Jachut

Pork is very chewy, I dont like it much anyway. Occasionally we will have roast pork done in the Weber, but not often, but pork chops and stuff, ugh, no way. I can only imagine the pain they'd cause. I also dont tolerate reheated meat well unless its very moist like in a casserole. But a piece of bbqed steak reheated in the microwave, forget it. But again, I would have turned my nose up at that preband anyway. I dont see why your doc would be baffled - what you're saying is not at all uncommon, the foods you find hard are totally individual and not restricted to red meat and bread at all. I get stuck on yogurt!

Actually, speaking of Irish accents we watched In the Name of the Father the other night on DVD - that's a REALLY good movie.

Nobody in real life has ever said to me, should you be eating that?. But what DOES drive me seriously insane is the assumption that high Protein low carb is it and a bit (yep, I'm whacking that old chestnut again). I know I should just shut up and stay out of it but I can always be drawn into an argument about this and I always get riled. I absolutely HATE the assumption that I dont know what I'm doing, that I dont know how to make healthy choices or I'm some sort of idiot who believes the big bad consipiracy about the healthy food pyramid. I hate that people think they're so *right* becuase they can point to this study or that, some study that was not randomised, some study in which the high protein eaters lost more than the high carbers but conveniently ignoring the fact that neither group lost more than 10lb in 2 years and that losing weight will always improve your lipid profiles anyway and the fact that none of these studies have looked at what happens when you do something like Atkins for 20 years after your weight loss has stopped. I hate that they then say that the food pyramid has made us fat and diseased when what people really eat is nothing LIKE what the food pyramid suggests. I personally dont care if someone wants to eat high protein and low carb, I might not think its a good way to eat, but I cant deny many lose weight way easier and faster this way. But they then become born again converts and have to tell me that I am eating wrong and that makes my blood boil when I too have lost 100 lb, kept it off for 18 months and improved my lipid profile, blood rpessure etc. Lol, sorry for the rant.

No, I dont have an accent. I checked! Oh but isnt a good Scots or Irish accent sooooooo sexy?. And the men are all so rugged and ruddy and sandy haired, siiiiigh. Beats the heck out of white teeth pretty boys like Tom Cruise. I forgot, I saw Benjamin Button. I think I might have enjoyed it but I had to take Eliza and we spent more time in the toilets than we did watching the movie. I liked the concept, even though its unrealistic. Same as I love reading anything where time travel is involved, the convolutions and possibilities fascinate me.

I dont eat artificial sweeteners. I've learned to tame my sweet tooth to some degree - and I gave up sugar in coffee and tea at 17, and it was pretty easy, it took 2 weeks. Other than that, I keep sugary items to a minimum, but if I'm going to have a treat, I eat the real thing. As far as yogurt and stuff like that - well I dont eat Jello, pudding or Desserts ever anyway, and things like yogurt, I'd eat greek yogurt with some fruit, not sweetened yogurt. I never drink soda ever anyhow, so I dont have a problem with that. You can train your tastebuds away from overtly sweet foods pretty easily - the sugar in things like baked Beans or canned tomatoes or whatever is a bit harder to avoid and you have to read labels. I dont believe sugar is the evil people think it is, its only problematic in the humungous quantities that people consume in all their processed foods and drinks.

Lol, well you know you're seasoned when you can watch Taggart and understand what they're saying (Scottish accents). Therrrrre's bin a mudda! I love Taggart, I think you can buy the DVD's online through Amazon. And its really funny coz DH and I laugh at how ugly scottish people are. But really, its just that they havent had their teeth whitened and their wrinkles filled and their skin shrinkwrapped, their bosoms pumped and their hair made big like everyone in Hollywood.

I'd just like to see something that's not a kiddie movie, lol. Actually I did see Valkyrie recently, that was great. Really suspenseful. Havent seen Australia despite being an Aussie. Cannot. Bear. Nicole. Kidman. Seriously, she used to be gorgeous, she was a frecklefaced redhead, real girl next door stuff, she had something about her. Till she erased it all with too much cosmetic surgery and went all Hollywood, so disappointing. I just cant watch her anymore. Cant stand Russell Crowe either - he's what we would call a bogan here, which is not a compliment. its something like trailer trash. How did Mel Gibson become americanised and not become so awful to watch? (not that there's anything wrong with Americans, its just that aussies trying to be American is cringeworthy) He's just funny. But he was WAY cuter when he spoke with an Aussie accent! And when he wasnt like 100 years old, lol. Oops, got a bit off topic. Actually Mr Jachut and I are really into British Murder Mysteries - would rather put on a Taggart or a Midsomer Murders on the dvd player than shell out for the crap at the movies these days.

I too would think about a sleeve if anything ever goes wrong. The whole point of banding being reversible was sold to me by my doctors that if anything better to treat obesity comes along, then I will be able to make the decision to convert. Even when a band works well, as it does for me, the restrictions can be tiresome to live with. I dont puke daily, I dont even puke weekly but its always a possibility. I dont fear eating out, but everytime I do I eat SO carefully to avoid it. Even when a band works well, it is far from effortless. I fight head hunger every single day, I simply have to make a rule 3 meals a day nothing between because I still WILL eat that entire packet of Cookies if I start. If I wanted to graze I could get fat again easily. I can never stop exercising, not that I would want to, I love it. I think obsessive eating behaviour and thinking about food all the time has little to do with hunger, controlling hunger is not the answer. I dont give a flying f..k about how many grams of Protein I should get a day, I refuse to count and fuss and think about stuff like that. If my morning oatmeal is making me diseased and fat and diabetic, then someone forgot to tell my body about it, and I dont care anyway coz being an Australian who grew up in the 70's and 80's, I'm probably going to die of skin cancer anyway. And at least I wont be constipated! I basically eat what I want and dont diet and THAT is what's been my biggest success in managing this obsession with food that we all have. Sleeve or no, you've still got to face those issues too. Not everyone will get a sleeve and never feel hungry or never have head hunger again. But what I fear is that the sleeve may very well be a better surgery than the band, suitable for more people and more successful too. But sooner or later, all the hacks are going to jump on the wagon, you're goign to get the same thing you ahve with the band - every man and his dog doing the surgery to make a buck and then the problems with THAT will start flooding these boards. This is half the problem with the band and it probably will be with the sleeve and where you have a community that is so hamstrung by its medical system, you will have people seeking out the cheapest options and that's dangerous. The stories people tell on this board about their doctors, they're bordering on criminally negligent and dont know much about banded life AT ALL, and that's a big part of why the band's so unpredictable, hard to manage and unsuccessful.

Nana as in banana. I dont know what it means really, lol, like what is doing your banana? But its just something we say here. Chucked a mental? Thrown a spaz? Bust a kafoofoo valve? Anyway, I think seeing another doctor is a good idea. You may be right, the band may just not work for you but you have to get it at least more comfortable, you cant be living with symptoms like you've been having. Nobody has a right to deny you that, you need medical support to achieve that at the very least. And good care might mean that you can get some benefit from having your band.

Hmmmm, what have I done in the last week or so.... Well, I posted about my sore-ish knee. So on Thursday I HIIT the pool (haha, little interval training joke there) for some laps, did fast ones, recovery ones etc, swam 1.5kms. Quite enjoyed it but was annoyed at the faded fake tan and chipped nailpolish afterwards. Had a day off Friday I think, walked Saturday, huge circuit Sunday (nearly killed me), day off Monday, went for a 6kms run last night (in 35 minutes, wooot) and this morning I ran Eliza to school - 10kms round trip. Knee started hurting at the end, I need to go and see my man Brett with his magic hands I think (acupuncturist).

Ack, why does everyone think that being fat means you're hiding some terrible personality disorder or mental illness? I was fat coz I liked sitting on the couch eating. It was very relaxing when you're spending most of your days at home with screaming toddlers and babies. Sugar is very soothing. And then I got fatter coz the weight didnt agree with my knees, my back or my hips and hauling my big arse round the block for a jog didnt feel very good - so I sat more. And so on. I'm so glad we dont do the whole therapy/pscyhologist thing as a part of banding here. Studies from Monash University showed it to be a huge waste of time and not at all indicative of how successful a person can be with a band.

Oh, how heartbreaking for you. Look, you are just going to have to come to terms with the fact that you will have to have it fixed at some point in time and that you need to approach this guy about fixing it at his cost. I dont know how your whole system works, but sloppy workmanship is sloppy workmanship in any country right? You WILL heal, you WILL feel better and you will be able to face what will not be huge major surgery to fix this. However - is it possible you're more swollen on one side, throwing it off a bit, making it worse than it is? I know I've just stated this completely practically and not acknowledged the emotion involved, you must be really mad and really upset, I know. But it still comes down to you have to fix it and I think you need to let yourself calm down, get better and then go at it systematically. Good luck. Hopefully Dr. Schulman will see this, he's always got something positive and encouraging to say - why not start a thread addressed to him?

I wouldnt do it either.

Oh dear, I think I'd be seeking a second opinion. Yes the food should be in your stomach at 5.30 am, not in your pouch. But it patently isnt, which is why you have a problem. And you're already there, in his office, what time, cost or effort does it take to unfill a bit and see if it helps? For goodness sake, its the easiest, cheapest and safest first route to try. I'd have done my nana over that I'm afraid. Its YOUR body and if you want an unfill its YOUR right. Also, just Protein? No fruit and veg? And that doesnt worry him? I'd be out of there and to another doctor. That's idiotic. A lapband is intended to help you manage a new lifestyle not survive forever on some miserable diet that will make you ill. I'm sorry you've been going through all this stuff, its just not fair.

Same as for Suzanne, goal for me is essentially a big plateau, lol. I just stopped losing here, and ideally I would have liked to have stopped losing in another 5kgs time. No matter what I do, my weight stays absolutely steady, never goes up, never goes down. Throughout my journey, I never lost predictably every week. Apart from the first 3 months I would go a couple of weeks without losing and suddenly lose 5lb. I simply refuse to define not losing for a couple of weeks as a plateau, its a normal part of the way our bodies lose weight. Now, as to my current 18 month long plateau, I decided to try to break it by really mixing up the exercise and increasing the intensity. I didnt lose any weight but I did lose that annoying half a dress size that was giving me the muffin top. I think to get rid of the rest of the little pockets of fat I have, I'm now a great candidate for lipo. I dont want to tighten my band at this point, I dont want to resort to unhealthy fad dieting (although I'm thinking about Weight Watchers too), and I really cant reasonably do more than six or seven HARD hour long execises sessions a week. So truly, I think that's what I will do when I can afford it.

Me either, its the best thing I ever did. Do I think most people will have a problem or two along the way - yes. Most people will suffer episodes of pb, discomfort eating, heart burn and a bit of reflux is extremely common, and most will probably experience frustration with fill levels at some point in time. I do believe too that most of us will not have these bands in us forever, that there will be improvements in obesity treatment, improvements in bands and that we may need to upgrade, or may choose to. But do I believe the majority have horrible troubles like you did Wasa? No. Many bandsters would trade minor issues for being healthier and thinner for life and not give it a second thought. I know a lot of bandsters in real life here in Melbourne and I certainly dont know any that must keep baggies in every room to puke in. I dont fear eating in public. Personally, I might puke once a month if that, its usually hormonally induced tightness and always always at home becuase I'm less careful there. Just because you were happy to remove part of your stomach that you dont believe you need doesnt make that the right decision for everyone, which you are coming quite close to saying. And I hate to say it because I respect your opinions lots but you're sounding almost as strident as the DSers this thread is poking fun at. The sleeve is an option, that is all. The band is an option too and one many people find preferable. I get a little tired of being made to feel like an idiot becuase I'm supposedly so dumb I couldnt SEE what a mistake I was making. I'd go so far as to agree with you though that sew and go is the way to go in America. Managing a band here with a close and constant relationship with your doctor is not expensive and its not difficult. But its not the same case in different countries. The band wasnt right for you Wasa and I'm really really glad you found a surgery that is. But the band IS fine for many people and its really no different to choose to irrevocably change an organ in your body than it is to choose to risk some complications that may be unpleasant. Either way we're taking quite drastic measures to solve obesity arent we? I hope I can say that, i dont want to spark a huge debate. But please remember most of us have chosen bands and dont want to be called fools for doing so. You can think it of course :-p

If you need to be a smart arse about it, of course I have read the books - both in the early 80's (when I even tried the diet) and in the 21st century. I understand entirely what ketosis is. But sure, lets just disagree. We both have points of view that are part flawed, part valid. Our own experience with each type of diet does not make it the right way for anyone else but ourselves which is why your statement that it absolutely works and is better annoyed me. I didnt need to eat like that to lose 100lb and improve my health. Night.

I think we all go through this. I had some photos out the other day, long story, but purely by chance I saw one of myself and my daughter. I'd had the jeans i was wearing for years, bougth them hoping to get into them one day Well I did, they were a 16, the largest size here in Australia in many normal stores, I'd had my hair straightened, I'd lost 20kgs and I was feeling great. Oh boy. I was huge in that photo. I even saw it when it was taken and felt good but looking at it now, sheesh. I do remember though feeling quite desperate in the low 80kgs range, thinking I was almost to a normal BMI and still SO fat, I bulged out of my bathing suit, I still couldnt wear shorts to run in etc. Well, that last bit of weight after you hit "normal" and continue to lose makes ALL the difference. Just as I know now as I agonise over do I need a tummy tuck that I really just need to pull my finger out and lose another 5kgs. At the end, tiny amounts of weight make a big difference, at the start, large amounts make very little difference. hang in there, one day you will reach that goal, and you wont feel this way anymore.

Yep, just stick with me, I'm the expert. Actually, I know I'm not. I just think saying "low carb diets ABSOLUTELY work and are better for your health than low fat" is a bit extreme. Maybe. Maybe not. But forgive me for not seeing YOU as the expert, and for not being convinced by one study that you've found online. I'd need to see a big movement towards low carb and the evidence of years of a nation eating that way before I became utterly convinced that it was the case. And i'd suggest that would be sensible for anyone. There's a lot of evidence around also to suggest that some of Atkins beliefs are downright unhealthy and I'd like to see that evidence proven wrong before I fill my arteries with saturated fat.

No, the entire western world has become obese and diseased from eating crap out of boxes, frozen foods, Mconalds, KFC, processed white sugary rubbish NOT from following the food pyramid by eating whole grains, plenty of fruit and veg and moderate protein/dairy. The western world eats HIGH carb, HIGH fat, HIGH Protein, HIGH additives in massive portions, not high carb low fat! Our food is more energy dense than ever before, its possible to ingest 2000 calories in ONE meal. We dont move enough. Thinking its all down to a balance of macronutrients is ignoring 3/4 of the picture. Journal of American Medicine? Again, so what? If the experts got it so wrong once, do you think they cant again? Do you really think there wont be more studies in 10 years saying something else?. They had "studies" proving high carb low fat was the way to go too. Why believe it now? That's pretty naive. Its like the whole Omega 3 is the answer to everything movement, a grain of truth in it for sure, but the answer to all our health woes? Not likely. I dont disagree that low carb high protein is a reasonable eating model too. But mainly because it acheives the same goal - less calories. But the way its publicised like its the next big medical miracle is really misleading and doesnt do a lot for a nation's health when people need to understand that they need to reduce portion size and get off their collective backsides and move a bit more. Especially when people dont understand what healthy low carb is and do something like Atkins where they cut out GOOD food and overindulge in rubbish like bacon and cream insisting that they can eat them in any quantity. Its the exact same thing as misinterpreting the food pyramid.

Seeing the doctor is not an option right now? Well, frankly, if that was going to be the case you should never have been banded. The band relies HEAVILY on good aftercare. You sound too tight and a trip to the doctor to remove some fill may make all this go away. Then again, you may indeed be right, it may be more than restriction levels and you may have some other problem. How in the world are you going to solve it without seeing your doctor? That is just completely nuts, you HAVE to go. These complications are just nowhere near as common here, where our medical system facilitiates compliance with aftercare. It costs nothign to go and see my doctor, and he's only a half hour drive a few suburbs away.

So what? You can make a blanket statement like that but its just what you think, not fact. Lipid profiles improve on high carb/low fat diets too - all the time. That's why if you have a heart attack, your doctor will put you on that type of diet. You should see my 70 year old mother after a year of eating a really healthy low fat/high carb diet, and her lipids are perfect and she looks like a 50 year old. She's fit and healthy after having had a heart attack a year and a half ago, has turned her whole life around and no Atkins in sight. Is that proof positive that this is the ONLY way to go? No. It just worked for her is all. Your lipid profile wont improve if your version of high carb/low fat is low fat 2 minute noodles, white bread and processed Cereal with skim milk. But it will if you do it properly. If people by and large ate properly as per the food pyramid - they ate their 2 fruit 5 veg per day,they got their Protein from lean meat, fish and chicken, they got their fat from heatlhy sources such as avocado, nuts and fish and they never ate bacon, cheese, salami and rubbish like that then entire nations wouldnt be hugely obese. This believing any one diet plan can save you, just by avoiding certain foods is sheer fantasy. You just have to eat less and not eat crap. Studies schmudies. They're all politically motivated, they all have a point to push and they all leave out much more important information than what they actually say.

To me, staying on track is NEVER thinking you can go off your diet and exercise regime. I have relaxed a bit as you do through time, but not intentionally, lol. I try really really really hard to keep doing what I always did to lose weight. Exact same routine, exact same food intake. I never cut calories too far, never counted calories or Protein, I lost on a fairly large intake, gradually my weight petered out and now I maintain on that intake - given its about 1500 to 1800 a day that's quite doable. Nowadays I'm up at the 1800 end. But every single day I wake up and vow to be "good". I plan out my exercise, I put it first and I still exercise HARD six times a week and I still try to cycle it around a bit so my body doesnt get too used to the same routine. I keep seeing my doc and i wouldnt hesitate to get a fill if I felt I was getting hungrier. I've kept my weight off for 18 months now. I would like to lose a few kgs's more but its not happening. Perhaps that is the secret - never arriving at your ultimate goal - keeps me going anyway.

Lol, at this stage I dont feel my lapband would be an advantage. I guess its restriction level - my band keeps my weight away, I eat about 1800 calories a day and I stick to that easily. But if I try to do 1000, to lose a few more kg's, I cant do it any more easily than I ever could pre band - I'm starving, I think about food all the time...... For a gym comp, I would do it. Its not for money, and I really believe it would be as much as a challenge for me as it is for the next person because I'm not so restricted that I could diet easily. But I wouldnt try duping the TV show producers for 250K - not that you'd get away with it anyway.

If you were going to die from having a lapband it would most likely be during the surgery or very soon after - and the risks there are a lot lower than many operations you might have to have because of obesity! Open heart surgery for example is just a tad more dangerous than a lapband op. So 15-20 year stats arent going to help. The risks of being very sick with things arising from being obese in 20 years time is way way higher.