Luscious

I was in hospital for around 17 hours .. they let me home the morning after my surgery. I had the surgery around 20 months ago... lost and kept off more than 20 kgs.

Hi folks, I'm moving house and have to SERIOUSLY downsize my belongings. I figured my 2 Recipe books for post surgery wouldn't appeal to the greater public, so am offering for sale here (if that is alllowed on forum rules?). They are in "As New" Condition. Email me at Kimmylicious@live.com.au if you are interested. Will sell for $A 12.00 each. $7.50 should cover postage. If you want both, combined postage should be around $11.00 "Recipies for Life After Weight Loss Surgery" - by Margaret M Furtado. "Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery" - by Patt Levine and Michele Bontempo-Saray. You can find details on Amazon.com here: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Eating+Well+after+weight+loss+surgery]Amazon.com: Eating Well after weight loss surgery[/ame] Cheers Luscious.

Follks, these books still for sale.. Will sell for $10.00 each (or $18.00 for both). Postage as above. Cheers Kim.

I find the restriction from my fills doesn't kick in until afterwards.. generally about 4-7 days. My first "stuck" experience came as a surprise - I really had been lazy about following the small bites rule, and up until that point really didn't need to. But.. now its little bites. I cann't eat sausages no matter how small the bites. Probably not a bad thing given that they contain nothing good for you :-). I can eat the crusts off bread, but not the bread. Sticking to liquids for a little while will help. You are a real bandster now :-)

Hi Rob, I found my eating "ability" returned to normal not too long after the surgery, so my challenging time was the time it took from my 1st to 2nd fill... the plateaus are challenging also. I guess the thing to remember is that its not a magic cure, need to keep the food good, and the exercise up. Good luck, and congratulations.

Hi Jules, is 70kgs a realistic goal weight for you ? It might well be, don't know - my surgeon has said 90kgs for me as a "realistic" and healthy goal for my age, height and skeleton. I'm not thinking beyond that at this time. 30 kgs is a great amount of weight to lose. I expect that is where I will be by the time my year is up in April. I'm averaging about 2kgs lost per month now - going to gym 4-5 times a week, and eating well. Everyone is different. You are doing GREAT !!

This week I reach the mid-way point - half way to goal at exactly 6 months post surgery. Not as fast as some, but I always knew my insulin issues would slow me down a bit. Still, I'm happy with anything being gone forever. I made the decision to join Curves Gym. I figured I need to formalise and increase my exercise now to get me through the next half. I was exercising before, but probably not often or hard enough. Curves seems pretty fun, and I was surprised how well I managed to get around the circuit. Certainly no need to be uncomfortable there - no glamour girls in tight pink lycra to be seen (that always turned me off other gyms). Just normal women, in all shapes and sizes. The program is 30 minutes - I am committing to go at least 4 times a week.

Right now its a $30 joining fee (normally $199), and $59 a month. The thing I like about is that there is a staff member there to help you all the time to make sure your technique if right. Even if you are not in the mood, 30 minutes is short enough to suck it up. I'm enjoying it (so far :->)

I have seriously fine, thin hair. I bought a Leimo about a year ago, and it has really made a difference. I lost a bit post surgery, but thank god I had more there to lose, otherwise I would have ended up almost bald. Its now growing back again, and I'm still using the Leimo every night. Personally, I don't think protein increase is the answer, but I do think Vitamin B is critical.

Ahhhh, the age old emotional eating problem :-) This is a tough one. I have a very stressful job, and I realise how often I turned to food for comfort. I still do, but I suppose the band keeps me more in control. I was having a really bad day recently and found myself resorting to my old emotional eating binge. However, this time it was 1/2 a muffin. Then I had to wait an hour before I could eat the other half. No room then for the chocolate and ice cream which would no doubt have followed 6 months ealier. By the time the other half of the muffin had digested, and there was room for more, the need to binge had passed. So total damage was around 300 calories, and not the 1,000 that would have potentially been consumed before. I'm still working on my emotional triggers, and try to manage them better (shopping (unfortunately another emotional reaction)). One thing I still do is journal my emotional eating, and build that into my daily allowances. I will try to minimise damage via exercise and balancing my other food intake during the day (more Protein, more fibre, etc). I hope this is something that I can work through and manage long term.

I use benefibre - I sprinkle 2 tsps on my porride, or blend it into my soups/casseroles. It has no taste or texture at all.

Hi, sorry you are feeling so down. I'm sure you are not really going crazy. Having the band does mean that you have to find ways to deal with your emotions other than food. That is the real challenge. There are psychologist that specialise in weight loss issues - perhaps your surgeon can recommend someone you can talk to? Also, look for a support group in your local area - I know the clinic I was banded through runs one. Feel better soon

I eat at restaurants at least 2-3 times a week. We usually take a look at the menu before being seated, just to be sure that there is something that is good for me to eat. I have learned the things that are ok to eat, and not (you will learn this too). For example, I can eat pasta, but not rice. I have never had a problem getting a doggy bag, even in the $100 plus restaurants. I have good restriction at the moment but can still find things that work (thai soups are a current fav.).

I think you need to get all the item numbers, and go to the health fund and make certain. I rang my health fund and was told they would cover lap band. What they said was strictly true - my private hospital stay was covered 100% and I got a rebate on many of the item numbers. What I wasn't clear about was the costs of the surgery and all the added extras. In the end I spent about $7000 out of my pocket for everything start to finish. I then got 20% of that back on tax. It would have cost would have cost significantly more than that if my health fund did not cover lap band.

Gosh, reading these posts makes me quite depressed. I've been banded since 7 april 08, and lost only 5o pounds. I have been warned that my insulin issues make the process slower for me, but I when I read how much you all have lost in same time period its hard not to feel dejected. But hey, congrats to you all on such a good results.

My dietician told me to aim for 1200 calories of food intake, and NOT to eat extra for calories I burn. I'm not sure I agree that is the healthiest approach. If I burn enough I eat something extra so I'm never really below about 1200 calories.

I can eat salad easier than just about anything else (and I now have pretty good restriction). I can eat 2 cups of shredded lettuce/rocket/cabbage in a salad and love it !!

I would think 35 kgs in 7 months is an awesome result? Why do think that is not a crazy crazy result.. well done to you, its fantastic. I just broke the 20 kg mark after 4.5 months. I had a plateau for around 8 weeks though. Just started dropping down again this past 2 weeks after changing one of my diabetic medications. I have 6mls in my band. Its odd how everyone is so different. I manage about 1100 to 1200 calories a day of very good food (yes I have to take tiny bites, and some things (like bread) are off my list).

The cost of health insurance is equal to approximately 5-6 take away meals a month (I used to have that and more). The amount of money I spent on crap food that kept me fat in a year exceeds the costs of the surgery which I had done privately. If your friend can start her lifestyle change early, by getting insurance and saving money in other areas - the long term benefits will be enormous. There is also the option to tap into superannuation to cover the cost of the surgery - that might be another option to explore. Good luck.

The different phases of the Optifast diet should be shown on their website... www.optifast.com.au or should be included with your Optifast purchase. Good luck.

I have to say I appreciate Coltonwade's honesty here. I mean no disrespect or unkindness to anyone, but I find it quite amazing just HOW MANY people post that they have eaten a personal pizza, or McDonalds burger, or pancakes, or whatever during their post-op diet period. These are not the healthiest or best choices for anyone to lose weight at any point (I always remember a trainer saying to me once - "nobody ever lost weight by eating pizza and lamb chops"). Anyway, I understand we are all human, and we almost all slip at some point - but ladies and gents, really, the post op diet is a small period of time in our long term journey - we have to muster the willpower to do the right thing - no excuses. I am very proud of my achievement by getting through the first 2 months post op without putting the slightest "wrong" thing past my lips.

Ok, after 4 months, and 2 fills, I've been suffering my first taste of "stuck" food - chicken (from 4 hours ago). i've tried walking about, and sipping hot tea. Every drop of fluid I put in comes right back up again. Although I'm very thirsty, I guess I'll go to bed and hope I can get a cup of tea down in the morning :-< Its not a lot of fun, but my own fault - guess I ate too big a bite and didn't chew enough (it wasn't even breast.

I don't think the word "curing" is right .... will always be diabetic, but there is no doubt tht the surgery helps keep blood sugar normal. Mine was in normal range for first time EVER the day after I came out of hospital, and has stayed in normal range ever since.

Hi Nat. Have you tried to eat bread? You may be one of those who can eat it. I have no problem with it so far, but find I can't eat a lot of fruit - go figure.

Hi Sarah, I can totally relate on the hair loss thing. I also had to start medication a few years ago that caused me to lose around 50% of my hair. Unfortunately, I still need to take it, but am hoping to be free of meds by end of this year. You need to ensure you are getting around 50-80 grams Protein a day. I personally don't think that "extra" protein helps hair loss. I actually lost a lot of hair years ago when following a high protein diet. Just try to keep your nutrients and Vitamins etc at Recommended daily amounts. For what its worth, about 8 months ago I invested in Leimo laser, and use all the associated wet products. I believe my hair has grown back about 25% of the thickness I lost (no longer see my scalp). It was expensive - but for me, totally worth it. So many little hairs still sticking up as new hair growth.