchers recorded the women’s eating habits and found that just before lunch, the women who had eaten eggs for breakfast felt less hungry and ate a smaller lunch as a result. Better still, over the next 36 hours the group eating the egg-containing breakfast consumed, on average, 417 calories less than the bagel-eating group. Weight Loss Resources says… This study suggests that eating eggs for breakfast makes you feel fuller for longer so that you eat less at your next few meals. This is great news if you’re trying to lose weight as it means you may find it easier to cut calories without feeling hungry. In fact, based on these results you could expect to lose up to 2lb a month, simply by eating eggs for breakfast! * Eggs are packed with a variety of nutrients including protein, zinc, Iron and Vitamins A, D, E and B12, but contain just 85 calories each. Old advice to limit eggs to just a few each week has also been abandoned. According to the food Standards Agency, there’s now no limit to the number of eggs you can eat in a week as part of a healthy balanced diet. If you fancy starting the day with eggs we suggest you avoid frying them and combine them with wholemeal toast and a glass of Vitamin C-rich unsweetened orange juice, which will help the body make the best use of the iron in the eggs." Bottom line is, eat a varied diet, when you want to, find the foods that satisfy you for longest and exercise more. Oh...and stop obsessing about food if you can. (Pot, kettle, black...!)

Brenda! You've lost 138lbs!!!! That's amazing! I know another 80lbs probably seems like a huge mountain to climb but just focus on today and tomorrow if you absolutely have to! I've got 93lbs to lose so I'm not far behind you! I try to remember what I was doing this time last year and realise how quickly (and scarily) time passes, and that by this time next year, I should be at my goal, Godwilling. You're right to focus on your goals, but don't beat yourself up if you miss out on one or two a day. I've become addicted to online food diaries. i really think they help me stay on track. I was using Fitday.com but found it a bit too American! I now use Weightlossresources.com which has a UK food database. I love playing about with the goals and stuff. Anyway, I think you're amazing. A real inspiration to me and everyone else I'm sure. Stay cool!

Dry meat for me too....I made some pork meatballs with ginger, garlic and chili a couple of weeks back. I mixed in a couple of tablespoon of breadcrumbs and bound them with an egg to keep them soft, browned them in a dry pan then baked in the oven. When they were hot they went down fine, but the next day I took them to work cold and boy did they hurt. I made up a non-fat yogurt dip with lemon juice and paprika and that made it much easier. Same with chicken - if I have some kind of dressing or sauce it's fine. I'm going to become an expert at lo-cal sauces!

I'm seven weeks since surgery and saw hardly an ounce move for the last three weeks. Then, as if by magic, 3 lbs in week! Which puts me at just over 2lbs a week average. Long may it continue! Although a pleasure trip to NYC might sabotage it...better save some calories before I go!

I think I'm right in saying that not all doctors ask for patients to liquid diet. My doc certainly didn't say anything about it and I was eating up to the evening before surgery. Nothing after middnight is all he said. That said, what YOUR doctor says is what important here. But don't beat yourself up for having a sandwich. And really don't worry about how you're going to feel after the operation. It's a bit of a rollercoaster but you feel very differently after you have the op. The stakes are higher and it's easier to control your eating, that's for sure. I've only just started to get hungry, and that's 8 weeks since surgery. I'm hoping to get a fill soon. I'm not losing as quickly as I would like despite a 1200 calorie a day diet. But good luck! It's an exciting time and you'll be fine.

That's so great to see and read all your results! I am grinning from ear to ear. Thrilled you all did the test. It's quite interesting isn't it. Try the Brainsex one now...! How male or female is your brain... Anyway, thanks again for your support. I need it at the moment. Another slow week on the weightloss front. In fact I was up a pound today despite a 5 mile walk at the weekend and no more than 1200 calories a day for weeks now. I'm also cycling to and from work each day - about three miles each way. Don't know why I hold onto all this fat!! And I'm heading to NYC for a few days good time next week, some of which will inevitably involve one of the major food groups - the Martini. I have never quite believed that clear liquor can contain so many calories. I am not going to weigh myself until Friday now. See if I can trick the scales into not remembering how much I weigh.

By the way, I'm a Big Thinker according to the test. I'd be really intersted to know what you guys are!!! Summary of Big-Thinkers * Outspoken, ingenious and bored by routine * Think of themselves as talkative, curious and self-sufficient * May neglect the routine work required to make their plans successful

You guys...! What are you all like? This is better than the award...well, almost. Who am I kidding - you can't lovingly fondle a message board can you - unlike my big hunk of stainless steel trophy. I'm not at all famous by the way but the show did quite well with the viewers. It was called, "What Am I like? The Personality test" It was on BBC1 last year and was an interactive documentary about personality types. We tracked a huge group of people, tested them using the Myers Briggs tests in secret, then set them various tasks which we filmed. A team of psychologists (who didn't know the results of the MBT) then predicted how they would act. It was scary how accurate they were. One group (the extroverts I think( had to cook a meal together. The psychologists said it would be a disaster. More than likely one of them would do somehting like set off the smoke alarm. Two minutes later, that's EXACTLY what happened. We all have four facets to our personality. The core two stay the same throughout our lives, but things like introvert/extrovert can change over time. It's very interesting. Throughout the programme, the viewers, using their TV remote control could answer a series of 20 questions and at the end we delivered back your personality type on screen. My speciality is interactive TV. We use digital technology to make it all work. Anyway, if you want to do the test have a look at the BBC website. It's good fun. http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/index.shtml There are other tests on the site which I also recommend for a boring afternoon in the office. The data (confidential of course) is used by educational institutes all over the world, so do take a few minutes to have a go. Thanks again for the thread!

It's so weird...there's no rhyme or reason to what seems to give you the 'toxic golf ball' sensation. I didn't feel like breakfast this morning - had a bit of yoghurt drink but that was it. By midday I was hungry so opened the salad I had made at home which was roasted chicken breast, baked squash, ricotta with a little chili and red onion - yum. Well....the first bite felt tight but the second was agony. I made the classic mistake of taking some water. That definitely makes it worse. I hid in the loo for 10 mins and the feeling passed but boy, it was painful. yet other times I can eat whatever I want.

You'll be climbing the stairs as soon as you are up and about. I worried about putting socks on and stuff like that, but really, there was very little I couldn't do by the time I was out of hospital. Reaching up high was a bit painful but soon went. I was cycling 10 days after the op - but probably shouldn't have! I totally relate to how you are feeling about your relationship with food. I found the first two-three weeks really easy post op. I don't feel I have enough restriction now and proabably need a fill but watching the scales twitch down is so good it keeps me going. And as for your 'cheat' - pulease....do NOT beat yourself up about a piece of chicken. It's important that you follow your doctors advice but remember many docs don't ask you to fast at all. I didn't. You haven't done anything wrong. Good luck!

There are a couple of different strains of bacteria you can take - acidopholous is one and L-Casei Immunitas - as I understand it they do the same thing. Here you can buy then in the supermarket. Usually near the milk or yogurt. They are big in Europe and are really taking off here. They make me much less bloated and I certainly am less gassy than I was before the op. I'm another lb down today! Hurrah.

I agree too that you might want to try giving wheat and the complex carbs like potatoes a miss for a while. They can feed the yeasty bacteria with the sugar they love and give you terrible flatulence. My doctor said that the liquid phase can alter the balance of bacterias in your gut and recommended a drink called Actimel - I don't know if you can get it in the US - it's a yogurt drink that has all the good bacteria in it that your gut needs to kill the bad bacteria. Other brands are Benecol and Yakult. They come in little capsules and have 65 cals each. I wish I had found them years ago. I haven't felt like eating potatoes or Pasta since my op - don't know why. i have been eating rye bread - the black german stuff - which is delicious and doesn't have wheat flour. Yummy with a poached egg, thin sliced lean ham and chopped cherry tomatoes for Breakfast. Hang in there...don't do anything rash.

The money issue is one that I haven't seen brought up before but it occurred to me the other day that I am spending a load less on food too. I was thinking about doing what people giving up cigs do and putting the money in a jar to spend on something else. I haven't managed to add up how much I've saved but it must be 50-100 pounds over the last month. Anyone else done anything interesting with the money they've saved?

I started to write a post on exactly this subject the other day, then deleted it all because I knew what the answers were...that said, it's great to hear all the different experiences. I'm 4 and a half weeks post op and lost 9lbs the first week then two to three since. I keep a really careful note of what I eat and haven't cheated. My calorie intake averages around 1000 to 1100 a day. It worries me that I'm not losing more because i don't know how much less I can get away with eating even if I do get a fill. I feel restriction as it is, especially in the morning and i find dry meat really hard to eat. Last night I was at an awards dinner and couldn't get the rubber chicken down at all! (I won the award by the way - Learning on Screen, Best TV programme 2004! If I can't brag here, where can I brag!!!) Anyway, just thought I'd commiserate and say that I too feel scared that I'm going to be the one for whom this doesn't work. Loved the story about the size 4 woman though....really spurred me on. Can you imagine? Losing too much weight!!! That'll be the day.....

Yep - I'm in the UK. London. But I'm Scottish by birth. Fife to be exact. Where are you having your surgery? I had mine done by Mr John Rogers, Princess Grace Hospital. Feel free to PM if you would like.

Christina i was so glad to read your opening post...and then so sorry to see that you're going to be delayed. Nevertheless, let me say, I totally totally hear you when you say you're scared about the loss you think you're going to experience. i was EXACTLY the same. food was one of the most important relationships in my life. What was I going to do with it? it was like I went into mourning. But, you know what, I don't feel in the slightest deprived. I feel totally satisfied on a much smaller amount of food. My problem is getting rid of the guilt I associate with feeling full. I have to go and add up my calories on Fitday.com just so I believe that I am eating about 1000 cals a day! Can't be possible, can it? After all that, I so hope you find a way through this little hold-up.

I have a card with a diagram of the band and some explanation as well as my doctor's office and cell phone number. Whether anyone would find it amongst the dry-cleaning receipts, credit cards, coupons and business cards is another question!!

Hi there, Make no mistake - the lap band is major surgery with everything that entails. One of the first things my surgeon warned me about is the risk that he may need to convert from laproscopic to open surgery. This could be for all kinds of reasons. My surgeon has done over 200 lap-bands and so far has never had to convert, but still, it is a risk. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be wanting to have my abdomen opened up in a Doctor's office. Also, as someone who is overweight there is a higher risk that you may develop complications from the anaesthetic and as Alexandra says, again, you want the full service that a hospital can provide in terms of crash equipment. I am full of admiration that Alexandra went home so quickly. There's no way I could have done that. I was glad of the two nights in hospital. I was worried about blood clots (another high risk of being overweight) and was given Flotron massage treatment for 36 hours, as well as anti-clot injections and help getting the TED socks on and off. I live alone and there is no way I could have come home sooner. I don't mean to alarm you. The mortality rate for this surgery is very low. So far I don't regret having the op for a moment. But I thought long and hard about it before I went ahead. 4 months of yes one minute, no the next until I finally decided. I am now 3 and half weeks post-op and haven't had any complications. I feel great, down 12lbs (although most of that was in the week post op). Am REALLY looking forward to getting onto solid food on Friday!!! I've also been cycling for the last three days to and from work and a lovely day on Sunday all the way to church on the other side of Hyde Park (London) and back again. Don't rush into a decision. Keep reading this board and all the other literature you'll get from your doctor. Good luck and happy thinking !!!!!

Hi Holly You're going to get some great replies from all sorts of people at all stages post-band. I'm three weeks & 2 days since the op and I feel great. 12 lbs down and still slightly disconcerted by how little i need to eat to feel full. I certainly sympathise with your history. I've never lost as much as 100lbs. 30lb was my biggest loss a couple of years back and I put most of it back on within 18 months. That was when I made my decision to get the band. I paid for it myself too. Yes - there are complications but if you look closely at the board you'll see that out of all the members, the numbers of people with serious complications are pretty few. They are on the board a lot because they value the support they get here. All that said, there are risks. The question you have to ask yourself is, are you willing to weigh the risks of having the band versus the risks of living with obesity. Can it give you the control to stop at just one cookie? No. You can cram in more than that - if that's the food choice you want to make. But you'll most likely to be unable to eat anything else for several hours. What it does do, is make you less likely to want the biscuit because the good food you had at lunch will be keeping you satisfied until dinner. I sound really holier than thou...I know. And really I've no reason to. I counted my days intake of calories tonight and realised I had only had 600 all day. So I went an blended up some shrimp with some lo-cal mayo, lemon juice and chili. Had it with some mashed potato and an ounce of cheese. Total cals = around 400. I am now so full I feel uncomfortable. My doc told me that I had to stop eating as soon as I feel full. I haven't quite learned that my 'full' feeling doesn't register for about five minutes after I stop eating. I couldn't eat a cookie now if you paid me a million dollars.

The shoulder pain isn't really anything to do with your shoulder! It's what's known as referred pain - sort of like getting a pain in your fingers if you bash your elbow. When your diaphragm - the big muscle at the bottom of your ribs - gets irritated it triggers a nerve pain in your left shoulder. That would explain why Terri gets it after a fill. Her band gets inflated and irritates her diaphragm for a while. Almost everyone seems to get the shoulder pain. I found exercise helped the most. Sitting around definitely made it worse. With me it only lasted five days post op though. Hope that explains!

Why don't you postpone the surgery until you know about the TV show? What's another month or two? I am a TV producer and reading your email, this friend who has a friend who says you can audition, sounds a little vague. Get more details before you throw in all the mental prepartion you've done for the band. I don't know the show but I would imagine there will be 100's a people they are looking at. They'll be trying to get a mix of people - age, sex, location, background - to make the show interesting. But if schedules are the way they are here, they'll be making a quick decision. On the negative side - being on TV isn't what it's cracked up to be. It's hard work, emotionally draining, and never forget - you are a commodity. Any 'relationships' you have with the production team are purely transactional. Reality TV is the ultimate in manipulation. And as you yourself seem to realise, the unreality of reality TV means that at some point you will be thrown back into the real real world with no support. Sorry to end this on a negative, but I'd hate to see you get your hopes up only for it all to be dashed by some mercenary TV producer. I'm one of them.