Melbourne Chat Thread!!!!

[She Smiles 2]

It is SO not the easy way! There is no just eating anything, chewing 3 times and swallowing any more. There is limitations on the food we can eat. We have be ever attentive of our band and how we treat it and we have to look after ourselves by exercising and taking Vitamins every day for the rest of our lives. We have to careful about the medications we take. AND the band is only a tool! I know that phrase gets thrown around a lot, but damn it its true! A person who is unwilling to work with their band will have VERY slow or minimal weight loss. They will PB and feel sick and run down and in poor health. We have the band to HELP us limit our food intake because our natural chemical controllers are all haywire and don't do that for us!

It annoys me to no end that people make this judgement of us after we have gone through the rigourous pre op testing and consultations and the decision to operate is made by A TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS based on our weight histories. *Most* bandsters have tried every diet and every possible way of losing weight that they can physically manage. And the band is a last resort. Its the end of the road. Its not easy and I HATE (yes its a strong word) that people think its the easy way out. I don't know about you guys but I laboured over my final decision to be banded because I knew it wasn't going to be easy. This thing is in my body for the rest of my life, and I am 28, that a long time (hopefully even longer now I have my band!).

All of that said though, and dispite it not being easy, my band is the best investment I have ever made in myself.

*gets down off soap box*

[She Smiles 2]

Oh and Susannah, the fun begins now, you will find yourself blending things you never thought should be blended (my nutritionist said that one of her patients had blended KFC, which IMO is disgusting!)! Mushies is such a wonderful change from liquids!! Enjoy!

[susannah 2]

Hi M, Ditto what you said. There is no easy way of losing weight. We will have to be accountable to the band and ourselves for the rest of our lives. It is a huge comittment and undertaking to make. It is not to be entered into lightly.

Susannah

[bronnie70 0]

Day 2 of Optifast and physically and mentally going strong...

3 weeks to go

[dionnem 0]

Hi All,

3 DAYS TO GO!!!!!!!!!, I went shopping today a got all my Velish Soups, extra Protein Shakes, I got the already pureed fruit by Goulburn Valley and figured I could just add extra Water, saves the mess, I also bought some weight watchers ice-cream and custard pots as a just in case. My son dosen't think its fair that I get to eat them and he dosen't ( we don't usually have ice-cream etc in the house).

I was told about taking Berocca etc, what sort of Multi Vitamins are you guys taking??? Is there a one size fits all ??

[bronnie70 0]

3 weeks to go and ive started buying things for post banding also... heaps of Protein shakes+ Optifast Soups and shakes. Have to buy heaps more but its a start.

Yeh..... made it through 2 days of OPTIFAST so far. Must admit i thought about cheating and then went to the 'aussie' before and after pics and changed my mind once i saw everyone.

[susannah 2]

Hi Girls, I am so excited for you both. Monday is the day for Dionnem! Bronnie well done. You will get so much personal satisfaction knowing that you can acheive power over your mind with the Optifast.< /p>

I just went on a big walk with my sister and her kids. I am wrecked now.:girl_hug:

As for the Multivitamin I am not sure. I am seeing the dietician next Wednesday, and I am sure she will tell me which one to take. Her name is Nicole Bando!:biggrin1: No kidding.:biggrin1:

Susannah

[She Smiles 2]

I take a eversvescent (sp?) supradyn Vitamin everyday. I pop it in Water before I have a shower in the morning and by time I am dressed and made up, all the fizz is gone and its just like Vitamin flavoured Water. Thats the one that was recommended by my nutritionist and surgeon.

Dionne, you must be getting super excited by now! Soon enough we're all going to be banded! Bronnie, your 3 weeks will FLY past, look how quickly Susannah's surgery came and went!!

[bronnie70 0]

Day 2 on Optifast but ive got the worse headache. Has anyone else got headaches on OPTIFAST. Im trying to drink plenty of Water inbetween.

[dionnem 0]

Hi All,

Susannah, good to hear you are doing well. Bronnie Good on you I remember getting really active on this site at approx 3wks to go, you'll be amazed by all the questions you'll have even though you think you know all there is to know. I will be 3wks after Susannah and you'll be 3wks after me!!! Susannah can be our Guinea Pig!!!! Keep up the good work.

Meridith - Does taking your Vitamin in Water effect how full you feel??? Looked back on your B4 and After again, youv'e done so well. I took my photo today HORRIFIED!!!! is not the only word that comes to mind only the rest aren't printable.!!! Oh well heres to a new beginning......

[bronnie70 0]

Hey... wonder who will be 3 weeks after me !!??

[She Smiles 2]

Dionne, taking the Vitamin in Water doesn't affect how full I feel, its maybe only about 1/4 glass of Water anyway. Although I have it before I leave for work and then have my museli when I get there and am organising my day. Cos the Vitamin is liquid it just goes straight through like having a drink of any liquid will. Some people feel tight in the mornings so wouldn't be able to take a vitamin tablet or capsule which is why the soluble one was recommended across the board by my Drs.

I look at my before photos and I am horrified too! I met my future in laws for the first and only time when I looked like that and I honestly wonder now if they wondered why my guy (who is tall, slim and handsome) was with me. I mean I wasn't feminine looking at all when I weighed that much. I am just under half way to my goal after less than 3 months, you too can do it - just be commited to your band and to the new lifestyle required to make it work. Exercise and eat healthy [most of the time (a treat IS allowed - like I had thai for dinner tonight for my Dads bday)]. All us bandsters started exactly where you are and soon enough you'll be joining us, and you won't look back!

[TaNgLe 0]

Hi all

Bronnie.. well done on the Optifast :clap2: U r going great guns now and don't bother looking in this direction for the next bander..it definitely won't be me.. change the weeks to 3 months and there might be a small ray of hope lol

Susannah.. glad to hear you are up and walking places now. Good stuff. Can't believe you are already on the mushies stage.. time just flies

Dionnem.. good luck for monday in case i don't get online over the weekend.Hope it all goes smoothly for you

Meredith.. hi to you too. And blended KFC ? .. we do it all the time for the guys we work with..have been tempted to have a taste but it just looks too gross lol

Hi to everyone else and have a great weekend

[cammy 0]

Bronnie your going through sugar (carbohydrate) and caffine withdrawerals - that causes massive head aches... time isn't on your side but if it was you'd quit all caffine about 1 month before starting Optifast and refined sugars at least a week before starting just so it doesn't hit your system "bam" all at once - your body is like what the hell? It's not getting it's normal drugs/stimulants and it's craving them ontop of having to switch from burning carbs for fuel to burning fat for fuel.... when your breath tastes like death (or smells like a nursing home) your burning fat for fuel - bad breath is the happiest feeling in the world when it comes to losing weight. Remember your fat doesn't all come out in the loo, it's combustion using fat for fuel and your essentially breathing it out hence the wrank breath.... i'd rather stink or have to suck on sugar free mints than be obese any day. Once your at goal or eating too much to lose weight the wrank breath goes away and you become normal again.

After the 3rd day on Optifast it gets easier cause the hunger pains go away and the withdraweral sysmptoms start to lessen. You're doing great and be proud that your taking charge and losing some weight and gettin healthy pre-surgery - it means your already ahead of the game and wont have to lose as much post op to get to your goal. 3 weeks before surgery I did the detox diet for a week (droped 7kg - alot of that is stomach contents/waste/fulid retention) then swtiched to the compulsory optifast. If you can drop 5 or 10kg before surgery you'll feel like a million bucks going into the operation knowing you wont have to see those big numbers on the scale ever again - your band will help you keep them off and keep losing.

You have such a great attitude you are going to rock this band!! Keep up the motivation and if you feel temptation while on the optifast say to yourself over and over again "I want to be skinny & healthy more than I want to eat that" or "nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels".

*** just a side note, a lot of people don't realise how bad their breath is during weigh tloss, they just can't taste it for some reason - if that's the case ask your partner or a close friend to be honest with you.... I swear people have come up to me at meetings and said they've never had bad breath during their weight loss and they wreaked to the heavens I was so shocked they couldn't smell themselves.... and too nice to say anything.

[bronnie70 0]

Cam... mmmmm... bad breath... yep i noticed that when i got up this morning. I couldnt sleep well again last night probably a mixture of the heat and my tummy doing overtime rumbling.

Day 3 of Optifast... no headache yet today but i feel a bit on the weak side. Im taking Vitamins to try and give me some strength.

The only thing i have to do if i feel like cheating is ... look at your pics. Hope you dont mind but i showed my husband.... any reservations he had about me having this op, i think have now gone. He said 'WOW" about 3 times.

I have so far lost 1.5kg (now 101.5kg) on Optifast so im heading down to the double figures before the op. I have to be happy with that....

Can i ask how much you weighed going into the op??