Jachut

It was middle age and potential health issues staring me in the face. The biggest things I've enjoyed about my sucess with banding have been vanity, but really, I suddenly hit 38, my weight was just starting to get on top of me and I was even starting to get depressed, I really began to worry about what the rest of my life was going to be like. Frumpy and forty and out of shape did NOT appeal to me. Now of course I'm fairly bursting out of my skin with health and energy!

I was shooting for a weight that I know is reasonable, not extremely thin on me - 75kg (154lb) at 5ft 10. Its in the healthy range and I have maintained that sort of weight for very long periods of time, without extreme behaviours. Its pretty much what I weighed for my entire 20's until I started having babies. However, I've now gotten to 82-83kg and I dont have the same body that I did 20 years ago. I've had 3 babies, but I've also exercised like a fiend for this past 12 months and I am WAY thinner and firmer at 83kg now than I was when I shot up to that weight once or twice and had to go on a panic diet earlier in my life. I have 25% body fat or so. I'm also not losing weight at all at the moment despite a really heavy exercise schedule. So..... this may be where I stay. I'm not overly fussed. I'd look absolutely GREAT at 75kg and I want to get there, but I"m not going to get stupid over it. I suspect I'll just mosy on down to that sort of weight over the next year, I really think my days of 1lb per week are firmly behind me. I"m really really happy with what I've achieved and if I never lose any more then so be it.

I think Vit E and any omega supplements can thin your blood - a bit risky before surgery. Just something to ask about I guess. I tend to eat more often than 3 x per day these days. I've always been a 3 meals per day dieter, I find snacking just gives me more opportunity to overeat. but on the weekend for example, I ran 10km on Saturday evening, walked 8km on Sunday and played 3 hours of beach cricket. I eat a small meal and I am STARVING an hour later. I have 3ml in my band. I dont really want more fill at this point, I have 7kg to go to get to my goal weight and it just seems pointless to have done this whole thing without being tight only to get more fill now to stop snacking when really, I"m hungry because I'm burning up mega calories. With a band, I cant eat enough to fuel my body for the amount of exercise I do without eating more than 3 times per day. But I'm not losing now, so who knows.

I saw one but it was only to go over the post op requirements - when to progress, ideas for what to eat in the various stages, nothing about long term diet whatsoever other than what constitutes a healthy diet - basically an outline of the food pyramid. Which I was happy with since I consider being banded a lifestyle, not a diet with strict rules.

I guess Australia is "built on the sheeps back", sheep are everywhere here.

Oh god, dont say that with any Australians around. We are moving onto third stage Water restrictions, our water resourvoirs are down to about 1/3 capacity in Melbourne, we are on a 3 minute shower time limit and to water the garden I am collecting water in buckets in the shower, collecting the rinse water from the washing machine, the water that runs into the sink while you're waiting for it to get hot, or cold enought to drink. We're thinking of investing $5,000 in a rainwater tank too. Water is like gold here, we've been in drought for 10 years and there's no sign of it breaking. Our farmers are going broke by the thousands, they're losing their livelihoods. Rivers are empty. There's raging bushfires across most of North Eastern Victoria so Melbourne is blanketed by smoke and the sky looks dull and red. Its really really scary. I dont think we'll EVER be allowed to go back to the unrestricted use of water in this country.

Not joking Carlene, lamb is common here - isnt it there? A leg of lamb is our traditional "celebration" meal there's even used to be an ad on telly with a very young Naomi Watts being invited out for dinner by Tom Cruise (on the other end of the phone, he wasnt actually in the ad) and she says "not tonight, Mum's doing a lamb roast". Mmm, roast lamb, lamb loin chops, lamb back straps, lamb cutlets, those are all commonplace in Oz. Its really the only red meat I really like, I might have a bit of corned silverside or something, but generally beef doesnt do it for me at all - not a steak eater. Mutton is from an older animal, I've never eaten it - actually I've never even seen it in the butchers.

My sister is married to a Greek boy, my other sister is married to an Italian. But we've never eaten mutton - boy oh boy does he do some wonderful things with lamb though, I love love love lamb.

Time to go SHOPPING!!

I dont "hate" chocolate now, but I dont have anything like the tolerance I once had for rich foods, they make me feel sick very quickly.

You know, on the same topic, I virtually NEVER find really buff men attractive. I dont like the model types, the really muscly ones etc. There's something too "female" about a male caring about his appearance to that degree to me, it just turns me off. So I virutally never sit in a movie drooling over Brad Pitt (ugh) or similar. They just do nothing for me. So having a "type" may be shallow, so whilst I said I probably wouldnt be attracted to an obese man, I'd go for someone in their forties and cuddly anyday over some young bloke who looks like he spends all his time in the gym staring at a mirror.

I'm from Melbourne too!

Thanks guys, its good to share your triumphs. I'd planned a 10km run for tonight, didnt feel like going (its hot in Melbourne) but when I read your words of encouragement I got my shoes on and headed out the door!

Oh, I think they DO look like they have a ton of excess skin! The women still have wobbly arms and you can see that their stomach's arent flat. They're wearing pretty constricting spandex in those weighins. The men look great, but they dont end up looking like Bob either. I can remember watching previous ones, I think it was Matt, the guy who won and he took his shirt off and had a very doughy belly.

Hehe, I"m not a big make up wearer, I always feel like I look like a clown. Natural is my thing. but I had a spray tan the day before surgery (I cant believe I just admitted I am that vain).

I dont really have skin issues - slight crepiness on my stomach and perhaps a bit of flab on the upper arm but nothing more than any other nearly 40 year old whose had 3 babies has.

Attraction is part physical, you cant shoot someone for not finding an obese person attractive. Its part of our survival instinct - nor do many 18 year old men find 70 year old women attractive! I probably wouldnt find an overweight man attractive, BUT (and this is a big but, pardon the pun) I would not be totally disinterested in an overweight man. I'm interested in getting to know anybody. And a longer term relationship is not built on the purely physical. So if a man I'd known suddenly became interested in me when I lost weigth it wouldnt worry me, if I returned the interest. But if he hadnt even bothered to know me in a non romantic sense when I was heavy, that's a bit different and reflects poorly on him. My husband is really enjoying my new body - but that doesnt mean he didnt love me before.

Alexandra said it brilliantly, that pretty much sums it up for me. Plus the bypass is pretty much not done in Australia anyhow, its mostly the lapband.

I'd agree with that, but that depends a LOT on how obese you were at surgery I think, somebody suffering from morbid obesity with a BMI of 50 or more is often not going to be in as good condition physically as somebody with a BMI of 35, liquid diet or not. Its hard enough getting around after a big operation, and becoming mobile quickly is important for recovery - but when you already have mobility problems as a result of your obesity for instance, you're really going to struggle. The liquid diet is usually sufficient in nutrients for a short period, but its not a replacement for a long background of healthy eating, you dont suddenly get into shape after 2 weeks on Optifast. And a fit body that has always been active will probably recover more quickly than a more sedentary one.

Uh, suspenders wasnt quite the look I had in mind when I decided to lose all this weight! I'm at an awful in between at the moment, always pulling up my pants, but the size down are till a little tight to be decent.

No low carb plans here, I dont believe low carb is a healthy way to eat. Its not really advised in Australia either, its more of an American thing. I think you need carbs as part of a healthy diet and you get good weight loss without them for sure, but you also get good rebound weight gain when you give in to the inevitable. Really low carb diets are not sustainable long term for many people. But I do try to stay away from processed carbs, white bread, cakes, muffins, doughnuts etc. Nobody needs those.

Nope, not really. I used to run a bit just for fitness and weight control when i was in my late teens, early 20's, but I dont think I ever went as far as 10kms - and I'd certainly never entered an event before this year. But they're really motivating, gives you something to work towards. In April I want to do a 15.2km Run for the Kids in Melbourne and after that, I want to do the half marathon in next years Melbourne Marathon, oh and the City to Surf in Sydney in August..... lol.

Lots of healthy longer term bandsters here in Australia. Yes, there's problems with slips, I've not heard anything like as much about erosion amongst Australians as I seem to read about on these boards. Perhaps its something to do with technique, I dont know.

My honest advice to you would be to put yourself on a healthy diet, get plenty of exercise and get yourself in good frame of mind and in good shape to go through surgery. liquid diets are only necessary for shrinking the liver and probably not necessary for everyone who does them, but its just policy so most surgeons wouldnt differentiate between one person and another. I didnt have to do one either, I'm in Australia. Try to avoid the last supper syndrome. I managed to do so becuase I knew how demoralising and degrading that would have been and what a negative preparation for surgery - hey, lets get SO fat that we need weight loss surgery and while we're waiting, hows about we eat ourselves into a stupor, have an orgy of chocolate and cake! I just knew I couldnt live with myself if I did that, and whilst I've always been a moderate overeater all of the time, that kind of binging just makes me feel awful within myself and I didnt want to do it. By all means have a last supper (or a couple) but do it in a moderate way. Not that I dont TOTALLY understand that many people just cannot get a handle on that kind of behaviour and I'm not in any way judgemental of it, I just did not want to do it to myself and I'd suggest that if it can be avoided, you will go into this whole thing with a way more positive outlook. Dont just decide you've thrown in the towel and taken the "last resort", start your healthy and happy new life NOW. Very best of luck.

I'd say it was the kind of off the cuff information that doctors and surgeons say just because they cant be bothered explaining fully - because overall, no you dont "feel" the band, but if it suddenly tore loose you would sure as eggs feel that! You dont "feel" your rings sitting on your fingers most of the time either, its the same kind of thing, something has to make you aware of it and I guess for some people that something arises and for some it doesnt. I cant tell you the amount of rubbish and misinformation I've been told about various bits of my anatomy (or my childrens') because the surgeon or doctor cant be bothered explaining it and dont realise that I actually understand what they're talking about. On the other hand I had a family doctor who drew diagrams for EVERYTHING and that was a tad tedious as well.