Jachut

Are you kidding :eyebrows: GO Chickie GO!

I feel the same way. I really dont have noticeable skin issues now in the low 170's at 5ft 10. Oh, yeah, my stomach is a little crepey but I've had 3 big babies and I'm about to turn 40. No batwings. My thighs, well nature didnt bless me with great thighs. I'm a pear shape, I have a droopy bottom, saddle bags and cellulite and I know for a fact that if I had those on the day I got married at 160lb, then they'll be there again if I hit that weight. Also, I find this weight right now, which is *just* inside the top of my healthy weight range, easily maintainable. I dont even have to think about it. I cant help imagining another 10kgs will make ALL the difference, then I"ll be really hot. In reality I'll probably be sickly gaunt up top and still a little flabby down below. I was always a bit sceptical about bandsters making goals that were still overweight but I can see the sense in making achievable goals now. And yeah, PS is not something I could afford, heck we're about to start paying private school fees next year, we've struggled despite a 6 figure income all our married lives becuase of our stupid stupid stupid decision to build a new home in an outer suburb (poor capital growth) and accidentally get pregnant with a third child, lol. Even when I return to work, it wouldnt be happening. I'd have to live with whatever state I"m in, which really wont be terribly bad, but still. My life though, no my problems havent gone away. We really had a tough start and despite the big income, we're still playing catch up. Oh yeah, nice cars, niceish house but its a struggle to really get secure, you know? We thought we'd be miles from here by our 40's. But I cope a lot better, we live a lot better becuase I"m more organised and energetic, the mess, the disorganisation, that's all disappeared. But I still have terrible hair, lol, I still have to spend half an hour with blow dryer and straightener every single morning!

I know, Insubordination, your post brought tears to my eyes. That must have taken a lot of courage to put out there.

As a "lower BMI bandster" I've never thought for a moment that I faced the same journey. The health and fitness I enjoyed even as an obese person was a blessing and made my journey that much easier. The fact that I never became super morbidly obese was because my obesity was due to lifestyle factors - the typical weight gain that happens when you have kids, stop work etc. I wasnt just piling on more and more pounds, I'd reached max fatness and held it for a few years before I got banded. I didnt have anything like the headwork to do, anything like the dysfunctional eating to battle and absolutely none of the emotional scarring to heal. I've never not fit in a movie seat, a booth, an aeroplane seat. I got banded becuase I was worried about my ankle, yes, but more so because I didnt like the way I looked. It was totally a decision based on vanity. I've never tried to pretend I totally understand what others are going through, I'm sure actually my "just do it" attitude has at times been insensitive even, because honestly, when people post that they need more and more restriction or they've gained or they cant stop eating chocolate, I really do just marvel that they've gone so far as to have surgery and they STILL cant control themselves? I know that I just dont get it. I try to be respectful of it as a journey totally different to mine and I hope that that works in reverse and people understand that a little bit of weight is much easier to tackle than a lot so why the hell not do it now before it gets even harder?

I've actually been thinking about this, but I dont have a bike :-( and not likely to be able to afford one either. Plus I love swimming but the chlorine wrecks my hair, lol. Reason being, I really really REALLY want to do a half marathon but I'm afraid my ankle just wont cope with running that far and I do not want to injure myself or end my running career, much less start of the cycle of pain and inflammation that led me to being banded in the first place. I couldnt myself blessed to be able to run 10kms. But a triathlon would present that physical challenge and super duper fitness whilst not placing all the strain on one part of my body. I havent even begun to look into it though. But I'd think that superb aerobic fitness is all you'd need to compete - winning is a bit more scientific. Find out the distances for each leg and start working towards them. I would imagine, and I could be wrong that most people would need to improve their swimming significantly, and would need to work on their running, but given the fitness to swim and run as required, could complete the cycling leg without too much drama?

Hmm, I'd say no, they're liquid calories and not really deserving of a place in our diet - but if they work for people, who really cares what others eat if you're happy with your own diet and progress? I loathe the very idea of relying on a processed food like that though. I'm a food snob and wouldnt drink Protein shakes any more than I'd eat freezer meals like Lean Cuisines - taste like complete crap, full of salt, sugar and unhealthy additives. I place Protein Shakes in the same category, artificial sweeteners, flavours, genetically modified soy Proteins, not appealing to me. If I feel like shake, I'll make a fruit smoothie with an egg in it. Nor do I believe we need 60 to 80 grams of protein every single day. I'd guess for people who cant do Breakfast they're a godsend. But I'd still think you're better off blending fruit, yogurt, milk and an egg for some real food.

If someone was downright rude to me before and changed his tune completely, no. But in the situation where say a friend had never shown romantic interest and then did, yes. I may be still me but I"m way more attractive at a normal weight. I actually tend to like "cuddly" men myself, my DH carries 50 extra pounds. But I dont think its unreasonable, shallow or superficial to not be attracted to someone who's 100, 200lb overweight, even if you find them nice people. Its not healthy, I wouldnt choose to share the lifestyle that a very obese person obviously leads in terms of eating, exercise behaviour etc, and I think there's more than conscious thought at play, its normal human behaviour that seeks a mate that looks as if he/she can produce progeny and not die of a heart attack whilst hunting dinner. I know I'm still basically ME but a) I look a darnsite better than I used to and lifestyle wise I'm a bloody lot more fun to be around. It wouldnt surprise me in the least to hear that someone find me attractive now that didnt before, its got more to do than just how I look and I know my entire persona is different now.

All very true - appearances are deceiving arent they? I always get so freaking angry when my BIL pokes fun at my husband for his beer belly, when he indulges in ALL the same behaviour himself, actually worse in regard to diet and lack of exercise, but is lucky just to be thin. He's actually not built well at all, he's weedy and puny, but he's thin and assumes he has high moral ground because of it. That's why I said "I'm ashamed to admit it" becuase I do make those assumptions about people based on the way they look. We all do it, its a human failing.

Wanting to remove your band is also a desire to hang on to your old ways. That's a diet mentality - do the diet, lost the weight, go off the diet. You have to eventually get your head around the fact that this is FOREVER. I struggled with that in deciding to be banded. It was an eye opener to me how much I wanted to change on the one hand but how much I really DIDNT want to change. I think its the first time in my life that I was able to admit that I really did get "something" out of my lifetstyle, even if I wasnt able to pinpoint what it was. The thought of giving up that type of eating was scary. Now the way I eat is "normal" to me, its normal in pretty much everyone else's eyes too. I dont have a super restrictive diet or super low calories, food has its rightful place in my life and there is no need to remove the band to change that. But I know something is broken in me, if the band were to come out, the appetite would return and I'd be fat again in no time.

If you're self pay I dont think it will matter? Someone correct me if I"m wrong. I live in Australia thankfully, we dont ahve to fight for stuff like that. My BMI was 35 and I had no problem at all with no comorbodities. As for it being "such a low BMI", well I was most definitely OBESE and feeling every kilogram of it.

I can just about guarantee I'd regain if I were to do that.

I had no problem wearing an underwire bra and jeans home the next day.

Hair loss after babies isnt usually true thinning though - your hair doesnt fall out as much while you're pregnant and its all this "extra" hair that comes away once your hormones start to normalise again. That;s why you often have such glorious hair during pregnancy.

Yeah, it does sound too good to be true doesnt it? I am prepared to try it on a body area for the amount it costs as I've had a friend who did get great result - but only on a very small amount of fat on her inner thighs. Theres no way it can match liposuction for big fat deposits like saddlebags. They "say" that it destroys the fat cells but obviously if you can regain inches, it hasnt done that.

I'd be the first to admit that my reasons for lap band surgery were at LEAST as much for vanity as for my health. Yes my health has improved enormously, and I'm thrilled about that and about the prospect of a long, fit and healthy old age. But what I'm really excited about is how I look and the clothes I can wear! I dont see how my lapband surgery was not cosmetic surgery also. So I wont be having any further PS - that's because I feel good enough despite my flaws now. Not becuase I think PS is somehow less worthy or less valid than the surgery I've already had.

Oh, I'd rather NOT know about the little bit of grey hair I have down there, thanks. Sigh. That's depressed me 20 times more than all the grey hairs on my head. I"m only 39, lol.

Yes, a good bra is all it takes, I'm an E cup and I can run without undue bounce. The good old Berlie Sports Bra suits me really really well, I cant find one to beat it. That brooks one looks good though!

My sentiments exactly. The band actually takes quite a lot of personal commitment and behavioural changes, not the least of which is exercise. There is no surgical technique to make you get off the couch, off your but and get out there and exercise but its every bit as important as what you eat. As for what you eat, well you can lose weight eating complete crap. I've done it many times, lol. Calories in v calories out, simple as that. But its up to you how healthy you want to be. Eating with a band is like feeding a child, you cannot afford to fill up your stomach with crap food.

I dont believe its from lack of Protein either. I'd be lying if I said I had no hair loss, but it was very very minimal, I suffered a lack of condition more than anything, and a lot of breakage. I was beginning to get extremely worried. But its passed now, only lasted a month or two. I really believe its just from the sustained fat loss. Dieting per se doesnt cause it but not many people embark on a lifestyle change as different from their previous life as being banded and maintain it for that long. We're limited in what we can eat and sure to run low on one nutrient or another and I believe it just catches up with most of us at whatever point that our own bodily stores of things begins to run out. But we seem to normalise again. Its only a small percentage of people really do truly go almost bald or really have noticeable, problematic thinning. Hopefully you wont be one of them. In the meantime, there's little that's more anxiety promoting. I'd rather be fat than lose my hair, quite honestly. I didnt do anything special diet wise, all I take is a multi, I did recommit to looking after my hair obsessively - I have delicate hair at the best of times. Redken CAT after every single shampoo, before conditioner and after a few weeks the breakage stopped. I've always tried to improve the frizzy dry texture of my hair with moisturising, but the protein treatments are what really really helped it.

Its sooooo good to focus on your athletic achievements. OK so running through my head is a fantasy that I actually look the way I feel when I run, but that feeling is real and its how YOU feel that counts, really, not how you look to others. As long as you feel great about yourself you could be green and spotty with nose hair, it just doesnt matter. I cant believe the self esteem I've gained from running. But I wonder if spanx would help my saddlebags? Its worth a try since you actually look good while wearing them anyway!

Its lipodissolve, they've been doing it in Australia for a little while. I am seriously considering this, its supposed to be moderately effective and I have a moderate problem and its so affordable. The substance they inject is a soybean derivative and they know its safe becuase they've been using it in cardiac surgery to clear blockages/plaque from arteries for a long time. It basically breaks down the fat which liquefies and finds its way into the bloodstream to be excreted, the fat cells are destroyed. You can feel a bit unwell I understand for a day or two becuase of this detox process, but it seems to have no longer term side effects and unlike lipo it can actually help the skin to shrink.

I never felt like I was treated as stupid. And I think that thin, fit lookign women have pride in themselves, look after themselves and are probably not lazy. I'm ashamed to admit I probably judge very overweight people harshly and always did, even when I was one myself. Because I was a lazy slob, lol. Truly, I did get fat by laziness to some extent. As to Courtney Love - well she's piled it all on again now hasnt she? Probably good indication that she's indulged in the most stupid behaviour of all - starving yourself and expecting the weight to stay off rather than making sensible lifestyle changes

Mmm, I think I'd be hesitate to eat soft foods that early too. The trouble with mushies is that some things are not as mushie as you might think. I'd do VERY VERY mushy, I had to do 3 weeks liquids but there wasnt any restriction on what I was allowed to eat - I did blend up "real" food, I didnt survive on shakes and juice. I made good Soups etc. That was easy and satisfying. That's what I'd do again if I were in the same situation.

Eating and exercise behaviour play a huge part, but also, there's a lot of people out there that wonder why the heck they're so fat. They dont seem to eat more than the average person - and I think its true, some people are just unlucky, they have slow metabolisms and get fat very easily and struggle to lose it.

I would ring your doc, for sure. Its probably irritation now, so dont panic, but do follow it up.