kgloverii

I'm glad to see the Aussies jump onto this topic. I truly was waiting to get flamed for my comments about it being surgeon skill along with the diet differences. So many people on the board get bent on every morsel they eat, and I just KNEW I was going to be told that my anti-diet mentality had to go, and that I was going to wither away to some sagging skin and breaking bones cause I don't take Protein bullets. :confused_smile: Thanks for the true Australian perspective! I truly believe that your perspective is one that needs to be taken note of...

Girlfriend, as you told that story, I got that sick to my stomach feeling, like "I know exactly how this is going to go down..." because I think every overweight person has a story of embarrassment. And my stories, even from years past, I will NEVER fully get over. You are a strong woman, and that strength will help you as you embark on your Lap-Band journey. Congrats on making such a meaningful decision for your health!

I cannot reiterate what Jacole said enough. You are newly banded and you are in 'Bandster Hell" right now cause you can eat anything you want, and have no restriction. I passed the time by becoming OCD on my calorie intake during this time, counting every single morsel I put into my mouth. It worked for me, and I continued to lose until I had good restriction and could stop counting... Hang in there. You're going through a normal, frustrating part of being newly banded.

I think your desire for immediate change is a normal part of the process. I know I went through the same thing. I expected immediate changes to my life, but as you know, it doesn't happen that way. Some things change. And YOU will change over time. But I don't think anyone wakes up one day, finding themselves eloping, pregnant, and holding the winning lottery ticket. Life will improve. You'll have more confidence. But it is a slow progression... But you knew that. You're normal, I promise!

There is WAY too much diet mentality. For ME, the diet mentality went RIGHT out the window as SOON as I had the band in. I followed pre-op and post-op to a 't' but now just eat as a normal person would, albeit a LOT LESS. I don't have ANY sort of food obsession anymore. I was on another Band board and someone asked how much of a tuna sandwich they should be able to eat. Everyone on the board came back and RAILED the original poster for thinking a tuna sandwich was acceptable. "Tuna sandwiches have carbs, you should not eat anything white, etc. etc." OVER and OVER from all kinds of posters. There is another poster on there that is NOTORIOUS for talking about how they weight EVERYTHING they eat. They have a flipping scale in their PURSE. NO JOKE. Talk about trading one obsession for another! That CANNOT be healthy! The Aussies on LBT all talk about how they've never heard their docs talk low carb, high Protein, low fat, or whatever. Their docs say to make the Band work for them... Most banded on the board would want to crucify me for drinking WHOLE MILK, eat full fat yogurt and ice creams, dipping bread in olive oil, eating REAL sugar and abhoring the fake stuff, etc. I eat like a NORMAL weight person. And you know what? It works for me... I don't sit here thinking of food 24/7.

I think Australia has had the band longer, so surgeons are more experienced. They also stress eating a 'normal diet' after healing from the surgery. That takes away a lot of that food obsession, which may make it more viable for a lot of patients long term...

Every person is different. You might need 8 fills before you feel restriction. You will not have a 'honeymoon' till you get restriction. You will have a really hard time to lose weight until you get that restriction. Count calories and eat mainly Proteins until you get that restriction. Patience is a virtue. Keep going back to your doc for fills until YOU feel restriction. Ignore his comments about other patients. They aren't you.

I like the easy way of not having to fight my urge to eat, and not having compulsive food thoughts 24/7. I lost weight the 'hard' way too. I lost it all, and had to work out 3 hours EVERY DAY to keep it off. And I was ALWAYS hungry, even in my 'skinny' state. I don't have that hunger anymore... I am not planning my next meal. I'm happy with my 'easy way.'

Go Juli! You really don't look like the same person! Amazing!

LMAO on "The Secret" reference. I'll betcha Oprah went to bed every night envisioning a svelte self and she'd wake up a pound heavier. :crying: I envisioned myself thinner every day I woke up before my band and woke up fatter and fatter. Now... I wake up after having nightmare of being fat again and look in the mirror... and I'm even smaller than I can believe. :wink2:

Julie, Plateaus happen... over and over... Keep doing the right things. I plateaued for 5 weeks once and thought I was going to shoot myself... I wasn't eating too much of ANYTHING during that time and thought, "Maybe this is it...." and then, the scale finally budged. Some suggestions... Kick your exercise up for a couple days. Change your normal eating routine as well. Eat some foods you normally don't. Also have one day (and keep it to one day!) where you eat a bit of forbidden foods. maybe an extra bowl of ice cream added. A small cheat every 10-12 days for me, has generally kept the pounds coming off. All in all, STAY POSITIVE. As a previous poster said, measuring yourself is a great idea. During my plateau, I lost no weight... but I dropped a whole dress size. From a 12 to a 10. I am now an 8, and even though I am not dropping more than a pound every two weeks, my waist is continuing to get smaller... I'll bet that you are in the same boat... and you don't even know it yet!

Amen to this post as well. I have always been outgoing, and have not received 'overt' discrimination before. I really didn't think it was as big of a deal as I do now. As I said before, people "see me" now, and before, they didn't "see me" as much. Nothing overt, but some internal criticisms from others... I get the "how much MORE weight did you want to lose?!" all the time... like I am TOO skinny... LOL.

LOL on the polar bear... my DH has called me 'polar bear' for the last eight years. He's got to retrain himself now cause I am ALWAYS FREEZING. LOL

No problems. Mine is beneath my rib cage on my left side.

I agree with gentylwind. As you lose weight, your perspective will probably change. I was a size 18/20 pre-surgery and people looked RIGHT THROUGH ME when I was heavy. Now, they talk TO me, they cater to me, they smile, etc. It is a TRUE thing. But, as you lose weight, your perspective will probably be rosier. And I just think, "I don't know if they would've treated me differently before" so I can't hold it against them. When in doubt, give them the benefit. I have. And it has worked out nicely. :wink:

I'd go for the upper GI. If there is no slip, then take out half. But if there is a slip, you need a complete unfill to have your band go back into place. GL.

So far, I have lost 83% of my excess weight. And I am not done yet...

All in moderation... I AGREE. Except when you are an addict. Then you need to break the addiction and relearn moderation.

You are SO not stupid. I STILL get stuff stuck and am over a year post op! Try the yoga position 'downward dog' if you get something stuck. Works like a charm for me!

Breanne, It is tough to gauge how families will react to your desire to lose weight. While my family and husband were supportive, none jumped up and down, and all around when I decided to have the band done. They were very guarded because they didn't want me to ever think their love for me was tied to what I weighed. They have been encouraging and proud of me throughout my journey, but I know if I lost my band tomorrow, they'd love me just the same... Ask your husband why he doesn't seem more enthusiastic. His answer may surprise you! I hope your consult today goes well. You are on an exciting journey, and even if there are some detours along the way, stay positive!

If you cut the sugar, you won't crave it. And my personal opinion is NOT to go to sugar free stuff. Sugar free stuff is artificial, and your body does not recognize food with artificial sweeteners as 'real' food. So, it never heats up right to metabolize it... Can Sugar Substitutes Make You Fat? - TIME If you cut your sugar consumption, you will not have the cravings like before. But if you must eat sweet, it is actually better to eat a small 'something' with sugar... I used to drink tons of Diet Cokes and ate tons of Sugar free stuff pre-band. I learned about the 'evils' of sugar free, and switch post-band and have not noticed ANY stall in my weight loss...