JanB23

Travelling to Hawaii from Australia for 2 weeks at Christmas - do i need to pay the extra travel insurance to have my band covered. Is there anything that can go wrong that would require emergency surgery. I have had my band for over 12 months with no issues.

I am now at 1 year post op and have lost 50% of my excess weight - 32kgs. I feel great and cant wait to get down a bit more but have to start putting in the work. Good luck to everyone.

I chose the band because i needed help to loose weight but i was afraid. I wanted to be able to reverse things if i couldn't cope or something went wrong. I have lost 66 lbs in 12 months - 50% of my excess weight.

I was getting ready to go out last night and my husband wasn't coming as he had to work. I was almost ready to go when he says "your not looking too bad at the moment, don't go picking up any strays". Then as he walked off he says " I need to start feeding you more". Thanks, I think!!

Thanks guys. Yes he is a keeper. We have already had the conversation about him sabotaging my efforts.

Went for a check with my surgeon yesterday and came away feeling pretty good. He said that on average people loose 35% of their excess weight in the first 12 months and at 11 months i have lost 50% so i am exceeding their expectations. He compared what i lost to a sack and a half of potatoes. So at this point i was feeling fairly proud of what i have achieved but then he had to go and spoil it by telling me now you just have to loose one more sack of potatoes. (20kg sack) That bought me back to reality. But really, overall it made me feel good because i feel my weight loss is so slow but i am obviously doing OK if i am futhur down the track than expected. Hope everyone else are doing well also.

I am 12 months post op and have only recently had stuck episodes(9ml in my band). I get times when i dont chew my food well enough and it hurts going down but comes straight back up and then i am OK but being stuck is a long painful process that doesnt always happen straight away. I have discovered eating Pawpaw or papaya is great. It has enzymes that break down the food and helps the food pass through the band. I also keep dried pawpaw and at the slightest twinge of being stuck i eat a few pieces slowly. It seems to help but may be all in my head... I believe you can buy tablets from health food stores with enzymes as well. Good luck.

I was eating my exercise calories and my weight never moved. I stopped eating the extra and cut back to between 1000 & 1200 calories as recommended and i have started to loose again. I stopped adding my exercise because it does trick you in to thinking you have more calories to play with and that messes with my brain.

What a difference. You must be so proud of yourself. Looking good.

It is very easy to also fall into the trap when you have young children of giving everything to them and neglecting yourself. This is how my weight got so out of control, so not only do you eat for comfort/boredom you eat easy unhealthy food and you eat the kids left overs. I wish i had my band when my kids where young, not only to help with my eating but also because it is something that is just yours, to look after you. It is all about you. And very little is when you have young kids. Having my band now makes me realize how little i have looked after my self over the years. And it makes me feel good to be doing something for me, and that makes it easier to fight those urges to eat when not hungry. I am a happier person.

My weight loss has stopped. I started to track my calories and exercise and made sure i only had 1200 calories a day. Well, my body objected, i got constipated, frustrated and depressed and my weight still did not move - i persevered for 3 weeks. I have now gone back to eating and not tracking and things are back to normal but still my weight stays the same - up and down 1 kg (fluid i expect). I am frustrated i am not loosing but happy i am not gaining as would have happened before the band. I am starting to get a little heart burn and have a sore tongue and the roof of my mouth has been peeling - any suggestions on what that could be? I am also spotting between my irregular TOM, could that be hormonal associated with weight loss, or menopause? I really should go to the doctor. For all my complaints i really am doing quite well. Hope every one else is hanging in there. Cheers.

Yes there is a definite design fault with the band when chocolate goes down sooo easily yet carrot and eggs and other green veg come back up. LOL Mind you i would be devastated if i could never eat chocolate -I'd be thinner but non the less devastated! Keep up the good work every one and fight those demon sugar/chocolate cravings. We can win!

I want, I want , I want.... I want a custard tart, i want a meat pie, i want a donut, i want chocolate cream cake. i want fish and chips.... I want everything i cant have. What is wrong with me today. I am at 9 mls and i am hungry.(In my head at least). I am 9 months post op and this is the worst day i have had . I was reasonably strong but had a couple of spoons of nuttella tonight and a piece of home made cake. Considering i wanted to stop at every take away shop and supermarket on my half hour trip home,I didn't do too much damage. I am frustrated because i am not having things i want and i am not seeing the result i would like. I am eating only a fraction of what i used to and mainly choose health food but i am seeing very little result for my efforts. I exercise 6 out of 7 days. I cant wait for today to be over. Tomorrow will be better.

I dont deny myself and i factor my "treats" into my daily calories, but yesterday i wanted to eat a whole block of chocolate a whole meat pie a whole cheese cake, and all at once. I wanted to binge.. Not something i did often even before the band. The advantage now is that even if i tried i couldn't eat that much food. I have settled down today. I really think it was hormonal. What ever it was it was horrible and i hope it doesn't happen again.

Menopause i think !

Good luck. It will change your life with some ups and downs along the way.

I am 9 months post op and have lost about 65 pounds. I don't always do the right thing, food wise. I see my doctor monthly and have to have my fills under fluro. Yes this is a nuisance but i dont have to attend weekly meetings/weigh in, i don't have to count points/calories and i am still loosing weight and even more amazing, i have not/can not go back to my old ways and put all the weight back on plus some. I am now much fitter than i was and i have almost certainly avoided or prolonged getting diabetes like other members of my family. You need to do what is right for you. Perhaps research the sleeve as another option as no fills or port flips etc. Good luck.

I woke up during a procedure, was intubated and felt like i couldnt breath. Same thing, as i put my hands up they grabbed me and told me to take deep breaths and then i was out again. I have had lots of surgeries and this was the only time it happened. It was a quick procedure so probably a light anesthetic. Told the doc when i had the band and he didnt believe me. But not an issue, i was well and truly out the whole time.

Had my fill last week and things are looking good, still had almost 7.5mls in my band so no leak, whoo hoo!! I now have 9ml and am definitely feeling it. Have had a couple of PB's and am now only able to eat between 1/2 - 1 cup of food (depending on what it is). I can not drink when i eat - something i have struggled with cause i like to drink with my meals, but now it sets off all sorts of discomfort and gurgles. I have been getting some heart burn but that seems to have settled as i am adjusting to eating less. Finger crossed that I am finally at my sweet spot. Oh and i have dropped a kilo this week. And Happy Mothers Day to all you mothers. (It is mothers day here today(Australia), not sure about the rest of the world)

Cindy C, Ebay your clothes. I just sold 5 out 6 items I put on ebay. I didn't get a lot for them but but more than if i had sent them to goodwill. If i sell a few more items i will have enough money to buy myself something new.

My weight loss has been really slow, i even put on some weight over Easter. I now have 9ml in my band and am finally feeling good restriction. Any way yesterday i was having trouble finding something to wear that wasn't way too big and I pulled out a shirt (that i love) that i have not been able to wear for about 17 - 18 years. Not only did it fit but it was actually loose. It probably was a little too casual for work but i wore it any way.

Thanks guys.

I am sitting here with tears in my eyes as reading all your posts brings up emotions i try to suppress. I have days where i feel really good about myself and then the next i think " who are you kidding, you might feel better but you are still fat". I have a friend who was having a good day during her weight loss journey and went for a walk with her head held high only to have a car load of blokes drive past and yell at her "keep walking you fat cow". She says that really burst her bubble and changed a good day to bad. So it is just not our minds but also those inconsiderate people who are so rude to others and have no conscience of what there words can do, strangers, family and friends alike.. But we are better than these people and we will succeed. Good luck everyone.

I am 5' with blonde hair and blue eyes and for a while there it seemed every time i went to the airport, mainly to meet someone or send someone off, not fly myself, i would be pulled aside for the explosives wipe down. The last time i said to the guy, "why me, do i look like a terrorist?" He says" no, thats why i picked you, i always choose the most unlikely looking people." Haven't been through the new xray scanners yet and now i have the band and have lost some weight i don't seemed to be pulled aside anymore.

Maybe you need to get your iron levels checked.