lellow

Amy, hell, you've had it tough, matey. That you lost when you've managing with a debilitating condition is an inspration! We're all made up differently too, and we all have our differences in how our bodies react to exercise and new ways of eating. Some of us start out with a half decent metabolism, and yet others with a really sluggish one that needs time to get 'revved' back up. So we're all going to go at different paces. And that's normal. The main thing is that we keep losing, and if you're losing, you're a success, no matter what.

I was banded five and half months ago and this band has changed my life. Yes I sometimes get stuck (not anywhere near everyday though) and I have vomited, too. But I tolerate most foods, I don't count calories - I just eat sensibly, and I exercise 4 times a week now. I am the lightest I've been in over 15 years. I have more energy than I ever remember having, ever. I am the fittest I've ever been in my life, and my risk of developing diabetes and heart problems (of which I have a strong family history, and was the reason I got the band) have plummeted. So as much as there are stories where the band has not worked for whatever reason, or has been a nightmare, there are as many, if not more, for whom the band has been a godsend. Yep, I'd say too that my only regret was taking so long to decide to get it done in the first place.

You're in a tough situation, searze. I feel for you. I felt restriction at 6ccs, so can only imagine how frustrating it is for you. I have heard of lapband patients though who have had no restriction one second, and then with their next fill - bam - they're restricted. Hopefully that will be the case for you too. Exercise-wise though, what sort are you doing? Is it strenuous enough that you're working up a good sweat? I started out on a spin bike I bought off DealDirect doing 10kms at a slow pace initially, and have worked up to riding 35-40kms three to four times a week now.

Searze, how many fills have you had? When you see Steven, do you tell him about not having any restriction? I was also banded by Dr Watson, but on the 1st of August. It may be worth giving his rooms a call and telling them that you're struggling. Aside from that, though, I know how hard it is to stay motivated and eat well when you don't have restriction. But I was losing consistently even when I didn't have restriction, and that was from exercising 4 times a week. Are you getting any exercise?

hi searze1 just click on mrswal's ticker, go through the steps, then copy the code that comes up in the end (the one that starts with [url=.... the others won't work) Then come back to this site, do into your User Profile, then edit signature, and copy and paste the code into your signature. :wink2:

mlp, two days post surgery and I felt like what have I done to myself? But tomorrow you're going to feel 50% better, and in a week, you're going to be almost 100% back to normal. In a month, you're going to wonder if you have a band in you at all, because you feel just like you did before you were banded. That's about when you're ready for your first fill! Hang in there. It gets better from here on in.

You legend!

That's what a saleslady at a clothes shop told me today!!!! ROFLMAO!!!! I tried on a top and when I went to pay for it, I saw that it was stained. It was the only one left in that size but I really needed a top for work so just grabbed a similar one off a near shelf as it was the same size as the one I tried on. The (IMO, only very slightly plump) saleslady asked if I wanted to check if it fit and, because I had my hubby and baby waiting for me outside, I said 'no thanks, I'm pretty sure that's my size', to which she then said 'well, it's easy for people who are naturally skinny like you are to know what fits you. Everything looks good on thin people'!!! I didn't know whether to laugh hysterically or hug her. In the end, I told her about the lapband and that there is no way on god's green earth that I could be described at 'naturally skinny'. She then remarked that she thought weight loss surgery patients all ended up looking like prunes with all the loose skin, but I looked marvellous (said in wide-eyed surprise, mind you!) So as far as NSVs go, I think that was my best one yet!

Hang tough, matey. I was someone who had a coke a day for the last 10 years. I haven't had a drop of anything more than iced tea in over 5 months, and all my cravings for soda are completely gone now.

Sorry Cher, were you speaking to me? Or someone else who's posted previously? I'm wondering because I was banded in August too. If not, it's cool. Just checking.

In that case, yes I think I agree.

Lol! I think I was too shocked to process it properly at the time, but later when I told my DH about it, I have to admit to getting a bit emotional about it. :wink: Also made me feel a little better about what I considered to be my massive upper arm 'wings' and horribly melted-looking tummy, because I obviously am a far worse critic of myself than others are of me!

If you have thrown up, you will find that your stomache will be quite sensitive, which means even something that would normally slide will come back up, esp if you've only taken a bite or two. So I would say try just liquids for 3 days, then move to soft mushies for a day or two, then try to move to something more solid. Don't be tempted into moving to mushies too soon - you may have irritated your stoma and it will need some time to settle. And even after three days of liquids, when you move to mushies, chew chew chew, and eat very slowly. If you're doing that on day 4 and you still can't hold anything down, I'd then be thinking of an unfill.

Really? My brother has been a personal trainer for over 20 years and he reckons I have kick-ass endurance now, and thinks it's great that I have worked up to 40mins hard riding on my bike. He's been the one encouraging me to do the couch to 5k so we can run together when he visits.

Salads (as in vegetables alone) make me hungry within a couple of hours, so it may not be anything to do with restriction that you're feeling peckish again so soon after a meal. I find Protein (and sometimes carbs, though I know US banders often don't do carbs) fill me up much better than a salad, and for much longer. Don't get me wrong, I still eat veg, but not on it's own as a meal. Unless it's something heavy like cauliflower or broccoli. But to answer your question, I felt restriction immediately after each fill. Then after a couple of weeks, the restriction eased as I lost weight. Maybe try having lean protein instead and see if it keeps you fuller for longer?

Oh god not at all, Katy! You're a legend and I don't think anyone can dispute that!

40 mins at 55-60rpm on a spin bike will burn 500 calories. A spin bike class - which is an hour - will burn closer to 800 calories.

I got my first fill 4 weeks post-surgery and then had two more fills one month apart. For my 4th fill, I waited 6 weeks from the previous one. I only felt good restriction after the 3rd fill TBH, when I had 6ccs in a 10cc band. I now have 6.5ccs in and if I get any more fill, they will be small ones too now and I feel like I'm close to perfect restriction already. I think until you feel restriction, a lot of the weight losss will be borne of your own effort, so if you're losing, you're doing great.

Here's my chart (so far): I have lost a minimum of 3kgs (approx 7lbs) a month since being banded on the 1st of Aug 08. I exercise a minimum of 4 times a week though (cycling and now running) but I don't count calories and I don't restrict carbs. I've had plateaus but nothing that's lasted more than a couple of weeks at most.

Updating on my progress for the challenge! It's been a really good week for me (and I hope it continues!) as I'm down from 169.8lbs to 164.6lbs. So a loss of 5.2lbs so far. Only 5.6lbs to go to my Valentines Day goal.

mlp, isn't it surgery day for you today? Good luck with it, I'm sure you'll be fine! Keep us up to date with your recovery, too!

In Australia, WLS is pretty much only lap-band surgery. I have heard that some surgeons are now offering the sleeve, but not many. So in that respect, I never needed to decide between lapband and RNY as such. But theoretically, if I had to choose, I'd choose the band no question. In part because, in comparison to RNY, it's far more minor surgery, it's reversible and it's adjustable. And yes it may take a little more work on your part to lose consistently, but putting in the effort was never something I was scared of. With the band, I never really plateaued. I lost consistently from pre-op diet to today with an average of about 3kgs (about 7lbs) a month (sometimes more). It did everything I needed it to do. Yes I exercised. Yes I had to make the choice of not eating a whole block of chocolate for lunch. But it's because I knew that it was a tool to help with physical hunger, and that's all it did. The rest was up to me. And the physical hunger was all I needed taken care of, and that's what the lapband does. So it was perfect for me.

If anyone even mentions how much weight I've lost (that is, they don't actually ask me how I lost the weight) I tell them I had lapband surgery. I then tell them about how it restricts my appetite but I also exercise 4-6 times week, so it basically gave me the 'edge' I needed that I didn't have before. I tried for 15 years to lose weight with all the 'old-fashioned' ways and I don't want to pretend anymore that I managed to do it without the lapband. To me, I feel like I do myself a disservice by not being truthful with people about how, in previous attempts, hunger was not letting me succeed. Now I have something to help with the hunger, and guess what? I'm succeeding! I also tell people that if I ate what 'naturally' skinny people ate, I'd still be overweight. I have to eat like a 3yo to be thin. Honestly, how many people can do that for the rest of their lives without a lapband? So I also feel a little bit responsible for making sure that people stop treating obese people like they did it to themselves. I hate that obesity is still openly discriminated against. The fact is obesity, for many, has become a medical condition, therefore there should be no shame in treating it with a medical solution. I do feel like being honest has helped others. I know of 2 people at work who have been banded over the holidays because they believe me to be a walking advert for it. They asked me loads of questions, which I answered truthfully. Now there are 2 other people who have committed to changing their lives because I don't hide the fact that I have a band.

Maybe you should start taking your measurements, mommie2. It will give you a better idea of whether you're really losing. I used to plateau whenever I increased my exercise, esp if it was weight-bearing exercise, because I was building muscle. Esp when you only just started exercising, I'm sure your body is madly building muscle at the moment.

Both, I think. You do feel restriction at some stage, for me it was after my 3rd fill. But you also have to retrain yourself so you don't choose to eat things that will slide past your band (and the restriction you have) to make you feel full instead of satiated. You also have to retrain yourself to eat well until you get to the point where you have restriction. I have had 4 fills so far, have good restriction, and can only eat about a cup full of food at the most per meal.