She Smiles

I already drink 23 a day. What gives?

I hear you on this. Actually I could work harder and run a couple of extra kms a day or another day a week, but damnit I've been gaining and losing the same kilo FOR WEEKS AND WEEKS. Why can't it just leave and be gone!?

My lap band surgeon won't see patients with out a referral (I'm not in Sydney either). My suggestion is to first find another GP who will give you a referral. You might find you won't even be able to get an appointment to see a surgeon with out a referral. It took a fair bit of convincing my conservative GP to give me a referral, so I feel your pain.

Oooh and I'll marry Lou and we can double date!

You and me both. But we can dream.....sigh.

Does that mean I'm still ok to post here cos now I'm only annoying and not fat after my visit from the lapband fairy???

Well no, you don't want to waste your energy like that..... And :sneaky::lol::tt2::cuss: you WISH you were as attractive as Vicky Pollard!

jfran, I went for a consult with a PS for a lower body lift and asked about preganancy (even though hubby and I don't plan on having kids, I had to ask, just in case). He said he was happy to do it and that after the lift, if I was heathly, fit and looked after my skin, I was as likely as the next woman to get out of it new stretch mark free (luck of the draw really!). Ask your PS when you go see them. As you say, you have 7+years to live with your body the way it is, you can always get a revision if you need it.

I drank 23 Mt Dew's and my knitting and reading addictions were cured. If it worked for ME its certain to work for you too. We're all the same, after all. By the way Chickie, nice new avatar :sneaky:

Good luck for tomorrow! Hope the Starbucks job works out too!

Yep, I claimed it back. You get 20% back of anything over $5000 and that is any medical expenses in the year (including perscriptions and the part of Drs bills not covered by medicare). I ended up getting close to $1200 back, from memory.

The quote I received was good for 90 days. That said, there is no reason why you can't go now and meet with a few to find some one you like and to get an idea of price, as well as have all your questions answered so you know while you are saving up and can be fully prepared once you get there. The surgeon I went to see was able to fit me in the following month for surgery if I wanted, so it can happen relatively quickly once you are ready.

Congrats Nat. Take it easy over the next few weeks while you heal and start your new banded life!

I agree - the term "goal" is thrown around a lot and has different meanings for different people. My Drs goal for me was 187 pounds - going on the 50-60% weight loss averages, he put me at the higher end because he saw the determination in me and said from the beginning he though I'd be one of his sucess stories. The top of a "normal" BMI for my height is 145 pounds. My goal (readjusted down just this morning in fact) is 132. I may adjust it lower again when I get there, we'll see. People keep telling me I'll be too thin. I don't care. I'll be a normal BMI. As of today I'm around 150 pounds and have lost about 85% of my excess weight. As you can see, thats a range of numbers to choose from, satisfying different people along the way. My Mum also has a band and is 59 years old (30 years older than I). She has lost about 90% of her excess weight in a year and continues to lose steadily. She has had quicker sucess that I for a myriad of reasons. Age may in some cases means an easier/quicker journey, in others not. It just doens't make sense to compare to others, I know its SO hard not to because we want a guide or an indicator of how well we could/might do, but this journey is unique for each and every one of us. Each person should work as hard as they can with their band and not get caught up in other peoples numbers. This is your life you are saving/extending by losing this weight after all....why should other people's numbers matter?

I have a 10ml (cc) Swedish Band.

I kind of look like an in between of both of those pics, I have a rounded tummy, but I also have the saggy droopiness of the stomach and hips that the second pic has. When I went to see the PS I asked him if I needed to lose more weight before he would do a body lift on me considering I may want to lose another 20 pounds or so. He said no, that he could pull every thing so tight and cut off a fair bit of the fat that was left so that if I did lose weight after everything wouldn't get loose again. He even sort of hinted at "why do all the hard work losing the weight when I can cut it off for you". I think its possible that the woman in the first photo might have gotten her PS because her stomach and pannus was affecting her ability to exercise and live a "normal" life (like buying clothes and feeling good about her weight loss etc). Where as it looks like the second woman may never have been that overweight (she's not a WLS patient is she?) and might have had a couple of kids and wants things to look smooth again. They probably carried their weight differently and for different lengths of time as well. I think you'll find that most PS will be flexible to help the patient, but you just have to be prepared for the kind of results you'll get at the stage of weight loss you're at when you get your PS. Pic one looks great, but I bet once pic 2 had lost her skin, she looked 20 years old and like a bikini model, it would have been more of a cosmetic procedure than a reconstructive one. I thought the PS might laugh me out of his office when I went, but he was talking about booking me in for the following month! The only way you're really going to know what is possible is by actually talking with a PS about your expectations and what he is capable of giving you. Ask them to show you pics of someone in a similar situation to you that they've worked on. The PS I saw had pics of a doppelganger of me [same age, weight loss and before pics could have been me] and I was sold that he could do what I wanted.

I'm 29 and I've lost over 100 pounds and I got out of my obesity fairly lucky all things considered. I would love to have plastic surgery, but after recently getting a $20,000 quote for a body lift (which aside from a breast lift is pretty much all I'd get done), the idea of getting it done has gone on hold (I don't have the money). I have jiggly bits (stomach mostly, but thighs and arms are a little looser than I'd prefer) and a bit of loose skin around my hips and stomach. Nothing I can't live with (I just have to keep telling myself that). I know I'd look really great if I got plastic surgery, but I'm going to have to be happy looking "good" instead. There are a few different sets of photos of me on my blog link below if you want to see what I'm talking about.

I hear you Lauren. I've not been able to resist! I have a massive pile of now-too-big clothes that need to go to charity. And we're coming back into winter here and all my clothes from last winter are too big! Oh the tragedy lol!

Holy smokes Amy you look FANTASTIC! (looks like your dh got a bit sunburned! ouch!)

I don't have hanging skin, like a big stomach, but I definitely would benefit from having things tightened all over. There are pics on my blog (link below) of my stomach which I think makes me look a few months pregnant or a few months post pregnancy lol. People have told me that I got out of my obesity pretty lucky, all things considered, but I really think its very subjective. What one person can live with might be a desperate situation in dire need of PS for another. You'll not know what YOU will look like minus 100 pounds until you get there, each journey is unique. Good luck!

Here, here Jacqui. Couldn't have put it better myself. People keep telling me if I lose another 15-20 pounds I'll be too skinny. I'll actually still be at the top of the range for a normal BMI for my height and will still have curves. The bottom line for me is that I didn't get cut open, have surgery and endure all of this (which to be honest, hasn't been bad at all, I've had no major/serious complications, but still, its been a lifestyle change) to still be overweight (which *still* I am now). I want to be slim, fit and healthy, damnit. lol.

Thats sounds awesome! Perhaps its the little kick in the butt I need to take it to the next level.

I wish what you were saying about it being easy were true for me. For me 17 months out, its still a lot about making the right choices. If I ate chocolate, chips, ice cream and other snacky foods for a week, I am CERTAIN I would gain. I have great restriction right now, but those things just go down a treat even now, so to speak. My band IS only a tool and I unfortunately have learned how I could manipulate it, if I wanted to sabotage myself and my weight loss for some idiodic reason (I'd be a FOOL to want to do that though!).

Awesome job Pete! You must be so proud of yourself! Can you explain how the nike system works? I assume you have to have nike shoes? I'm quite attached to my asics, having loved and worn out 3 pairs of Kayanos. But I sure would love something that can help me keep my distances up.