SageTracey

I'd like to put in my two cents' worth here. I have battled with weight for most of my life and reached a point where my knees ached constantly, I was on multiple medications for high blood pressure, a dr was telling me I wouldn't live to see grandchildren, I struggled to buy clothes etc etc. But it was my husband saying that he didn't want me to die, he wanted me around for a very long time, that woke me up to how I was killing myself with food. I was banded on April 13 this year and have lost 100lb in six months. My surgeon is almost as thrilled as I am, my GP keeps saying she doesn't recognise me. I don't recognise my new life at times! I can dance all night and still walk the next day. I am down to just one medication for BP and hoping that will be gone soon. My son is getting married next year so there may well be grandchildren to follow And I am buying nice new clothes from the "normal" stores. It hasn't been easy all the way but I do recognise that I am one of the lucky ones for whom the band has worked exceptionally well, plus I have a great support system in my husband, family and friends. In fact, my night owl husband now jumps out of bed to go walking, swimming or cycling with me most mornings. What a guy! Best of luck with whatever path you take but I hope that you find a way to overcome and to enjoy a longer, healthier life.

20 5lb bags of sugar and counting! Keep up the great work, people!

I hit my first green zone at 5.5cc which was my third fill but over the next few months, as the weight came off, I started to feel less satisfied and was eating more. Had another fill last week, one more cc and feel that I am back in the green. Good luck.

I have arthritic knees and found cycling was the best exercise for me. On an encouraging note, can I just say that as the weight comes off, my knees have improved out of sight! This weekend I went dancing on both Friday and Saturday nights (rock and roll), dug the vegie garden, went bike riding, took a long walk, and wandered through a hilly garden at an open day. And this morning (Monday), I went for a 30 minute swim before work. Previously one night of dancing would have left me hobbling in extreme pain for the rest of the weekend - not anymore! There is light at the end of the tunnel for bad knees.

I may sound harsh, but are you following your post-op diet? Most of us were still on liquids at day six because we were still healing internally. You've made a major life decision by getting the band so you really need to follow your drs rules/advice to get the best results. (PS That doesn't mean I have been an angel and never slipped, but I was too scared/committed at that early stage to do anything other than exactly what my surgeon told me!) Now - what's done is done, time to move on and get yourself back on track. Is there something wrong with your band? Probably not. Good luck with the rest of your journey!

a lot of women, self included, have had unexpected periods immediately after surgery so be prepared just in case. Take a couple of books or magazines to read and some music to listen to when you can't focus on reading or anything else.

It's so hard to get our heads to see an accurate picture of our own bodies. For me it was the opposite - I never really understood just how fat I was until I started losing and then saw photos of myself. Now I can match my long held image of myself with clothes that fit a person of that size! Should you stop losing? Really, that is a personal decision. I am aiming to get under 100kg and then let my body decide where it is most comfortable and healthy. I don't think I can ever be the 70kg that BMI charts recommend for a woman of my height. I think I will be most comfortable, and therefore most able to maintain, somewhere in the high 80s. Meantime, enjoy those compliments. You've earned them!

I went to buy a pair of shorts for working out and a pair of three quarter length pants for casual. Bought both in size 18 - down from a tight 26 just six months ago. But there were also sales racks so I tried on some tops - size 14! OMG I haven't worn a 14 since early high school!

I don't know yet what sort of vertigo it is. I'm going back to my GP on Monday for a referral to an ENT specialist. A friend reminded me tonight that my ear popped while I was dancing a couple of months ago - I was dancing with him when it happened and have basically been having trouble ever since - it just got lots worse in the last few weeks. So far it seems I am ok in the morning, pretty miserable from late morning to late afternoon and then not so bad in the evenings. cheers

I started off only telling immediate family because I didn't want negativity or to have people watching every mouthful and monitoring my progress. I have a team for that! But now that I am six months out and 100lb down (yay!), I am becoming more comfortable telling people. I have succeeded so I guess a lot of the pressure or fear of failure is gone. Either way, I feel it is a personal medical matter and I don't discuss my medical situation with everyone.

Set yourself a series of smaller, achievable goals on your way to the big one. And make sure you reward each succes, those you have planned and those that catch you buy surprise.

It's that period called bandster-hell. Your head tells you that you are healed and can eat, but of course you don't want to eat too much because that was why you had WLS in the first place. On the other hand, your body truly is still healing and eating, filling too soon will work against you in the long run. My blender was my best friend during this period - I had two weeks of liquids followed by four weeks of mushies afte surgery so I learned to blend lots of foods - chicken, fish, vegies and then thin them with water, milk or yoghurts. The big thing for me was flavor - I used various sauces etc to give my foods flavor to help me through. Good luck and stick with it. Your dr has put rules in place based on experience so it's best if you can work with him/her on these.

Good luck Lytha. It's great that you haven't had any negative feedback and I hope it stays that way for you. I was stunned when my older son, who is starting to battle with his weight, told me that I had taken the "lazy way out" with band surgery. I did point out that it wasn't at all easy but the results were worth it. cheers

I can't imagine eating anything like a burger, even without buns, just three weeks post op. I was still on mushies at that stage! Now six months out and I've only had one stuck episode and although my instinctive reaction was to grab a mouthful of drink to wash it down, it had the exact opposite effect and hastened the return process. Stick with your dr's advice, follow any rules given (cos we all get different rules depending on which surgeon we are with), and good luck.

Three weeks post-op I was still on serious mushies!

I have just been diagnosed with vertigo and it's making it difficult to exercise until I learn how to live with it and control the symptoms. My favorite exercises are long, hard bike rides, usually on my own, and rock and roll dancing, which has lots of spinning. So you can see why an attack of vertigo is getting in the way of my exercise! I have figured out that I am good most mornings so am doing most of my exercise first up, but that really doesn't work with dancing - we dancers tend to like our nights out! Saw my surgeon yesterday and he has never heard of vertigo being related to the band, but I'm wondering if there are any other bandsters out there who also have vertigo? I'd really like some suggestions on living with vertigo. Thanks in anticipation.

Way to go, Tracie! Must be the name - I am officially down 100lbs (46kg) in six months. Tracey's/Tracie's rock!

I saw my surgeon for a fill yesterday and was down 10kg (22lb) in two months - that was a scale victory and he was very impressed. 46kg (100lb) in six months - so was I! But the NSV was when he said that he is now trying to have all his band patients work with a nutritionist - but I obviously didn't need to because I was doing so well!

Good luck with your surgery. You sound nervous, but that's perfectly normal!

Heading in for my fourth fill this afternoon. My third fill got me to restriction for a while but that has worn off. I guess it's my changing body shape (yay!) I know I have been eating too much lately but I have also been exercising like a demon. I know I can't keep that up forever so I need to get back to restriction to keep on losing.

See a different doctor?

Some good advice already in the posts above. Just stay strong and remind yourself why you are on this journey. Good things come to those who wait!

I can have excuses or I can have results but I can't have both. I choose results. It's amazing how powerful this simple message feels to me. It sums up very clearly exactly where I have come from (excuses) and where I am going to (results.)

I started enjoying it more as it became easier, especially dancing. It's a great workout and even more fun when I can move more easily around the dance floor. As time passes I have also started enjoying my morning walks and long bike rides. Lately I have been craving (strange choice of word but describes how I feel) swimming so I have just bought a new suit and am heading off to the pool tomorrow morning.

Every week! I choose chicken or fish with vegetables plus some rice. My husband and I usually share a main and rice with me eating about 1/4 and him polishing off the rest. I do notice that it is obviously salty as I can be very thirsty afterwards - so never the night before my weigh in.