NeedaBreak4Me

Luckily, salad is a slider for me too... i am 3 months out and i always have some sort of salad or veg with my Protein... i take 2 small bites of salad, to each bite of protein... but i don't use the standard salad mix... i add things like spinach/arugula, radish, tomato, olives, cucumber, peppers, feta cheese, avocado etc This way i am getting Vitamins and actual nutrition as well.

Omg yes, i couldn't believe that the stores sold buckets, yes buckets of crisps! And the actual chicken pieces were huge! It seems dismal compared to our one row of chips and one row of soda lol... I remember when i went into walmart, i couldn't believe my eyes, supersized everything! We our largest chip packet would be considered small. So it doesn't suprise me why american surgeon's are so strict with their post op instructions, especially when all that is so easily available. We are lucky here, we are generally encouraged to eat healthy and enjoy food, even the big companies are getting on board which is great. But i must say, i was a huge fan of burgers in the states, they do make good ones lol

@@Nikkinee Honestly, i feel normal... like a normal person who eats smaller portions... I think a big part of this is psychological and how you look at it, i still enjoy food, i eat a balanced diet, make good choices, don't feel guilty or punish myself if i allow myself a small treat. Regards to weight loss, i am losing steadily, i was able to fit into my size 12 dress yesterday and it looked great.. my legs are thinner and my tummy is getting flatter so i am stoked! I realise now that i was way over thinking things, that i stressed myself out, that i should have been more confident in my choice to improve my health. I do have days where i am a little jealous of others... in the sense of, wow that food looks awesome, i would have loved to have been able to eat that without feeling guilty or gaining weight. Sometimes i have random thoughts that make me a little sad like that i had to resort to cutting out most of my stomach to be healthy, and that i wish i didn't need to. But overall i am happy with my choice, i don't regret it, and its become my new normal which i don't really think about unless i am eating out.

Hey there i haven't stalled yet Sent from my SM-N910P using the BariatricPal App Thats awesome! How far out are you now?

@@missblonde20 I agree, i think we (in aust) in general doctors are more focused on balance.... eating to live and enjoy food, whilst losing and maintaining... also one thing i did noticed during my many trips to the states is how big everything was! I can understand why some people who live there would need to eliminate eating out, everything is huge! Eg. I noticed that the small sized coke for macdonalds is our large!... one slice of pizza would be equivalent to 3 here... My point being... if we "cheat" it doesn't seem so bad... but at those portions.. i can understand why cheating would be considered bad... To me, when i went to the states, everything was supersized and super sweet! Do you guys in the states notice the huge portions? Or is it just noticable to us internationals?

I was the same.. and i did try for 12 months! I was exercising, eating well everything and still regained.... when the doc initially said you will regain once you remove it.. was like.. no not me.. i am strict and am/will do the right things.. but nope i still regained unfortunately. What would you like to know

I agree with you there.... not having forbidden foods really helps take the pressure off... i feel it teaches you to make good choices for yourself, not having someone dictate them for you. I feel that if i was told you are never to have x,y,z.. i would probably rebel and crave it so much more... but this way i know i can have it in moderation but CHOOSE not to.... that is exactly what i need to make a long term lifestyle change.... this is for life, and sometimes in life you will want a small piece of cake or a bread roll... denying myself or completely eliminating an entire food or food group is not healthy in my opinion (psychologically).. that for me would bea set up for failure.. i would feel deprived!

Sounds like you are getting reflux from your band, ask your doc to loosen it slightly, it sounds like its too tight.

Well my hair now is really reaching its peak in the hair loss process.... i am losing a good amount during every shower I think it is more noticable for me because my hair is so long... i think if it was shorter it wouldn't be as noticable... but i am finding random strands on my lounge, in my car and various other places.... but only 1 or 2 hairs... the shower is probably around 50 or so!

Yeah he was an idiot... he was just a normal GP, not my surgeon or anything like that... i never saw that idiot again lol

I have always been a skinny person in a fat suit.... i was always fitter than my skinny friends, i was healthy and my bloods were always perfect. The only issue i developed was insulin resistance, even then it was on the lowest end, one point above normal. I could always out run the skinny people, i can walk around for hours at a time and my friends would get tired, i thankfully never had any health issues. However when i regained my weight, i started getting little niggly pains in my knees, i was getting more tired etc... but even at that stage, i was fitter than my skinny friends... I had a doctor tell me once that my blood and tests show a really healthy person in a not so healthy looking body (this was when i was obese) But since gaining i can tell the difference to my body, physically, mentally and emotionally.. now that i am losing, everything is starting to improve. I hate sterotypes, i don't and never met any of them. I remember when i started regaining because of my screwed up metabolism... i haf told one idiot doctor... doc, i am basically living on steamed chicken and veg, working out 5 days, watching my portions yet still gaining.... his response... "stop lying to me and yourself.. you are sitting at home eating big macs!" I couldn't believe it! .. it was not true... now i have learned to take their subjective opinions not so personally

For us, nothing is forbidden, just advised against having it in excess.... everything in moderation and balanced with good foods. I have tried bread (was ok, but filling), rice noodles (omg worst feeling ever, heavy and cramping, never again), all types of meat (perfect), sausages (my sleeve hates them), chocolate (no dumping).. But as a disclaimer, when i tried these things it was a very small amount, literally 1/4 bread roll, 2 tbs noodles, 1 chocolate piece.... so i wouldn't know how larger quantities of them would be like, and i don't plan to find out! Lol

I just don't trust sizes anymore... I just buy what fits... i have such a variety of sizes in my cupboard.. from size 8-16 australian.... i try not to look at the numbers, because they mean nothing now. I just try to wear what fits my body. They just don't make standard sizes in the correct measurements anymore

And people.. This is how a respectful adult handles conflict/misunderstanding a forum..... we can all learn from this! Thank you for not taking offence to us disagreeing, much appreciated.. you i like!

I don't think @@Pinkberry2 was trying to be mean or rude... i wasnt replying in a harsh tone. But i thought i would explain my side of the story, because it is never as simple as just "trying" for some. And to be honest, when i had my band removed the surgeon asked if i wanted to be converted to the sleeve, i declined as i thought it was way to drastic for my size... Fast forward 12 months.. something needed to be done.. i was gaining rapidly, my knees hurt, working out became harder, all the weight related aches and pains started to return, my insulin resistance was starting to come back... and a host of other issues... so i realised that i needed to do something now... Before.... My elevated insulin turned into diabetes My sore knees turned into arthritis My normal blood pressure turned into high blood pressure THIS is why i did it, as a preventative measure, the slim part is only a bonus (mind you, i am one of the lucky ones who was a size 14 at 200lbs, muscular frame) My thinking was, well you service your car so it doesn't break down, why would you not service your body?

Hi @@Nikkinee! Welcome! Another aussie here! I am also a revision patient... i am 3 months out now... I don't miss food, i have been able to eat most foods so far with no issues... much better than the band!

Not everyone that has a low BMI gets WLS because of the laziness of putting a "little effort" I had wls at a BMI of 32, this was because i completely screwed up my metabolism from having the band. I was a BMI of 23 and jumped to 32 in less than 12 months since having the band removed. Basically i can not eat above 800 calories without gaining. My exercise and diet remained the same, i did NOT gain from lack of effort. Please do not generalise without knowing peoples history or story, a blanket statement like that isn't useful to anyone. And as you say, being 200lbs, you lose with very little effort, this may be the case for you, but you will find that weight loss is slower the lower BMI one is.

Aww you are too sweet, thank you.. You are right, i might get addicted and i am finally dropping some decent weight .. probably not a good idea... thank you though, I appreciate your generosity @@Christinamo7 That would be great!.... i can try it on one of my "naughty days" later on... thank you

@@LipstickLady Well technically no cheez its for all.... not me anyway

I so wish we had these "cheese it" thingies here in Australia... this is the 2nd thread that ive seen about those things... they must be awesome..... because it seems that the topic always triggers a debate lol I wanna try them! lol Maybe someone would be kind enough to send me a box lol

He did not reject you.... you are not the problem..... HE cheated HE Controlled HE had the porn addiction HE was abusive HE decided to be disloyal HE damaged your self esteem HE chose to be with someone else HE had family and friends keep this from you HE did not respect you or your daughter Stop blaming yourself, it is not rejection of you personally, it is a rejection of the idea of loyalty and commitment.

Purging your friendships and relationships seems to be very common after life changing experiences, such as divorce, illness and including weight loss surgery. 8 years ago when i had my band, i had a group of friends for years that became very controlling, judgemental and mean after i lost weight... we were all the chubby funny people, so we had a lot in common... we would eat and be fat and lazy together. Once i lost all the weight, i ended up regaining my confidence and stopped taking their crap, in turn i lost every single one of them. To be honest, yes i was lonely for a short time, but then i took up new hobbies and interests and made new friends..... friends for life who give me love and support i deserve. The purge of all the negativity was the best thing that ever happened to me! Hindsight is a wonderful thing... i realise now that they were never truly friends, and got off on putting me down subtly. My point... it might hurt now, but this is a necessary process for bigger and better things... yes, it might hurt now, and it might always be a sore spot, but open yourself to love, take small steps, do small things for you because you deserve it. And remember... not every man will cheat on you, not every person will hurt you... do not allow this horrible experience to cause you to build walls around your heart and mind... because this will only hurt you in the end. The mistress and him deserve each other.... you have bigger and better things waiting for you... jump up and embrace the change... you will be better for it. Through hardship comes ease, through trust comes love, through love for yourself comes happiness.

Girl! Don't let this man dull your shine! You are extremely brave and finally found the courage to leave. This sounds like it was a very controlling relationship, you are lucky you got out after anything serious went wrong. Unfortunately most controlling people do try to distroy their partners self esteem, making them feel unworthy, having no respect for being loyal etc... very common. This man is no longer in your life, its time to do things for YOU! You need to love YOU, respect YOU, be kind to YOU, do things for YOU.. because YOU deserve it. Accept the fact that you are looking fabulous, take up a hobby you enjoy, get out there and live life.... Once you do this, you will feel more comfortable in your own skin... Don't let this man take anymore of your happiness or self worth, you deserve better ???? Love and dating will come when you are ready, focus on living, loving and enjoying life..

I had a band to sleeve revision 3 months ago.... best decision i ever made, its so much easier, recovery for me was so easy. Its way better than the band, you don't get that horrible stuck feeling, i don't slime, i have only vomited twice (my own fault, ate too quickly early out) As a bander, once you convert to a sleeve you will find that you can eat a little more than a virgin sleever, this is due to damage that the band does to your esophagus, it reduces nerve sensations. For me, i can eat everything, i have tested my sleeve over the last month and nothing is an issue. I wish they offered the sleeve when i had my band initially, it would have saved me years of issues and problems. Best of luck with your revision