Jachut

Dont get me wrong, I'm all *FOR* PS! I dont think everyone that chooses it has issues, not by a long shot. Its just that eventually, you have to come to a place where you are "good enough" and accept yourself for what you are. And realise that NOBODY but you sees those small imperfections. I look at myself and see droppy boobs, saggy stomach, dimply backside, fluffy thighs, grey hairs, dark undereye circles, freckly caucasion skin, ragged cuticles, growing off toenail polish....... the list goes on. DH looks at me and sees HOT! Its a great skill to be able to step back and really see yourself the way others do, not many people can do it.

I agree - same with pregnancy, i dont think its specific to any surgery, more the effects of very low calories and fast weight loss. Weight loss can, as many of us can attest, cause quite significant hormonal disturbances. Toddlers do weird things like wean themselves suddenly when you're pregnant because your milk suddenly tastes different. My oldest said yuck at 15 months and that was it. This *could* occur with weight loss too. So how does that make you feel? 19 months is a superb effort and the chances are, your milk supply is very well established, your routines in place and your body very adept at lactation. So in all likelihood, other than having to express and discard your milk for a day or two whilst the anaesthetic is in your system, you will have no disruption to your supply as long as you are able to keep your fluids up. You tend to be a drinking machine during lactation. It must be a dilemma, on the one hand, breastfeeding is such a good thing that only you can do for your children, on the other, sooner or later YOUR health and happiness need to come first again. Its not a guarantee anyone can give you but the odds are it'll all work fine. There's certainly people on this board who have done it.

Oh boy. I'd agree entirely Beth.

Like Jack, I like coffee to taste like coffee. You cant even buy coffee creamer here at all. What's wrong with a dash of cold milk?

I wouldnt fill just now either.

Oh my goodness, yes, more fill for you! Lol. But at this stage dont fret, it IS normal to be able to eat that much. It takes good fills for good restriction. My guess is that you have virtually no restriction yet. Stick with it, it can take time. I would consider my band loosish as I can eat a sandwich on thin bread, but quarterpounders and such, way too "dense" to eat comfortably, I'd probably feel very full after a few bites. I can *just* handle a cheeseburger (and I suspect like all things our cheeseburgers in Australia are smaller than yours, as all our fries sizes are), if I'm really forced to as I was on a long drive recently (kids, bah, do they ever want to eat anything else?). But boy, I was full. No possibly hope of fries or a drink on top of that. I woudlnt even feel remotely tempted nowadays. You will get there!

Wow, just happened upon this one after hitting New Posts and saw your name at the end of it Leatha_g. Wanted to see how you were doing. What a fantastic post that was. So balanced and sensible. We're hearing so much band bashing and sleeve promotion lately (not without good reason either) but it gets up my nose at times. You are just so right. Nothing is perfect, and the band is a very time consuming tool to maintain - especially with the health system you guys have over there. But things like lactose intolerance are not to be sneezed at either, they can provide just as much of a halt to your lifestyle as having to worry about barfing up the mouthful of salad you managed to get down. You've given some really great advice, and I'm glad your'e doing well these days.

Well, I have what I'd consider "a little". I consider myself extremely lucky! I dont "need" surgery. But that tiny avatar pic doesnt tell the truth entirely, your best bet for looking awesome in a bikini is tiny photos. Now, i dont want to compare myself to hollywood royalty, but these pics of Julia Roberts that are all over the place recently really cheered me up Julia Roberts: Real Beach Babe! (Wizbang Pop!) that is EXACTLY what my stomach looks like. Its a bit fluffier above the navel, but I have that wrinkly thing going on. I have a little more cushioning on the rear end than Julia too but overall, a very similar body type (same height too) and I ended up looking quite similar to that. I'd guess I'm probably 15 lb heavier though, all Hollwood stars are pretty darn thin. Nice, normal, being 41 and having 3 kids I feel GREAT about it, but perfect, non marked and youthful? Nah. That would take surgery. I look great dressed most of the time and for anythng slinky which shows those lumps and bums, yep, spanx. You're so young, you really have a chance at pulling up even better, but its totally genetic, there's really not a lot you can do to influence it, but even if you have a little excess skin, your skin wont have lost elasticity like mine has at 41, so it will no doubt still look lusher and plumper.

I agree Heartfire. Why does everyone think Protein is the answer to everything? Hairloss for example, is more likely to result from general malnutrition than protein deficiency. Hardly anyone is the Western world, banded or not, will become protein deficient. As far as I know, my body did not suddenly stop needing Vitamins and fibre and change to ony needing protein when I got banded. This protein obsession just baffles me. It might work for weight loss (well, yeah, cutting out entire food groups does that) but what about health in general? Not that I'm advocating filling up on white bread either of course. But I lost 120% of my excess weight without ever doing protein first, and I've maintained it for nearly 2 years now. A band that only allows 1/2 cup protein and cant handle salads is TOO TIGHT!!!!

Well, I've now had the same sort of weight loss results that many of them have on biggest loser. I certainly do the same sorts of workouts, but not for seven hours a day! the thing is, it took me TWO YEARS to lose that much weight. That's what happens in the real world. And it will for you too, only when you lose it like that, you have much more chance of keeping it off!

I want to mail order some, no stores here in Australia. I've spent my fair share on lingerie too over the past year or so. But what I also love is being able to go into places like Target and buy cute everyday stuff. I always used to ahve to buy bras that were a feat of modern engineering, but now I can chuck on any little thing, shoestring straps and all, so I can have nice things that dont cost a fortune.

Truly, I know we all weigh ourselves daily or weekly, but its more often than we should. If your weight at the end of a month is less than at the start then you're doing great. Weight loss occurs over time, day to day we fluctuate and 2lb is just plain insignificant. Our fluctuations are simply Water weight, our fat stores dont change readily. Nonetheless I get pissed too when i see small gains. But truly, its nothing to worry about.

I can only speak from my own experience with losing weight and my own feelings about PS for MYSELF. I'm not pushing any of my issues onto anyone or saying they apply to anyone else. But yes, I had lapband surgery mainly for cosmetic reasons, so I am a perfectionist and I am hard on myself. When I got to goal, I floundered a bit. I didnt really call it goal because I didnt want to finish. I've been trying to improve and change my body since I was 12 years old, how do I now face "this is it". This is the body I have, I really MUST look at it now, accept it, live in it. At first I was desperate for all the PS I *needed* but couldnt afford to have. I definitely need some breast work, definitely and DH supports me in that. However, I simply agonised over it thinking but my stomach, my love handles, my thighs, my backside...... I need that belt lipectomy operation AND boobs and how much will that all cost and and and .... I saw several surgeons, all of whom were more than happy to take my money. But thankfully, I didnt have it, so I've had to work through it and I realise that I just simply didnt want to finish the journey. PS would prolong it, schedule out six or seven procedures, yes, we've got years more of angst, body obsession, that goal of PERFECTION is still there, still possible, just after this is done, or that is nipped and tucked. I can see now I would never have gotten there, I would have moved onto my face etc. Its taken almost 2 years at goal, but I'm quite happy and comfortable with ME now. PS is on the cards when I can afford it, I will get my boobs fixed. But that's it. The slightly loose tummy, the cellulite I still have, that's just me. I'm a normal, healthy 41 year old woman who's had 3 babies, is very athletic and fitter than most women half her age, who has great shoulders but a fat bum. I'd rather spend my money on other things. Just me. Not meant to imply others have these same issues or anything, just that my thought processes and my journey through this might provide one perspective of it. Its really hard to call "good enough" and find something else to aim for.

Its a long process. I have never "hated" myself even though objectively I could see I was not particularly attractive at a high weight, I was able to also appreciate I wasnt the grossest thing that ever walked the planet either. Everyone has some things about them that are beautiful, and as Iv'e lost I've been able to identify those. I'm welll proportioned, long and lean and I have really nice shoulders, arms, neck, my upper body is very nicely shaped. OK, so my backside needs help. I went through a long long stage of focussing on the remaining imperfections - had I had any money, I think I would have spent a hundred thousand on plastic surgery. I want my boobs done, they've suffered. But I was thinking, well, what's the point if I dont also do x, y and z. I was definitely looking at PS as a way of keeping the Quest going now I am no longer overweight. Its really hard to know what to replace years of obsessive and desperate dieting with! And much as I am supportive of PS, there are definitely people who are doing just that - giving themselves a focus with a never ending quest for perfection. Thankfully I dont have the money for that kind of PS so I've had to work through it and I've come out the other side. It was really compounded yesterday, in a tabloid mag here I saw Julia Roberts on the Beach. REAL WOMAN screamed the headlines. And you know, she was. She's had no PS, her tummy looked like she has had a couple of babies, a bit of loose skin, she's defintely 40ish. And she looked absolutely beautiful. Just like a normal woman, and I thought, wow, that's me. I have the basic outline, just the edges are blurred a little, lol. I'm really OK with that. I can dress up and look great now, so I dont outshine every woman on the beach in a bikini - why do I need to? But its taken me 18 months at goal to come to this level of comfort with myself. And I've narrowed it down to 2 things that I'd fix with PS - boobs (coz why NOT have a nice pair?) and just a touch of lipo to the saddlebags - I have definite obvious pockets of fat on the outer thighs. That's a lot healthier and more realistic than what I was thinking 18 months ago. But its still hard to come to terms with the fact that I'm not going to see ever lowering numbers on that scale anymore. It makes me feel a bit panicky, like I have no control if I dont keep "dieting". I have to remind myself that healthy eating and exercise are a goal for maintenance too.

I dont specifically count protein Elizabeth, nor do protein first. But naturally, with all the people on here who do, I get curious. So every now and again I will roughly tote it up in my head. I have always been over 50 grams, more usually about 60. It seems plenty for me - I've lost weight, I have muscle, I dont have any trouble with hunger, etc and my hair, nails, skin and general health are all good. I can get that just by eating normally. I think you've just got to see what works with your body, as 60 grams a day isnt high by standards here. But however unfashionable it is, my body likes a carb based diet and lots of cardio, it's what makes me look and feel best, more so than lots of protein and strength training. And i have plenty of muscle and not too much fat, so I guess I'll keep doing it that way. However, by WLS standards - I'm a big eater. I never dropped below 1500 cal/cup sized servings and I eat about the same now to maintain, so its not hard to eat all my protein. Much harder when you're eating half that, definitely requires more focus.

Oooh, how exciting. Best of luck. I wasnt banded when pregnant, it was through sheer bloody minded determination that I managed to gain no weight during that pregnancy so after my baby was born, i was a good 30lb lighter! I can tell you, having a new baby and also feeling quite slinky (lol) is WONDERFUL. All that new mother glowiness without the fat wobbly bits. Drippy milky boobs is bad enough, you dont want belly rolls and flubber that wasnt there before. Feeling so good about yourself just enhances the whole experience, and gets you through the early days. And zipping up your pre preg. jeans to leave the hospital is pretty darn good!

This isnt really right. Tricking your body into satiety like a band does doesnt negate the fact that you're underfeeding it. It still has to learn to be VERY efficient with what it is fed. Starvation mode is a contentious issue, and not everyone agrees it exits, but for some people super duper low calories dont result in much weight lost - although over time it HAS to. But the sad fact is for ALL of us who have lost weight, they dont remove the band at the end because in the process of losing we have all taught our bodies to become remarkably efficient and most of us can probably never again eat the calories that a person of our weight who had never been fat could eat. We will always have to undereat to maintain our losses. It may not be by much, but even an excess of 100 calories a day does result in a lot of weight over say a decade. Moderate calories and slower weight loss is better. Most women cant really achieve adequate nutrition under 1000 calories a day and honestly, a band that restricts you to 700 or so is probably too tight (apart from in the post op phase). If you eat too little, you will lose a lot of lean body tissue as well as fat and that compounds the metabolism slowing problem doubly - since muscle is metabolically active and the more of it you have, the more you can eat. I had a good example of this the other day. As a 5ft 10 150lb woman, who is very fit, I can eat quite normally - about 1800 calories a day to maintain my weight. That's fantastic. But to do that, I have to run for an hour most days and do some good honest heavy strength training on a regular basis. My pals at uni were incredulous, being 20 somethings who had never been fat - most of them ate much more calories than me - because being that age, there was a fair bit of alcohol and fast food in there - and never exercised. They stay THINNER than I am and were generally much smaller too (I'm very tall) so the calorie disparity is really obvious. I dont care, 1800 a day to me is generous, satisfying and allows for a very normal diet. But it illustrates a point.

I was a slow and steady loser. No really spectacular fast loss for me. What worked? Steady, consistent exercise and good nutrition, not panicking through plateaus, consistently pushing myself further and further with my exercise, instead of thinking I was working hard enough. And patience. and you know, I really believe you have to look at it in terms of percentage body weight, rather than pounds lost, like on Biggest Loser. 25 lbs is the same percentage of 200 as 50 is of 400! You've already lost enough weight that you've done your health a really big favour and cut your risks. Give it another six or seven months and see how great you feel then!

Actually all evidence points to the band working better for lower bmi patients. This is YOUR journey and yours alone. You owe nothing to heavier patients, their lives are theirs to lead and you having surgery or not doesnt affect their ability to. Its not a limited commodity that you're stealing from someone who "needs it more". 60lb is a lot of excess weight. Its bad for your health and carries risks. And if if you've never been 100lb or 120lb overweight, then its also soul destroying - you feel out of control, disgusting, ugly, whatever. Its as devastating for you as it is for someone with more to lose. Nonetheless be prepared for negative comment and even outright hostility, particularly on forums such as here. Some people feel very precious about deserving surgery more coz they're fatter.

I love running, it is the best thing in the world to do. I know, I know, it makes people groan and pull the blankets tighter, lol. But if you can get through the getting fit part, to the point where a moderate run feels no harder than a brisk walk used to, its wonderful. Its great headspace, you get the endorphin rush, you do it simply for the love of it and not because you have to. Can you tell I love it? I do like team sports etc but at heart I'm a solo exerciser. I love the introspection and thinking time it gives me. I've never been one to believe in therapy and other such "quackery" but really, when I think about it, I've used my running time all along to focus on my weight loss, make positive affirmations, imagine great outcomes etc and I think it really has helped.

Not to mention, along the same vein as band mills, all the idiot doctors jumping on the wagon who have no freaking idea of how to manage a lapband. I seriously think, and cane me for it if you like, that the approach to the band by many of the doctors is just fraught with problems. Take fluoro for example. In Australia we dont use this. Most people go along and get small conservative fills regularly. Filling a band to complete blocked off point whilst viewing it, then backing off to just prior may get you to super restriction a fair bit faster. But the trouble is, what goes through in that five minutes on the screen no longer goes through 12 hours later when the swelling has set in. Then starts the fill unfill procedure, all without the stomach really settling, so reflux, vomiting etc ensure. So out comes ALL the fill. Should let things settle right? Only when time comes to refill, back out come the big guns for the big super aggressive fill and wow, surprise surprise, the whole cycle starts over. Now I know people have had problems with good doctors looking after them. I am not making a blanket generalisation here on all band problems. But it is blindingly obvious from this forum alone that medical mismanagement is one major reason for problems. Not to mention the fact that if you are going to eat only 1/2 a cup of food, then you need to be pretty freaking tight. Too tight I'd say. When you eat mainly Protein, you have to keep it to half a cup because protein is calorie dense. Wholegrains carbs fruit and vegies though - filled with Water and air. Same calories gram for gram as protein but filled with water and air which fills tummies. Which means if you include those foods, you can be a LOT looser (hey, no reflux, wow) because you can eat half a cup of them and maybe 1/4 of a cup of the protein food and wow, same calories, but looser band! There's a post on this board right this minute, from someone who professes being a doctor, advising bandsters not to eat salad because its worthless and will take up space that should be saved for protein. :thumbup: I'm sorry but that's just completely stupid. How about we leave a bit of stomach space for both? Maybe I'm delusional thinking that might be sensible? That's just Jachut's personal theory. I dont pretend to be a doctor, I dont insist I'm right, I only know this approach works for me, is way more commonly the approach taken in Australia and appears to work for ALL the bandsters I know in real life, and none of us has exploded into gigantic fat marshmallows from eating bread. I'll finish my rant by saying again, i agree, the band is not for everone and the sleeve is promising to be a very effective surgery that has less inherent maintenance and problems. It is worthwhile investigating for anyone considering WLS. Can someone just answer me though - if you can stretch out a GBP or DS pouch and regain weight, and the sleeve is just the first half of a DS, then why cant you stretch out a sleeve pouch?

You're brave Fanny, I posted a reply this morning and deleted it. I've never heard such irresponsible advice and i agree with your comments entirely. In the rest of the world, salad is not served first and it consists of more than just iceberg lettuce. Furthermore, things like nuts seeds and avocados contain healthy fats and increase the Vitamin and antioxidant uptake. Not eat salad, so that you can eat more meat? I cant really believe that's desirable.

Interval training. Its horrid. You'll feel like your literally sweating blood. You'll want to puke. But it WORKS. Basically, take your regular cardio, and inject intervals of 150% effort (you know, heart about to explode through your chest stuff) - over time increase the length of them, you may only be able to do 30 seconds at first, then recover a few minutes, then another 30 seconds. Your current fitness level doesnt matter, as long as its 150% for YOU effort. A 40 minute session built around intervals 3 times a week and 3 hour long sessions of steady state cardio (I like running myself) works for me. It works with walking, cycling, running, the elliptical, swimming.

Surely soft steamed vegies go down? With maybe just a bit of butter and salt and pepper - yum. Or mash them in with potato. I'm all for "normal" diets with the band and I can do it but for many I think the reality is a staple stock of moist foods that work. But there's a LOT you can eat within this description. Have you tried, for example, cooking other meats in the slow cooker with liquids. I dont think I'll be eating too many lamb chops straight off the barbecue in my future, but a steak cooked in the slow cooker in cream of mushroom soup - easy to eat. Curries and casseroles cooked on low heat for long times - fantastic. Oatmeal can be as soft as you need and its fantastic made into bircher muesli - soak oats, seeds, and some cut up dried fruits in apple juice overnight, in the morning stir in some natural yogurt - a lovely mushie breakfast. You just need to be creative in the kitchen, knowing what to do with basic ingredients makes banded life a lot easier.

I've only ever had a tiny unfill of 0.1 cc and this was my ONLY symptom of being too tight. I never even got tight enough to not be able to eat in the morning or have trouble eating any particular food, I was just restricted to about half a cup servings (which should be OK right?) but everytime I ate, I began to realise I'd be clearning my throat for half an hour afterwards, there'd be phlegm there. That was enough for me, I figured I'd gone past my sweet spot and had the last tiny fill removed, and have just accepted tht for me, that's max restriction. I will not risk my band given that its got me well into normal BMI territory anyway.