kermit

Hi got rhis last yr...hope still valid 0851979081

Hi got rhis last yr...hope still valid 0851979081

hi - thought I'd drop back in after a long absence. I was banded by Dr. Jerome through ACS July 07. I took a year to get the right restriction - two fills by ACS didn't work very well but a third by Frederik Serneels was just the ticket. I have lost 93 lbs / 42 kilos / nearly seven stone/ from size 28 clothes to size 18 to 20 and I feel great. My restriction is grand - not too much as I can eat pretty much anything but quite slowly and it's tight in the morniing but loose enough to enjoy my grub in the evening. In fairness, the band isn't really the only element of the weight loss - I took up swimming three nights a week and it has helped shed most of the weight I think - but the band is like having a good insurance policy/ pension plan...always ticking away in the background. I find that I have periods of no weight loss (but that's because I get out of the right mindset and start eating too much junk/ skipping the pool..ever noticed that cake and chocolate are really band friendly while vegetables and meats are hard work?) I am really hoping to have the 100 lbs lost by mid November. It sounds good to lose that much but my BMI is still high and I could do with losing at least another 4 stone after that, but it will happen eventually. It has come to the point where most of the time I forget I have it at all. I enjoy my food a lot more now and have my occasional treat if I want it (but only half of what I used to eat). Just wanted to drop in with a fairly positive story and hope that you are all doing ok. I hope that you all hit your sweet spot and life is good. Take care of yourselves, bandsters and sorry for the long post! kermit Ps: a good tip I found that worked is to stop eating sloppy food and buckle down to only eating proper 'hard work' food for a few days, e.g. muesli, meat, fish, vegetables, salads, raw fruits. It retrains me to eat slowly and I'm full before I know it. Hope that helps someone. Also I found that keeping a food diary for even just a week showed me that I was living on chocolate/ biscuits and potatoes ...nearly died as I had been nibbling on the run and would have sworn I was only having one major meal a day...the shame....

hi there sorry not to post in ages. I was banded by Jerome july 27 in 2007. It took until Nov to get filled and was really downhearted but after a second fill with ACS in Feb 08 I was getting places very slowly. My last fill was done in Dublin with the belgian team in May 08 (after a week on lipotrim to try and break my binges) and it is working a treat. I have to be careful with food but if I avoid breads/ cakes and stuff that forms a wad or ball I can manage almost everything. I have lost a total of five and a half stone and that is not being angelic either (I have choc every day) BUT I have to say that I drop a pound a week if a I go swimming twice in the week. I still have a very long way to go but I take heart in the fact that I am over half way to my eventual goal. Just wanted to tell my story in the hope it will help anyone who is completely disappointed in their band. Keep going for fills until it is working for you and then enjoy the foods you can eat while exercising. It gets better. Kermit

hi Coco - well done on the weightloss - that's a really impressive amount and I can only imagine the impact it must have on your life and self esteem etc. For those in the West - I got a text from ACS a couple of weeks ago (galway office) with available dates for fills in February - I think 27th is available.

Ailbhe, Elsie and Ellen - the very best of luck to you on your procedures. Alesha, buddy your news is great! I would love to be overweight! coco - thanks a million for the recipes - the barley pot sounds lovely in this cold weather! Have been upping the vitamins since I am in the middle of my second bad cold since January....cannot seem to get over it at all and the nutrition could be having an impact. Greaqt news on the weight loss front though - I had put on about 8lbs between Dec and Jan. Happy to say I got rid of them and another 3.5 to boot! So from 312 to 279.5 is 32.5 lbs lost!! yahoo, etc!! Loadsahugs Kermit

hi guys great to read the successes and the lovely advice from people when things aren't going very well. I have to say a huge thanks to Emerald and Coco for the fab and confidence boosting posts. I am digging away at the Christmas pounds and it is slowly working. I am really fighting the chocolate cravings every day but have given up the bread (once my biggest weakness) completely so I am proud of that. Roe and Paulina - keep hanging in through the bad times because it goes in swings and roundabouts (I am learning the hard way!). My latest fill has really shown me what restriction is supposed to be like. I thought I had restriction before but now I find that I am PBing if I don't chew the protein like mad - meat and nuts. I can't manage food in the morning (feel nauseous at the thought of eating) but I have porridge at 12.30. Does anyone have a tip for light/easy/ quick morning food? I need to address this cos the afternoon after school is a killer - when I get home I just want sugar in any form and end up prostrate on the couch for an hour and it's downhill from there...the rest of the day I am insatiable and crave food! Any suggestions gratefully accepted guys :-)

hi guys - sorry to hear that people are having so many problems with ACS aftercare. Might be a good idea to document any problems as they occur in case there is an argument to be made later for refund/ compensation/ better treatment. Got my 3rd fill and have some restriction but no willpower. New resolution begins Monday for sure.

hi guys great to hear you are all in good form and working at it. Got mt 3rd fill last wed and I feel more restricted. Managed to losae a couple of pounds that I had gained up to that point. Coco - hope the recovery is going really well and the driving is manageable - Congrats to Skinny and Alesha for great results! Sorry to be away so long but have been bed ridden for a few days - back problems. Good news about possible fills by Belgian docs for the future - was worrying if ACS would continue to offer them after the year was up. G'luck guys.

hi girls Thanks for the supportive comments when I was down. I had a major episode of feeling sorry for myself and then had to kick myself in my own ample ass. The fact that I can now do this is cause for hope. I have begun to embrace the good news and chill out about the bad. I have lost two stone and kept it (mostly) off. First time ever. I have a forum with loads of people who understand the band journey. I have a fill next Wednesday and I have a new resolution to stop sabotaging myself by drinking with meals. SO - Alesha, band buddy, after reading your post I realised we have both lost the same amount in the same time - cannot be bad, eh? We are doing something right! Only positive thoughts from now on. PS - I started Aqua aerobics again after Christmas - the thought of going is awful but once I get into the pool I feel great (sweaty and grunting and bobbing maniacally but great nontheless). I had to buy a new pair of togs because my old ones had become too big and I was in danger of knocking some lady's eyes out with the unrestrained boobs. SUCCESS. Thanks again guys for the positive words.....I think January is a misery for everyone.

hi guys hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year. It is great to hear all the positive stories and good luck to all the people who are thinking of having the op. Sorry not to be on the forum for a while - very depressed about the whole thing and don't want to bring everyone down. Will pop back when things improve!

hi Roe - don't worry. I know how hard it is when the restriction isn't there.....I am on my 2nd fill and have a lost a little bit but I need to go back. I think the answer is to keep going back until you can only eat a small amount of food slowly. coco has been brilliant with encouragement and I have to say I am very slow about causing a fuss about things, but she told me to get the fill when I was hanging around and upset about it - best advice ever. I had my last fill in Nov and it was a bit more restrictive but I can still eat a good bit without feeling full. I have been given only 1 ml each time so I suppose that is the safe limit. I am supposed to last on this until Feb but my weightloss has stopped and started to creep slowly up again....I can't maintain the atkins type diet I tried. I think I will have to book in again for a fill. I feel that I am 'nearly there' and hope one more fill will give me the sweet spot I need to be losing steadily. Good luck Roe and don't beat yourself up....the weight loss will happen and you will get there ....it is just a matter of adjusting the band fill to suit you. Good luck!