anniedub

I love that idea as well. I think that i'm going to save up some cash, so that when I hit goal I can donate my weight loss in one fell swoop! The homeless shelter won't know what hit them -- 38 kg (85lbs) of food, all in one hit!

Ha ha fenton I love that quilting/GTA comparison. A Likely story! I'm a big fan of quilting, and also a big fan of videogames, so I suppose there could be some truth to it. Yes, yes, i'm quite the paradox. No no, it did take me a few days to track down a Wii Fit. And considering that the city I live in has more than 50 videogame retailers, that's saying something! Are they in ridiculously short supply over there or something? I think Nintendo do that sort of thing on purpose -- even one year after the Wii came out, last Christmas, the consoles themselves were sold out in Brisbane by october and weren't available again until february. I mean, come on! I think they're just trying to foster exclusivity, and now they're doing the same with the Wii Fit. Ah well, i've got one now, who cares!! And Fenton, I currently have your book on hold at one of the small, fancy-schmancy bookstores in town. There's a copy there with my name on it, and i'll probably head in tomorrow to pick it up - I'm excited!

Well, the number of Non-Wii-Fitters is about to go down, I'm just heading out to buy one right now! They've been sold out EVERYWHERE here, and i've finaly got one with my name on it! Woohoo! Sorry to rub it in, folks.

A "PB" refers to a "Productive Burp" -- who thinks of these names anyway? This is when you've eaten something that doesn't agree with your band - either the wrong type of food, or just eaten too quickly and not chewed well enough. You will feel a bit like you're going to vomit -- at least, you know something's not right down there. You might "slime" - this is when your stomach produces extra mucus to try and wash down whatever's causing the problem. It's a totally normal process, but because we have a band in the way, the mucus (slime) has nowhere to go but "up".... and it will be regurgitated into your mouth, and you need to spit it out. Sliming can happen on it's own, but it is usually accompanied by the productive burp, or PB. This is when your body just can't get whatever you've eaten through the reduced hole to your stomach, and so you will "burp" it back up again into your mouth. It's basically like vomiting, but without the heaving. You just burp, and suddenly you have a mouthful. It's pretty disgusting. Anyway, you can avoid it very easily by following the band rules -- take very small bites, don't eat things which are very tough (many banders cannot handle steak), chew everything down to a mush before you swallow, and don't eat too fast. There are some foods which may cause you to PB (for example, I cannot eat soft bread without a PB. Toast is ok, but soft bread is a killer). These things are totally specific to you, and may be very different to what someone else can handle. You just need to see what your band doesn't like, and avoid it in future. You WILL know if you've had a PB. Hopefully you can avoid it though! Sorry for the somewhat graphic descriptions, but it helps if you know exactly what you're dealing with. The first time I had a PB, i didn't know what it was and i started freaking out, thinking my body was rejecting the band! Hope this helps, what a marathon post! Annie.

AND most importantly (how could I forget....) We'll be HEALTHIER! Here's to Shamrock Pride!

Wow Harley! Magnificent work! So, my shrinking shamrocks, at nearly 3 months out for most of us (three months to the DAY for Fenton and I), we are really starting to kick ass and take names! Let's all keep up the good work, and we'll be slimmer, sexier and more seductive before we know it! Not that we're not sexy now! Woohoo!

Hi, I know what you mean.... every so often I get this kind of thing. Really severe stomach cramps, followed by diahorrea (sp?). And it's very urgent -- like "I have to go, and it has to be RIGHT NOW!". For me, I don't think it's lapband related - I have a condition called Cystic Blastocystosis, which causes huge amounts of cysts in my intestines and bowel. The "dumping" type problem has always been a side effect of CBC. I have had it for a long time, before the band. Check it out with your doctor, just in case these dumping episodes are a sign of something more serious. if it's only once a month or so, it's probably something you ate, but if it is a lot more frequently, I would check with the doc. Hope this helps, Annie

Hi Heather! I'm a 22 year old Aussie who's been banded for 3 months. I'm more than happy to help when I can! PM me! Cheers, Annie

Fenton, let's see some progress pics from Mr 80 lbs!

Wow, ladies! Keep up the good work! I'll try and post something soon....

Fenton - WOW! Ten whole points off your BMI! Brilliant! Good going, Band Buddy! Although I feel that my 16kg loss pales in comparison to yours, considering we were banded on the same day. Ah well, each to their own! Still trying to track your book down in one of my local bookshops, if I can't find it in the next week then I'm just hitting Amazon. It always takes so long to get to me, which is why it's the last resort. Cheers!

Hi Shamrocks! Just checking in. I've been out of the loop for a while - off teaching in the Outback with very, very sporadic internet access. One of the benefits of living in Australia! Anyhoo, in other news, I've started a blog (but refuse to call myself a BLOGGER) and I'm hoping to update almost every day. It's going to track the trials and tribulations of weight loss, and being a bander. At least, from my point of view. So if you're keen, check it out! Congratulations to all the AMAZING shrinking shamrocks, we are kicking a$$ and taking names! We are taking our health in our hands and doing ourselves a favour. Shamrock pride! Much love, Annie x

Woohoo! Keep up the good work!

Jennifer, A candy bar and a choc shake. Not a problem. Think about what a "binge" might have been pre-band. Would you ever have stopped at ONE candy bar? Or would it have been a whole block of chocolate, plus some sodas, chips and cake for good measure? You ARE a success - the fact that you have taken this important step in your life proves that. Don't worry about every little slip-up, no-one is perfect. Well, there was this one guy, but we killed him :eek: Much love x

Any Australians out there, in their 20s? I'm from Brisbane!

Just a quick note to say that I FEEL YOUR PAIN. After I split with my fiance, my confidence took an enormous nosedive. I didn't feel like I was worth anything, and I didn't feel like anyone would ever love me again. My weight also climbed to it's highest ever point. Coincidence? I think not... Anyway, I am slowing clawing my way back up the rungs of the self confidence ladder, but it's a bloody hard slog. The more weight I lose, the easier it's getting. Hang in there, tiger. When the right man comes along, he will love you no matter what you look like, how much you weigh, whether you're shy or whether you're swinging from the rafters. That's what I keep telling myself, and ever so gradually, I'm starting to believe it. :eek: Much love from Down Under for my gorgeous single sisters xoxoxox

I got my period the morning of the surgery.... blech! As if I wasn't feeling gross enough when I woke up! Since then, it has been really bizarre. It's probably something to do ith going on the pill - I started back on the pill the same day as the surgery, after having a contraceptive implant removed 3 months before. Since the surgery, I get a period about every 2 weeks, and they last about a week. Even on the pill. It's crazy-go-nuts. Then again, I also have severe polycystic ovarian syndrome. So I'm 3 months banded and have a completely messed up cycle. I've been waiting a month to get an appointment with the gynaecologist, and they think it will be about another 3 months before I can get in. So for now, all I can do is wait! Grrrr!

Hi there, I've had IBS for some time, mostly diahorrea (sp?). Since I was banded, it has gotten a lot better, which makes sense -- less food in, less waste out. The gas can be a problem though - while I don't have pain or cramps with it, I do get very bloated. I haven't figured anything out yet to try and curb it, so I will be interested to see what others say. Annie.

Hmmm. just looking forward to FINDING another relationship! After my fiancee and I split up 2 years ago, I gained even more weight and hit my heaviest. In that time, I have had zero interest from men. Nothing. Not even a flirt. It's been a wasteland. Now that i'm on the way down again, I'm relishing the chance to be hit on again! I can't wait!

Hi, I had some issues with that as well. I got them solved, found the easiest way was when i'm feeling a little "chocked up", just eat 4 or 5 dried prunes and it will resolve itself in a couple of hours! Best of all, it's all natural. I don't know if I trust the chemical laxatives! Hope this helps!

Damn, I thought I was doing great with a 11 kilo loss (24 pounds) since my surgery on March 6th, then Scrappy come along with 55 lbs lost since March 17th??? NO FAIR!!! Tell me all your secrets!

It does from where i'm sitting! A lot more impressive than a measly 10kg! Hee hee just jokes, I am seriously pumped about my 10kg loss! Woohoo! Still, can't wait for the numbers to keep moving down!

Wow Fenton! 50 pounds! Congratulations! **Round of Applause** And to think we were banded the same day - can I bask in some reflected glory? :biggrin:

Hi there fellow Band-Stars, I was banded 6th of march, I'm 3 weeks post-op. At the start everything was going well - I healed quickly, I was feelings great, no post-surgery pain, no hunger. Now I'm getting hungry and I have no restriction at all (until next week), and i'm starting to fall back into old habits. Like, "Oh, well, fries are a soft food... I can just have some fries.... if my quantities are small it will all be fine..." I'm doing this to myself and I can't stop it! Afterwards I say "no, next time i have to be strong and not give in to the temptation to eat shit food", but then I get caught up in the moment, caught up in the craving and BOOM! I've done it again before I even realize it! The worst part is, I'm too ashamed to admit it to my dietician. You should have seen how nuts she went when I went to mushies after only one and a half weeks (instead of the recommended two). She told me that I was "jeopardizing my health and jeopardizing the band". It was half a cup of mashed potato, come on!! So I call her the Nazi. And now i'm too scared to tell her I need help in case she goes off again. So bandsters, i'm appealing to you. Please help me snap out of it! Annie xox

Why am I fat? Well, for the first time in ten years, I have an answer for this. And it's taken me 5 years of therapy to be able to articulate this answer. I've got every predisposing factor in the book. You name it, I've got it. An obese parent, and a second parent who used food as a "reward" for every success in childhood, then did a 180 as soon as I started getting fat. She then criticised every thing I put in my mouth, forced me to exercise and started giving me only salad or vegetables for dinner, when the rest of my family were eating roast meats, Pasta, take-out. Severe depression and anxiety owing to repeated sexual abuse. Severe Polycystic Ovarian syndrome and insulin resistance. The break-up of an engagement to a wonderful man, for reasons outside of both our control. All of these things and more led to what can only be described as compulsive overeating. After cycling through the various stages of bulimia in my teenage years, I finally sought psychiatric help. By this point, I had stopped all purging behaviours and was only bingeing. At least once a day. I was hiding food in every possible hiding place in my bedroom. Stealing money from my parents in order to go out and buy every possible "naughty" or "forbidden" food and eat it all, someplace hidden where no-one could see me. Usually I would eat my ill-gotten food in the toilet - can you get any more disgusting? Now, due to a huge amount of therapy, I know the reason that I was doing this. After being sexually abused in childhood and adolescence, I subconsciously wanted to make myself unattractive to men - and the best way I knew how to do this was to get fat. My mind thought that if I was fat, no man would ever want to touch me. So my fat became my "security blanket" against the pain I had suffered. Now, I know that my behaviour and attitudes to food make me a very sick person - and not just in the physical sense. I have worked long and hard to build myself into a person who will never take no s**t from nobody. I will never again let somebody take what I don't want to give them. So now I feel secure enough to let go of my fat. I've retrained my brain to let go of my maladaptive thought patterns and embrace a new way of thinking. Of course, there will always be times when I can't hack it, but that's why I need a tool to keep me in check - and now, that's what I have. I have every excuse in the book for being fat -- but I have to stop using excuses, and I have to get my life back. Starting today.