koreabandster

Haha me too! I will send you a private message with my contact information

The only thing that has helped me is taking a magnesium suppliment each day. Benifiber didn't work for me.

I know this is an old thread. How are you getting on? I'm also in Korea and was banded by Dr Kang. I don't know if this still applies or is relevant, but have you discovered the website iherb.com yet? They ship to Korea and you can get so many health products from them. Shipping usually takes a week. I get my Protein and Vitamins from them. I'm struggling a bit at the moment. I've been banded for 2 years now and have maintained for the last year or so. Still have about 30lbs to lose.

Yes I am! Where do you live? I'm in Itaewon. Where were you banded? Feel free to PM me and I'll give you my facebook info.

So I am 13 months out from surgery. I have lost around 60lbs and have taken my BMI down to around 29. I have gone from a size 22 to a size 8/10. But I have been gaining and losing the same 5lbs for the last 6 months. I've been having a lot of problems getting fills. Currently I am 10ccs in an 11cc band. I am restricted some what (I PB if I eat too fast) but I was able to eat a whole steak at the weekend plus sides. I shouldn't be able to do that! I saw my doctor yesterday for a fill. I asked him to add 0.2 to my band. This resulted in me throwing up saliva for the next hour. I told him to remove it again as I have work today and I couldn't take time off if it didn't improve. When I was at 10.2 my stomach really hurt. I would like to say this is the first time it has happened but this has happened the last 4 times I've had a fill. Is this normal? How do you feel when you get a fill that is close to your capacity? I was up to 10.8ccs 6 months ago but because of these problems I keep on losing fill each time I try to get filled!! I am desperate to get down to my goal weight of 130lbs (I"m currently 163). I know it's not a huge amount of weight but I also feel that my compulsive eating is rearing its ugly head again. For the last year my eating has been good. For the most part I was making good choices. For the last month (in relation to stress) I have been making bad choices. I know I need to get rid of the carbs but I don't want to diet as this just leads to me yoyoing. What do you suggest? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your replies. It's definitely emotional to some extent. Obviously I have made changes in my diet otherwise I wouldn't be maintaining my weight. I agree with you Rachel about restriction, and the articles make sense. I think I really need to focus on why I have the urge to eat all the time. Right now it's probably related to stress about work and my master's degree thesis. Also boredom in the evenings. Binges are definitely not what they used to be. So that's a good thing. But I definitely feel like I'm not going to lose more weight until I cut down on what I'm eating.

I've just got back from the doctor and I'm feeling more than a little frustrated. This is the fourth time now that I've had a fill and then a subsequent unfill. Last month I went from 10.8ccs to 11ccs in my 11cc band. This was too much and I couldn't keep down saliva. I went back to the doctor the following day and he took me down to 10ccs. Yesterday I went for a fill. He took me from 10ccs to 10.5. I waited in the doctors office and drank a cup of Water. I knew right away this was too much as I threw the water up. He took me down to 10.2. Yesterday I felt tight but ok but this morning I couldn't keep down any liquids and was vomiting all day so I went back this evening for an unfill. Now I'm at 9.8ccs. For the last month at 10ccs I've had some restriction but not enough. I felt like I was really having to control my eating and I was getting hungry after a couple of hours. I lost about 3lbs last month. I'm just feeling like I've had enough. I'm down to my last 20lbs now so on the outside I look good, but my eating is still not where I want it to be. My weight loss has slowed right down and some months I don't lose anything. I'm worried that I'm going to feel even less restriction now! I know the band works differently for everyone and I know some people never find the right spot. I just hope that this doesn't apply to me. I will have my 1 year anniversary of my surgery in 2 months so I definitely feel like I should be there now. I'm not sure what to do!! Any advice would be really helpful....

So recently I've been pretty hard on myself. My weight loss has been very slow over the last few months (mainly because I don't have much restriction and I'm not doing enough exercise). I live and work in Seoul, South Korea and Koreans don't really recognise changes even if those changes are pretty drastic. So I haven't had many people compliment me. That was up until this week that is. This week I've had seven different people compliment me about my weight loss. Saying I look so slim and asking how I've done it. It's such a great feeling and has really motivated me to keep going until my goal. In addition to this I've met and fallen for a great man. It's early days but I never though I would meet someone like him. He's very special and we have so much fun when we are together. He makes me smile a lot. Before my surgery I always dreamed of meeting a man like him. It also helps that he's really healthy and fit so we get out and do active stuff at the weekend like mountain climbing, hiking and biking. He also cooks me amazing, healthy meals (and I secretly think he loves it that I give him half my food!). I'd say that this is my biggest NSV! Life is good and I'm happy. Here I am at 215lbs on the right. And down to 160!

Yes me! I'm 9 months out and I'd say I've had 12 fills and 3 unfills. I have an 11cc band. Last time I saw my doctor he took me from 10.8 to 11ccs. After that I couldn't keep saliva down so I went back the next day for an unfill. Took me down to 10cc but along with the 1cc of saline he took out he also took out 2cc of air. Is that normal??!! Right now I feel some restriction but I can still eat more than I should. Bread, Pasta etc no problem. If I eat properly (i.e. follow the rules) then I'm satisfied for 3 or 4 hours. I guess from that I should be happy, but I want to not be able to eat bread or pasta! Feel like I'm dieting!!

That's true Lisa, my doctor is always telling me that it's possible to go over 11ccs. Have been at 10.5 and 10.8 with some restriction but everytime he goes to 11ccs I can't even keep my own saliva down. I'm hoping my sweet spot is 10.9! My doctor told me that he had one patient who he took up to 15ccs (in an 11cc band) before she felt restriction. She then went on to lose all of her excess weight and reach goal.

Please please please don't think that you're failing! You've only got 8ccs in your band! I have an 11cc band too and i'm still trying to find my sweet spont 9 months out. I've been up to 11ccs (too tight) and currently I'm at 10ccs with some restriction. Will be going back next week for another fill. Give it time. Eat right. Exercise. It will work.

So today, for the first time in a long time I am no longer obese. My BMI is 29.8 so I am classed as overweight. I don't really agree with the whole BMI thing but it feels good to know that I am almost at a healthy weight. Just 30 more pounds to go! For anyone that has plateaued, stick with it. I've finally started losing weight after a 3/4 month plateau and it feels really good. Just yesterday 4 different people told me how slim I was looking. I will never grow tired of these compliments!

Sticking to a low carb diet and always eating your Protein first. Allowing yourself to have a treat once a week. Cutting down/ cutting out alcohol. Drink lots of Water Work out 3 - 5 times a week and try to walk as much as you can. Having patience and realise that it is going to take time. If you're expecting to lose 5lbs a week, it's probably not going to happen. Deal with plateaus (I've just come through a 4 month plateau). Give yourself realistic goals and stick to them. Avoid places you know you will want to splurge. I think the hardest thing for me has been dealing with the slow weight loss, but I've overcome that by thinking that this is now a way of life for me. I feel like I eat like a normal person and my hunger is under control (as long as I stick to a low carb diet). I wasn't huge to begin with with a BMI of 39 but it's taken me 7 months to get down to a BMI of 29 (finally not obese anymore!). The main thing I have trouble with is the alcohol. I'm 28 and single so I like to go out at the weekend. So now when I do go out I drink vodka/whiskey and water.

Just wanted to recommend a book that I've been reading. It's by Gary Taubes and it's called Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It. I read his previous book (Good Calories, Bad Calories) and it was a really good explanation of the causes of obesity. He has looked at hundreds of medical studies done over the last 150 years and has come to the obvious conclusion that the current government recommendations for weight loss (low cal, low fat) are having the opposite desired effect. He says that it is carbs and consequently insulin that causes us to gain weight. This is why diabetes is related to obesity (you've probably heard this before). The book answers a lot of the questions I had about my personal struggle with obesity. In particular why it has been so hard to maintain weight loss in the past and why I've been made to feel lazy/gluttonous when I am just as active, if not more so than my 'normal' friends. His recommendations for weight loss are what many of our surgeons recommend - high Protein, low carb. I'd also like to recommend a lecture on sugar and high fructose corn syrup. It makes a lot of sense. You can watch it here: