Jachut

I went for a gentle walk the day after the surgery, and continued to do that daily. By 3 weeks I went back to the gym to use the elliptical for 30 - 40 minutes at a time as well. At 3 months I took up running. I really wasnt interested in doing any strength training early on, I focussed on cardio. But I think probably 6 weeks, 2 months before you really get into that.

Definitely sign up for a race! That's what really moved me from running a bit to lose weight into becoming a runner. My first was 4K, then I did a 7.5 six months later, then a 10, then a 14. I mainly stick with 10's now, that tends to be "my" distance, if I run more than that regularly I tend to get niggling injuries. 10's enough to keep anyone fit! But definitely having the goal gives you the motivation to get out and push every week. If you're anything like me I did NOT want to walk during the race! If you're more of a walker, that's fine, enter the race and set a time goal for that and gradually work towards time/distance. I think athletic goals are really really helpful, and there's NOTHING like the self esteem you get from winning a physical challenge - to me it beats actual weight loss hands down.

Mine's easy to feel - in fact you can feel the tubing too until it disappears into the muscle. Its also easily visible. I do have a weird pocket of loose skin on my upper middle abdomen which I suspect must be from pregnancy as that's the only time I've ever had a really big stomach. If I ever get that fixed, my port will be REALLY visible - through clothing too I'd imagine. Once you lose the body fat, the port is going to show, there's no real way round that. But when I say visible, I'm happy enough to put on a bikini, people need to be lookign right at and for it to really notice it.

Oh, well, to me it sounds like a case of lets jump onto another money spinning bandwagon. I agree, i wouldnt go to a bariatric surgeon for dental work and I wouldnt have lipo done by one either.

Plateaus are a normal part of weight loss, you're not doing anything wrong. In fact it sounds like you're doing everything right, you just need to be patient.

since 9 December 2005 - 3 and a bit years.

Its almost impossible to imagine. There's nothing wrong with having a goal you can at least visualise and changing it later.

I had a laparoscopy mid last year and i didnt have the fluid removed from my band. My doc said he didnt think it would be necessary (I seem to be pretty stable and have few problems with getting tight and loose and I never get nauseous after an anaesthetic) but he's only a couple of suburbs away and I could easily get to him for an unfill if I needed. As it was, even though my abdomen was blown up with gas, I noticed no effects, I was very unhungry for 2 or 3 days as you are after a general anaesthetic and by the time I wanted to eat again, it was back to normal. BUT - my doc is close, its no effort to get to him and costs me absolutely nothing. If my doc was down in Mexico or a few states away and it was going to cosst $800 for an unfill like it appears to be for many of you guys, I'd unfill for sure.

Actually crackers are more likely to cause me an episode than bread is. I've been stuck on crackers a few times, and pb'd them more than once too. There is no rhyme nor reason, no right nor wrong with what you can and cant eat and sometihng you can eat one day might just come back up the next if you dont chew it right. Vickie, i dont really get the problem with being able to eat lobster and steak well cut up and chewed right? That's how you are SUPPOSED to eat and those are healthy high Protein foods. I think trying to judge your need for a fill by whether you can eat someting is inaccurate, since its so changeable from day to day and you might be like me and have great restriction, lose all your weight and STILL be able to eat bread easily. Yes, I can eat a whole toasted sandwich. But I get stuck on yogurt. Its just how it is, dont try to figure it out, just listen to your own body.

Are you positive they're stretch marks? No possibility of infection?

That is so fantastic Michelle! You know you get a lot of kudos on here for having lost all your weight and being a "successful bandster". But compared to lots, my journey was very easy. I was never so overweight that I couldnt go out for a walk in public. I could even run (although that WAS a bit embarrassing). I felt at my wits end with my weight and the strength of people who have overcome twice that, the courage to get out there and do it simply amazes me. Women like you and momster are incredible!

5ft 10, started at 245lb, finished at 154 lb, I didnt notice it 'start to sag' as I really have a very small skin problem in the general scheme of things, I was extremely lucky. Its more that I kept thinking "I need to keep losing, my backside is still huge and I still have stomach fat" and I finally realised that its actually not, its loosish skin and that no matter how skeletal I make my upper body, my lower is going to look like it does now - which luckily is not toooooo bad. I knew in the last 20 lb or so that my boobs were totally wrecked. I didnt lose weight of them till last but the last bit of weight loss, eeew.

Hmmm, there's no WAY you could miss my port, you can feel the tubing too. I'd go with the hernia operation explanation if you dont want to say anything just yet. Doug doesnt have to feel for my port with his hand, he can feel it when he hugs me. Anyone could actually see it if they were looking at my bare stomach. You wouldnt need great powers of observation.

I had simply awful PMT and periods for quite a while, accompanied by a lot of truly horrendous bowel symptoms (pain worse than labour), starting around 9 months after surgery and lasting about 9 months. Turned out, I'd suddenly developed endometriosis, it was all over my bowel, had a laparoscopy and its fixed 90% of the problem. Doc thought probably hormonal disturbance caused by weight loss after a lifetime of normal, trouble free periods (but both my sisters have endo) but its entirely I wasnt on any contraception as I'd had my tubes tied at 35 after my daughter was born. Periods have definitely remained heavier - I had SUCH light ones, 2 days bleeding that was barely more than spotting, and are much more "normal" now, not remarkably heavy or anything, but just more than they were. But the pain and bowel issues have settled.

Oh, well I'm a bit more shallow than that. Wear clothes that FIT. Wearing enormous tents is a hard habit to break but showing off your shape makes you look loads better. And I'm a fake tan addict. I dont like a really made up look, and I dont like over styled hair with lots of hairspray etc in it so I just find all over colour really makes me look healthier and not like I died a month ago and was dug up. My "natural look" takes a fair bit of work - I spend a fortune for the girl who cuts my hair, she's a genius, I make sure its regularly coloured, I never let my feet get all calloused and dirty, I make sure I'm not hairy and i'm a nice even brown all over - never overdo the fake tan! But I dont like to look like I've tried too hard if that makes sense. Running makes me look healthy and alive too - gets the blood pumping. And gives me a sense of pride in what my body can do.

Have you noticed that although several of them have had massive weight loss in a very short time, they dont actually look much different? Weird.

You store a lot of Water in your fat, and fat people have a LOT of water in their bodies. That's why they can lose so fast. They also require enormous energy to support and move their weight around and cutting down to 1500 a day is a BIG cut. Especially when you're exercising so much. But it actually places the liver and kidneys under considerable strain, dont forget these guys are under constant medical supervision. In other words, dont try this at home kiddies.

What are you talking about - any man who is married or partnered DOES have to deal with it once a month ! *evil cackle*

Boo! Actually, its most likely becuase people have just hit New Posts. I dont ever look what actual forum I'm in and I dont seek out forums specifically, I just use New Posts all the time. But there's no much you can say to get rid of the women, lol. Whereas in the powder room we can just start talking about periods and watch the men scatter!

I think you could do it and not really start a fill schedule till after - like maybe have just one fill. That way you can eat quite normally - just less - but are unlikely to have enough restriction to cause problems if you dont have control over what you have to eat for example.

Oh, its a lot to do with genetics, luck and where you carry your weight. I lost 45kg give or take and I dont really "need" anything done. There's stuff I would like - like my lower body would look a lot better if I did get ringbarked and pulled up but its just not bad enough to really justify it, if that makes sense. Its flabby, yes, its dropped a bit but I'm 41 and its huge surgery and you just couldnt say I really "needed" it. I do NEED my boobs done, but in the scheme of cosmetic surgery, that's not a big procedure. What I wish they could do is pull my stomach up towards my boobs at the same time, just that inch or two of flab that's there bothers me but its mostly ABOVE the bellybutton which is rather weird for a woman who has had 3 babies and was pear shaped and never overly fat in the abdomen. You just dont know, in short. Some people's bodies really take a beating from pregnancy, some dont. Some people's bodies recover after weight loss, some dont. Some people's skin would always have been looser than others, weight problem or not. I think in reality I am not surprised how I turned out - I think I could have predicted it with good accuracy, I could tell by the shape of my body etc. Do you have hanging, flabby areas or big rolls now for example? I didnt. Do you have big upper arms? I didnt. But I did have large breasts and they were saggy from the time they grew in puberty so there's no surprise there.

Oh, big cookups on the weekend are a MUST. At least 3 nights a week are no cook nights (boys have basketball) because the meal is already done and can come out of the freezer and just get heated.

I dont do more than about 10 hours paid work but I'm a full time student too and have 3 kids so I'm pretty busy. I dont know, I just make exercise a priority. I dont waste good opportunities, like at the moment I can do heaps of exercise becuase uni hasnt gone back for the year yet. I've been running my daughter to school every day - she rides her bike the 5kms and I run there, do the classroom reading and run back. I find the more I have to do, the more I get done. When I am working full time, as in full time teaching rounds, where I'm working as a teacher, I get up at 5 am, potter around a bit having a coffee and waking up then head out for a run at about 5.30 for an hour. I make sure lunches, lesson plans etc are done the night before so that all I have to do is shower, get the kids ready for school and go by 7.45. I've trained my kids to fend for themselves a bit too - like why should I make Breakfast for an 11 and 13 year old, they're perfectly capable. Nor do I put their washing away and about the only thing that gets ironed round here are business shirts and some of my clothes. Nothing else. I dont waste time on stupid stuff like that. Saturday mornings we all pitch in and go through the house cleaning. It takes about 2 hours. Then its done. I do the bare minimum the rest of the week, and once I finish my degree this year and get a teaching role, we'll have a cleaner and an ironing lady. If I'm going to exercise at night, then NOTHING on television is more important, I dont stay home to watch telly for anything. I also do stuff like take the kids down to the playground and I use the equipment to do body weight sort of exercises (chin ups, dips, step ups on the benches etc.) alternated with running the perimeter in sprints (its 300 metres) and might even put Eliza on my back and piggy back her round for a harder workout. I have a treadmill at home so if it gets to 9.30 at night I still have no excuse. Just Do It is a pretty good motto really. And now Im a human dynamo anyway, I'm so fit I just dont get that bone weary tiredness anymore that I used to get - I'd come home and think Ugh, I just cant. Well, I just did and its paid off. Now I have the energy to do it. Exercise IS my downtime, its relaxing and rejuvenating. Starting by just promising yourself half an hour at 7pm is the way to go. Get the routine going before putting pressure on yourself. And NEVER waste your 2 weekend days!

Gosh, how do these people ever make it into the medical profession? Most laypeople know more about the band than that and you would think that being a medico, although she's a gyno, she'd have enough intelligence t have a pretty broad general knowledge. I agree, she's an idiot and getting a new doctor is a very good idea. The band does not cause you to not absorb your birth control pill or every second bandster would be up the duff within a month or two.