Ohm

:blushing:Guys, I'm getting really embarrassed. :blushing:I wish I'd never said anything but, yes, I am sure there are almost as many ways of handling the band as there are people with bands. I am very interested in this idea that Protein intake needs to be as high as 80g. I know this is often seen as a method of preventing or limiting hair loss - I lost all of mine at one point :thumbup:-which was a shock cos it used to be so long I could sit on it - but it is a heck of a lot quicker in the shower these days:thumbup:. This is one thing that hasn't really been stressed as important by my own surgeon. Like you have said, they are all different and so are we. I am sure we are all doing our best. We all have the same kind of goal - weight loss and maintenance. More power to our elbows:thumbup: however we do it.

I love to read. I HAVE to read. I read everything and anything. I actually get paid to red (it's part of my job to stay up to date with certain material - and then to write about it - another of my passions). I love to escape into the Disc World. I personally think that Terry Pratchett should run for World Peace Ambassador. I think I have read everything he has ever written. Sadly the Dark Lord of Sardonic Wit now has Alzheimers and may not be producing many more tomes so I treasure every copy I have - you can never get secondhand copies cos everyone reads and re-reads his books. They are fabulous. I also love the Alexander McCall-Smith books about Precious Ramotswe and the Ladies No.1 Detective Agency. They are deceptively simple stories and aboslutely charming. Delightful. But to be honest, if I have nothing else to read I will read the back of cereal packets, junk mail, even freebie local newspapers. I read, therefore I am. I remember loving the "Berek Halfhand" character and lots of sci-fi when I was a teenager. I loved Wilbur Smith when I lived in Africa. These days I mostly read technical stuff, but I love my Pratchett. Is he popular across the pond?

Have you tried: 1/ soya milk 2/ rice milk 3/ oat milk I can't stand cows milk either. A lot of the vegan alternatives are very palatable and remarkably different in taste and texture. Most of them can be otained either sweetened, plain or flavoured. If you can't get hold of them or don't like the commercially available brands you could try making your own "milks" from various grains like oats and rice and stuff. I have a book "How it all Vegan" which is a vegan cookbook - very small and cheap and it gives instructions on how to make these "milk" products. Like I said, I don't like milk either, but these alternatives are very palatable.

You go, girl! That is the spirit! And yeah, maybe changing the exercise type may help - it is so easy to get "comfortable" at a level and stop making that extra hill-climb of effort. The band has done it for me. I have always been able to lose weight but this is the first time I have ever managed to keep it off for any length of time. It is as if I was always feasting or fasting. The band works - but it is only a tool and a tool is only as effective as the skill of the person using it. We all start off unskilled and we all learn (some faster than others - I'm probably a slow learner myself). Lets learn together. I'm right behind you. xx

Is it worth it? Oh yes!

On this strange little island our ring sizes are in letters. I'm a big lass, even when I'm not obese (I'm not even overweiht right now) and I have always had hands like shovels and big, fat fingers. When we got married my wedding ring ( a beautiful 5mm three band Russian wedding ring inthe three colours of gold) was a U - it still is, but when my Mum passed awy she left me my great Grandmas wedding ring inher will and that was an N. I now wear that N underneath my Q and with a dress ring - N - in front of them all, it all looks quite county! I can't believe that I have gone from a U to an N. Whoopee!

Apparently, most of our energy stores are in the liver in the form of glycogen. Many obese individuals have a very fatty liver. A distended, energy storing liver can get in the way of surgery, expecially if the surgery is intended to be laporoscopic. By using a very low calorie diet before the surgery the body is forced to access and use up at least some of the energy stores which are causing the liver to be so big, and as these energy stores are used up the liver necessarily shrinks. This makes laporoscopic (keyhole) surgery more of a possibililty - less scarring. I was warned before I was given the diet that if I could not follow it there was a possibility that the operation would require a laporotomy (split open straight down the middle) instead of laporoscopy (keyhole surgery). Maybe the people who don't have to use the liver shrinking diet have surgeons who don't do the op laporoscopically?

Yes, sure, I hear you. I only mentioned it as a thought: it is just that it would be easier to consume excess calories in shake form (even in the absence of cocacola:tongue2:). I'm not implying that anyone is being irresponsible or trying to cheat - I'm just mindful of the risk. I know I would still be able to eat after a liquid meal/shake. If I were to consume a "shake" I might, in a forgetful or ill-advised and unwatchful moment eat something else and end up consuming extra calories- that was really where I was coming from. My own surgeon is a super guy who works with the dietician very closely and has had a weight problem himself and clearly knows his nutrition. We, his patients have watched him gain and lose - he may even be a member of this forum! It is still interesting that the advice varies though. I really did not mean to imply that doctors in the US were worse or better or anything else - I was just discussing the advice I was given. Please don't take offence. I'm sorry if I have upset anyone. I'll phrase my responses more carefully next time.:thumbup::cry_smile:

Guys, I am so sorry that your weight loss has not been fast enough for you. As a very satisfied banded individual who has lost a shed load of weight I can tell you that it MUST result in weight loss if you do what is required. My own surgeon insisted on a period of self motivated weight loss prior to placing my lap band and, personally, I lost 75 lbs. He insisted that if Icould not make the necessary changes before the band then I would not be likely to make the necessary lifestyle changes after surgery. Personally speaking (and yes, I know we are all different) I found out what worked for me before the band, and the band is just a tool to keep me on track. I've lost huge amounts of weight (in excess of 50 lbs) on more than one occasion and I always used to gain it back. I lost 75lbs before having the band fitted and I ABSOLUTELY KNOW THAT IF I DID NOT HAVE THE BAND I WOULD HAVE GAINED IT ALL BACK AGAIN THIS TIME TOO. Sometimes we get complacent and stop pushing ourselves so hard in our exercise. Sometimes we stop checking the calorie content of our food or "forgetting" those few Cookies or candy bars when it comes to totting up our calorie totals for the day. The bottom line, the science behind the reality is that you can only lose weight if you burn more calories than you consume. The bigger the imbalance the more weight you lose. I really do hear your frustration. I have great empathy - I was all woman (and part of another one) for the majority of my adult life. I really do understand how you feel, but the answer is there. Wishing you all the very best and shed loads of weight loss Ohm

I had an inverted t abdominoplasty 4 weeks ago. My port is sewn onto the rib cage, inthe middle abou an inch or so up from the begginning of the rib cage. Is that providing an accurant picture of where it is? The band of my bra sits on top of it and sometimes it is difficult to wear an underwire because of the port. Having said that, I never have to worry about anyone seeing the port cos it is always covered over with bra or other clothing. The vertical incision for the ITA ended 3 or 4 inches below the port - and I do have a very small dog ear (what a lovely expression) which my PS has said she can fix, if necessary when she does the rest of my body work (I sound like a clapped out Corvette). My band surgeon has asked me if the prominence of the port bothers me, but when I said that it didn't he didn't pursue it at all. Maybe if it did bother me he might have offered me a revision. Am very happy with new tummy!

Welcome and good luck. We get lots of Irish students in our local Uni - if ever you are in Newcastle Upon Tyne gimme a shout.

I have to say I am totally with BetsyB, ElfiePoo and Jalomum: I cannot feel anything to do with the tightness but simply find that I can't get food down so easily inthe morning. I just find that a single mouthful of food makes me feel really full - and I need to make sure that I drirnk my tea before I try to eat anything or I will have to wait an hour or more before I can manage a drink. Mind you, we are all different, and I really do believe that experience with the band varies wildly from person to person. Everyone has to suck it and see!

This reply is really a sort of a question. There seem to be a fair few lapbanders who make significant use of (and sing the praises of) Protein shakes - but my surgeon warned me off drinking my calories. His rationale was that drinking is hardly likelly to be restricted and therefore, the lapband is no defence against drinking excess calories. He advised me to eat a healthy diet, avoid drinking after eating (for at least an hour) and take at least an hour of strenuous, vigorous and sweat inducing exercise every day. He also advised me to always steer clear of taking the easy path because if I choose to eat foods that are not restricted at all by the band then I will be more likely to consume excess calories unwittingly. Easy foods for me include biscuits, some cakes, some pastries, chocolate (yuck) and many sweeties, yoghurts, etc - they slip down without any real problem unless I try to eat them when I am already full. His instructions have worked - I am no longerr obese or even overweight,but it seems at odds to the advise received by many other banders. Has anyone else had the same advise as me?

Aha, do I detect a UK connection, Maree? The clue is in the weight. Our transatlantic buddies tend to think we are referring to rockeries when we start to talk about stones!

Hi, :wave:I'm in Seaton Delaval, just outside Newcastle Upon Tyne in the North of England (although I am originally from Portsmouth in Hampshire). I'm scheduled to have a lap band fitted on 17th December by Mr Woodcock at North Tyneside General Hospital (paid for by the NHS - only 6 weeks and 6 days to go). Mr Woodcock told me that I had to lose weight before he would fit the band so I have lost 75 lbs since May this year (2007) through a sensible balanced diet and lots of exercise. I am really worried about how to eat after the surgery. I have been on a diet for so long that I don't know how to eat normal diet foods any more. I am a vegetarian too. Do you just eat very small amounts of normal food? What is normal food? If I eat tiny portions of the kinds of food I have been eating whilst losing the 75 lbs I will only be eating about 600 calories (maybe less) per day. Is that OK? I am full of trepidation. This is a really big step and I wouldn't be taking it if it were not the very last resort. I really believe that I need this provedure. It's not that I can't lose weight (I've just lost 75 lbs) but I just cannot eep the weight off - which is why I have been offered a lap band rather than a bypass. Any information or advice you could offer would be gratefully accepted.

I have a slightly different approach to snacking. If I am feeling indulgent then I will eat the kind of food I know I can get down easily, but I find that there is no "hold" imposed upon my ability to eat these foods, so if I have my snacking head on and I doubt the ability of my will power to end the snack attack at a sensible point then I will eat a tiny amount of a food I know I can't eat (e.g. half a slice of bread - or less, 6 McDonalds fries, a 1cm cube of vegan cheese, 1 or 2 carrot sticks, 1 tablespoonful of rice or rice salad/pasta salad, etc). These foods are all self limiting with the band - or at least they are for me - so I find that they really fill me up and I am quite literally unable to overindulge. If I am tempted to reach for something else afterwards then I have a cup of tea on top, which will soon be very uncomfortable and demotivates the urge to eat. The alternative is that I will just keep on returning to the snack options and I will eat far too much. This works for me.

Hi Darth. My dear, give yourself time. One thing I have learned through this forum is that we are all different. You have only been banded for a couple of months, so give yourself time. It took me a long time to get things right food wise. It took a long time for your weight to go on, didn't it? You didn't just wake up one morning and find that you'd gained 75 lbs overnight! Well, allow yourself the time to lose that weight. Some of the before and after photos were taken 2 years or more apart. My own after photos don't even begin until 18 months after I was banded and I lost 75 lbs before having the band fitted. Talk to your practitioner, talk to your dietician, talk to your GP and give yourself the space and time you need tto adjust and change your lifestyle. The biggest appetite suppressant I have ever found was an hour (at least) of vigorous exercise, every day. Take a deep breath and take it easy. You have the rest of your life. There is no hurry. All the best.

It's only a thought, and I wouldn't want to be the one to tell you what to do, but I have had to be completely open and frank with any and everybody who might possibly find themselves in the situataion of seeing me eat or drink. This is because my eating habits have necessarily changed so vastly from how I used to eat and drink and nobody, but nobody could possibly view the way I eat and drink without thinking that something is wrong - a rumour even started up that I ws suffering from throat cancer WHICH I AM NOT. In the light of this rumour I just came clean with everyone and am frank with everyone. I am not ashamed of the band. For me, it is an entirely necessary tool which enables me to live my life as normally as possible. It is as necessary to me as my specs, a prosthetic leg for an amputee or a hearing aid for someone with impaired hearing. Those people who sneer at me for "taking the easy way out" don't know what they are talking about. The band is a useful tool, but it doesn't do the job for you. Good luck.

I think I may be able to add something to this thread. The risk of deep vein thrombosis is multi-factorial and immobility is only one of those factors. If you want to do ALL you can to avoid DVTs then there are various dietary and lifestyle changes you can make, but even if you take every single step to the very highest level there is still a chance of DVT – this is because we are human and as such we are a melting pot of varying characteristics and we have no control over our genetic inheritance. DVTs are the result of clots (clumps of red blood cells sticking together) and then getting stuck in the vein, usually in the legs. These clots can lodge in other places, not least the brain, where they will result in a stroke (the seriousness of which depends upon the size of the clot and the location – and degree - of the blockage). The initial question is “why do these blood cells stick together?”. Well, under optimum condition, they don’t. They are usually little plate shaped discs and they are smooth. However, smoking and/or a high cholesterol diet can cause deposits of plaque to form on the inside of the blood vessels and it is rubbing against these plaque formations that can roughen the blood cells surface. When the surfaces of the blood cells are sufficiently roughened the blood cells can find it hard to slip smoothly past each other and they tend to clump together to form clots. These plaques on the inside of our blood vessels can be anywhere, and just like furniture in hallways and corridors, they narrow the space available for moving about. The presence of the plaques inside the blood vessels increases the chances of a clump getting stuck and also promotes the formation of the clots themselves. If the clots get stuck in the legs the result in pain and swelling, which is unpleasant, but it is at least treatable with blood thinning drugs that can limit the tourniquet effect and eventually dissolve the clot. If the clot is simply dislodged but not dissolved you run the risk of the clot becoming lodged somewhere more dangerous like the brain. Clots are more likely to form when the circulation has slowed. The major promoter of circulation in the lower limbs is healthy and vigorous exercise. As the largest muscles in your body (the thighs and the “gluteus maximus” or bum) contract rhythmically the blood speeds on its way in as quick and motivated a manner as possible. However, during and immediately after a surgical procedure you are necessarily immobile, thus decreasing the possibility of vigorous exercise and creating circumstances most likely to produce DVT. Smoking damages the vein wall and the platelets or red blood cells become roughened and sticky when they rub against the blood vessel walls - thus smoking increases the risks of clots in the blood vessels. Finally, if you become dehydrated your blood will become thicker and stickier and more likely to clot. Optimum hydration decreases this psoblem. So, if you want to avoid DVTs you can do various things: 1/ DO NOT SMOKE – this is the most important single factor – if you already smoke then give up 2/ Eat a low cholesterol diet – not just before surgery but habitually 3/Eat plenty of raw plant material (plant sterols have been found to be effective in lowering cholesterol) and whole grains, especially porridge oats 4/ Take regular moderate or vigorous exercise – this will help to lower your serum cholesterol – walking is ideal, but so is jogging, running, cycling and swimming (if you use your legs a lot), racquet sports, etc – anything where you use your large muscle groups, especially your lower muscle groups 5/If your medical practitioner prescribes medication for the management of your cholesterol – Take it exactly as prescribed – some of us are genetically predisposed to cholesterol problems 6/ When you are in hospital make sure that you wear those incredibly sexy (!) compression stockings 7/ Avoid crossing your legs when sitting down, especially if you are going to be sitting for a long period of time 8/ Avoid dehydration – when you are dehydrated your blood becomes thicker and more viscous and more likely to clot. And of course, always do exactly what your doctors and nurses tell you to do when in hospital. You may not be able to negate the chance of a DVT, but you can significantly reduce your risk. I hope this helps.

Well, here I am more than 2 years on. I have a normal BMI - currently 24.1 -although I have a had a few minor fluctuations in my weight. I have had to have plastic surgery to deal with the huge baggy belly skin and I will have my upper arms fixed up in 6 months or so. This thread being in the introductions forum, I wanted to let any newbies know that, for me, this procedure gave me what I needed in order to accomplish a normalisation of my weight. I'll always be tall (a lap band can't fix that) but apart from that I am entirely unremarkable to look at. I look normal. Anyone passing me on the street would never know I ever had a weight problem. To those people thinking of being banded I would like to say that this procedure gave me my life back. It didn't change who I am inside, but it allowed me to re-align my physical presence and image with my internal representation of myself. As a result of my weight loss I do find that strangers treat me differently - but not vastly so. Women tend to be more ready to view me as an equal -people are less surprised by my educational qualifications and that kind of thing. People who have known me for years but haven't seen me for a couple of years walk past me on the street without recognising me (which isn't so odd, cos I often find myself catching a glance of a woman in shop window reflections of mirrors - especially those alongside excalators - and I find myself thinking "ooh, look, there's a woman wearing exactly the same clothes as me" and then I realise "ooh, wow, it IS me!" - Very nice feeling but a bit wierd.)

Yeah, life's a b*tch! What're ya gonna do? Just to let you know, the numbness seems to be wearing off too, and the support garmnet - well, I tried not wearing it yesterday and, err, I wouldn't recommend it. Wear the support garment folks - it aint sexy and it aint cool but it is functional and the newly tightened tummy muscles need it - so I guess I'm really not ready to run yet. Heavy sigh! Still am disappointed, though! We had a slight disaster in the extension - they haven't dug up a dead body or anything but they have uncovered a mains sewer whch shouldn't be there and we aren't allowed to build normal foundations for the extension. The boss man came to visit and told me that they are going to build a raft - I told him that as far as I am concerned they could build the Queen Mary out there so long as I get my extension. The cost will be a bout £5000 more (which is about $10 000, I think, or thereabouts) but such is life. I told an email buddy about this and she intimated that if this type of foundation is used on a terraced house the whole terrace can seesaw, so as one end subsides the other end rises into the air. :wink2: (Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!) Well, we are semi-detached so I pray that we don't get subsidence or the builder's Mum, who lives next door, could find herself needing a parachute to get out of her front door.

But, Jacqui, that IS normality. Normal people, by which I presume you mean non-obese people, they eat in response to all sorts of internal and external cues: meal times, seeing other people eat, the mere sight of attracative food, frustration, anger, the presentation of foods you haven't tasted before or for a while and many other cues. My problem was always that I ate huge portions - I was never full. With the band it is just too painful to overeat - I can't do it. Even 1 extra mouthful gives me unbearable feelings of fullness. I had hopes for this fromthe band but was surprised when this was exactly what I got. Pleasantly unpleasantly surprised, ifyou see what I mean. Well done for losing such a lot of weight, and having read some of your other posts I would say a lot of that may be down to your enjoyment or participation in activities and running (which I also have learned to enjoy). And thanks for everyone for posting. I am finding the responses REALLY interesting. Becci

You know, Betsy, that may well be a salient point. Thank you for making it.

Well, guys and gals, it was OK, but not fantastic. I had to have a couple of the supposedly dissolving stitches removed cos they weren't dissolving (huh?) and I can't go running for another 2 weeks:mad2:. However, the good news is that I have an appointment to go in and talk about having my arms done in 4 months time! :thumbup: A bit of half and half news is that yes, I can see the before photos (in 4 months time) but I can't have copies. I think that is a bit of a cheek cos its my body and I retain copyright of all images of me!!! Mind you, I won't be taking it to court. Bummer though - I wont be able to post before photos for everyone to exclaim over! Disappointing! I think I may be getting addicted to these smilies. I wonder if there is a centre for smiley addiction treatment? Maybe I should open one - it could be a unique service to offer.

With respect, I am about to say something very different from your previous replies: it may be worth waiting. We are all different. Here in the UK, my NHS surgeon fitted my band on 17 December 2007 and I didn't get my first fill for 6 months! I experienced some restriction from just the band and my surgeon, in his wisdom, thought that it would be the best plan to leave things as they were for as long as possible. He warned me that although we bandsters beg and plead for fills and more restriction at every follow up appointment, too much restriction can actually cause weight GAIN. Apparently, if we are too restricted when it comes to calorie consumption we will crave calories (much the same sort of mechanism kicks in as that terribly misnamed "starvation mode") and we are often motivated to overindulge in liquid calories instead. Apparently this is a big risk - too much restriction can be as counterproductive as too little. I have reached a healthy and normal BMI with only one fill in two years - of 2ml. Please don't think that I am disrespecting other bandsters who really DO NEED more ccs in their band, but some of us may need a lot less and may find that more than a minimal fill can actually work against our weight loss efforts.