How Bout New Zealand

[laura5127 1]

Hey guys,

Thanx neelloc for the advice awsome that you lost the weight by yourself, a shame that you gained it back I totally understand the small steps thing know, i watched a video on youtube at the begining of the week and it really got me thinking about what i do... http://www.youtube.com/user/antishay#p/u/272/bEZEy3Zi0oE . she talks about mind set and stuff and taking small steps and it kinda just dawned on me that im trying to change everything at once and it doesnt work like that so im starting again, from scratch. im starting a little at a time my first step is a 21day challenge (cos u know how they say it takes 3 weeks to start/lose a habbit) to eat Breakfast everyday and its been four days so far and im going good. im not sure if i will do this also but i was thinking that maybe i will give myself weekly challenges along with the 21day challenge. my exercise needs to be my first week though i think cos atm its non existent.

[laura5127 1]

opppppps that should be 'steps thing now' lol

[neelloc 0]

Hi, Im new here but just enjoying all the blogs. I had my op in June, ive lost 15kg to date. What degree are you doing?

yea its good. like i said i have been doing some work outside for my dad but i also want to get some assignments done aswel. but a break from early mornings is nice.

[PaleoKris 0]

Mm, that's a good point to remind us on Neelloc (hi, by the way ). I'm at the other end of the timeline as you've probably read (at goal weight - well, sort of, when I'm not slacking off), but as far as maintenance goes I know I can be quite hard on myself, and I think it's something we're probably all guilty of. How does the Cheddar cheese ad go? Good things come to those who wait? Take it slow and you'll appreciate the results a lot more. Push yourself too hard and it backfires so then you get discouraged (like how we were discussing gym work earlier, Laura... )

21 day challenges are a good way to go about it. Keep up the Breakfast - I consider that even more important now than before my surgery. In fact, every little thing you do is (or will be) much more noticeable now, be it miss a meal, eat one bite too many, or drink a glass of wine.

And now I shall go and harass the weather until it decides to stay like this for the rest of the afternoon. (ie overcast with some sun rather than thunderstorms. Heh).

[neelloc 0]

Hi, I have just had my op in June, but reading your blog brought back memories of me also researching the procedures. LOL i came up with exactly what you came up with.

So - to continue the story.

So before Xmas I went to a seminar in Wellington on the surgery options. The seminar was pretty focussed on the lap band but definitely mentioned gatric bypass and (less so) the gastric sleeve.

I also really liked the way they were talking at the seminar where ths surgeon said that the difference between me and him (healthy weight) was that food "does it" for me. I thought that statement really rang true in my case.

I was defintlely liking the sound of the lap bad. Mainly the adjustability and reversability aspects.

That was until I went to the doctor in January. He said that he had "researched the topic" and that he thought that the gastric sleeve had great results and that this was something I should seriously consider. He gave me some contact details and I got some info and a quote.

So the place I got the sleeve quote from was a lot more expensive and the surgeon at the seminar did sleeves also and was very experienced...

So - is it the sleeve or the band?

This was a nighmare. There were advantages and disadvantages for both. The main advantages as I saw the band was as above. The adjustability and reversability. But always in the back of my mind was - yes it's the safe option but what if it doesn't work? A huge amount of money down the drain! Wouldn't I be better to do it once and do it right? EWhat if the "lower risk" band failed and i have to have another procedure?

So - the research began. The internet is sometimes your friend and sometimes not. "Lap Band" Sites extolled the virtues of the Lap Band. It was the only way to go! "Sleeve" sites did the opposite and talked about erosion and a miriad of other problems with the band... So I did heaps of research (including watching you tube clips of both procedures). I just couldn't make a decision and wasn't sleeping well at all....

So having selected a company to go with I booked in for the appointments with the nurse, psychcologist and dietician. Before the appointments I made a list of pros and cons of each operation and questions with the intention of making a decision. I also booked tentative dates for BOTH operations and had the intention of making a decision the day of these appointments. I was really impressed with the organisation I chose and the fact that they took wholistic approach to the whole procedure and payment included 2 years of after surgery care.

So appointment day arrived. I went to see the nurse first which was great. She took the vatal stats and basically said I was a good candidate for EITHER operation! AAARRRGGGGHHHH! :-). No criticism of her as I think it is important that I made the call, but I was hoping to get a "steer" one way or the other given my individual factors. No such luck. After a really interesting half day I came out much more knowledgable, but no closer to making a decision! So both dates remained pencilled in until I saw the surgeon 2 weeks later. I turned up with my list of questions to that appointment.

I chatted with the surgeon. I discussed the Sleeve v the Lap Band. He does mainly lap bands and bypasses and had only done 5-6 sleeves. By far his most common operation was the band. He commented as folows:

- The sleeve was a relatively new procedure in comparison with the other 2.

- There was no data availabile on long term effects with the sleeve

- He had patients have success with both the bypass and the band

- All operations could be "cheated"

- many people who had one operation then went to another failed in both beciuae thay hadn't addressed core overeating issues

So it was time fior a decison! The thing that really swung it for me was the lower risk of the band. I thought carefully about my core issues again:

1. I eat the wrong foods

2. I eat too quickly

3. I eat too much

I though that the band will help me with 2 and 3 - but solving all 3 is up to me. So why not go with the lower risk/reversable option? So that's what i decided. And i haven't had any second thoughts since!

Pre-op diet in 2 weeks and op in 6.

[laura5127 1]

im studying International Hospitality Management, majoring in Event Management.

Hi, Im new here but just enjoying all the blogs. I had my op in June, ive lost 15kg to date. What degree are you doing?

[amourette 5]

Just remember Laura, it's not a quick fix, it will take years perhaps, a bit at a time, I think we wish for too much, too soon! You have done so fantastic so far!

Well I have returned to work after my maternity leave, it was nicer to be in a smaller uniform, but I don't think I am dropping on the scales and would like to get down to a good weight to maintain, guess i will go for a fill soon, Do any of you follow that guide of Protein, veggies, carbs? I think that is it? I try and get some good protein in first. Haven't been exercising much but more to do with bubs and getting back to shiftwork, would like to get out there again...........

[AAAJJJ 0]

neeloc:

Yes I am glad I wrote that blog and I hope it might help someone considering surgery one day. All the best on your journey.

Laura:

It sounds like you are having a tough time. I remember when I was eating heaps I kept going through that same cycle. Tell yourself no - ignore yourself - guilty feelings - weight gain.

I am no expert - but small steps form better habits I guess. Good luck and keep going. you CAN do it!

[laura5127 1]

Update

YAY, appointment on tuesday turned up 94.6kg (woooooooooohhhhhhhoooooooo) almost past 90kg and just 1.2kg away from 20kg down im so happy. It was my birthday yesturday so i went bowling with my friends and my mum cooked a family meal of sous-vide eye fillet yummmmmmmmm it was so good and so soft i could actually eat most of it. my mum is the master of Sous Vide cooking. oh and im almost finished uni for the year, two more exams 1 on monday and 1 on tues day. a bit stressed about them but i cant wait till there over. my friend is in auckland for a few weeks (she lives about four- five hours away) and so i might see if she wants to go to rainbows end when my exams are done with, lol( a bit sad for a 20 year old to want to go 2 rainbows end but what the hell). hows everyone else going over the last month.

[laura5127 1]

Update

YAY, appointment on tuesday turned up 94.6kg (woooooooooohhhhhhhoooooooo) almost past 90kg and just 1.2kg away from 20kg down im so happy. It was my birthday yesturday so i went bowling with my friends and my mum cooked a family meal of sous-vide eye fillet yummmmmmmmm it was so good and so soft i could actually eat most of it. my mum is the master of Sous Vide cooking. oh and im almost finished uni for the year, two more exams 1 on monday and 1 on tues day. a bit stressed about them but i cant wait till there over. my friend is in auckland for a few weeks (she lives about four- five hours away) and so i might see if she wants to go to rainbows end when my exams are done with, lol( a bit sad for a 20 year old to want to go 2 rainbows end but what the hell). hows everyone else going over the last month.

[PaleoKris 0]

Congrats Laura

Like the others were saying... It really is a case of one thing at a time and one small step at a time... I've been thinking about this again recently as a friend at work constantly complains about her weight, and then has bread with margarine and some thick spread... Just take away the margarine or butter, halve the spread, and you're taking a step in the right direction.

Either way. Good on you for getting closer to 90, Laura, and there is nothing wrong with going to Rainbow's end, haha. My sister went a little while ago, and she's over 20 (think some friends my age (26) went recently as well).

On the subject of too much too fast, I went into new running shoes to fast and now have the luxury of 'IT band problems' (aka really sore knee while running) - something I never thought I'd have because I never thought I would ever run! While training for the half marathon I also started putting weight back on again and have realised I've put on 5kg since last December. This is the annoying side of getting to your goal weight.... When you get there, you don't get fills anymore really, but the band does slowly leak a bit (or something like that)... So after a while (2 years, apparently, for me) I start putting the weight back on, get back into the same 'eat too much, can't fit jeans, blame myself' mentality. Fortunately my mum told me off about that and reminded me that this is what happened in 2009, so the band just needs to be topped off... But when you're doing running training, climbing, and getting back into indoor hockey and you STILL put on weight... (please excuse me while I try to refrain from banging my head against the wall).

I mentioned the IT band thing because I had a small freak out that I wouldn't be able to do any more exercise this year (and I want to look at least a little decent and not in winter-hibernation-mode when I come back to NZ in a few weeks), but turns out this is an easy problem to fix, so yay. Going to step up the exercise a bit and see if I can keep on top of this a bit, but think I'll be back in Dr Fris' office in december - just in time for Christmas, go figure!

It just seems a bit of a hard call as the band is purely a tool, we can't rely on it at all, it can't lose the weight for us, so this really puts me back into the same mentality of when I was unsuccessfully loosing weight before surgery - ie. 'it's all my fault it's going wrong', that type of thing. It doesn't help that just after discussing this with my mum and realising I needed a top up I mentioned this to two friends here (one is VERY skinny, the other is the one I mentioned earlier) and they said obviously I just need to do more exercise. .. ... ... Should've known better than to mention it to them. (Was my birthday as well! Hehe.)

Anyway, hope it's all going well for everyone else. Think I might go abuse my knee some more.

[laura5127 1]

Yeah exercise isn’t a word in my vocabulary lol. I’m making excuses I know but I have been super stressed with uni especially this semester for one of my paper we had to produce an event, it was exciting but we also had a team of eight which surprisingly wasn’t the biggest group in the class but it was too big for me. And only two exams to go, tomorrow and Tuesday and I’m free. Anyway my dad has promised me that we are going to the beach heaps over the break and he wants to go to Goat Island at least three times.

My mum has been referred to Dr Fris for a band; she is overweight and also has type 1 diabetes so her specialist is recommending it. She wants to get it done before Christmas, Fris reckons she won’t have any trouble getting insurance because even though she has a BMI of under 40 she has plenty of health problems, but we have to get the money so my mum is hoping its before Christmas but i don’t think it will happen till next year.

[PaleoKris 0]

Maybe try the 'take the stairs instead of the lift' or 'get of the bus a stop before' type stuff? If you don't have time to go to the gym with exams, then doing those sorts of things will be better than nothing. (That and I had the 'stressed because of exams' excuse in undergrad... My personal trainer at les mills told me off, I still went to her, and I actually felt better. ) You can also read your notes on the treadmill and the bike... I know, I've done both, hehe. Good luck for the rest of your exams. Being in the northern hemisphere is messing me up, I didn't realise it was that late in the year already....

My dad has also gone to see Dr Fris about a band... He's at risk of diabetes I think, but doesn't have it yet, which is a small wonder. He's got a number of other health problems though, as well as injuries, so even though he's got a relatively active lifestyle... Problem is my dad is really wary because I spent most of my time in Dunedin when I had the band, and when I came home my family still ate really fast, I'd stop concentrating on eating slow, and then they'd see the epic down sides of the band... I'm better with it now, but at first it was hard visiting my family and having meals with them. That and I was at my parents when I first ever had heartburn and it was really bad. My mum was on the verge of calling an ambulance because we didn't know what was going on, heh. With those kinds of things to consider it's probably no wonder my dad's a bit wary of it, heh.

Good luck to your mum - I hope the money goes through. Wonder what my dad's going to decide... Actually - do you find it odd to be going through something like this then a family member to start looking into it as well? Anywho...

[laura5127 1]

MERRY CHRISTMAS XD

[Pockets 0]

Hey guys, I'm looking into lapband as my mum said she would cover the cost for me.

Have you heard of many negative thing about the surgery? I see you all say its the best thing you have done, and I hope it will be for me too!