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I think the reduced food intake and lower body weight also contribute to the alcohol having a much faster effect.

I made lots of veggie soups and added in lentils etc for protein and then blended and froze them.

The Realize band is marketed as being a low pressure band. What this actually means in practice is that people with a Realize band usually need a higher level of fill in order to achieve adequate restriction. Other than that I am sure they both do the job that they are supposed to do.

I fit comfortably into a size 8 Aus. I even have some pants which are a size 6 and they still fall off after I have been wearing them for a while. LOL I have narrow hips and no butt. I think the equivalent size in the US is a size 2. Now that sounds tiny but I don't feel tiny. I am certainly a lot bigger than I was in my early 20s. I still have some clothes from then. They are marked a size 10 and I cannot do them up. There is a good couple of inches gap between the 2 halves meeting around my middle. So yes clothing sizes have changed dramatically. if i can now fit into a new size 2 but can't do up an old size 10 there is really something wrong.But even though a 6 is a lot bigger it is bye no means oversized. I just wish they would standardise things from country to country. Why can't we have international standards - it would make life so much easier

Isn't this a bit high in fat and calories for preop? My Dr was very strict with what was and wasn't allowed. I was allowed an optifast(or similar) twice a day and some low carb veggies at night. No fruit, extra yogurt or anything like that.

Been banded since June 2009 and I haven't had any trouble.

Sorry that you had such a bad experience. Unfortunately with any surgery there is always a risk. Chances are that had you opted for one of the other surgeries you may have also been the unlucky person that had something go wrong and all the other WLS actually have a much higher risk of serious surgical complications. The infection could have developed because of something that happened in surgery, in the hospital, a visitor not following proper hygiene procedures or you may in fact even unwittingly have infected yourself. There are more and more superbugs around these days that are resistant to antibiotics and they are a major problem.

Fran that is awful. It just doesn't seem fair. What nasty deeds did you do in one of your previous lives to deserve all that? If you have to give up all these what are you allowed to eat? It doesn't seem to leave a hell of a lot? I love your positive attitude. The fact that you have been dealt such a horrible hand yet you can still appreciate the positive things. Hope things start getting better soon.

So long as you stick to watching and not indulging then I am sure it is not too much of an issue

I found this info whilst surfing the net the other day which gives quite a good comparison of the 2 procedures. http://www.lapbandsurgery.com/bariatric-surgery-support/gastric-sleeve-vs-lap-band/

Yes and yes. I was a moderate drinker and 2) I still am. I drink a glass or 2 of wine a couple of nights a week. Sometimes (like tonight) I dilute it with soda Water. I don't drink as much as I did preband and when i do drink I have to be careful as I now get drunk a lot quicker.

I'm sure that would be fine. Listen to your body, don't over do it and it won't cause any problems. Walking is one of the best exercises to start , what you do want to avoid is anything that strains the stomach muscles as you don't want to dislodge your port.

My inner thighs are starting to look like old lady thighs too. But not too may people get to see them as I'm not a naturist and I don't very often wear a swimsuit. Anyway they have to be better than fat rolls . Glad that you have come to your senses Willow. I understand how you feel especially about the 50 part - that will be me in Dec and that is so scary. When did I get that old!

Over here I think plus size clothing starts at size 16 which is a US 12. Crazy considering that the average woman is around a 14. However you know that designers have issues when one of the most popular new models is a young guy. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1360460/Andrej-Pejic-Fashions-ultimate-insult-women-man-dresses-woman.html And no he's not modelling men's clothing he is modelling womens clothing. So basically they are saying that all women should have the body of a young male ? What happened to boobs and hips?

A teaspoon or 2 of my homemade muesli is far healthier to snack on than cookies, chocolate,icecream etc. I don't think that is what made me fat.

i don't have a recipe, I just chuck things in! I always start with a good quantity of raw oats( not the quick cooking ones). Then I add various seeds and grains depending on what I have in the cupboard. Sunflowers seeds, pepita's, wheatgerm or wheatbran , sultana's etc. Depending on what you can tolerate you can also add finely chopped up dried fruits such as apple or apricot but apricot tends to give me problems as it can swell. you can adding things like cinnamon or other spices. You could try using dried cranberries. If you want you can add nuts . Be as creative as you want. You don't need sugar with it as you get sweetness from the fruit or if you eat it with a fruit flavoured yogurt. If you use greek and it's not quite sweet enough just use a little stevia or something similar. If you search on the net you will probably come up with lots of recipes, I know there are some where you soak the museli in milk or apple juice overnight, but i find it easier to just throw in whatever I have. I also snack on the dry mix sometimes during the day if I am hungry - but not too much.

I've noticed another issue with the site. If I try to edit one of my posts(spelling error) then it seems to hang and doesn't do anything.

No 1 would be to keep exercising, doing something you enjoy such as skiing would make exercise fun and not a chore. No 2 would be to give yourself permission to have a small treat sometimes just not all the time. If you deprive yourself and make certain foods bad they increase their hold over you - if you allow yourself a small treat every now and again then the food doesn't have as much power over you. Try to find foods that satisfy that urge without being full of calories.I love chocolate it is my biggest downfall but there are certain foods I use when i am craving it that help. I will either have a small skinny hot chocolate, a nestle diet chocolate mousse or a curly wurly. The curly wurly is great because it is chewy and satisfying and I think it only has just over 100 cal. I don't know for sure because I am not a calorie counter. If you do count your calories then allow for things like this in your daily plan. No 3 get rid of all the "bad" food. If it is not in the house it is a lot harder to eat. No 4 find a hobby that keeps your hands busy. If you knit, sew, scrapbook etc instead of watching TV you will find it a lot harder to eat. You can do this you know you can. Remember you have the power!

If you are cleared for solids then it is not a problem. Just choose a proper , nutritious cereal. Not one of those types that are full of sugar and have less nutrition than the cardboard box. I eat homemade Bircher style muesli with greek yogurt. Full of raw oats, seeds etc. It is very filling and full of good nutrition.

I also look great in clothes but don't look so good naked. I don't have lots of extra skin but I would love a TT , boob lift etc. Problem is I can't afford them. Now the only person who sees me naked (except on rare occasions) is my husband. He is more than happy with what he sees. If I look at him naked he's not perfect either. So I figure that maybe it's not so bad. If you have the funds to afford plastic surgery in the future great, if you don't then stop stressing, appreciate how far you have come and how beautiful you really are and relish in the fact that you have a partner that loves you imperfections and all.

You should try to keep it in the same state it was in when you left hospital. So if it was covered then it would probably be better to cover it again. Make sure you keep it dry and watch out for signs of infection - heat, redness, pain, pus, discolouration etc. If any of these develop contact your Dr urgently.

The site has been playing up for a couple of days. There were 2 days last week when I couldn't get in and I started suffering withdrawal symptoms. The 1 day it said something about an SQL error the next day there was nothing! So it may not be your PC that is the problem.

Good luck, it will be interesting to see what he says. Having an autoimmune disease is listed as a contraindication to being banded on the lapband site. If he says he can't band you because of it then ask what your other options are. You may be able to get the sleeve or a bypass.

If I use artificial sweetner I use Stevia. I am lucky that I gave up drinking sugar in my tea when I was a kid so that has not been an issue for me. If want something really refreshing then I drink soda Water with a dash of lime or a diet ginger beer. With soda you make yourself you can control how fizzy it is which helps. If I am drinking the ginger beer then I just have to make sure I drink it slowly. And before someone jumps on and tells me I am very bad and should not be drinking soda I am following MY Dr's instructions which are that if it doesn't make you uncomfortable then it is OK to have it.

that is exactly what i would have suggested.