voodookitty

wow, Tracy! I love the updated photos. You look AMAZING....so beautiful!

We both went through the Healthier Weight Centre, they offer unlimited free refills for one year.

There are so many different regulations on this. Every doctor is different. I was banded by Franco favretti, the Italian doctor that fitted the second lap band ever done worldwide. He now teaches other docs worldwide in banding and continues to develop the best way to avoid complications. I am so impressed by him and I felt honored to be one of the few patients lucky enough to secure a appt with him. That said my advice was: 7 day pre-op diet to shrink the liver (protein shakes and sensible dinn) post op: 3 weeks of liquids 3 weeks of purees then progression into solids. First fill at 8 weeks Then 3 days of liquids/puree of liquids after a fill. Now that is very conservative compared to what alot of doctor's say but the patients at the clinic I go through have a very very low rate of problems with their bands IF they follow the program. It's hard and it sucks and I wish sometimes my doc was as easy going as alot of docs but after spending nearly 15k self pay on this the last thing I want to do is screw it up because I've been too hasty or anxious to do what *I* wanted. My advice would be listen to your doctor but educate yourself, its better to be more cautious in the beginning while you're healing then to regret it later on and end up in surgery again or doing harm to yourself. If his speciality is gastric bypass over the lapband then it may be why he's so lax. Their rules are very different to ours. Best wishes to you in your journey and please don't think I'm trying to say any other doctor's but mine are wrong because I'm not...only that it is better to go with caution sometimes rather than over confidence.

Hi Wen, I live in Macclesfield just outside Manchester. Feel free to contact me as I would love to meet up for a coffee or something. I am also an American married to a Brit.

Don't worry. I was banded on the same day as Fairydust and we seemed to work one another through the nerves. lol I felt like you too. I wanted to lose weight but I was also scared about changing my lifestyle. Even though food is our enemy because we couldn't control ourselves, it was also a best friend because it always was there. It's hard to break up even a harmful relationship because we get used to things and don't like change...it's no different when it's your relationship with food. Just like a 'human' breakup the pain lessens every day until you just can't feel that remorse any longer. Maybe not the best comparison but the best I could do first thing in the morning sans coffee. lol

Welcome! I'm sure you will find this to be the most exciting and rewarding journey of your life!!!

I'm originally from New Orleans but now living in the UK with my British hubs. I am soooooo homesick! I'm stil in my liquids phase and can't wait for my mushies so I can make some red beans minus the rice. lol

(Shaking head) I feel for you, sweetie. Geez, I'm still on liquids for another week but if I were in your place I would hate that. My hubs has been very supportive and even nags me to eat more (drink rather lol). My mom has been a bit funny about it. She keeps nuerosing over all the things I can't have anymore. I'm like mom, ys, I may get pissed for about a minute if my body rejects something I love later down the road but I can still have what I like just not as MUCH of it. I think part of the trick seems to be not to deprive yourself because when all of us did just that on all these diets over the years we'd end up binging. If you take a bite or two usually it will satisfy that craving. I agree completely with the choice you made. Well done!

Hi all, well as of this morning I am down 20 pounds but thats not my major accomplishment. Before this band I would do anything I could to avoid getting off my butt and doing any form of exercise. Here I live in one of the most beautiful countrysides in the world and I rarely do much but ride by the sites. This weekend my husband managed to talk a moaning, bitching, reluctant me into talking a walk through one of our forest parks. Being this soon out of surgery, etc I had a million excuses. I sheepishly told him on the way there that we'd have to turn around when I got out of breath or started hurting. Imagine my surprise when we started this walk and by the time it was over I had walked over a mile and a half! I can go up and down stairs without gasping for breath now. I just did a major walk without getting winded and my hubs says I rarely snore now. Now that's with only 20 pounds less. I can only imagine how much better its going to get!:whoo:

I've only lost 20 pounds so far but I went from a 44 DDD to now wearing a 42 DD. I doubt they'll go below a DD in cup size as I did have a breast lift and enlargement 9 years ago. Even when I was thin a million years ago I was a 32C.

Bjean, I have that kind of relationship with a few of my friends. Sadly since I've moved to the UK its been difficult for me to be very helpful to them with all the time changes. At least here in the UK it's not considered weird or satanic to do what I do. The US can be so narrow-minded about it. I'll have to watch Moulin Rouge again, maybe it is one of those films one just doesnt get the first time around. As per coke, I dropped weight really quickly when on it but the harm it caused was by far worse than any good it did at the time. I do know what you mean about doing anything to los weight. I'm sure I did myself endless amounts of harm using stackers all those years. It's really bad for your heart.

I can so relate to that, Kacee. I mean I still weight as much right now as I did when I was 6 months pregs with my son but at least its going down!