Fanny Adams

GAH!! The skin has disappeared again. I do NOT like this naked look!

Hi and welcome Emjay! Good luck with your journey!

Hey Chris, I just noticed that your ticker says you've gotten over the 100 mark!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Where's the big celebration thread, so we can all whoop it up with you?

ROFL!! That's one of the things I love about my user name :smile: PS: I'd also like to know about this "no scream cream", coz I squeal plenty!!

What's a sugar waxing??

Give the poor guy a break! He's damned if he does, damned if he doesn't... how would you feel if he WASN'T noticing the losses? It sounds like he's just trying to be encouraging - don't let your own paranoia sour his good intentions.

Good for you for getting this done young - you have the best chance of your skin recovering. Mine hasn't, unfortunately, but then again I wasn't really expecting it to at 46 years old. The statistic about "half your excess weight" is an average, not a goal or a limit. All averages consist of some who've made it all the way, some who haven't made it very far and those in the middle. Where you sit on that range is entirely up to you. You can lose it all if you put the time and effort in.

Go for it and good for you!! Just hold off from swinging from the chandaliers for a bit, and you'll be fine :thumbup:

Yes it hurts, but so worth it!! MUCH easier the second time around (and easier each time) as the hair is thinner and sparser each time. Thanks for the reminder! *goes to book her next appointment*

Fixed now - thank you!

Oh hooray!! It has just this minute fixed itself, after being like that for HOURS!!

Congrats! Let me tell you, as someone who also paid cash for her band, it was the best money I have EVER spent! Good luck with it all!

It's back!! and it's HORRIBLE!! HELP!

Is anyone else experiencing problems with the "skin" for the forum? It seems to have disappeared and I'm getting the bare bones links and text but none of the layout and graphics. This is happening on two different computers and has been going on for a couple of hours. I hope it isn't a "new look"!!

I have to lose another 10kg (22lb) before I do this, as the doc said it didn't matter what weight I was when I had the op but I should be no more than 5-6kg from goal, as he didn't want me losing that much more after it, as the skin would get loose again. The op itself will take off about 5kg. At this stage, I'm aiming for mid to late December, so I can combine the time off with my forced Xmas break and get good recovery time for the minimum of income impact.

Congrats to all the new members!! I'll be joining you soon!

Thank you, Heather! My honey took that photo and I do love it...

I think a big part of the problem here is in people's understanding of the word "salad". As I said from the beginning, if your definition of "salad" means "lettuce with ranch dressing" then yes, the doctor has a point. However, that is NOT the definition of "salad" that everyone uses. For most people outside the US, and I would have thought many inside the US too, "salad" includes a range of healthy vegetables that should be very much a part of a bandsters diet. The whole obsession with Protein and "protein first" is very much a US thing too. Australian doctors were pioneers in lapband surgery and the practice has been common here for many more years than in the US, yet I have not heard of any Aussies who have had this protein idea pushed by their doctor. The emphasis here by the greater majority of the medical community is on a healthy balanced diet of lean meats, fresh vegetables and fruit and unprocessed grains, low in fat and sugars...IN ANY ORDER. You know, that basic "sensible eating diet" that we've always been told we should be following but were never able to stick to until we had the help from our band.

Well that was so exciting!! As expected, there's no way I can get everything done at once, so I have to prioritise and work out how I want to tackle it. Most likely plan is that I'll do the torso lift and boobs first as the major op and then go back in another year or two for the arms and neck, if I'm still keen to do those. The doc says the torso lift will be a tricky one, because of the scar from the kidney operation. The scar from the tubal surgery won't be a problem because that is in the part that's going to get cut out anyway, so it will just be replaced by the new 360 deg cut. The tricky bit with the kidney is that the surgeon doesn't go that far up when he cuts, so I will end up with two scars afterwards - the old and the new. However, what he can do is to go under the skin and "release" the part of the old scar that has adhered to the ribs & muscle, creating a big fold. (Imagine a button in a thick fluffy couch/lounge chair being cut and releasing the pucker.) He says the results from that should be very pleasing. He also said that the torso lift would give great results - apparently my bum and mons area are in good shape and won't need extra work - the lift will give them all they need. I lose the scar from the tubal surgery and all that horrible stretch-mark riddled flab above it. I will have another vertical incision in front, though, to pull in my waist. For the boobs, he's going to do a lift with the classic anchor cut. He doesn't want to put in implants at the same time but said I could come back in a few years if I really want them. He thought that there was enough tissue left to leave me with a good full D cup, after he's removed all the excess skin and lifted them up (about six inches!) That should help to tuck in the flabby armpits quite a bit too. I dunno - I'll feel really weird being only a D cup after all these years of having huge norks. Even when I was young and really slim I was a DD to E. I'd really like to stay at least an E now. Still... we'll see how that goes... The bright side is that he said because he won't be removing any breast tissue at all and the nipple remains attached, just repositioned, I shouldn't lose any sensation in them - YAY!

Just thought I'd give a link in case anyone was interested in following this part of my journey... Fanny moves to Phase Two

Hmmm... My understanding is that the purpose of the Optifast diet is to reduce the size of your liver, to make the surgery easier. If you've been told you have a fatty liver, I think you should check back with your doctor about the advisability of doing it for at least a week or two before the surgery. Even if the doctor says you don't have to do it, it can't hurt and it does give a good kick start to your weightloss. Also, the pre-op time is usually the one time when you can stay really motivated to diet. There have been cases where the doc has gone in and had to back out again without putting in the band, because the liver is too big for him/her to safely get around.

I try to eat so that I'm not hungry all day long. I know that I don't have much willpower (hence the need for the band!), so if I've let myself be hungry all day, I will overeat and/or make bad choices at night. If I eat a good breakfast and lunch, so that I'm NOT fighting hunger all day, I find I can make much better choices at each meal and can resist the urge to snack again at night. My typical day's meals are: * Breakfast: 1 poached egg, 100g baked beans, 50-100g tinned mushrooms in butter sauce (total 185 calories, note - I thought the "butter sauce" would mean the mushrooms were way high in calories and fat, but it turns out they don't really use a lot of real butter and they are VERY low - YAY!) * Lunch: As many salad veges as I can fit in (cucumber, celery, carrots, sweet peppers, beetroot, pineapple pieces, etc), usually at least a cup, and a slice of very lean ham and low fat cheese (around 300-400 cal, depending on how much cheese I add). * Dinner: Whatever's on the menu, serving on a small sandwich plate, no piling up allowed (300-400 cal) * Late night snack: Low calorie dessert treat of some type, eg stewed apples or berries with custard (215 - 415, to a max total of 1200 for day).

Hi everyone, I was banded in December 07 by Dr Watson at St John of God. I've lost 42 kg so far, although I stalled for about 6 months after a minor operation last October and have only really started to lose again in the last 6 weeks. I'm still really happy with my progress though - I have a way to go but I can believe that I will get to goal one day. Leashie: The fourth fill for me was the first one where I started to feel any restriction at all and it wasn't until the 5th that I really knew what the band was all about. Hang in there and it will happen. I still don't have my band very tight. I have 6.5 in a 10cc band, but can usually manage a cup of food at a time, depending on what it is. Some foods are harder than others but I like being loose enough to eat just about anything if I'm careful. Do you track what you eat on something like Fitday.com or the Colorie King? I like the Calorie King best as it has all the Australian brand names and measurements. Here's a link: CalorieKing.com.au Diet Diary - weight loss control. Record your calories - Food & Exercise Diary If you haven't done that, it's definitely worth a go. It can be quite eye-opening to have to account for every mouthful and see how it all adds up. Some things are surprising too - for example, I discovered that a yummy and filling Breakfast of a poached egg, 100g baked Beans (half a small tin) and 100g of mushrooms in butter sauce (half a small tin) was only 187 calories, whereas a small bowl of Special K with a cup of low fat milk was 233 calories!! Guess which one I eat now? Other things add up too - it doesn't take much of the "wrong" things to add a huge calorie load onto your day. On the other hand, you can eat most fresh vegetables by the bucket load and not rack up too many calories. After using this tracker for many months now, I have been able to adjust my eating habits so that I can still have reasonable quantities of food but not blow my daily "budget" of 1200 calories.

Good for you!! Lingerie is my biggest weakness. Like some women are into designer shoes, I've been known to blow small fortunes on lingerie. When I was fat, it was in an effort to compensate for the flaws and I really got into corsets and suspenders. Now that I've lost weight, I can get all the pretty bra and knicker sets again (AND more corsets and suspenders coz I just LOVE those!!). I've spent WAY too much on lingerie in the last couple of months. I did have a try at buying from Target because I was so excited to finally fit into their bra sizes, but I have to say, I don't like their quality. I ended up back at my favourite lingerie shop, Silk Elegance, last week and managed to spend $850 :wub: over 2 days there!! OMG, can you say addiction?? :scared2: I did get some seriously sexy outfits though and have to say that the boyfriend's reaction to them made it all worth it!

Well I'm wearing a pressure bandage, been given some neurofen and applying an ice pack on and off for the day, but she didn't say I couldn't walk home tonight!! (Mind you, I deliberately didn't ask coz I didn't want to remind her!). I think I'll take it easy and just walk, no jogging, tonight though.