elcee

I had a low BMI and seemed to do OK. I didn't have a lot of pain and what I did have was easily managed with the meds. I felt nauseous for a while but I think that was because of all the sweet stuff. As soon as I was allowed to have some Soup I felt much better. (To me sweet stuff is not a meal whereas soup is ). I went back to work a week later but I only work casually. I did just look back through my diary to see if I noted any other problems and interestingly approx 2 weeks after the op I was driving home from a full day of work along some horrible quiet, windy, country roads when I got pulled over by a cop. He told me I went over the white line a couple of times and he thought I was DUI! I thought I was driving fine(probably trying to avoid potholes) but maybe the effects of anaesthesia and the op and work meant that I was tireder than usual!

If the pain is in your side i would think it is unlikely to be a slipped band, the pain from that would be felt higher up. It could be a pulled muscle, it could be a stitch from your port or................ As Kara say's the best way to get peace of mid is to talk to your Dr.

A bit worrying that he recognised you with your clothes off.........

WOW. That is amazing - you have done so well.

Why should having a band stop you eating food from different cultures around the world? It doesn't choose what you eat - it is designed to help you feel satisfied with less. I eat italian, chinese, thai, mexican whatever , the band doesn't stop me doing that. I used to be the world's fastest eater. I was always finished long before everyone else. I also didn't think I would be able to slow down but guess what once you have your band you do and it doesn't bother you because this becomes your new normal. I probably still eat a lot faster than many bandsters I know but It's a lot slower than previously. I finish after the rest of my family, not first. It is normal to be scared before surgery. But you shouldn't go into it unless you are fully ready. The thing to be aware of is that the things that you are worried about now will not even bother you in a couple of months time.E.G You won't regret not being able to eat a huge meal because you will be satisfied with a small one etc

I don't think a perfect body is achievable without plastic surgery even for those who haven't had WLS. Look at all those actors,models etc that you see in mags and on screen. You will be hardpushed to find one that hasn't had some kind of plastic surgery and then of course the images are digitally altered and airbrushed as well.

Have you thought about the complications if you don't have it done. There is a far bigger risk to your helath from being obese than there is from having a band. Maybe you should research how many people die from obesity related conditions and then check out how many die from band complications. I think the results will be quite an eye opener.

You have already identified your problem and you already know the answer. Stop eating sliders and go for the correct foods which will fill you up properly and allow you to lose the weight. It is hard. No one said that it would be easy. You have done wonderfully so far and would be considered to be more successful than the "AVERAGE" bandster. Remember the band is only designed to help you lose 60 - 70% of your excess weight. Maybe you should give yourself a break for a couple of weeks and by that I don't mean eat anything and everything in sight. Enjoy what you have achieved so far, work at maintaining that and then refocus on losing when you feel you have the energy and committment. It isn't like it is a race. There is no fixed date by when you have to lose the weight, this is for life.

I'd love to join you but I can't. I have a band not a sleeve! It is strange though how if you say that you don't believe in God/are not religious people look at you as though you have two heads. I personally can't understand why so many people still believe in a God of some kind. I suppose for many he is a source of comfort although I can never understand why people praise Him when something bad has just happened to them. I can see the benefits of belonging to a church - Instant sense of belonging, being part of a community, social events etc. I swear belonging to a church would make it so much easier to make friends especially when you have moved as much as I have. It's also weird how people think that Christians are the only ones with moral values. I mean they are always referred to as good Christian values. Well I don't count myself as one yet I still don't believe it is right to kill, steal , be cruel etc etc. and I like to help other people when I can.

I thought you'd been at the Chardy!

You don't have to be single for it to be non existent. Just "old" married and busy!

If I meet a friend for lunch I usually have lime and soda or lemon,lime and bitters and it is not a problem. Sometimes when i am thirsty I have a ginger beer - very thirst quenching, but I have to drink it really slowly. Champagne works sometimes and others it doesn't. Just don't try drinking it and eating biltong and dry wors . It IS NOT a good combination.

Eat what you want and leave the rest on your plate. If they comment then you can tell them why if you want to. Tell them it was delicious but that you CAN"T eat any more. If they have a problem with that then that is THEIR problem not yours.

I feel sorry for you with what you are going through at the moment. It must be truly awful. But the thing is even when you have a band life happens and we have to deal with that. A lot of us eat for reasons other than hunger. It can be emotional eating like you are experiencing, or habit eating or boredom eating or whatever. We need to recognise the eating as destructive and find ways to cope with it. You are going through a lot at the moment but the same can probably be said for about 50% of people with a band. Your emotional eating is not helping you to achieve your goals and you need to remember what they are. You got the band so that you could be healthy to take care of your family and that hasn't changed. Focus on that. You have to look after you now even more than you did previously. Getting more and more fills is not the solution. It doesn't matter how many you get because ultimately you are in charge of what you put in your mouth. The band does not make the choices for you. And sadly the tighter you get the worse your choices will become as you will find that you may become too tight and then the only thing you can get down are high calorie sliders.Reaching for a chocolate bar when you feel like s@@t doesn't make you feel good for longer than 5 minutes and then you feel worse than before you ate it. Look for other ways to handle your emotions. You could:- get a boxing bag and put a pic of your ex on it and take your frustrations out on that. go for a walk. join some kind of social group clear some of your cupboards and baggage out of your life start a new hobby - it is difficult to eat when your hands and mind are busy ad your own ideas here............... Good luck -I am sure that soon you will be losing weight and looking forward to your new life and new opportunities. You don't want to let your ex score another victory against you by sabotaging your health and weight loss.

It seems very strange that if the surgery and band positioning were done correctly you feel nothing. I am not disputing what you say, just wondering how it is even possible............

OMG Now we have the Lap Band police. Please , regurgitating food with the band is not a huge problem as long as it is not something that you do regularly. Your Dr's tell you that there are certain foods that may not agree with your band. Well what the heck do you think happens when you have a band and you eat something that isn't going to go down - yep you bring it back up. And no I will not say vomit it up because it isn't vomiting, that is totally different. Most Dr's gloss over exactly what happens because I am sure they are trying not to put people off prior to surgery. If you are vomiting then yes that can cause your band to slip. Vomiting comes from beneath the band, and is usually associated with quite a bit of force. Regurgitating the food is like when you have too much phlegm and you have to cough and then spit it up. Seriously this is not going to make your band slip.

My husband baked the yummiest muffins about a week after I was banded - they smelt divine - I could have happily killed him. But as the others have said you are responsible for what you put in your mouth and I also agree that you should be doing the shopping or at the very least give your husband a list. Keep a supply of crystal light or something similar at home for when he drinks soda. And who says that you can't eat out/ having a band doesn't stop you doing that. Go to restaurants, pick something that you know you can eat and is a healthy (or healthier) option . And don't forget the 80/20 or 90/10 rule. No one expects you to be a dieting saint 100% of the time - the occasional treat helps makes life pleasurable.

Question - were you losing weight with the way you were eating before? YES? Then why is it so wrong. If what you are doing works, you are happy with it and you aren't hungry why change. As they say if it isn't broken don't fix it. As an Aussie I have totally different views to what is/isn't appropriate to eat once banded. I don't diet. I don't do low carb or any other kind of recognised diet. I just eat smaller portions of normal food and try to cut down on the junk inbetween. This is what most of us are told to do by our Drs and it seems to work.This was why I got the band as I was tired of always being on a diet, now I'm not. I do have to admit though that the diet mentality doesn't really go away as I still catch myself reading diets in magazines and online and wondering if I should do them. But seriously why. If you can eat in a way that satisfies you, keeps you at a healthy weight and is easy to fit into your lifestyle then that is what you should be doing.

Generally cup cakes are easy as they dissolve before they get to the band. Fruit cake is dense and can be quite hard. Scones are doughy and cause problems like bread. Cheesecake is easy. chocolate mousse cake is easy. So choose the type of cake that will slip past your band and you will be fine( just don't do it on a regular basis)

Also if you ate 1000 calories per day of twix you would still be hungry.That would be just over 3 bars per day. 1 for Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even with a band that would slide through really easily and you would be looking for something to satisfy you. If you eat 1000 calories per day of foods your Dr has told you to eat, Protein, vegies etc then you will be satisfied as those foods have a lot more substance, they satisfy you for longer and you won't have the urge to eat as much . So if you can stick to eating 3 twix bars a day and nothing else yes you will lose weight. No you won't be healthy. Yes you will be hungry. No your band won't help to suppress the hunger as this is not the way it is designed to be used. It would be like buying a chainsaw and trying to chop a tree down without switching it on. A complete waste of time and money.

Yes chicken is dry and can be hard to eat. As already suggested stick to the darker meat like thigh, have a sauce and also use wet rather than dry cooking methods. Chicken in a casserole is far easier to eat than if it is grilled or fried.

I think as a short term solution it is a good idea. I think that a used named "alienbandit" did the same. You may want to look her up and send her a pm

I have also done the same. IT'S EXCITING AND FRUSTRATING ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

Yes it is too early. You need to give all the stitches time to heal fully. Check with your Dr what exercise is/isn't appropriate at this stage.

There is nothing that says it should be replaced every 10 years or so....... I am a size 8 (Australian) which equates to a size 4 US. My port doesn't stick out but I am sure everyone is different. It depends on where the port is placed and where you lose your weight. I have skinny hips/legs but do not have a completely flat stomach.