lellow

July, when I called my Dr, I was 97.9kg (215.4lbs) After my pre-op diet, on surgery day I was 92.9kgs (204.4 lbs) - loss of 11lbs. Today I'm 83.9kgs (184.6lbs) - loss since surgery of almost 20lbs So altogether almost 31lbs from the date I called my surgeon to book an appt.

Claudine, I'm due to see my Dr for a fill next week and because I think I'm close to good restriction, I think now I may ask for a small fill of maybe 0.25cc - 0.4cc. I can't eat a lot of things like rice, chicken breast and boiled egg (a recent discovery) and I eat too fast sometimes too, and as a result have had a few episodes of throwing up my food in the last month. I think in light of your experience, I too might be better off going slow with my fills and seeing how I go. I'm glad you're feeling better now, matey.

I eat too quickly too, and then pay for it when it all comes back out. I think it has to do with trying to fit it in around my life (around meetings or training at work, or around housework and uni and exercise at home). I end up eating fast because I usually have my eye on what I have to do next. I've thrown up four times in the last month, so am worrying that if I don't get it under control I'm going to eventually slip my band.

Hi Chris, do you mean Perth, Western Australia? My surgeon was Dr Stephen Watson, who has rooms at SJOG Murdoch. Loads of banders from Perth have used him, and I must say I would recommend him in a heartbeat.

I was actually saying to my DH yesterday that the thing I'm enjoying most is how my body feels. I don't have to struggle to get out of the car anymore. I fit into the front seat easily. I take up less room in those horrible plastic Dr's waiting room chairs. I can squeeze between small spaces. I can lie in bed with my toddler without feeling like if he has enough space, then I'm about to fall off the edge of the bed. I can cross my legs and lean forward. The list is just endless. I'm not so fussed about the weight loss. It's the change in the way I feel and the things I can do that keep me going.

He's been my Dr for yonks, and Jachut is right, it makes him think he can have an opinion, when really I don't appreciate his opinion. I may go see him again and say I want a referral, and if he refuses, I'll say I'll be changing Drs. I've a little jacked off about it tbh.

Thanks for that info, Dr Schulman. I guess if I manage to lose 40lbs+, waiting to lose that last bit and stablise won't be too hard to do.

Hi Dr Schulman, thank you for all the great responses to the questions in here. I hope you'll be able to help me with my question: I've had an 'apron' since having my son 14 years ago. It got worse when I had another baby 2 and a half years ago and have had my lapband for 2 and a half months. I have lost 30 lbs already, and the 'apron' is getting far more pronounced, and hangs halfway to my pubic bone already. My goal weight is 143lbs and I've still got 40lbs+ to go to get there. I've booked an appt with a PS for January, and I'm wondering, if it's feasible for me to look at a TT once I get to 165lbs? I'm not sure how long I can take this apron and the rashes and having to 'tuck' it into all my clothes. Or would I be better off waiting to lose that last 20lb+? I also wonder how much of my excess weight is in actual 'skin', and if I get to goal then get a TT, will it mean I'll be even lighter than goal?

Yep vegemite on cruskits for me too! I was one of those people who only tried vegemite as an adult (was born overseas) and I definitely acquired a taste for it! Tomato and onion with tuna on cruskits is yum too. I can have bread some days, and on others, it won't sit. So I generally avoid it now.

I don't portion control. I eat until I'm satisfied (not full). Sometimes it's quite a lot, sometimes it's a couple of bites of hard Protein that sits heavily. As per my Drs instructions, I try to have hard protein for most meals, with a variety of veg and a little carb. I've only had two fills and don't think I'm at my sweet spot yet, but since my last fill, I don't seem to get hungry as often (am enjoying that feeling while it lasts!). So right now, I am listening to my body and only trying to eat when I'm actually feeling hungry and not because it's time for a meal. That's what my Dr told me - eat when you're hungry, not necessarily 3 meals, or every 2-3 hours. It seems to be working for me, so will continue in that vein, I think.

Hi boboleo, I am 5'4" and was 215 lbs at my highest weight. I was 209lbs on the day I called my surgeon, and had a BMI of 35. I initially said I would be happy just to lose 30 to 40 lbs, but a healthy BMI is 22-25, so really, I needed to lose closer to 70-80lbs to get within that range. I didn't think I needed to lose that much, and always thought that if I lost 30lbs I'd be rapt! But I'm 2 and a half months out from surgery and I've already lost 30lbs. I feel great but I do realise that I can lose more. So as far as I'm concerned, despite having a 'lower' BMI, the band is working for me like nothing else has worked for me before. I know I was on my way to gaining even more weight as I got older, so this way I took control of my weight, which was a problem for, and is a problem for most, whether you're 50lbs too heavy or 500lbs too heavy. I don't know about the insurance side of things (I'm in Australia and my insurance paid for my surgery) but I reckon if your 'lower' BMI is no barrier to getting the band. You're still quite a bit heavier than is healthy for you. So if the band helps you get healthy, why not do it?

Aw heartfire, hun, we all slip up sometimes. We're only human after all. I had a huge amount of chips at a barbeque a couple of weeks ago, and felt awful, but my DH reminded me that even us banders will sometimes make bad choices, just like the everyone else in the world. As long as we know it's a 'occasional' food, don't beat ourselves up too much about it, and get back on track, we're still doing better than most people!

Great news for you mum, Ro! I'm sure it'll be a great help that you and your dad have BTDT and can help her along.

Hey Claudine, I'm still weighing myself on and off, but I only record my weight on the 1st of every month. Seeing that I've lost 3 kgs (about 9lbs) in a month is a lot more encouraging and messes with my mind a whole lot less than seeing the scale move up and down day to day. Even week to week, it was fluctuating and making me depressed. But over a month, the loss is more tangible. My waist is now down to 38 inches. I've not had a waist that small in over 10 years. And I know that I'll keep losing with the help of the band, too. When I was scale-stalking, I swung between hope and despair. Gaining even half a pound would ruin my day! And yet the pants I bought a month ago is way too loose for me now, so I don't care about what the scales say as much any more. My DH hugged me tonight and said I don't feel the same as I used to, that I feel tiny now. Hey, I intend on being a whole lot smaller before long! You're on the right track, you're exercising and you're changing your life. There are so many positives that don't necessarily involve the weight. Be proud of that!

I don't know if any Dr does it without a gap if you're a private patient. I paid $170 for my pre-op appt (got some back from Medicare), $1950 for out of pocket for Dr Watson to do my surgery, and about $136 in hospital fees (don't know what for though). I paid nothing for the anaethetist, he was completely covered by my Health Fund. I now pay $150 per fill, and get about $100 of that back from Medicare. So without the fills, I paid just over $2000 all up. Pretty good when I have mid-level cover with HBF.

Lanakila, It's soooo good to see you too! I'm supposed to be working now but am sneaking off to check this forum, hoping to catch up on how you and the other August banders are going. And you're absolutely right! If this was another diet, I'd have put on weight and be heading back to the starting line all over again. I am so used to that scenario that I was sure I'd put on weight this month! But I didn't! I also know that my first fill wasn't restricting me too much. I could eat just about anything, and in quite large amounts. I did have 2 episodes of PB, which was nasty, but I've found that I'm intolerant to rice, and as long as I avoided that particular food, I could have steak, bread, Pasta, anything else. Since my 2nd fill though, my appetite has reduced. Not so much I think I'm at my sweet spot, but definitely enough to start losing steadily again I think. My Dr hasn't given me a date to go back, just to go back once I'm getting hungry often again, so that's good news. I'm so glad you're doing well, and finally had your first fill too! I saw that Ro still hasn't had hers, and that a few people have been refused fills as they're still losing steadily. Amazes me how differently we are all getting treated.

Hi guys, long time no see! I am not weighing myself much anymore, and because I'd spent the last month eating crap and not exercising nearly as much as I used to (due to work commitments), I was sure I'd put on weight from the 3 kilos I lost early on after my fill. But I went to see my Dr yesterday for fill #2 and I haven't gained any weight. So basically I've lost 3 kilos (6.6pounds) for the month between fills. He says he expects the average patient to lose about 3 kilos a month, so I'm actually right on track! Total weight loss since that first phone call to the Dr in the first week of July: just a smidge under 27 pounds. :crying:

This week: LOST: all the 0.4kgs I put on last week + another 0.6kgs = total 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) :biggrin: Exercise: 50 kms on the stationary bike 20 kms on the regular bike 30mins walking everyday (at lunchtimes) Diet: able to eat almost pre-surgery amounts. So still eating a cupful, then filling up with an apple or pear after, to stave off the hunger for a bit longer. Snacking on fruits or veg if really hungry between meals. My 1st Fill: 5th Sept - one week from now. I'm really pleased not only to have lost the weight I put on last week but also to have a lost some more on top of that. I was sure I'd keep gaining up until my next fill (which I admit, despite my bravado, was quite depressing) but I do think the exercise and good food choices are paying off. I still have the odd relapse wrt to food, but for the most part, I do feel I'm in charge of it, and it's not in charge of me. Can't update my ticker til I get home from work, which sucks! :cursing:

Lost: 0.9kgs!!!! (over 2 lbs!) I love my fill! Exercise: 100kms on the stationary bike 2 x 2 hour walks 1/2 hour on a the regular bike Ate: normal foods just a lot less thanks to my fill I'm sorry I've been so quiet lately everyone - work is busy and I also have a few training courses over the next few weeks, so don't have much chance to log in, and if I do, don't have a lot of time to post or answer PMs. But I HAD to make sure I did the Friday morning weigh in at least! Good luck everyone and I hope you had a great week this week!

I'm realising that while I'm only slowly losing the first, I'm doing well in losing the second. I have been a little bit bummed that I haven't been losing a kilo a week (2lbs) but this morning, I got the tape measure out, and for the first time since in 8 years, my waist in less than 40 inches! I've lost almost 10 inches in my waist from the start of my journey, and that's amazing to me. So I've decided not to weigh myself obessively any more. I will only weigh myself on the 1st of each month (seeing as I banded on the 1st of August). I think the inches are telling the most truth about the exercise and healthy eating I'm doing, and I'm not going to get depressed over another kilo again!

I was banded on the 1st of August, lost almost 10 kgs up from pre-op to the 3rd week after surgery, then lost next to nothing after. Got my first fill of 2cc on the 5th of Sept and have lost just over another kilo since then. :wink_smile:

Work is cranking up and I am starting to realise that logging in from work is getting harder and harder. And due to some other issues I've realised (I will start a new thread on it) I've decided to weigh myself only once a month now, on the 1st of each month. So I hope someone else will take up the baton and run with it. I will still come in on my once a month weigh in and when I can will be around to provide encouragement!

I'm glad to hear that someone else is finding the same. I think I may actually get rid of my weight loss ticker for now too, and just type the numbers in my signature instead.

Cathrine Ray, are you still in pain? My fill didn't hurt. In fact I didn't even notice any difference until my first meal of full liquids, when I realised I got full much faster. I was on liquids one day, on mushies the next and am already on normal foods now, and I only had my fill on Friday (4 days ago). I just worry about the fact that you experienced so much pain. I hope it's settled for you now though.

I had my fill on Friday. Like you, no pain as I was given a local first. I had 2 ccs put in. It was suggested I do full liquids for two days, but I did one day of full liquids, one day of mushies and now I'm back on normal food. I just can't exercise properly on full liquids! I need the energy of proper food! Lol!