Jachut

Its taken a week. Had a small fill last Wednesday after six months of under restriction. Five lb was the most gain I was going to tolerate! Ive been on nexium all year but doc and I both agree the heartburn (no actual reflux) is unrelated to my band and more likly due to the damage chemo has one to my gut - am now wheat, lactose and fructose intolerant. Have a a noticeable decline in my appetite for Breakfast, had sushi for dinner and only ate 3 pieces and had to pour out most of my glass of wine. Hallelujah! I've spent the last six months trying to impose those restrictions on my own! Welcome back band!

I only have certain things that I will wear this type of garment with, because frankly, I find them absolutely awful to wear. I have a couple of slips and some compression tanks - but I cannot tolerate any of the girdles - they make me feel sick to wear. For me, I dont see the point under regular clothes but they smoothe me out under one or two clingy dresses that I'd wear for special occasions (I have saddlebags). The rest of the time I prefer to accept my figure faults and dress to disguise rather than make myself uncomfortable.

I find Iron and B12 the most important ones for me and they really do seem to help me feel better mentally. But I've had cancer and a horrible menopause and am also on HRT and testosterone and even STILL thinking about an antidepressant so I do have other issues besides diet. The other thing I was really struggling with was recovery after exercise and six solid weeks of B12 appears to be helping there too. I must stress, its taken seven years for some of these deficiencies to show and I"m always having blood tests so I'm not blindly throwing Vitamins and things I've diagnosed in myself. But I wish I'd taken a multi all along.

Yes, its constnat now for me and I'm on nexium 20mg every second day - so I guess that's not really bad. I've been too tight before and I had real reflux, acid coming up the back of my throat and being unable to sleep flat, now its unlike that, just stomach pain and burning. I tried unfilling and it made no difference and I gained weight so I went back last week and put the fill back in and control it with the Nexium. My doc says I dont sound or appear to be too tight, barium xray last year was fine, just slight pouch dilation. I developed a bit of gastritis after taking Iron pills for a few months, and the pain has never gone away, I've had chemotherapy and my entire digestive system is pretty dodgy and its also very common to develop GERD with menopause. So he's happy for me to have the fill, as we really dont think its band related. not every case of heartburn/reflux is caused by the band and therefore unfilling the band is not going to cure it. So as long as you've had a look via a barium xray and its all OK, its probably not unreasonable to have the fill you need and take medication. I'm bummed about being on ANY sort of medication long term, but I guess that's what happens as you get older and particularly when you've had stuff like chemo.

Sigh. Look, I have just accepted that I an "sick", suffering from obesity and I always will be. There will never be a time when I eat what I want when I want and stay thin. I will always struggle with wanting to eat more than I can burn off. I think it comes from both sides of the equation - hightened appetite with slower metabolism. I could be diabetic, could have a rare genetic order, or Parkinsons or lupus or epilepsy and I would need medical attention and medication to manage that condition for life. I dont suffer from those diseases, I suffer from obesity. Thankfully, with a positive attitude,I have a damn good tool for managing it. Like any disease, some periods of my life I will manage better than others. I have gotten too skinny, I've regained more than I wanted, I've been in despair becuase although my body is no longer fat, I have had weeks of eating chocolate till I want to puke, or let my insane carb and sugar addiction take over again. But it is always possible to get back on track. Thank god I love to run, spin and go to the gym. It really really helps. And if you dont love it, well do it anyway. Unlike eating, exercise IS all about willpower. If you're able bodied then you can and should be doing it. And pushing hard. I think the sooner we all face up to that harsh reality, the sooner we can stop beating ourselves up over what we perceive as moral failings, and start the business of managing a disease.

It's good insurance. The average woman needs2000 calories a day of healthy food, nd as binders we might eat healthy but not enough. Seven years on I've had issues with Iron, b12 and I've had two broken ribs this year, bone density scan results were less than awesome. I've ad major problems with energy and mood too. Needless to say I now top up with Vitamins.

I had a tummy tuck back in march to reconstruct a surgical mess and a developing ventral hernia, and to give me a lovely flat belly as a result! However, because it was reconstructive and billed as such, the plastic surgeon I saw doesnt do boobs and lipo and other stuff like that so I got no lipo to the flanks (I needed it). Since the tummy tuck I have gained some weight - I needed to as I was very sick, leading to the surgery and pretty skeletal. However with teh fat gone off my tummy, no fat cells there to fill, my flanks have turned into a real muffin top! And my thighs,ugh. A tummy tuck does change where you lay down fat, as does lipo - so I would say from experience deefinitely get lipo. I dont know what your extra skin is like. Persolly though, I had a flat stomach in clothes and I would defintely say a tummy tuck is a big trade off of loose skin for a horrid scar and nothing woud induce me to extend that scar even further.

Not really - well not directly anyway. I've had my ferritin bottom out after chemo and it came right within three months of Iron supplements (which gave me gastritis, ugh). If your diet's not up to par, you can get low on iron, so you may need to supplement. If your ferritin is low now, you defintitely should supplement for a while anyway. Bandsters probably dont eat enough red meat on the whole as portion sizes are so small and its a difficult food. Secondly, stomach meds for acid reflux can reduce the absorption of B12 which will also contribute to anaemia so you could try supplementing B12 - or at least ask for your levels of B12/folate to be measured. But in younger women, menstruation is often enough to explain low iron or ferritin - heavy periods, long cycles etc. I'd be wanting a fecal occult blood test - you just have to ah, donate a bit of poo for that one. An internal bleed is no laughing matter, as very often, its a sign of bowel cancer. And you dont necessarily know it, I was bleeding for months and months and the tumour was only 5cm in, so I should have noticed red blood, but I didnt. if you dont want to go to the doctor, I'm sure its the same there as it is in Australia, you can buy a bowel cance r testing kit in any pharmacy and all it measures is blood in the stool - which if it is there will be enough to get you approved for a colonoscopy. Recommendation here is that anaemia in any non menstruating woman is reason enough to go in for a colonosocpy, no questions asked. That sounds alarming but reality is if youre under 50, cancer is a very very unlikely prospect, but I did manage to develop it in my 30's (family history) so you should never fail to rule out the possibility.

You need a new doctor! But dont panic. Nobody can force you to drive to a hospital, submit to an anaesthetic and let them operate! Just dont do it.

I just reached the end of my tether. You know, this is in no way a criticism, merely a subjective view of how I felt in myself, but when I see people's stats, or even observe my own friends, several of whom are very obese, I cannot for the life of me figure out how they could tolerate being so heavy. I was just worn out. I was 37 and living the life of a 70 year old. I had no energy, I was unfit, I couldnt make it through the afternoon without a nap, I couldnt buy clothes that I wanted, I felt completely unattractive, I had heel problems, I just felt completely sh*thouse and I knew major major health problems were in my future if I didnt act now. As it turns out, I already probably had an early rectal cancer. It is just beyond me to think that people tolerate that and go on to get heavier, but by the same token, I was at the point of either do something now or give up and sink into morbid obesity. My BMI was 36 at the time and I really felt every pound of it. So I said no more. I'm admitting defeat, I cant do it on my own.

I never drink them, if you can eat the protein you dont need them.

Definitely not standard practice! I have more fill than ever to maintain - smaller body, less fat equals more fill for same restriction plus your body does adapt somewhat over the years. If you remove your fill you'll probably gain. I managed six months unfilled while I had cancer treatment and it nearly drove me mental. I had to be do focussed and determined not to gain that I did stupid things lie running in the heat ten days after major cancer surgery (bowel resection) with a new ileostomy and I definitely developed all the hallmarks of anorexia. Believe me you do not wan to live the life you'd have to live to avoid regain unfilled. Your body and metabolism is never the same after major weight loss from restricting calories, you can never eat a normal amount of food again. Women half my size eat twice what I do and maintain petite 130lb weights. at 5ft 10 and 150lb and running, spinning and strength training, it makes no sense that I must stick to 1500 calories to maintain, but that's how it is. Do not let that doctor unfill you unless you can't stop losing. The band is for LIFE not five or ten years. If one thing goes wrong and you not fix it, you will probably gain again. And yes, my band has never been the same since unfilling.

I'd say your pouch is still full - this happens to me, when I'm well restricted.

My port was repositioned and the profile lowered, looks better now than it ever did

I lost 120% of mine

Great soluble fibre and very nutritious, I make my own muesli with tons of chia seeds and LSA mix, nuts and sunflower and pumpkin seeds, with oats as the base. Sooooo yummy, can't beat it for breakfast.

What is with the photos and avatars here okay? That's not me!

I'd say it was coincidence and I'd also be VERY careful about bigger portion sizes so early on. Exercise is a much better idea. Just accept the plateaus, thy are going to occur no matter what you do.

Banded seven years also, unfilled my band for cancer treatment and never got the right restriction back. I can't eat as much as a non banded person, but I can eat a whole sandwich at 3.2cc in a 4 cc band - it just isn't right. I have mild heartburn and m on nexium so lthough I need t o get a bit more fill, I won't. I think there are other reasons besides my band for the heartburn but I don't want to push it. I'm thinking I just have to make the best of what I can. My BMi is 22 but I'm 5kg heavier than I want to be.

I think its a great way to ruin a good friendship personally - at the moment, have a friend in a similar situation. He speaks as if its the greatest thing int he world, all care, no responsibility, but he's definitely bluffing and she treats it the same but is even more obviously bluffing. Although there's nothing wrong with sex just for the sake of it, entering into a relationship where you give that away but get nothing back can be demoralising and degrading for both sexes. It rarely brings happiness. So personally, when I was not married I might be talked into it once if I were reaaaaaaally horny (usually involving alchohol) once would be it. I wouldnt enter into an official "friends with benefits' relationship. Its bound to end in tears if you ask me.

You did inspire me to slap on some fake tan last night though! Stunk to high heaven all night, and hubby complained, but today i look glowing!

Real sun is just as dangerous - but I sure can't resist a tan. I believe its ersonal choice. Fake tans these days are very good! In Australia, most people end up losing chunks of themselves o skin cancer, it's not nice.

The only thing I've ever been able to stomach is optifast - in Australia it's 20 g protein and because ith meal replacement rich inother nutrients too. And it mixes with water, so at 150 calories I do feel I can slip it in as a snack/supplement (not th I ever do anymore). I can't drink protein shakes unless they're mixed with milk which pushes up the calorie count quite a bit.

Who says that? Lol. I've been running for seven years and a regular gym goer and although I would consistently get 3 exercise sessions a week (and more most weeks) I do find real motivation comes in spurts. I try to do three strenght sessions and five cardio - but I dont beat myself up if its two strenght three cardio which is what often happens. I certainly dont feel lousy if I miss it. I'm always chronically tired and short on energy and it actually makes me feel good! But that certainly wouldnt be true if I didnt go for weeks on end.

You could have written this post for me - I absolutely believe that weighing, measuring and calorie counting for me are destructive, obsessive behaviours that lead me down the path of undereating, overexercising and mental distress. I try very hard not to engage in them. They have their role in educating people who honestly have no idea about what, how much they eat and how much they burn. I do not believe that counting your calories, losing and maintaining your weight loss means you have beaten obesity. You have only beaten it when you have abolished that sort of unnatural food behavious, appreciatec your body for what it is, and measure your self worth and success on non food parameters. I certainly am not there quite yet, lol