elcee

I have been hanging out for warmer weather and sunshine but it does have a downside. Now it's sunny I can see all the dust. And it seems that no sooner do I dust than it comes back again! The sun also has a nasty habit of showing up cobwebs.

I have also been reading the sleeve board lately and the impression that I get (which could be mistaken) is that they are very antiband unless you have been "converted". For those people that are considering getting the sleeve because they have been told they will suffer reflux with the band I suggest they do some more research. It seems that reflux is also a big problem with the sleeve as the stomach continues to produce plenty of acid even though the stomach is much smaller.Most sleevers seem to be on some kind of permanent antiacid medication.

Don't know why you are currently having problems. I would like to point out though that your previous weight loss of 1 to 1.5lb per week was not slow. It was exactly what the band is designed to do. I am surprised that you were given a fill when you were obviously in the place where you needed to be. I hope you get your problem sorted out soon.

I also had the same thing after having a few too many glasses of wine. Woke up in the middle of the night feeling horrible, preband I would have thrown it up and felt better fairly quickly but I tried and it wouldn't work. (Probably a good thing as actual vomiting can slip your band). I had the yukky feeling for far longer than I would have had preband so I am now extra careful as to how much I drink!

i didn't realise that there was a zero version.Over here we just get vitamin water and it makes me cringe - the name is obviously trying to con people into believing it is healthy.

Yep, the other name for them here downunder is a "banana hammock"!

Yep - nothing worse than a man in budgie smugglers.

Check out this info direct from Realize's site. www.realize.com/dtcf/pages/lap-band-comparison.htm Outside the United States, the REALIZE Band is known as the Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band (SAGB), and it has been used in patients since 1986.

As far as I am aware the swedish and realize bands are the same thing.

I could qualify as shorty or possibly sleepy.

Now I wish I lived in the US!

Wow 25 points on WW! When I did it I was never allowed more than 20 and I think at one stage it was 18! Little bit confused as I thought the LB sizes were 10ml and 14ml, didn't realise there was an 11ml one as well.

It depends on what you are eating.If you are eating sliders such as milkshake,soup,icecream,chocolate,popcorn,crackers etc then your band will have no effect on how much you eat - now or with further fills. If you are eating the correct foods - Protein,fruit/veg,healthy carbs then it will make a difference.

200lb - almost 100kg that is incredible and a little bit scary!

I actually have a slightly different experience with this. I didn't tell anyone about my op.When I eventually told my one friend she was so impressed with me as she knows people that have had a band and not worked with it, so she knows that it isn't as easy as some people think. Apparently the one guy got banded but never went for fills and someone else she knows didn't lose weight as she just stuffed herself with junk food. So for me it has been a positive rather than a negative reaction.

I think a big part of this journey is aligning expectations with reality. What the Dr's/Marketers tell you isn't quite the same.That is why support groups are so important because it is through those that you learn what it is really like to live with a band. The Dr's don't really explain how it feels when something is stuck or you eat too much. This is because they understand the science but not being banded they don't know what it really feels like. Cleo's Mum being a big eater you actually sound like an ideal candidate for the band. The people that it tends not to be so ideal for are those that like to graze(eat constantly) such as myself! However I think it has worked really well.Yes I still eat more often than I should and I still eat junk but not to the same extent as previously. I know that you say that you are still hungry after your small portion,but is it true hunger? Most of us have the ability to eat far more than we need because it tastes/looks/feels good etc but we are not truly hungry. Sometimes being hungry but not able to eat more can be because of eating too quickly etc. There have been a number of times when I have eaten too quickly resulting in being stuck but still desperately wanting/needing food. So the key is to make good choices, remember to take small bites,chew well and leave a little time in between bites to make sure it has gone down OK! This took me a long time to get used to as I was always a really fast eater but it does make a difference. Don't focus on 1/2 cup or anything like that. That concept is ridiculous. I agree that eating from a wide variety of food groups helps. That is what I and most banded people in Australia do and it does work. Lo carb is great for some but it is not the only way. If you do revise good luck but be careful. There is no such thing as a perfect WLS. Each type comes with it's own set of problems. You don't want to be dissappointed again because the reality doesn't live upto the marketing! I agree that the sleeve sounds great but it is still relatively new so the long term effects are not yet known. Lots of sleevers have really bad reflux and getting the right size sleeve to suit you may also be a problem. If they don't make it small enough to start you could have the same issues. Hope you are able to work out what the best way to go for you is soon.

Trish so sorry to hear this, that is horrible news.Sending you lots of hugs and positive thoughts.

The 4ml bands may be trickier to get to the right amount but they can be hugely successful.I know a number of people that have them and are very successful.In fact I think Jachut has this size band. If you are able to work with your Dr then I am sure that you should be able to get to a point where you start finding success.

That's great news. Just be aware that it can go back up. I got taken off meds in March as it dropped so low I collapsed and ended up in emrgency.Last couple of months it has been creeping back up. Last Monday it hit 180/100 so I am now back on meds. The best thing to do is make sure you get it checked regularly.

To the Op. Looking at your ticker you are almost at goal which is great. Your goal appears to be a BMI of approx 28. That is still in the overweight range. I am not saying there is anything wrong with that, so long as you are happy that is great. I am trying to help you understand the change in your parents attitude. As a teenager with a BMI of 28 you WERE overweight. They were concerned about you and rightly so as your weight did continue to increase. Now you have a BMI of 28 after having had one of 42 of course you look great. So it's all relative.(excuse the pun)!

Elcee, I think we actually do agree but it is probably in the way it comes across. You acknowledge that you are using your band the way it is intended.So yes you are doing the work but you are being aided and assisted by your band.So what you have is a successful team and we all know the importance of teamwork. The way some posts come across it is as if the band does nothing and that the people could have done just as well without which in most instances is untrue. It is a bit like making a dress(sorry its the only anaology that springs to mind at the moment). You could make the entire thing by hand or you could use a sewing machine. Either way you have still made the dress, you still deserve all the credit but having the sewing machine made the job a lot easier.

I get them quite often.My son laughs at me as they are such HUGE hiccups. Sometimes they can mean you are full or close to full but sometimes they are a signal to slow down, leave a bit of time between bites etc.

The thing that gets me is the number of posts that say that their band has done nothing they have done all the work. Yeah right. If that were true how come they weren't successful in losing and maintaining the weight loss preband. Yes the band is a tool that is useless if we don't work it correctly but it is a fabulous tool that makes the whole process so much easier.People should give credit where it is due and stop being so negative about the band.

And the band did nothing? It didn't help you to be satisfied on much smaller portions . It didn't help control the inbetween hunger. So why do so many of us bother getting the band if it does NOTHING! I appreciate that you are trying to encourage the OP which is great. But I hate it when people turn around and say that they did all the work - the band did nothing. If that is the case how come we weren't able to lose and maintain the loss preband? How did so many of us end up obese or worse? Yes the band is a tool but it is the tool that is helping me to win the battle.

The only problem I had was that it went down far too easily. It is definitely a slider food.