Jachut

bands will hold more than their official capacity. Some people DO have theirs filled past capacity - it has a lot to do with placement of the band and people's internal anatomy, I have 3.2 in a 4cc band for example and can still eat bread, whereas the next person PB's everything at 2cc. We're all different. As you lose weight, you lose fat around your stomach and the band gets looser, you also get small amounts of evaporation. On the way up, smaller and smaller fills are needed for more restriction - I had a fill of 1cc for my very first, I can guarantee you now that 0.1cc would be very noticeable to me. Just as on the way down, you may lose 40lb and not find your band loosens, my band loosened considerably over the past year from a 15lb loss. There have been people here full to capacity without great restriction - in that case either something is wrong, or you are going to have to either learn to work with what you have or consider another surgery.

I do think it should be the patient's choice. You know how you're feeling and weight loss can be deceptive - doesnt mean you havent STARVED and worked REALLY hard to get there, and it certainly does not indicate that you dont need a fill. Really, its your choice how tight you want to be, an when you want to have fills, conversely if you end up too tight, its your own fault, but your doctor should be going by what YOU say you're feeling, not what he concludes based upon the scales.

When out, if you werent a bandster, you'd be looking for a freshly made salad roll or sandwich - all fresh salad ingredients - avocado, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, sprouts etc. I'd imagine there are salad and sandwich bars just like here - and you know, you can always ask for the salad to be put on a plate, I often do that, skip the roll. They also have made up salads, of course, um, sushi hand rolls.

I believe the waits are shortening these days, Paul O'Brien had an article in the paper the other day advocating that it should be an easily available public procedure as a much cheaper (in the long run) way of treating diabetes. But even within cities it varies a lot - I know people who were done at Williamstown hospital with Peter Nottle within a few months whereas the wait at the Alfred has been as long as seven years. Unfortunately, at the moment, its another one of those things that is far more easily accessed and utilised by the more financially fortunate. I'm glad for you that you're getting it done without unreasonable waiting!

Ack, that would send me insane too, I'm fussy like that. We had no choice but to mismatch a bit since DH's father restores antique furniture, and we have some gorgeous pieces, but there aint no such thing as an entire nursery suite! So we had a chest of drawers, lovely, about 5ft tall, huge drawers. Its rosewood. So we simply went for dark stained Vic Ash furniture (harder than pine) - all we had to get was a cot and a bookshelf. Our entire house is like that, our dining table and sideboard antiques but one rosewood, the other walnut, dining chairs fully upholstered (so as not to clash timbers too much), the jacobean loungesuite is cedar, lol. All on nice looking merbau timber floors. Its everything goes and in fact sometimes you can be too matched. It works if the tone is right. When we wanted to put the floors down, DH kept veering towards yellow toned timbers and simply would not agree with me that they would not match our red toned furniture, or our pinky coloured kitchen.

So true Plain. I have never had my metabolism tested, but from what is said here, to be female and lose 120% of excess weight on 1500 to 1800 calories a day as I have done is highly unusual. To now be maintaining quite easily (in fact still losing slowly) on what from my very occasional adding up is about 1800 to 2000 calories a day is almost unheard of for a bandster. I burn TONS of calories. I'm very active, I exercise hard, I am on the run from dawn till dusk, I never sit down, I need to eat what I do or I cant function and FORGET low carb, I'd die. So not all obese people have slow metabolisms, I never used to be so active and I was much fatter, less muscular so I wouldnt have burned as much as I do now, but you can outeat anything! I've often wondered how on earth my girlfriend got to 150 kgs with a BMI of about 50, where I only got to 35, I often ate more than she does!

Fantastic - the best thing about jogging/running is the sense of achievement it gives you. I know I could have lost weight and gotten fit by powerwalking rather than running (and perhaps should have, given the state of my back now). But its just not the same. The mental jump from walker to runner was a very important one to me, its something I identify with being thin and fit. And even now, I've lost all my weight, just need to maintain and am having terrible back problems, I cant bring myself to give it up. Plus the extra level of fitness it gives you is awesome. Good for you!

c-section - mind you, I didnt think that was bad either. The worst thing about the lapband was the weakness/fainting I kept getting on about day 4 from having no food. Pain from the surgery and gas were minimal for me, I wasnt hungry at all but the lack of energy from the tiny intake held me back. I did all I could to get carbs and calories in and felt loads better from there.

I had a BMI of 35 and I dont have a huge problem with loose skin. But I am definitely not tight and smooth all over either, I do look like a 40 year old who has had 3 babies. Ande my boobs are completely wrecked, all they are is loose skin! But tummy tucks and such I dont need to consider. I'd look GREAT if I had one but the expense, risk and scarring are way overkill for my soft though flat tummy.

That soooo makes me wish my tummy was worse, just so I could justify the tummy tuck! Dont have a lot of loose skin but also dont have a stomach ANYTHING like that!

that's an important distinction - we dont know they'll last longer is exactly right. We also dont know for sure they'll need to be replaced. I just think to go into it not having considered that is to be somewhat uninformed - its all over my doc's literature. And yes, people do (or should) realise that breast implants may need to be replaced, especially if they're having them at 20! Again, that's "may", not "will".

Its one of those things where I'm glad I'm 40 and dont have to worry about stuff like that, lol. Nice, neat, bikini line done, fine, but plucked clean, no thanks, for reasons already stated. I'm lucky not to be particularly hairy either, despite being dark haired and fair skinned, I didnt get cursed with dark body hair, its all fine and blonde. A quick once over with the razor on legs (only below the knees), underarms and bikini line does me once a week to once a fortnight. I have an $11 eyebrow wax once every three weeks. I cant believe the money people have to spend on hair removal!

No, I get that its positive, and i think its probably a really good focus for you, for me, getting the lapband was about the exact same thing - never dieting again. Its all in how you look at it. You just have to be comfortable with the results - they wont be spectacular weight loss, but normalising your relationship with your food and body is a FAR greater achievment than hitting some goal weight.

BrandyII the longer this thread has gone on, the more the excuses are coming out. Every single helpful, supportive suggestion is met with a reason why you cant do it. Really think about it, most of what you've said is that you just dont want to do this, that or the other. You cant diet, because that makes you rebellious, you cant exercise becuase you dont like it, you cant have just a little piece of chocolate becuase that doesnt do it for you, I started out thinking you had a genuine problem causing you to not lose, but really, I think if you could get your head around it and face up to the work you have to do, you could do it. You may not have spectacular results because you may indeed have made it hard by yo yoing all your life, well, lots of overweight people face that. But you are completely right, its either face it or accept your current situation. And I dont see anything really wrong with accepting the current situation, not everyone wants to live a life focussed on watching their weight. When it comes right down to it, that's what it takes and either you will do it or you wont. But with all due respect, that is not the fault or failing of the lap band. You know, the sudden knowledge and understanding might hit you out of the blue one day - it did me. I just woke up one day determined that I was going to take constructive action to beat this problem. I was ready for the drastic step of surgery. Perhaps as I think you've said, you had the surgery before you were ready. But the band is there, and wheh you are ready to work with it, it will do its job.

Erv, breast implants often DO have to be replaced. Also, unlike a breast implant, a lapband is a functioning thing, the balloon is inflated, is affected by pressure from the stomach, can be deflated etc. The band itself wont break, the balloon or tubing might over time.

I'm not a good dieter, I simply cannot count calories, stay within limits, eliiminate certain foods. I'm like you, it makes me obsessed and I gain weight, I eat even MORE. So I took what I had to work with - my fitness and athleticism. I've worked VERY hard on that score to make up for my refusal to do the protein shake 800 calorie a day thing. Its all calories in v calories out and if you must eat them, then you must exercise more. And not a walk on the treadmill either, HARD and LONG exercise. My food and calorie restrictions were way less harsh than a lot and I lost weight really pretty slowly as a result - but I did get there. You do have that choice too and in many ways, eating what the heck you want to eat, working to get good restriction with your band, and focussing perhaps on the physical expenditure of calories may bring you the results you want, rather than trying to "starve them off". It's certainly the way I prefer to tackle things, becuase I dont consider 800 calories a day half made up of protein shakes a lifestyle I could maintain.

It can mean several things. Most people recognise that eating ice cream or chocolate is eating around the band, as is drinking milk shakes and high calorie drinks. Its a way of getting in indulgent, fattening, yummy foods without restriction holding you back. But more insidious is the habit of continually choosing easy foods. For example, having yogurt for Breakfast like I did this morning. I couldnt be bothered tackling a poached egg and a piece of toast. Or eating yogurt for lunch because I cant be bothered eating a sandwich of making a salad. Its easy, goes down quick, but what happens is that two hours later I'll be picking, looking for food. Much better to put in the effort, eat something that takes some work but stays with me, otherwise I then eat crap all afternoon because I'm not full. Another bad habit - nursing my bowl or plate for an hour to get it ALL in (even reheating once or twice). Rule is, if you havent finished at 20 minutes, end the meal and throw the rest away.

No Carrie, it seriously creeps me out. The thought of my DH admiring what is basically something that looks like a 10 year old girl is not a nice thought.

I dont think you can get it in in the early days to be honest. My DH was banded Friday, he can barely get down half an Optifast shake and it takes him like 45 minutes. You need more than just Protein, sure he could work all day at 3 shakes and get in 60 g of protein (which is probably still short for a 6ft 2, 260lb man), but then he wont have had is V8, or his orange juice etc and your fruit and veg intake is importan too. Just getting through what you can and trying to have bit of everything in those first two weeks is good enough, your body has plenty of stores and you are not going to become malnourished. The risks of pushing in shakes you dont want and cant fit is greater!

Nobody. Its all Water off a duck's back to me. I do not hold grudges, I do not indulge in silly fights (other than online debating, lol), I am not petty, I dont bicker or gossip in a nasty way. When people have done things to upset me, I let myself be upset and then get over it, to me my relationships and friendships are important enough that I will forgive people their indiscretions, without feeling santimonious about doing so. Then again, nobody has ever done anything major to me that I'd have to struggle to forgive. But I've never had a major argument or ended up not speaking to anyone I've known.

I only ever view this forum by hitting new posts, so I never really know what forum I am posting in. So I'm often piping up in forums that are supposed to be for canadians only or 200lb+ to lose only or whatever and I just dont realise it. I'm not about to start wading through forum by forum, sorry if that bothers anyone but I just want to see what's new, not scroll through old posts etc. So if I pipe up in your forum and you dont want me to be there, just ignore me, lol. Everything is public, the only way to really signpost it is to say PLEASE WOMEN ONLY in the title or something like that.

It's normal, and very common. I have D on one side DD on the other. I'm having a breast lift next year and it will get fixed up then, but its always been that way.

There are foods I choose not to eat becuase they are quite hard work or danger foods (high likelihood of causing discomfort, sliming and vomiting) - I avoid those in public if I have a choice, just because I'd rather not deal with it. But I am completely confident I can turn up to any event where the meal is catered and I dont have a choice and do OK. I wont be able to eat the whole meal, I wont eat the bread beforehand and I might choose just a couple of spoonfuls of Soup, a few mouthfuls of the main and a taste of the dessert. I have NEVER been questioned or had comments directed to me regarding how much I have eaten. I live a completely normal life, I just eat much less. Most times when I go out though, I will by choice have a salad or something healthy, and avoid dessert. I dont have to be talked into a glass of wine though. I agree with Northwest Nance, you must be prepared that you may not be able to eat certain foods. But complete comfort with that comes after you've been banded, the importance of food diminishes a lot.

Theyve been doing them in Australia since the early 90's but the design has gotten better, but there are people around who have had a band in place over 10 years now. They dont KNOW how long it will last and I was told this clearly, that at some point in the future it is highly likely that the band will wear out and have to be replaced. Silicone is inert in the body so it shouldnt break or anything, but the weak point is the balloon - another reason to avoid constant refilling and unfilling and overtighteness. I fully expect that my band will be replaced as I was 37 when it was done, but I hope its into my 60's all the scars look good now, I'd be majorly pissed if they had to be reopened before I've gotten too old to wear a bikini!

I think we felt that way to some degree.