A1ikou

DH took me away for the weekend. We went to a place called Meteora which was in the mountains and very beautiful. I am 4 weeks post op and have not eaten outside home since being banded. I have been a good girl and done what the doc said - well more or less, I improvised a little because of what I had read on sites like this! He said only do liquids for a week. I did 10 days just to feel better. I wasn't hungry at this point and so was one of the lucky ones who found the whole thing quite easy. Then it was mushies. I got a new multi-processor and went blast crazy. I would have pureed my fingers had they stayed in the bowl a second longer . For the first time in years I was happily watching the scale go down and so the small portions and lack of variety were fine by me. (Greece just doesn't have the choice of foods some of you guys get :confused: ). Moving onto soft foods in week three wasn't so much different. If I think something is going to be difficult I blast it! Anyway, by now I realise I can eat much more and about the same time my appetite kicks in (not fair). I am still being good and have a tiny tupperware that I know is about the right portion size (OK so now I jam it full...ahem) and so the scale still goes down... Then we went away. I took yoghurt for my breakfast so that was Ok. The we went to a taverna. I ordered a burger, chopped it up and ate with eggplant (Aubergine) salad. I felt like I'd eaten loads but it was really only half a burger. Felt weird being in a place like that and not eating tons of gorgeous (boo-hoo-hooo) bread and olive oil, but hubby stuck with me and we did ok. In the night I ate a little toasted bread (first time since banding) with a slice of cheese. So all in all not too bad. It just felt strange. Greeks eat and in Greek tavernas, they eat even more! I don't know where I am going with my relationship with food. It is changing, just dunno into what. I don't think it will ever 'not matter' to me but am working on being more calm and logical about it all and hoping this will effect my choices in a positive way. Now all I have to do is improve my protein intake...

DH took me away for the weekend. We went to a place called Meteora which was in the mountains and very beautiful. I am 4 weeks post op and have not eaten outside home since being banded. I have been a good girl and done what the doc said - well more or less, I improvised a little because of what I had read on sites like this! He said only do liquids for a week. I did 10 days just to feel better. I wasn't hungry at this point and so was one of the lucky ones who found the whole thing quite easy. Then it was mushies. I got a new multi-processor and went blast crazy. I would have pureed my fingers had they stayed in the bowl a second longer . For the first time in years I was happily watching the scale go down and so the small portions and lack of variety were fine by me. (Greece just doesn't have the choice of foods some of you guys get :confused: ). Moving onto soft foods in week three wasn't so much different. If I think something is going to be difficult I blast it! Anyway, by now I realise I can eat much more and about the same time my appetite kicks in (not fair). I am still being good and have a tiny tupperware that I know is about the right portion size (OK so now I jam it full...ahem) and so the scale still goes down... Then we went away. I took yoghurt for my breakfast so that was Ok. The we went to a taverna. I ordered a burger, chopped it up and ate with eggplant (Aubergine) salad. I felt like I'd eaten loads but it was really only half a burger. Felt weird being in a place like that and not eating tons of gorgeous (boo-hoo-hooo) bread and olive oil, but hubby stuck with me and we did ok. In the night I ate a little toasted bread (first time since banding) with a slice of cheese. So all in all not too bad. It just felt strange. Greeks eat and in Greek tavernas, they eat even more! I don't know where I am going with my relationship with food. It is changing, just dunno into what. I don't think it will ever 'not matter' to me but am working on being more calm and logical about it all and hoping this will effect my choices in a positive way. Now all I have to do is improve my protein intake...

I have really wide feet and don't even bother looking in ordinary shoe shops anymore :cry Have any of you had your feet shrink either in width or size as the pounds have dropped away? It would be nice to think there is a chance of finding some really trendy shoes that fit as time goes by...

I had to wait about three weeks before I could comfortably sleep on my stomach again. I was afraid for a while I wouldn't be able to! I can still feel my port sometimes when I change position, but it doesn't hurt.

I went to see my doctor for the first time March 14th (Tuesday) here in Athens and he scheduled my operation the following Monday! He said a light diet all week and liquids only for two days before the op. My starting weight was 375lbs and I had no problems at all. I think it's an individual doctor thing.

When were you banded? I had pains like this for the first three days after surgery and could not take a deep breath to save my life. it was the worst part of the whole thing for me. Then, it went away, all by itself! These pains can last for quite a while and sometimes radiate to the shoulder too (I didn't have that thank goodness). If you aren't long out of surgery, then keep doing what you're doing and walk around as much as you can and it will go.

I forgot to mention much about me yesterday...well except the 39 bit! I am English (very!) but now through the twists and turns of life I find myself living for the past 6 years in Athens Greece. I still find it a shock most days!!! :faint: There I was in 1999 looking for new friends. This 'guy' in Greece like photography and although only a snap shotter I liked the same and so I said hello. Simple as that! Few days later he sent me a pic and asked for one back...like you do. I always tried to wriggle out of this bit, but I liked him. So I sent a pic. He liked me too :clap2: He sends me a ticket to go see him - for a weekend! "What you doing this weekend Ali?" "Oh not much, just whizzing of to Athens!" - I had that conversation...loved it too The day I got there, he asked me to marry him! I came to live here that December and we married in 2001. I love him to bits and he's my greatest supporter. He adores me as I am but understands I need to do this for my health. So I find myself in a place where insurance pays the majority of your expenses for wls (they don't like paying for the expensive clinics the docs work out of) and where you go and discuss with a doc what you want and find yourself being operated on a week later. If you can't afford to contribute at all you can do it on full insurance but takes longer (dunno what waiting list is). So, next Tuesday I go and discuss my progress and fills. I get free fills for life so I reckon he'll be a plodder and take it a bit at a time - fine by me!

I forgot to mention much about me yesterday...well except the 39 bit! I am English (very!) but now through the twists and turns of life I find myself living for the past 6 years in Athens Greece. I still find it a shock most days!!! :faint: There I was in 1999 looking for new friends. This 'guy' in Greece like photography and although only a snap shotter I liked the same and so I said hello. Simple as that! Few days later he sent me a pic and asked for one back...like you do. I always tried to wriggle out of this bit, but I liked him. So I sent a pic. He liked me too :clap2: He sends me a ticket to go see him - for a weekend! "What you doing this weekend Ali?" "Oh not much, just whizzing of to Athens!" - I had that conversation...loved it too The day I got there, he asked me to marry him! I came to live here that December and we married in 2001. I love him to bits and he's my greatest supporter. He adores me as I am but understands I need to do this for my health. So I find myself in a place where insurance pays the majority of your expenses for wls (they don't like paying for the expensive clinics the docs work out of) and where you go and discuss with a doc what you want and find yourself being operated on a week later. If you can't afford to contribute at all you can do it on full insurance but takes longer (dunno what waiting list is). So, next Tuesday I go and discuss my progress and fills. I get free fills for life so I reckon he'll be a plodder and take it a bit at a time - fine by me!

I'm 39! Nothing so strange or rare in that you say. Many people are 39, the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, the rich and the poor. Aaah yes but it's my 39! I have been thinking about wls for quite a while I have a friend who had the band fitted about 18mths ago and DH as a pharmacist has seen a few others. I always saw it as a last resort. I wanted to "lose it by myself!" I didn't want to seem weak or a failure and so I tried everything I could think of. At one point I was hardly eating anything and still the weight stuck. Then came the insulin...I have been taking it for about a year and although it helped my sugar levels it most certainly did not help me. After Christmas this year I felt worse than I ever had. I had always managed to do what I wanted before and now I felt everything was too much of a challenge. If I wanted to leave the house I thought about it for ages first - where am I going, can I sit down, how will my back be? I cried a lot too. This was not how I wanted to live out the rest of my life. So one day I decided. I called DH at work and told him that I knew I had said I would wait until I was 40 and then do it, but I wanted to do surgery now...at 39 (t'was my birthday time), so that I could have a life to live at 40. That was that. We went to see a doctor on Tuesday 14th March and he scheduled my surgery (with gallbladder removal 'cos pesky thing had been playing up) for the 20th! No tests other than those I'd already had and just a gentle diet with liquids for 48hrs before going to hospital. And now I'm banded.

I'm 39! Nothing so strange or rare in that you say. Many people are 39, the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, the rich and the poor. Aaah yes but it's my 39! I have been thinking about wls for quite a while I have a friend who had the band fitted about 18mths ago and DH as a pharmacist has seen a few others. I always saw it as a last resort. I wanted to "lose it by myself!" I didn't want to seem weak or a failure and so I tried everything I could think of. At one point I was hardly eating anything and still the weight stuck. Then came the insulin...I have been taking it for about a year and although it helped my sugar levels it most certainly did not help me. After Christmas this year I felt worse than I ever had. I had always managed to do what I wanted before and now I felt everything was too much of a challenge. If I wanted to leave the house I thought about it for ages first - where am I going, can I sit down, how will my back be? I cried a lot too. This was not how I wanted to live out the rest of my life. So one day I decided. I called DH at work and told him that I knew I had said I would wait until I was 40 and then do it, but I wanted to do surgery now...at 39 (t'was my birthday time), so that I could have a life to live at 40. That was that. We went to see a doctor on Tuesday 14th March and he scheduled my surgery (with gallbladder removal 'cos pesky thing had been playing up) for the 20th! No tests other than those I'd already had and just a gentle diet with liquids for 48hrs before going to hospital. And now I'm banded.

I always wanted to be a teacher. We had career interviews in the 5th year of High school and my dad took the morning off to come with me (as was custom)> I walked in and said I want to teach and that's all. The guy behind the desk said fine, get your A levels and go to university...good luck. Two mins and out. Dad was miffed but hey at least I knew where I was going. I taught primary for 10yrs and then came to Greece. Now I tutor kids after school in English. Weird things...Even though we were in middle of England I wouldn't eat fries in local restaurant because they were Chinese potatoes (10 guesses what kind of restaurant it was!!!).

I am three weeks post op and have lost 12kg (about 27lbs). I did liquids for the first week and mushies for the second. I have eaten solid foods this last week but admit I prefer the softer stuff. I don't really feel any restriction and am waiting for my first fill (allowed here after a month). It's will power that has kept me from eating too much and gaining back the pounds but I like watching the scale go down and so I reckon I can keep it up a little longer.

I am trying to begin an exercise routine but am finding it harrrrd! Please tell me some of you started out where I am and it got better? My starting weight was 375 and 2 and a half weeks after banding I'm down to 255 so that's going OK. Outside my apartment is a little sq uare (like a park) and so I thought I'd start walking. I've never been good at this 'cos all my weight is on my belly and walking makes my back ache. Anyway I managed 10mins without stopping but that was that. My neck and back were starting to ache so I came home. Yesterday I tried my exercise bike for a change and managed a whole 5mins!!! Tell me to keep going and that I will be able to build it up and it'll be easier...am feeling very discouraged! :phanvan

I was banded March 20th in Athens Greece by Doc. Gabril. I have done pretty well since then and am 22lbs down. I started taking gentle walks this week and hope to build up my time as I go along.

Hi everyone, My name is Alison Koussis and I'm 39 years old. I am an English woman living now in Athens Greece...(married a Greek- blame the internet for that one!). I have had weight problems all my life but was able to turn a blind eye and work through my problems. Then I got diabetes. It was hard for me to control and so a year ago the doc put me on insulin. My weight just went up and up and up. After Christmas this year I realised I was a mess physically and as I had been reachering the band for ages, I discussed it with hubby and we went to see a doctor in Athens. We got part payment from insurance (immediately, no questions asked) and agreed we would pay the top up. From that moment on everything happened quickly and I was banded 20th March. had my gallbladder (+28 stones :phanvan ) removed at the same time. So far so good and now the soreness has gone I hope to go from strength to strength... Alison