Cazzy

The band is losing its popularity IMHO because of the aftercare work that a surgeon has to get involved with like fills and xrays etc, Once a bypass or sleeve are done people are discharged home and its almost goodbye forever with maybe a follow-up visit or 2. The odds for complications post op maybe higher for the band but the mortality rate still far outshines the sleeve and bypass.

I still believe that people should take responsibility for their own health and be informed about something before doing it, particularly like the lapband, at the end of the day its me who has to live with it, I will never understand people going into this ignorant of what part they have to play.

Grats Jim u are still doing great !

Good luck on the smoking i stopped 4 months ago to have plastic surgery and i used champix too, i am struggling a little now as i cant substitute food for cigs but am hanging in there too...

Its nice breathing fresh air again tho

good luck with the surgery !

Your story here could have been my story, i never realised how much of a rollercoaster emotional ride this would be, everytime i fix something on my body like my weight, my tummy, my arms, my back my tummy muscles, i find something else to hate about myself. I am exactly the same as u, the weight went from the face and now i see every line, without even thinking last time i was at my hospital appointment to see my plastic surgeon for my recent surgery check up, we were talking thighs next, i have a lot of loose skin there too so then i mention a mini face lift .. DH, after we got outside was like when did u decide on that so i said everytime i look in the mirror, then he says and after that whats next, do u really know when to stop.. and i was like mentally i know to stop but emotionally how can i have nothing to strive for anymore and just be satisfied with what i got ..

YOur pics are of a beautiful woman who is obviously very much loved .. if u find an answer to this problem we have let me know .. huggs

What a nightmare Jim .. hope it all works out for you

Welcome back and i think u have done the best thing for u by the sounds of it, the support of a personal trainer will be a great hep for u i am sure.. so good luck and keep us posted

Hey Jim sorry to hear u are having a rough time at the minute, it sounds like your mother and mine went to the same finishing school, i asked her not to tell anyone and she does the total opposite claiming , oh i forgot and it just 'slipped out' grrr

getting back to slow weight loss, if u find that its too slow Jim u need to change something, eating around 1200 calories should do a guy your stature, low carbs, its not just about calories its about how those calories are made up, low fat and use salt sparingly that can put on 2 lbs overnight. Be aware of drinking calories in things like protein drinks, unless u are factoring in the calories or are substituting meals with a shake. Good old protein and fresh green veg are the best and most satisfuying way to get what u need nutrient wise.

Exercise may need a tweak too, make sure u do some cardio followed by some strength training and if possible it needs to be done daily, tsake some resistance bands to work if u sit at a desk and use them when u are taking a 5 mins break .. If things arent moving then u need to tweak what you are doing and try again, i increased my metabolic type food like chilli and broccoli when i slowed down weight loss wise and that worked for me .. good luck with the weight loss and 'mother' too

Having surgery can make u put on weight with thigs like iv fluids etc, it is very unusual to not put on weight when your body is trying to heal. The scales i believe are important to this process so make them your friend, not your enemy .. i recently had 11 hours plastic surgery and they took 9lbs of skin so how did i wake up 15 lbs heavier, its all to do with fluids

can u imagine my horror to see the scales go up so much when i was at goal, but i know i am healing my day will come again when losing the weight to get back to goal is more important as i will have finished healing. Dont do anything radical just ride the healing wave untill u get some fills under your belts then u will see some movement

Gratz to both of you .. i wish you both a speedy recovery and a successful journey

U know that untill u start getting fills its unlikely that u will start to lose weight quickly and to be honest this is why this period is called bandster hell, i was told a lot of people even can put on a small amount of weight during this time so u are doing great.. initially we heavier ones tend to lose a lot of weight then even tho we are eating much less we sort of stabalise for a while but it will start shifting again once u start getting the fills u need and just keep burning more calories than u are eating ... we are here for support if u need us Jim

The closer we get to goal weight the harder it is to lose it, stalls are part and parcel of weight loss over a period of time and we have to accept that sometimes out bodies just dont do what we want them to. I am stalling now i am close to goal and i admit its tedious and annoying but i change small things like a small increase in calories, change the exercise a little, i also do bike riding and strength /resistance work, i was ill one week and didnt exercise and did lots of heavy housework instead, lost 4lbs that week then back to exercising the following week and lost nothing lol.. small changes do work just experiment and see

Great news .. keep up the good work

Just tell those negative people that being obese is far more 'dangerous' from the life threatening illnesses that you can get and that those stats far outweigh any 'dangers' from having a minor op like a lapband.. would they say the same if u were having your wisdom teeth out ?

list all the 'co-morbities' u can get with obesity and then try and list any from actually living with a lapband, there are none, any 'danger' from a lapband is to do with surgery in general .. and this surgery is normally less than 1 hour long.. I hope u can make a decision based on what you need and not on other peoples ignorance..

we all have a self destruct button and sometimes we just press it.. u wrote down all that u felt and did and that in itself often will put into perspective what actually happened. The wrong thing to do would be to repeat what u did again and again and again, its done now, put that day away as a bad one and move on to a better one.

footnote .. dont buy stuff like that again !

Keep up the good work and nice playlist... lol @ the odd sneakers !

Good work and keep going .. u will be soon in twoderland then u can work towards onederland

Great idea .. keep up the good work !

If i ate what my BMR said i should i know i would put on weight.. i eat 1000 calories a day and burn 1000 calories a day .. with strength training and exercise bike .. it has for over a year worked for me, but i have to eat metabolic foods like broccoli and chili, salmon etc .. its not just about weight loss tho its about how much weight u would have put on if u hadnt been banded .. If the formula u follow isnt working then change something, increase protein, lower the carbs change the exercise, but if you dont change anything its likely nothing will change . good luck !

Yay for toes !!

Just purchased my xbox now and got dance central2 .. great fun and a good workout dont tthink i am ready for zumba yet but will get going on it in a few weeks .

thanks for the reviews it helped me make my mind up to buy one and i love it already

Thanks for the review i am on the point of getting my xbox and your info has been great, will be interested in reading about zumba too

Thanks for commenting on the x box have been considering getting one for the dance routines, i might take the plunge now

gratz on your weight loss, i am the same as you carbs=weight for me too so i eat less than 30 grm a day if i can .. keep up the good work !

I hope your husband continues to improve and they find a donor for him soon. You seem to have a great reserve of inner strength but the other posters are right u do really need to take care of yourself whilst u are having to cope with everything. Might be an idea to carry some almonds/peanuts or something that has some carbs etc in it so u can snack on something at the hospital if u need to. A car cant run without fuel and u cant do what you have to do without fuel too.

Hoping 2012 sees some good changes for you and your family my thoughts and best wishes to you.

I am also coming up to a year banded and I agree with B-52 sometimes u do want to scream as an initial reaction to some questions then u just try and help as best you can. I might not be here as much as i was intially but dont mind sharing time and experiences to help other people

Merry Christmas to you all !

You are both in my thoughts ... sending good wishes from across the Atlantic .