Fanny Adams

It's doable but not preferable. If you can possibly take an extra day or two, I would advise it. It's worth it to get yourself past the main hump of recovery (I found a vast improvement on Day 5-6, compared to Day 4.)

You don't mention having done a pre-op diet and, at 97kg, chances are the doc didn't require you to do one. That means that in this post-op period, you are still in the first weeks of restricted eating, when weight loss is fastest. While some of the loss is actual fat, a lot of what you are losing is just fluid and digested food from your intestines that isn't being replaced, so the numbers on the scale are quite dramatic. That will settle down in the next week or so, and your losses are likely to slow down. Don't be surprised if you stall or even gain a kilo or so when you go back onto mushies. It it is just your body balancing itself out and, if you stick to the rules, your losses will continue at the more normal slower rate (1/2 - 1kg per week).

My meals are usually at least a half cup, more likely a full cup, with a total of around 1200 cal a day. I pack my breakfast and lunch for work and the containers provide the measurement, then I use my sandwich plate as a guide when eating the evening meal. I don't know how anyone could survive on 2oz per meal and be happy on that - that is NOT what I signed up for!

I'm in the same boat re the fills/unfills. A month ago, I had an 0.5ml fill which was disastrously tight. I spent a really uncomfortable 2 weeks until I could get in for the unfill of 0.25ml. The relief was instant, but now I feel just like I did before I went for the fill in the first place - able to eat solid healthy meals but just a little too much of them and having to fight the snacking urge in between. I'm going to leave it though, for another month, as I have a tube correction surgery on 1st Oct and suspect that I will end up entirely unfilled from that and have to start all over again. No point in mucking about with the level for just these few weeks

I was hoping to make 70lb on the 9mth anniversary, which would have been exactly half of the 140lb I had to lose in exactly half of the 18mth plan that I am trying to follow. Didn't quite get there, but who's going to quibble over a pound or two eh? I'll get there in the end!

Good for you, Chrisann! I've been in that trap that you are in, where you get some (not all, but enough to get by) of your emotional needs met by the companionship of the platonic friend, and some (not all) of your physical needs met by the casual fling guy(s). Ultimately, it's a very lonely existance, as none of your needs are fully met. What's more, you invest so much time and energy into maintaining the friendship and playing with the flings, that you never seems to get around to finding what you really want and need - which is someone who will be best friend, lover, companion, PARTNER! I've had to do the same lately - pull back on my emotional investment in a platonic friendship, to give myself the freedom to seek what I really want. It hasn't happened yet for me, but at least I've acknowledged that this is what I'm really looking for, instead of "getting by" with pieces of the package from different sources. Good luck in your journey and remember - you deserve the full package, not a piecemeal life!

LMAO!! I have never thought that I had that plump look to my hands or feet, but there must have been something there. I've been noticing my boots getting loose lately and the soles had just about given out, so I went to stores (on a mine site) to get some new ones. Old size was 5 1/2, new size 5 is still too loose!! I've lost weight in my FEET!! LOL!! (Got new shirts too, another size down and ordered in new pants 2 more sizes down, which will make 5 sizes down altogether! )

There's absolutely no physical reason why you couldn't because of the lap band. You need to factor it into your calorie intake for the day, though, as the empty calories in alcohol add up pretty quickly (roughly 135-190 cal per glass). You can get caught in a situation where you have used the restriction the band gives you to keep yourself content on a 1000-1200 cal a day diet, then blow it out the water with 2-3 glasses of sweet wine. My advice would be - use it sparingly, but don't cut it out altogether and don't forget to count the calories! PS: You may find that your tolerance for alcohol drops significantly. I know mine did! I used to be able to drink half a bottle of scotch easily and on a "heavy" night, could down the whole thing. These days 2 scotches gives me a really strong buzz and I don't dare go beyond 3 in case it makes me sick. I think it is because I don't have that "cushion" of food in my stomach to help slow the alcohol absorbtion rate - like drinking on an empty stomach all the time.

Medicare will cover $108 of the doctor's visit for a fill. My doc charges $150 per visit, so you'd need a health insurer to cover the gap or pay the $42 yourself. Poms get automatic Medicare coverage when they move here, so you should be right there, not sure what the deal would be with private health care but with all the "instant coverage" deals they're offering at the moment, I'd say there's a good chance you'd get covered straight away. So where are you planning on landing? Come to the west!! WEST IS BEST!! :thumbup:

I found that the most likely time for me to have a PB or sliming episode is when eating with friends. No matter how much I tell myself to be careful, when I start chattering and eating at the same time, I would just forget to pay attention to proper chewing and small bites. It is so easy to do! The chewing habit is really ingrained for me now, but I still have to pay conscious attention to it when eating out, else I can land myself in the same problem. I wouldn't give up on the pot roast - it's more likely a combination of not having eaten earlier in the day and not paying enough attention because you were concentrating on talking with your friend.

I live in Perth (but work in the Kimberley - FIFO on a mine site). I was home for my 6 days off just this last weekend and it was simply gorgeous out - wildflower season is in full swing and I got my annual spring fever attack and gardened my little tail off. But the farmers are saying what started as a promising season with good rains in June looks like it's going to fail again, as there hasn't been a drop for over 4 weeks in the wheat belt :biggrin: PS: If I do 2+ hours of heavy gardening (pruning, digging, sawing down branches & trees, etc) that does mean I can weasel out of going for my gentle 30 min walk around the block, doesn't it?

If you don't want it, would you mind sending some of that rain DownUnder? It's supposed to be the tail end of our winter/early spring, and we haven't had rain since 3 August. Looks like the promising crops are going to fail yet again. It did make for a glorious weekend of spring fever gardening for me, but I'm sure our farmers weren't so pleased with the delicious sunshine and balmy 22C (72F).

Hehe :redface: I don't really get why some women don't like it or only do it out of a sense of obligation. I am very oral and love kissing too. Sex without some bj action would be like sex without kissing, to me...bleah!

Some of us do it for the love of it, not for the money :redface:. I personally list that as one of my absolute favourite things to do in bed and can't remember/can't imagine any sex encounter without at least a little of it, if not taking it to completion every time.

Welcome Melanie. You've found the right place! This site has so much information and so many different people willing to give support, that it's bewildering at first. Explore the threads, learn how to use the Search tool and you'll find the answers to just about any question you can think of and a lot that you hadn't thought of at all!

I don't understand. She didn't click Yes or No, which would have sent you a confirmation? If that were me, I'd have gone anyway and if they bitched, said well you didn't say no and I gave you the opportunity. If it is the sort of place where doing that could get you fired, then I would have checked with the boss yesterday, or at the latest today before the appointment, to find out why she hasn't given permission. Is it too late now? Surely it wouldn't be too late until you actually missed the appointment and why would you do that when all you have to do is ask?

I know how you feel. There are times when I miss that feeling of just really stuffing your face. I deal with those situations by having a little taste of everything. For me, I wouldn't have "wasted" all that room on a whole chicken breast, no matter how yummy. I would have had a quarter of one and left room to sample everything else, so that I didn't feel deprived. I've done the same with Chinese. My extended family is quite fond of going to the local Chinese nosh-up as a group and ordering the banquet meals, usually Soup, some appetisers and about 6 dishes with rice (the dishes come spread out over the night). I take one small spoonful from every dish and chew each bite thoroughly to savour the flavour. If, at the end, I can squeeze a bit more in, I might have a second spoonful of my favourite, but usually I'm done but I don't feel like I've missed out because I got to taste everything.

People who have obviously never looked beyond the biased anti-pot propaganda annoy me. I'm living proof that the stereotypes of the pothead are not true. At 45 years old, I've been smoking pot for over 30 years, starting at around 13. I graduated high school in the top 10% in my state, completed a teaching degree, raised a wonderful daughter who is happily married with 2 beautiful children. I am a certified member of MENSA, with a rated IQ of 140. I have worked in highly technical, highly paid jobs that require clear and intense thinking for many years. I achieved all of this while smoking daily - in the evenings! I acknowledge that rolling out of bed and hitting up a doobie is not compatible with intellectual work, so I don't do it. A couple of hits in the evening are no worse than someone who has a glass or two of wine after dinner to relax. Two years ago, I took up a job paying $180K a year on the mines, which comes with a condition of random drug testing. I made the choice that I wanted the job more than I wanted the pot, so stopped the daily habit immediately, without any signs of withdrawal symptoms, even after 30 years of constant use. I still indulge occasionally, when I am on holiday and know I won't be going back to the mine for a couple of weeks, but it hasn't been a hardship to give up and I can honestly say that I wasn't addicted after all that time. Ignorant people give me the irrits!!

I just know that I couldn't do it if I had to sit and watch! The smell alone would kill me! Best to get out of the situation and avoid the temptation. Good luck! :thumbup:

At the start of my journey, I had exactly 140lb that I wanted to lose (from 275lb to 135lb). I'm working to an 18 month plan and so far am right on target. It will be the 9 month mark for me in a couple of days and I'm hoping to be within a pound or two of 70lb down on my weigh in day. I believe that losing the full 140lb is absolutely doable! Go for it!

Liquids after a bad PB episode are always a good idea, if particularly bad, do it for the next day or 2 as well. In the meantime, homemade ginger tea works wonders to soothe the stomach and thin out that horrible thick slime that runs down the back of your throat. Just grate up about a quarter to a half an inch of fresh ginger, put it in a cup of hot water with a teaspoon of honey and let it steep for a couple of minutes - delicious, refreshing and sooooo soothing for the upset tummy!

The first three days on the liquid pre-op are the hardest. Once you get past those, you should find it easier to stick to. My advice would be to NOT sit and watch others eat your lovely pot roast. If you have to cook for them (and I'd avoid that if possible for just these few days), then serve it up and go for a 30 min walk around the block while they're eating. Make them promise to have cleaned up the table and put it all away before you get home. No need to torture yourself!

Yup, sounds like you are in ketosis. The pre-op will do that to you but it is a sign of fat burning. It's one of the reasons I don't like to do an Atkins-style diet, after banding. It's useful for the pre-op phase, to reduce the fat in the liver and make the operation easier on you, but long-term, I don't like the bad breath and BO that go with ketosis (or the potential for kidney stones). Take it as a sign of success for now and then rethink your strategies after you have finished with the liquid and mushie stages of post-op healing.

AWESOME POST, Heather!!

After years of mini-moments, my big Aha! came last year. I had made a success of my life after a lousy marriage, battled and won against major depression and found myself in a fabulous new job on the mines about 2 years ago. Faced with the huge piles of heavy food at every meal, my self-control went out the window and in spite of promising myself on every shift away that this time it would be different, in 18 months, I managed to gain 18kg (40lb). I was sitting down working out a financial investment plan for what I wanted to do with all this new money (the job pays very well). I got to the point when I had calculated a 5 Year Plan of investments and then it hit me. A 5 Year Plan meant working on the mines for another 5 years - and gaining a kg a month, I wouldn't LIVE 5 years to see the fruits of my labour! I made the phone call to my GP that afternoon to set up the appointment for the referral to the surgeon, and was banded about 6 weeks later. In the time between the Aha! and the surgery, every sign I saw told me I had made the right decision. That week, I had finally failed utterly in my struggle to do up the seat belt on the bus on the way to/from work. I went on a holiday (booked a year previously) and for the first time had to ask the flight attendant for an extender (humiliating). I spent half the holiday resting in my hotel room in the afternoons, because I couldn't keep up with the others. I went on an elephant ride and seriously worried about whether the elephant would have difficulties carrying my weight. I have refused to show people the photos of that because the similarities between rider and mount were too great. I now have a good 8" play in the seat belt on the plane. I can walk from the bus to my room in camp carrying all my luggage and not be out of breath or have to stop for a rest. I went on an all-day birdwatching tour a few weekends ago and kept up all day, walking through the bush. I have no doubt that this operation has saved my life. On with the 5 Year Plan!!