SageTracey

Well done!

Hi Wayne, it's great that you're running. Don't worry about finishing last on your first outing. Someone has to and you can't know in advance what the other runners will be like. Remember, this is your journey, for you. Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to try running like you!

Hi Maddy, it's great that you are feeling so good about yourself. I love exercising now, too. In fact, I cycled home from work last night, 27km, and got caught in the rain. It just made me ride faster! Don't worry if your weight hasn't changed for just a week. It's not long enough to call it a plateau just yet. If the scales don't move after a couple of weeks, try mixing up your diet and/or exercise routine to get it all going for you again. Good luck.

Hey Jess, sounds like you need some tough love, so here it is! You can have excuses or you can have results but you can't have both. At the moment, you have excuses, plenty of them. Lack of time, poor food choices, excuses not to eat right, excuses not to exercise. That's why you've gained and are finding it impossible to lose. But I suspect you already know all that and you're ready for results. So, here's what you do. Suck it up! You made the decision to get the band. Yes, you had a stumble. Now it's time to get working with your band again. Don't be embarrassed by what a dr or nurse may say or what you think they may think about your gain. They have seen it all before. I'll bet the ones they think worst of are those that don't come back and ask for their help. That's what they are there for, to help you. Can't afford it? Another excuse. Sell some stuff on ebay. Save up the money. Talk to your dr's office about paying it off. You want this badly enough then you will find a way. Now the support. You have definitely come to the right place on these forums. We are all here because we have battled the obesity demons. We understand your feelings and this band community will be here to support you as you get kick started again and work your way through this tough time. Hang in there. You can do it! Good luck.

Hey Rachel, you've definitely got a friendly audience here, so vent away! Like someone else said, talk with your surgeon. He/She employs those other people and would want to know if they are not working effectively with patients i.e. you! You have a right to speak out about your healthcare and demand the best, so keep on insisting. 61lb in six months is amazing! Congratulations. Please don't let anyone dishearten you! Just keep on working for what you believe. And as for those photos of yourself, if you were already feeling down, then they were never going to help because you were already looking for flaws. Pull out some of your beginning pix and just check out the difference! You are so much healthier now. Take care.

You are unlikely to have too many problems with your first fill unless your surgeon is aggressive with fills. You should tell your surgeon that you are going on vacation so they can work with you to manage your care appropriately. have a great trip.

Tough call but obviously the right one for you.

My surgeon put me on OptiSlim for two weeks, in which time I lost 8kg. What does your dr recommend?

That must be so frustrating for you. Why not go right back to the beginning with the band eating rules and work really hard at following them? First aim for one day, then when you are winning that battle, aim for a week, then a month. It must be hard having a little one around who may or may not eat the same foods as you, may have left overs etc, but remember that winning this battle means you will be around a lot longer for your baby. Best of luck.

Don't let the haters get inside your head or they will take away the love that you have and need for yourself! Re bing invisible when you were heavier....when I was heavier I didn't believe that it was true but now at 99lb down, I realise that the only reason I wasn't invisible was because I pushed, spoke up and made damn sure that the world knew I was there. Now, however, I have realised you are right. Other people make the first move now instead of me. It just goes to show how shallow some people can be. My goal is to never become one who cannot see because of someone else's size.

I haven't had a C-section or tummy tuck but I do have the lap band and I think you will be just fine. It's perfectly normal to be nervous but my guess is that you will find this surgery much easier to bounce back from than your others. Good luck.

What a shame that we have to our own research in order to convince doctors that the band can actually improve our health! Good luck with your cardio.

Acid reflux can make you cough at night. Being too tight can lead to acid reflux. Have a chat to your dr. You don't need to suffer!

I was in overnight. No big deal.

Hi Linda, Sorry to hear that the band hasn't worked as well for you as you hoped. Before you have the band removed, consider whether it is helping you to keep off the 50lb you have already lost. Is there a risk you would gain it back if the band was removed and you didn't have another plan in place? Best wishes Tracey

Friend me on myfitnesspal.com and you will be able to see my diary, although I will say I have been very fortunate on the weight loss side, not slow at all.

Great work. Results like that will give you motivation to keep going when/if you have to do a pre-op diet and then through liquids and mushies after surgery.

I wasn't offered and didn't consider the sleeve. My GP and surgeon both recommended the band and that is what I have (with hindsight, I could and probably should have done more research, just like you are!) However, I am very pleased with the band. So far I have lost 99 lb in just under 6 months. I am working the band by trying to make healthy food choices and I have certainly significantly increased my exercise. I don't know enough about the sleeve to comment, so will just say that the band and I are working very well together. Good luck with whatever you decide.

You will still have to work with the band in terms of eating choices and exercises, but getting the band has been a major change in mindset for me. This time I know it's for real and I am making longer term plans that require me to keep off the 99lbs I have already lost plus lose some more. In the next 13 months I will - complete the Lions Ride for Sight (400km in 3.5 days), complete the Great Victorian Bike Ride (10 days, lots of kms) and I will look awesome in photos at my son's wedding in April. But best of all, I will simply feel great about myself.

Yay, that's great. Keep up your fantastic work.

Hang tough. This is where you get to show the commitment that you promised yourself. It will be worth it in the end.

Ive got big breasts and had no trouble wearing a bra. My port incision is just below my bra line, another is just above, but no problem.

Five and a half months out from surgery and I was a sanctimonious little (shrinking) bandit - down 45kg, eating healthy choices, logging my calories, exercising like a demon - and then I had to learn my lesson the hard way. Visiting my Mum, being very careful with calories before getting there because I know what her food choices are like. Yep, roasted chicken and chips (fries) served for dinner. I took the skin off the chicken but hoed right into those chips. Bam! I was stuck and hurrying to the bathroom. Felt like crap, and more than a little stupid. Now on liquids for a day or two (thanks to the advice picked up here) and promising myself that I have learnt my lesson...really!

Trafalgar, Victoria, Australia

oh me too! So cold when everyone around me is warm or at least comfortable and then suddenly I'm ripping off layers when a hot flush hits .