She Smiles

Oh don't get my wrong, I am a wuss too! But nothing in the world could be as painful as when I got my wisdom teeth out. NOTHING I tell you!! haha Yeah thats awesome about medicare. I'll have to ask my Mum about it, she works there. She'll be able to make sure I do it all right to get the max amount of $$ back.

Hey cleo, well done on the pre surgery diet! 4 kilos is awesome! As for who I have told, my family knows, and a handful of close friends. I told my employer I was going in for surgery and took 2 weeks off (but didn't say what kind) and haven't told any of my workmates at all. They see me trotting off to the gym and eating healthier smaller serves of food for lunch so they all just attribute my weight loss to my lifestyle change. I don't anticipate telling anyone new at all. And it hasn't really come up that I've been in any situation where I have had to explain it. I had a couple of negative reactions from a couple of friends I did tell, which is why in the end I decided to just keep it a secret between myself and the select people I chose. Because while we are all educated about the band via seminars and this site and our surgeons etc, the general population is not and will jump to conclusions - its surgery and drastic and blah blah blah. I just didn't want that negative energy floating round in the universe about my band which I personally think is the bees knees!!! As for the pain when you first wake up, I was in pain, sure, but with in minutes of waking up they pumped me full of meds and I was fine. The first couple of days it was uncomfortable pain (not agonising though). And I had no energy to do anything but lie on the couch and walk a few laps of the lounge room each hour haha. I'd have to say my worst day was maybe 4 or 5 after surgery. My port really ached, and I had pretty bad gas pains. But by the end of the first week I was ok. I think I drove on day 4, which may have attributed to my bad pain that day. I was just sick of sitting around the house!! Apart from a slight ache in my port site, I was feeling pretty ok by day 10. But I say all of this with the fact that I have a very low pain threshold in mind - so you might go through it and think its a piece of cake (no pun intended!). Good luck for the 23rd! :clap2:

Thanks guys. Thats about what I was thinking it was going to set me back. So at least it wasn't a rude shock to hear the dollar figures haha Chickie I will definitely follow your advice and get a referral from my GP, hes very supportive of my band, so I am sure he'll help me out on this one too when the time comes As for kids, my fiance and I aren't planning on having any children, so thats why I'm asking now. Its will just be a matter of getting down to goal and having the blessing of my Drs, oh and having the $ and its a goer. I was talking to my fiance about it earlier tonight and I said to him I didn't want to do all this hard work and got down to a healthy weight and not have a body that reflects that. Having excess skin from a 100lb+ weight loss himself, he understands my reasons behind it and he is totally supportive me wanting to do this should I need it (I told him we could get his and hers TT surgery - they might give us a discount :biggrin1: hahaha).

I don't think you are missing anything at all! If you are anything like me, you got the band to feel BETTER not worse! I simply could not imagine functioning if I was PBing several times a day. That is not normal band behaviour. Either the band is much too tight, or the "rules" aren't being followed (types of foods, chewing, serve sizes, bite sizes etc). I admit it takes some getting used to, but we have to work with our band, and vomiting up everything you eat is NOT a healthy way to lose weight.

Tupperware rocks! I am thinking of having a tupperware party for my bridal shower, so how daggy is that!! I hear you on the not wanting to spend ages cooking when you get home! A couple of nights a week, I make those frozen fish fillets you can buy (no crumbing on them) with a lemon and herb sauce (they are 97 or 98% fat free and much cheaper than buying "fresh" fish alot of which has been frozen anyway!) and steam some broccoli and carrot. I make some rice or Pasta for my fiance which I have a spoon or two of. Super quick and easy and yum as well. I am by no means a good or extravagent cook!!! And you most certainly don't have to eat gourmet to eat healthy - thats what I think anyway!!

Yay Bronnie! Great to hear from you! Rest up and let us know how it all went when you feel up to it!!!

I can totally understand your concern and aprehension Susannah! But your band will be healed enough to handle solids now. Just take it really slow and chew it to mush and you will be fine. You'll know if something is not quite right, and if that happens, just stop, go back on to liquids and see your surgeon asap. He would have mentioned if he thought there might be a problem with the stiches on yor band too. It'll be ok, go and enjoy that sushi! You deserve something yummy at last. Plus you should start getting your calories from solid foods so your band can do its thing and make you feel full !

You know what Susannah, I saw a show on frozen vs fresh veggies and there really isn't all that much difference between them! Because the vegies are snap frozen so soon after they are picked they are still really good for you. Heck any veggie, frozen or not is better for you than a huck of chocolate (shame about that hehehe) One thing I have invested in are some of the fridge smart tupperware containers. I've only got a couple of small ones (which is enough) I cut up my brocolli and carrot and put that in one, and the other I put mushrooms in (they are the veggies we eat fresh the most) and they keep for 2-3 weeks! Even the mushrooms, which is awesome! If they are on the way out though, I will cook up a stir fry with some chicken and hoiken noodles and freeze that in lunch sized serves. The veggies aren't as fresh tasting and crisp one you have cooked them and frozen them, but they are still totally edible! I guess I am lucky though becuase my fiance works in the fruit and veggie section of a supermarket, so I just text him and ask him to bring some home with him if we are out of something hahaha

I got my last fill last wednesday and I would have to say that I am at my sweet spot now. I have to eat super slow. And teeny bites at a time. And give it a chance to make its way down. I can't just load it in or it HURTS (a sharp pain in my chest which I have to sit out for a minute or so before it passes)! I've never pb'ed thank goodness. But I am eating about half of what I was before this last fill. I never stopped losing because I go to the gym and work my butt off 5 days a week, but I am hoping that now the exercise won't be the thing doing all the work, the band will play along too. I've only felt hungry between meals once since my last fill. I had a couple of crackers and felt fine. Before, I would have something mid morning and afternoon nearly every day. I'm hoping to be able to keep my restrcition at this level through regular (2 monthly?) tops ups of 0.1 or 0.2 ccs. Fingers crossed!

Jacqui, if you have proper restriction as the Drs say it should be, you should lose that last 8kg in 2 months and will then be able to go onto a maintenence fill level. 2 months is such a short while to know that you will get to your goal!! As for food, yeah susannah, I spend a lot less on food because I used to buy my lunch nearly every day. We spend more on groceries now becuase I am buying better food, lean meats and lots of veggies etc. Plus my fiance still eats like its going out of fashion, so we still have to cater for him. But I'll make the same amount of spagetti or stir fry for dinner as I did before my band and my fiance and I will eat dinner and I will get 3 or 4 lunches out of it to freeze too. Or if we do go out, I'll get the smallest serve, instead of the largest like I used to. And I don't snack much either. I'll keep some rice crackers handy just in case, but if I need a snack, 3 or 4 of them and I am right. A packet lasts for ages! Dont' be scared of sushi! Just take tiny bits and chew it to a mush. Nows probably your best time to try it (get a hand roll and cut it up into bits at home) because you don't have too much restriction. I was worried it would be a no go after my last fill, but phew! its still ok!! I love it too! As for the clothes situation, I have a lot of clothes from when I put all my weight on over the past 6 years. I'm your typical obese person who lost a heap of weight on their own (I got down to 63 kilos from 90 when I was 22 and at uni and had time to go to the gym for a couple of hours a day). But of course, I put it all back on and then some as soon as I stopped going to the gym (this is why I realise now the exercise has to be a part of my life FOREVER). So I have clothes from about a size 10-12 to a 24 in 3 cupboards in my house - good thing I hung onto them all! The only thing is I am losing it slower off my tummy this time (I think that might be an age thing??), so a lot of the pants I have don't fit me even though I weigh less than I did when I wore them on the way up because my body is a different shape now. So, I have bought bits and pieces. I generally just buy things on special or if they are cheap to start with. For example I got some 3/4 pants from crossroads for $15, and a tshirt from jay jays for $15. And I am having to buy all new bras and undies as they get big too because I threw all the smaller ones out. And I do wear them until they are big and start to look a bit silly haha But I try not to even go into expensive shops like jacqui e and places like that yet because I know the clothes will only fit me for a month or so! I figure if I'm doing all this hard owrk, I can treat myself every now and then with some thing new! i deserve it!!! And so do you!! :woot:

I can eat about half of what I could before my last fill, which is what I wanted (I guess thats the great thing about the band being adjustable, we can all have it how we want it and how it works for each of us). I was starting to feel like a lot of my weight loss was due to the commited exercise I was doing, I want for it to be a combo of the band and my hard work at the gym. As for how much I can eat now, we went to the sushi train for dinner tonight and I could only eat 2 pieces of sushi in tiny bites at a time. And I was full. I'm a cheap date - my dinner cost $3.50 haha I think the trick is to eat slowly and savour every bite. I love the taste of food, but thats how I got to the weight that I was to start with. I need to develop a different relationship with food, and yeah, thats going to take some time :girl_hug:

Me too!! I hope it all went like clockwork with her!! I'm sure the nurses are taking good care of her and giving her whatever she needs if she's in pain.

Good Luck Bronnie! :clap2:

Susannah, Thats good that you have had restriction! I think though that the trick is that as you lose weight your band becomes looser and as such thats why the band needs filling, because the stomach isn't as "fatty" any more. Things for me are going well. By my fill Dr's calcualtions at the rate I am losing at the moment (around 1kg a week), I should be down to between 80 and 75 kgs for my wedding (thats a conservative estimate). Which makes me super excited! I went and tried on my wedding dress last Saturday and it fits so much better (but is about a size small now), so by July its going to be perfect! So gals I'm down in Melbourne next Friday to Sunday (16th to 18th) is anyone interested in meeting up for a coffee on Saturday the 17th in the arvo, I'd be great to put faces to the names and support, don't you think? Let me know and we'll get something organised (I don't know my way around Melbourne at all, so some one will have to suggest a location!).

Oh Susannah! I am SO sorry about your port (((hugs))) But its good that they got 1ml in there to start you on the way (is your band a 4ml band??)!! Surely the revision of your port won't be any where near as involved as the initial surgery. SURELY!! Try not to focus on it until you speak with the surgeon about it, try to focus your energies on losing more - 7kgs is an awesome effort! Bronnie, if you're on in the afternoon, that gives you a good chance to sleep in and be well rested for your surgery! Don't stress, it will all go fantastically! Hope everyone else is well!!

So I got another 0.5ml on my band today. 8ml total now. I'm hoping thats it for a while. And I loss 2kg since my last fill 2 weeks ago. Susannah, how did your fill go?

I don't sorry. I have the 10cc Adjustable Swedish.

Bronnie, I know its easier said than done, but don't be nervous! Be excited! This will be the start of the rest of your life, and you'll finally be joining the rest of us! Can't wait to hear you posting about your weight loss and milestones!! It will be happening in no time! No worries Dionne! Happy to help. I'm just over 3 months out and some times I still have to consciously tell myself to stop. Its a hard habit to over come being an onvereater, but the band sure does help. You'll find as you get more fills it will be easier and easier to know when its time to stop, your body just buts up the big STOP sign and thats it!

I think the most important thing in all of our banding journeys is to not compare our loss with other peoples, I know its hard not to, but its probably for the best. No two of us will have the same metabolism or physiology. And some of us will lose a lot immediately post op and others will lose it gradually. Its a journey and we'll all get there in the end with the right attitude and dedication, however, we will all take our own path that works best for us. I lost about 5kg in my first 2 weeks after banding (if my memory serves me correctly) but I started walking every day several days after surgery. If you really want to lose more, I'd throw some light exercise, walking would be great, into the mix. Start with 5-10 minutes a day (what ever you can handle) and work up to 45-60 minutes a day. All of that aside, 1kg is a loss, and a healthy good one too. Remember you are in the healing phase and a lot of people don't lose anything at all until after their first fill. So don't discount your loss!! You're doing great!

Dionne, For mushies, start on a consistency like pureed fruit (like you get into the pre-prepared cups, I think they are cottees of something?) or mashed potato with a fair bit of milk in it. And thicken things up as the days pass. Omelettes might not be ok until the last few days of mushies (depends what you are going to put in them), but scrambled eggs are fine. Eat slowly. Have a spoonful and rest for a minute or so. Do this until you feel full. It won't take long. Aim for 1/2 to a cup of food at one sitting. The amount you can eat typically increases as the day passes (more in the evening than in the morning), but no 2 days will be the same. You'll quickly learn to gauge when its time to stop. If in doubt stop before hand, cos eating too much hurts!! As for eating apples, you could stew some now and have that if you have a craving (put some cinnamon on top Mmmm!). But it is unlikely that you will be comfortable taking a bite of an apple and chewing it skin and all swallowing confortably ever again. I peel my apples and cut it up into small bits. Apple skin, or anything thick like that is a no go for most bandsters. As for exercise, work at what you are comfortable with. I built up to about a half hour walk for the first 6 weeks and then decided to join the gym after that. The first day I went to the gym, I could only do 3 minutes on the cross trainer and walked for half an hour (slowly!) on the treadmill. Just do what you can manage and then try each day to do a little more, 30 seconds or a minute until you are doing about 45-60 minutes a day. But at this early stage, while you are still healing, don't push yourself too hard. So I just had a lovely weekend away at the coast with my fiance cos it was his bday. Had a couple of great NSV's while there - I bought an XL t-shirt at jay jays (a NORMAL clothes shop!! woo!) and new undies from Kmart - size 14, and I'm down another bra size too :faint: I'm feeling pretty darn good today with that! How is every one, its been quiet around these parts lately!?!?

Hey Susannah :eek: The fills don't hurt as such. Its just a foreign kind of feeling - odd. But definitely not pain for me. And its seriously all over in less than 10 seconds! My surgeon likes for his patients to have liquids for 24 hours after their 2nd fill onwards. His theory is that for MOST people their band will still be relatively loose after their first fill, so going back on liquids won't benefit them all that much. I've found after each fill though that I feel rather tight for a couple of days (I get fuller quicker). I lose most of my weight each month in the few days after a fill cos I just don't want to each all that much!! I'm really hoping that my next fill will be close to it for me, and I kind of think it will be. I've felt the need to snack A LOT less since my last fill to stop from feeling hungry. Cross your fingers the 0.5 ml next Wednesday will be perfect restriction for me!! As for the water, I drink a 750ml bottle of pineapple flavoured H2GO every day. I don't buy my lunch ever any more so I figure its my one little luxury (they are $1.90 a bottle at woolies). I drink at least another 750ml of "plain" water in a day too, which is easy these days cos I just do it while I am exercising at the gym. As for exercise, I have been going to the gym 5 or 6 days a week and jogging for a half hour on the other days I can't make it there. Its been hard this last week though cos I have been at the physio every other day for my back (which isn't helping ggrrrr!). I bought a Tai-bo DVD off ebay during the week so I am going to give that go tonight too. I love doing body comabt classes but my gym doesn't do les mills classes so I haven't been to one for ages, I am hoping tai bo is similar!! Walking 30 minutes a day is a great start, we'll have you doing fun runs like Jacqui and I in no time (I ran my first 5 km at the gym on Thursday, boy was I chuffed!!). I'd have a look on ebay for the fitness gear you are looking for, you're bound to get it cheaper on there! Lastly - Hi Angel! And welcome!! Good on you for getting to your goal weight! You're an inspiration to all of us who are still getting there!

Don't feel lonely Bronnie, we're all still here baracking on for you mate! The next week is going to FLY by! and then you'll be making recommendations and telling stories like an old time bander in no time! Susannah I agree with Karen, a lot of your banding lessons will be trial and error. There are things that my dad can't eat that I can and vice versa. I have 7.5 mls in my band and at the moment he has none(he's been sick with something serious so the surgeon took it all out). We are totally different! Sure it will be good to take on board other peoples advice, but I tend to think if you can try teeny tiny bites of something new at home and see how you go, then you won't ever go with out something you actually can eat, just because you're not "supposed" to. Enjoy your first day of solids tomorrow. I'd recommend mince (beef, turkey or chicken) if you feel like meat just cos its easier to eat (especially seeing it sounds like you have a bit of restriction - good for you!). I made (well cooked) pasta salad in my first week of solids, with diced up veggies and kidney beans and a tiny bit of no fat dresssing. It was good to chew at last, but have something relatively soft to start with. Things like banana, tinned fruit, tinned fish are good things to start on too. Just think about foods that are solid but naturally soft and ease yourself in that way. Good luck!

Wow Bronnie, your op date has come up so quickly! How exciting! Dionne, yep, I started mushies 2 weeks out.

Susannah, I saw that woman on ACA too. I thought there was a lot in the story that they didn't cover, but I guess they only had a 10 minute time slot. I would have liked them to more firmly exlpain that she didn't do it all with the band - that she has had to work hard! As for your starbucks, one every fortnight or so won't hurt. Sure, you will lose faster if you each healthy all the time, but if you are anything like me, you got the band partly so you don't have to "diet" any more. While i make better food choices these days, I still have the occasional fun sized mars bar or pizza or birthday cake etc. Its all about moderation. The second you tell yourself you can't have it, its going to make you want it MORE. So treat yourself, with all the hard work you are doing, you'll deserve it once in a while!

I said exactly the same thing, and you know what... I pretty much haven't touched it! I have a tiny yougurt maybe once a week if I need a snack, but I can take or leave the rest these days!