Jachut

I have NEVER been full on 1/2 cup! I dont get as hungry as I did pre band, but then again, I never got hungry inappropriately,I just ate anyway. I have always eaten carbs, too. Not a lot of pizza of course, but working out like I do, I have always needed wholegrains and lots of fruit and vegies. I figured as long as I lost, I didnt really care what the "rules" say about half a cup etc (not that we have such strict rules here anyhow). I ate what satisfied and I always included carbs. Still do. Lost weight fine, kept it off. However it was a slower weight loss. The last 10lb took me a year to lose. For sure, if you want that 30lb gone fast, then its probably time to follow a strict diet and cut out every extra you can. I personally didnt particularly care about that. I have only had one time in my banded life where half a cup was satisfying, and I was for some inexplicable reason, miserably tight. I wasnt vomiting or unable to keep down solids, have never been there, but I'd go out for dinner and eat literally two strands of fettucine and have to stop, I constantly feared gettign stuck etc. I hated it, and if that's how people are living to be full on half a cup of food and looking at foods thinking "I cant eat that" or "I could never get that down",I just dont know how they tolerate that. I dont think that's what banding is meant to be.

Its more common to have the band empty at first than not. Although that does appear to be changing a bit with the bigger bands - it seems to me people have much more trouble finding restriction than I ever did with a 4cc band.

I think its way more important to listen to your body and stop when it tells you its satisfied. But they do chew down to nothing, so a cup of leafy salad would be an OK serving I would think.

This is totally understandable. I had two appointments to see the surgeon which i didnt attend, it took me about 9 months to feel ready to do it. I finally realised that what I feared - not being able to eat the way I already ate - had to change one way or another or I would never lose weight or keep it off. I had to face that fear either way. But you really do need to be emotionally and mentally ready and if you're not, then you're doing the right thing. You may decide that you dont want to do it, and that's perfectly fine too.

Hahaha, I love it! If I had a dollar for every idiot online that told me I have "no right" to have had WLS when I only had a BMI of 36, I'd be rich. Every person who loves to moralise on how the band is waaaaaaay too serious to be undertaken for cosmetic reasons, yet in the same breath likes to claim its less invasive than bypass, also whilst proudly wearing their zipperlike tummy tuck scar and plastic bosoms! This is an absolutely idiotic argument. Every surgery is invasive, and every surgery is undertaken for highly personal reasons each and every one of which is entirely valid. They all change your life permanently. On the sugar issue, the only sure fire method is to learn to tame your sweet tooth. Seriously, when I read on here that some MILK is sweetened with Splenda in the States, my jaw hit the floor. If people seriously think its good to take the natural sugars out of milk and replace them with Splenda then we are out of control! Eat natural foods, in their whole form and forget all of that stupid artificially sweetened rubbish. Just cut it out and let your taste buds adjust to what real food tastes like. If it comes in a can, packet or box, just dont eat it, its crap, end of story. Buy fresh foods and cook them from scratch and it wont matter what surgery you had, you will not have the problems with sugar that you encounter when you think that Diet Coke and Crystal Light are OK to drink on a daily basis.

Yep. I have way way more trouble with yogurt (and ice cream) than I do with steak. I hardly ever eat yogurt. I cant eat any sort of tinned or pureed fruit either and I cant do fruit juice. Orange juice, apple juice, it all gets stuck.

Honestly, when you look around you, who is perfect anyway? Be proud of what you've achieved and have a look at some of the roly poly girls that stuff themselves into way too small bikini's. Hardly anybody really looks good virtually naked on the beach! Whilst you're feeling bad about your saggy thighs, someone else is probably envying you - look at your beautiful skin and think of me, feeling insecure about my ghostly unhealthy paleness, veins showing, every scar showing, feeling the need to fake a tan someway, somehow. Wear the suit you want to wear and just relax in the fact that if your thighs arent great, there's other things about you that are. Its gotta be better than trying to hide your entire body, right?

this is hard to get your head around. I am very unrestricted these days, and a lot of bad habits have crept back in. I constantly feel as if I've eaten too much and I have to avoid those bad foods consciously. but I wont go back (unless I do begin to gain) because despite this, despite eating way more than I was a year ago, I am not gaining! So really, its better to eat more long term and be better nourished. Occasionally, I'll shoot up by 2lb but I get right back on it. I do think there'll be a time in future when I will need a top up but not yet. You just have to get your head around the fact that it IS OK to eat occasionally! And it IS ok to eat like a normal person - ie. not perfect all the time. Exercise is, as ever, a very powerful weapon in preventing regain too.

great post. I firmly believe in all those principles. I think the biggest one is giving up dieting and thinking that it is the answer. To me, that means your doctors plan, it means journalling, it means EVERYTHING. Until you learn to listen to your body and until you really believe that its OK not to be perfect all the time and that your hair wont fall out if you miss a gram of Protein today then you're not "cured". When you can eat what you want, when you want and those "wants" are mostly healthy, THEN you have the tools for lifelong weight control. Its not easy, it takes a LOT of courage to let go of the "rules".

It may never disappear entirely - if you have loose skin there and stretched out muscles. Sometimes its just where your body likes to store its fat and it hangs on. Whatever the case, whatever you're left with, you will be really blown away by the results that you get once you lose past that BMI of 25. I thought I had batwings, and I thought I had these weird side boob things that would have to be removed surgically. But all that stuff just melted off me on the journey from a BMI of 27 or so to one of 22. Its that last bit of fat loss that really makes the difference.

I have always had weight issues. I only got to a BMI of 36 before getting banded and to me, that was a gargantuan weight problem, I was enormous! I was absolutely desperate about my weight by that stage. So I may not know what it is like to weigh 300 or 400lb. But I know what its like to be taken to WW at 10 years old, put on shake diets and have people say in hushed tones, "she's not really fat, she's just big boned". I got teased for it as a child, I was never the cute or pretty one in the group, I always had a BMI of about 28 which for a teen is pretty hearbreaking. I couldnt buy clothes in the stores I wanted, i was relegated to plus sizes from about 14 years old when I outgrew an Australian 14 (US 12 or so) which was the largest size most stores stocked back then. Were I teen now, I'd probably fit in better because kids are much much fatter nowadays than they were back in the 70's and 80's and clothes come in a wider range of sizes. But in addition to being fat, I did go through that teenage ugly stage that some lucky girls simply escape. I really grew into my looks, lol. I have NEVER been what I am now - a healthy, attractive person who doesnt obsess over food or weight. After over 2 years of maintenance I have gained the confidence in my body that i never had, and with my exercise habits, I can be confident that I wont gain 10lb in a 2 week holiday. I have relaxed around food, I like my new self, life is great!

I havent tried it, but if it was unflavoured I guess it cant hurt. It would them be a complete meal! I add the pulp, pith and pips of the fruit too - they all contain valuable nutrients - the pith in citrus particularly is where all the goodness is.

Some of the theory behind it includes breaking down the cell walls of the foods so that the nutrients which may just wash through your body with all the cellulose are aborbed. But as a bandster, its provides and easy way to get them in without two hours of chewing. They're hard to drink too - its a slow process, but I couldnt eat that much fruit and veg in a sitting.

Its really not enough long term. We need a wide variety of plant foods for optimal health. Have you tried a green smoothie? Lol, they're disgusting, and cause great hilarity when others see you drinking them, but they're brilliant for getting in what you need. I dont believe in Vitamin pills - they're insurance but they wont replace a balanced diet because you just dont get the subtle chemical symmetries between all the various nutrients and compounds like you do in a fruit or vegetable. To make a green smoothie - blend a handful of leafy greens (baby spinach, mixed lettuce, silverbeet) with about a cup of Water till its smooth. Then add maybe two different fruits - I like these with grapefruit and orange more so than fruits like banana but its all personal taste. Blend the fruits in. I add a teaspoon of spirulina to mine. What you get is a pulpy mass that looks a bit like the stuff you clean out from under the lawnmower and tastes similar too. But boy oh boy it'll get those nutrients in and it'll get your bowels working. I have been having one of these first thing in the morning since my naturopath friend put me onto them about six months ago. Its really barely any calories, (since its just greens and half of each of two fruits) but it gets the good stuff in and then what you eat for your meals is a bonus on top of that.

Definitely some people lose better on lower carb diets - personally, it offers me no advantage. As a runner, I fare much better on a diet that includes good carbs. It never affected my weight loss - well, I didnt get that really fast loss, but I only had a BMI of 36 to start with. I lost steadily and more importantly, have kept it off for a couple of years now. I think the jury is out on whether the high Protein regime leads to increased cholesterol and worse blood chemistry nor not, but much as fans claim that the opposite is true it is definitely NOT proven to improve them either no matter what results individuals have had. I think its important to note that anybody's cardiologist will tell them post heart attack to cut down on animal foods, saturated fat and increase good low GI carbs, fruit and vegies. Not to mention, your bowels will thank you - high animal product diets ARE linked to various cancers whatever their effect on blood chemistry. What works best for weight loss is not necessarily the same as what is best for overall health and it is sensible to balance the two out.

Well, I do tend to have a more Aussie viewpoint on diet so no doubt many will disagree and find my suggestions too carby. But I think your diet is all heavy, protein/animal foods and way way too light on veg, you have some fruit in there though. I'd make the mid morning snack just a piece of fresh fruit and maybe some nuts, I'd cut out the cheese there and at dinner and have more vegies instead. I'd also have a good quality grain Cereal (like unprocessed oatmeal or good granola) for breakfast instead a Protein shake. Such changes would bring your fibre up and protein/saturated fat down for similar calories. I just dont think anyone needs 138g of protein in a day! Calorie wise, I did fine on 1500 to lose all my weight, so I dont think its too much food. We do need to eat and be nourished, not starve. I just think the balance is less than optimal. But its all personal opinion I guess so that's just my 2c.

I have no trouble with Zyrtec or Telfast, normal hayfever type meds. They're tiny pills, can even swallow them without liquid. the only medication trouble I've had in four years is once or twice, I really have needed an anti inflammatory and I've felt sooooo like I'm risking my band by taking one.

Four years down the track, eating feels pretty normal to me now. My band has loosened off a lot, and I dont seem to need to refill it as I havent gained any weight. I can eat absolutely anything, but i cant eat anything all of the time, if that makes sense. If I'm not hungry for example, some things are never going to go down. but I eat very normally now, I'm slower than others, I eat less than others but it feels very normal to me. I just have to remember not to gulp or eat fast, or I will still get stuck, but other than that, I eat what I want to, when I want, nobody can pick that there's something "different" about me, to everyone else, I'm just ladylike, with a small appetite, lol.

I've never heard of greater slippage with lighter patients, that's pretty questionable. In fact, the band works better for lower BMI patients, according to stats from Australia anyway. Very often, lower BMI patients are less disordered in their eating and have less recovery to do. They are more in touch with what it is like to be relatively normal weight, they are lighter, more agile and healthier and thus able to exercise at a higher level much sooner, there's a whole host of reasons why its a good idea to do something about yoru weight sooner rather than later. Of course, its entirely possible someone has a BMI of 33 on the downswing of a huge yo yo cycle and is going to have every bit as much trouble losing as someone much heavier, just as it is possible that a heavier person can be a better, more structured eater than a lighter one. I also always have a giggle at the moralists who like to get into you for daring to have WLS for all the 'wrong' reasons at your light weight, all the while having ther multiple cosmetic procedures listed in their signatures. Hypocrites. There's nothing wrong with having lapband surgery ENTIRELY for cosmetic reasons. You're right, its hardly different than having a big pair of plastic tits stuck in. Except that its likely to affect your health positively for the rest of your life.

Malissa - being a 'true runner' is a state of mind, what your body can actually do is immaterial! I always find it interesting in these discussions that there's always someone who feels they must justify why they dont run, they have to put it down. There may be other ways to get the high but its not the same as running. But you have to be a runner to really get that. Its a weird thing, being a runner. You can indeed get a great workout doing other things. But its just not the same.

The trouble with Aussie only forums is lack of people. They're just never as interesting, becuase the sheer number of Americans means something is always happening on this site. But I could do without the food culture lag, I just get soooo over the Protein shakes/protein discussion and the focus on processed foods - we just dont shop, cook or eat the same way in Australia and I'd like to discuss more of that sort of thing with others of like mind.

Mine is visible and easily felt, but I still put on a bikini. If I have any loose skin, its on my upper belly, which is bizarre since I never had a big stomach anyway - it must be from pregnancy (carried really high all 3 times), and I just never noticed it in the overall fatness. So my little bit of flubber there does mean the port doesnt stand out like a beacon, but you can see it if you look specifically. It gives my stomach a bit of an uneven look there. Of course when i stretch out it pops out completely and you can just about see the stitches around it! As for feeling it, well, if someone were to casually rest a hand on there not even pressing, they'd feel it. Its round and hard. It doesnt show through tight fitting clothing though.

I say this with every post of this type, but it amazes me that people think that normal weight is too thin. People must be very fat in general for us to have lost our focus on reality like this. Normal BMI is 18 to 25. It is not anorexic or sick to have a BMI of 18 or 19, nor is fat to have one of 25. It depends on our body types, for me, a BMI is still pretty chunky and plump and I really COULD carry a BMI of under 20. I still have substantial flab at 21. Other people are more muscular and will be firmer and curvier at the same weight. But I know what you mean, it seems that as weight loss patients, we're also "not allowed" to do TOO well. It seems to threaten people, and they have to say "oh, no, you'll be too thin then". I do have a secret desire to be 10lb lighter myself. Just to trim off a few lumpy bits. But it seems to set off alarm bells in people, they think that wanting to lose weight from already being normal weight indicates an eating disorder. I dont think it does - I dont think I'm fat, disgusting or overweight, just need to trim a little. I also never really get around to actually doing it! But yes, I do feel the need to keep this desire secret.

I've managed to train hard with running and bootcamp for four years, lose 100lb, have very little lose skin and have plenty of nicely toned muscle without Protein supplements. I have never drunk shakes or eaten a high protein diet - on the contrary, unless I get in my good carbs, I lack the energy to train like I do. I personally think this focus on protein is nothing more than a fad that will come and go. Every trainer and every gym has a product to push, but unless you're trying to be a competitive bodybuilder or gain pounds of muscle they're just not necessary. The general population did perfectly well before all these shakes came onto the market, after all.

Oh, for me, its like vomiting but not as bad. Nothing ever just pours out of me, it comes out after a lot of effort, loudly! It sounds like vomiting, it has the same muscular actions, its just not that awful half digested acidy experience, and not in such huge quantity, and its not accompanied by nausea or anything like the stomach cramping discomfort that vomiting involves. Its a stuck episode, followed by the sure signs for me, a specific cramp right where my band must be and a strange one right to the right of my bellybutton. I know then I have just enough time to get to somewhere private. I can control it for as long as I need to.