Jachut

Me Me !!! I'm up to 2.5 in a 4cc band and can only just feel the beginning of restriction now, in the sense that others talk about it. But I can still eat bread etc, no limitations on foods, just amounts. Which is perfect for me., I dont feel any need for "perfect" restriction since I was a volume eater not a poor eater in the first place - as in I ate very well, healthy foods but way too much of everything. I'm very happy, I eat an entirely normal varied diet (with treats) but just dont eat so much these days and its working.

Yes, I do think you've got to fight the tendency to make food an enemy. Food is just food, some more healthy than others, and kids just need to understand that some foods - like Doritos - are not everyday foods but just occasional foods. Not forbidden but not good in large quanities.

No no no no and NO! The hardest thing pre band I found was thinking just like you are about what I had to give up. I came to the realisation though that band or no band, if I wanted to beat my weight problem I could NEVER EVER eat the way I was eating again. But that doesnt equate to those things being out of your life forever. What I found happened for me was that the first three months or so were quite restrictive, but they were easy because you have the motivation of a new course of action to spur you on. I lost weight very quickly during the liquid to mushy phase, and continued to lose steadily around 2lb per week for a month or two after that, through my first and second fills. By that stage, I had gone past the point of no return, I'd lost a good 15kg or so and was really feeling like a different person. Gradually over the following months (I'm almost 9 months out now) I've settled into a longer term eating pattern and that most certainly includes all the foods I ate before, however I've been able to learn to eat them in moderation now, and even favour healthier food most of the time. Its so different when you actually get results for your hard work. I've had times where had I been on an ordinary diet I certainly would have fallen off the wagon and regained, I really think that's the band's most important benefit - anyone can diet or eat well for periods of time, its getting back on the horse when you've fallen and keeping going that's the hard part and a band just wont let you go completely nuts, it keeps those treats and/or binges (which even normal people have) under control. And I think its important to think in terms of you are eating 'normally' now, and that sometimes you'll eat more and/or worse than at other times and as such your weight loss wont be consistent, it'll be great sometimes, slow at other times and sometimes nonexistant. Exercise is important too and the biggest thing for me is its now not connected to eating, I go for my run regardless of whether I've been "good" or not that day. For me, there's nothing I absolutely cannot eat and I've never thrown up either.

If you cant eat healthy foods, you're too tight, pure and simple. My personal theory (which may or may not be right, lol) is that I think most people have to face up to a point where they cannot hasten their weightloss anymore (by more fills) without risking their longer term health and living on a less than perfect diet. Its important just to accept that at some point in time, slower weight loss is going to be the trade off for continuing to be able to eat adequately. That's the time to add in some really serious exercise and to be sure you keep the fat down and really watch what you eat.

If you eat well, there's no real reason to be constipated with a lapband. I still eat wholegrain cereals, wholegrain bread, fruit and a big bowl of steamed veges every single day and have never had a problem. Its another reason not to be too tight, restrict your calorie intake too low etc.

Its at crisis point in some regions of Australia now, even in mild Melbourne we've been on Water restrictions for years - my kids have never known what its like to play under the sprinkler in the garden or play slip'n'slide with a hose, a sheet of plastic and some soap. We cant water our lawns or our gardens unless we care to cart it out with a bucket. Sigh. Lucky lucky you, a little is better than nothing.

I voted yes. I think we're in danger in society of going too far in the other direction - so afraid of eating disorders and self esteem disorders that we cant approach the issue of obesity honestly with children. Fact is kids today are fed absolutely abominable diets and are not given the opportunity to get enough exercise. There is no point beating around the bush with it, kids need to know what the result of todays lifestyle will be - they will get obese and be at risk of disease. Most teens who become obese dont have eating disorders, they have lifestyle disorders and habits firmly entrenched from a lifetime of poor lifestyle choices. Kids grow up these days not even knowing what a healthy diet consists of and the serving sizes we have grown to think of as normal are simply ridiculous. You only have to look at people pushing their 4 year olds round the shopping centres in strollers with a bucket of hot chips and a bottle of coke to realise the problem is not true eating disorders. I think unless you have reason to suspect real problems (and yes prepubescent and adolescent girls are vulnerable self esteem wise) then there is no need to hide the facts of life. Eat too much, dont exercise enough and you'll get fat. You cant hide the fact that it's happened to you personally from them, they can see that, so why not be honest about a sensible solution? But how you handle your lapband is paramount. This may sound harsh I dont think teens need to see their parents living on Protein drinks and PBing often either - I think if you've got impressionable children in the house then moderate weight loss on a normal family diet is the way to go. So that they get the message that this is how you eat for everyday life. Make exercise a family affair, not some hard slog or torture that you HAVE to do. Change their habits when you change yours. I dont really think it says that there's an easy answer to weight loss since most teens would rather avoid getting fat in the first place.

I've never bothered, although you wouldnt really do that sort of thing in Australia - children's meals are for children and are usually chicken nuggets or hotdogs and chips, that kind of thing, not something you'd want to eat as an adult - and doggy bags are actually illegal due to health regulations. To me, the cost of a main course or entree anywhere I'd go is $12-$20 and to me that's a cheap price to pay for a night out with friends or a romantic dinner with my hubby or a fun night with the family at a bistro or similar. I couldnt give a toss how much of it I actually eat. So I dont ask for smaller portions, I choose something that's on the menu and dont ask for it to be modified anyway, I eat what I can and just leave the rest. Although we did go out for Chinese with family a few weeks back and I begged off the banquet, there's no way on earth I'd get through 12 courses and to pay $50 for it was a bit silly. I just ordered a dish and shared it with the kids with some rice.

If you had a full on cold I dont think it would be a good idea to go under anaesthetic, but Sep 4 is still a while away, you should be able to be over a cold by then. Were you treated for the sinus infection with antibiotics? That should have cleared everything up quick smart, otherwise it could just linger and linger.

Even so I think I'd rather do damage to the port or band rather than choke to death!

If your stomach is churning and rolling, you're sick. You poor thing. I hope this gets resolved soon, I would indeed go to the hospital.

For myself, I know I look and feel best at around 70kg (154lb). I'm 5ft 10. I dont have a particularly large lean body mass, I'm not a muscular person, so I dont need more weight than that. It falls pretty much in the middle of my my ideal weight range. However, I'm not focussed on that weight. If I dont get to it and maintain say 75kg instead, well so be it. ITs a lot better than 113!

Cant you just buy bags of popping corn? Just the kernels, they're like 50c per bag here. Take some, put it in a microwave container with a lid and zap it in the microwave for 2 or 3 minutes - instant popcorn. Sprinkle with a bit of salt if you want to. Much better (and cheaper) than those microwave bags, covered in chemical flavours. And healthy and fat free. I do this for the kids afterschool all the time. Its way better than chips or bikkies. I dont eat at the movies, its a habit I broke long ago - and I dont let the kids either becuase it costs a bleeding FORTUNE but I do often take a coffee in and the kids take Water.

Hunger - anything from a vague interest in food starting to creep in to full on tummy grumbling - which can actually present as pain for me now. this "vague interest" is different in some inexplicable way to head hunger which is simply "hmm, I'd like to eat something". The vague interest is physical I think, but I cant define the actual signals. Full - a stomach stretching sensation reminding me to stop. I try not to eat to that point now but to satiety which is I've had enough, could fit a fair bit more in but do I really need to? Too full - uh oh, shouldnt have taken that last bite, look out here comes the golfball. I've never actually PB'd though thank goodness.

It sounds like you're actually sick and have put the symptoms down to the surgery. You poor thing, my kids picked up gastro literally 2 or 3 days after my surgery and I was in major panic about vomiting, I got straight down to the doctors and got a script for an antiemetic. I got sick but didnt get the vomiting and nausea. Its obviously too late for that, hopefully it has passed for you. I'd just contact the surgeon and tell him what happened, chances are all is perfectly OK, but boy that must have hurt!

I told my children - boys 10 and 8 and a 3 year old girl - as I didnt see how on earth I would hide it from them. We approached it from the point of view that some people struggle with their weight and that I needed to do something about mine as I wasnt feeling the best. Since then, its been way more about getting fit and the focus has been on improving family eating and exercise habits. I dont think that you can hide from kids the dangers of living a poor lifestyle, they do need to understand the implications. The only danger I think is presenting it in terms of "I'm ugly and fat and I need to lose weight". I really felt that the bad example had already been set. I'd progressively gotten heavier and heavier and had done plenty of moaning and complaining and stop/start diet attempts prior to my surgery. Hiding the actual surgery seemed unecessary to me. However, I'm glad my 3 year old daughter will never remember anything of it. For this reason I'm deeply uncomfortable with cosmetic surgery, I would have a tummy tuck if I really needed to but I think it would probably be only a case of necessity for me. For me personally the lapband surgery was a lot about vanity, but that was easily hidden, it would not be the same were I to go in for a breast lift. I can guarantee I'll never ever have a face lift or anything of that nature. But where do you draw the line. Its not by having weight loss surgery or cosmetic surgery that we put these thoughts into young children's heads, its far more endemic than that. Its in our everyday attitudes, its on every magazine cover and television screen. I just think until this ideology changes, it really is irrelevant whether we tell our kids about the big things, its just down to personal preference.

I had to suffer the indignity of giving birth with a huge pimple on my arse. Then again I peed on my obstetrician and am reasonable sure that more than just a baby came out of my rear end so who cares?

I wouldnt know really, I'm not watching for it. Dont particularly care either since I'm not available.

Yup, he's scary too.

I think Rolfie lives in London now anyway! Steve Irwin scares me!

Not sorry at all, its the best thing I've ever done for myself. My thought process was this: Do I overeat, and eat when I'm not hungry - YES Do I have real psycholigical issues centred around eating - NO Will the band make me a perfect eater - NO Will the band help me to regulate my eating - YES Am I prepared to do the old fashioned hard yards - YES What is it about the band that will make that easier - KNOWING THAT IF I MANAGE IT, I'M NOT LIKELY TO REGAIN. THIS TIME I'LL MAINTAIN THE LOSS. Do I have unrealised expectations, preconceived ideas or a die hard attitude that I'm going to get to a particular weigh - NO Am I prepared to jump on for the ride and just see how far it takes me YES Am I prepared to be one of the "complications" - NOT REALLY, BUT I AM PREPARED TO TAKE THE RISK I definitely do think some people make better banding candidates than others and that that is most definitely personality based. You have to learn to be moderate and liberal, there are no certainties, you wont lose x amount every week, you wont necessarily get to Y goal. If your definition of "success" is so rigid that you cant be positive about what you gain from the band even in the absence of reaching specific goals, then its probably not for you. If however you're ready to take a step towards attaining better health, ready to learn to value yourself for things other than what you weigh or look like, ready to accept what help the band gives you personally and dig deep to find the rest then the band is most definitely for you.

Am I the only one that feels SORRY for the fish?

Donna, that's what my doc said when I pointed out that I'm happy enough with what restriction I have but I'm surprised that 2.5 doesnt give me more than what it does, given other people's experience. He said its a smaller stomach, not a bigger one that means you need more Fluid (d'oh, of course) and that I would not have an overly large amount of intra-abdominal fat anymore.

I'm sure many people have had surgery with gallstones, most people have little ones but they only become problematic beyond a certain point. Gallstones can resolve, they can be treated with ultrasound or they are removed surgically. That's the extent of my general knowledge though, no doubt somebody else has more accurate information. I thought that sometimes they could remove the gallbladder and do the lapbanding at the same time?

Unfortunately I dont have any on the computer or camera - my boys started school before digital cameras were commonplace and we dont have a scanner, no need for one generally. But believe me, they were very very CUTE. Crisp new uniforms, new haircuts, shiny shoes, pity that doesnt last. Eliza starts school in 2008 and I cant wait to see her all dressed up in her little uniform, lol.