Jachut

Its about time for me to start thinking about this too, we also have a family history of bowel cancer. Nobody in my immediate or extended family but in older generations. I assume the process will be pretty much unchanged by being banded - the band is afterall on the other end of your stomach. But its one reason why I wont do the Protein first thing and continue to rely on wholegrains and lots of fruit and veg. Not that protein is bad, but I try to get in a different balance rather than placing it as top priority.

Is this better?

Here ya go!

That was me! I should put THAT in my siggy, dare me?

I'm going to have the giggles all day at "gunt" *snort*

Also, where do you carry your weight? I think that makes a difference. Because my stomach is Okish - I mean if I were to go in and ask for a TT I wouldnt be laughed out of the office, there's skin there that could come off. But its bikini worthy enough compared to the other people on the beach. But my boobs, omg, they're atrocious, a train wreck. I have loose skin on the tops of them and they need lifting badly but the advice I've had so far is that the only thing that will fill out the stretched out, loose skin satisfactorily is an implant back to my former size. As that was an E cup, and if there were lifted at the same time, I'd have pretty stupendously impressive bazoongas - being 5ft 10, its actually not enormous on me. But I dont really want implants in my chest. So I dont think I necessarily have great skin because it has stretched in some places like on my breasts. The stretchmarks I have there are from puberty, I went to bed flat chested and woke up with boobs! Its wrecked and it hasnt survived weight loss well. But my stomach has - it was fat but I never carried my weight there, it was mainly in my hips and thighs, and I didnt get huge in pregnancy becuase I had average babies and am very tall, so no enormous bump. So its all sorts of factors that combine.

I went ages without a fill, I got a lot of post op restriction which was very lucky, because I'm not a sweller and can eat after a fill, can eat immediately after a PB, etc etc. You'd think if you remained swollen and tight for 3 months after surgery you'd also be very sensitive to fills wouldnt you? But not so. I've never had really good restriction since then, even at 3ml I can eat bread without a problem. I think there's one or two around who havent needed a fill and Chickie is certainly maintaining her spectacular loss with a completely unfilled band, but its not the norm. Most people need fills.

JEEZ - it better NOT count. Because I dont want to admit what I was thinking about when I was drifting off last night. And it didnt involve my husband!

Hmm, you know I havent heard of a post surgical lactose intolerance, but I am a little sensitive to milk since banding. Not in small amounts. I drink coffee with a dash of cold milk, I can eat cereal, I can even drink a glass of milk. But hot milk, ugh, as in steamed milk in a latte, makes me nauseous every time.

Ah, um, lol, sorry? The way things have been around here lately, I took major offense to it. Thanks for clarifying.

pmpl, love the new siggie!

I feel as a taxpayer, within reason, I am entitled to whatever medical care I require. However I choose to pay private health insurance because I'm too much of a princess to have a baby in a public hospital when I could be sucking it up in a private one where I can have a private room, wine with my dinner, a private lactation consultant and put my baby in the nursery if I want to sleep. I want to choose my surgeon when I require surgery and my specialist for any other health problems and I want my health care right now, when it suits me and where it suits me. But I'm entitled to what I need through the public system too. However - obesity and smoking and even tanning related illnesses, where do you draw the line? In Australia, obesity is on the rise because we are following the American culture, living a similar lifestyle, all new manner of canned crapola is hitting the supermarket shelves every week, we like fast food, beer and watch more sport than we play. Yet our kids are also being raised differently, its no longer safe to send them out from dawn to dusk to play or let them walk to school. Phys ed in schools is sometimes non existent. Parents need to work and cant do the after school sport thing, so those kids grow up fat. Is it their fault? Here in Australia, the sun is so strong that most people have skin cancers removed within their lifetime. Most white Australians have considerable sun damage to their skin. Yet others insist on using tanning beds, possibly the most stupid, risky thing you could ever do to yourself, every bit as much a choice as smoking and then expect the public system to pick up the tab - where do you draw the line there? Smoking, nobody has to do it. So if you get lung cancer should you be left high and dry? If I break my ankle tonight playing basketball, is that my fault? Fact is there's lifestyle factors at play in nearly every disease westerners suffer. Choices all along the line, by ourselves, by our parents and by our governments affect our health. I dont worry about whether so and so next door deserves their open heart surgery. I'm just glad its there for everyone. But I dont see what's wrong with refusing entry to people whom you know are going to be a huge burden - because with someone who's gravely ill, not only are they a burden on the health system but probably unable to work and a burden on the welfare system as well. We have a responsibility to look after our own citizens, but we dont have a responsibility to take on even more liabilities.

I was just thinking about this in the car. The overall tone has dropped lately, a new influx of people, old people disappeared, I've seen a couple of generations since I've been here. It hasnt been very pleasant lately, but it always improves again. People find their groove and start to get on.

Barely any. Just a residual flabiness but its certainly not worth trading the scars or spending the money for what I have. Although I'm probably going to have a breast lift

Its 37 degrees celcius in Melbourne today - and I exercised! Oh, yeah, I'm an athlete. Now I'm not stupid enough to go out running in the blazing hot sun in weather like this, so I went to a spin class instead. In my past life I would have just not done anything much.

I'm the same, nowhere near as scary and opinionated in real life as I come across in writing. I belong to an online group that I've been with for five years, we all got together through a public forum during pregnancies, and its basically become real life friends. We had our first national meet a few years ago, in Sydney and afterwards we were discussing it and people had literally been scared to meet me and were so relieved I wasnt a loud mouthed pushy bitch in real life, lol. We used to have a lot of debates over politics, welfare, childcare, all those *safe* topics. Lord knows how we survived that and got to be lifelong friends.

How long has this been for. In my past life, the first week of any diet I'd just pee and pee and then pee some more. All that water weight you lose. Perhaps if you've just had a fill, dropped calories markedly you're having a burst of that initial just on a diet water loss again?

I dont know about typical, but that's how its been for me (in Australia). All my pre op stuff was with the surgeon, the first two post op visits - including first fill were with him and then he told me I was right to see the doctor (whom I also met before surgery) but that I could always make an appointment to see him at ANY time I wanted to. He said to check in with him at six months, twelve months and then yearly intervals. The doc I see has worked with banded patients a long time, knows everything he needs to know, is a wonderful guy and is also a sports medicine specialist to boot and has helped me a lot with my ankle issues. I have no real need to see my surgeon, they work as a team and run a great practice so I'm happy.

Even outdoors they're problematic. Ever since smoking was banned in offices and shopping centres here, you have to fight your way through a disgusting cloud of smoke at every doorway, with your young children and their precious clean lungs. Polluting every doorway doesnt solve much. I heard recently here since they banned smoking in pubs people have realised how disgusting they smell with the beer all over the carpet and alcholol laden breath and body odor and have had to start piping in fake cigarette smell to cover the stench, lol.

Congrats on making it half way! I voted 10% - any weight loss with the band is worth celebrating because in many cases and with reasonable effort, its weight that will never come back.

Oooh, OK. Bandster Laws If you dont eat less, move more, you wont lose weight and in 9 cases out of ten it is nobody's fault but your own. There is no way around the math people, shut your gob and move your ass. Bandster rights. I do believe you have the right to fall off the wagon, come here and have a whine about it and receive support, not holier than thou "why are you eating chicken nuggets?" questions. This is hard work. We all live real lives and we all eat good and bad foods. Some people never get the balance right, others do. So maybe.... we all have a right to a certain number of those moments, but others reserve the right to lose patience after a while perhaps?

I wont answer for Wasa but I found that early on the band gave me the kind of lack of appetite that Tenuate did way back in the 80's. I just wasnt overly interested in food. Once that passed (6 months or so) I'd lost so much weight and had gotten into a running routine and that in itself was enough to provide motivation for me. Its amazing how much easier simple measures like eating less, and moving more become when you have proof that they work! Wasa is one driven lady, the anser, for me is that the band wouldnt make it any easier for me to give up carbs, and I havent given them up. I've had slower weight loss because of it but I still lost - because I just eat less and move more than I did.

I did a long post but I just deleted it. Because you know what? If you dont want the benefit of what I've learned through my own long hard slog, then jam it. Figure it out yourself. Personally, and I know others feel the same, I have no need to share my own painful discoveries and lessons with somebody who holds them in contempt. You work it out. We all do in the end. Or dont. Its up to you. The last week or two round here have taught me there's little point trying to lighten another's journey, they usually just spit in your face. And forgive me if my tone's a little blunt. That would have to be the most spectacularly rude and nasty question I've read here. Sheesh.

I've decided I really want to try this. I may get a breast lift but I wont be having any other surgery, I have some flabbiness as a result of weight loss but not enough to justify the cost of scarring of a tummy tuck. Will let you all know how I go!

Lol, well said.