Cazzy

Good.. losing all this weight and feeling 10 years younger.. Bad.... looking 10 yrs older due the wrinkles in my face showing up ..

Wishing u a speedy recovery and hope all goes well

I must admit i dont like weighing out food so i dont, protein i do around the size of a pack of cards, green veg i tend to just put on the plate 2 tablespoonfuils normally, i am not so precise that i have to use the scales but am pretty clear look wise as to what i can and cant eat We have to devise methods of being banded that will last us , hopefully all our lives, so if u weigh out things intially get used to and learn what sizes u can and cant eat then just carry opn that judgement without the scales once u get expert at it, that way u can go out for meals anywhere and know exactly how much to eat

I would say that given how diffiicult it is, so it seems anyways, to find a doctor who didnt do the surgery willing to do fills, that the cost of fills u might have to put aside and concentrate on just finding someone. Many people set this up before they have the surgery to avoid problems finding someone after good luck in your quest anyways

I was very heavy when i started this and although i wouldnt say i had panic attacks about it, i was concerned and anxious at having a 'heart attack' i gave myself post surgery a couple of months really not doing much exercise other than some leg raises and dumbells sitting on the sofa watching tv, with counting calories too the weight fell off and by 3 months post op i bought myself an exercise bike and hve been cycling ever since, i also have a road bike now and can cycle some days 25 miles .. i started off slow and steady u really dont need to push yourself to the limits to lose weight ..

I am always saddened and concerned when i read threads like this. Do surgeons really not explain to people about restriction and fills, what will happen post - op, when it will happen and why etc. Post - op is a time to heal, concentrate on what and how u should be eating, you may not feel any restrictions at all for another 4 to 5 fills some feel it earlier some feel it after 6 to 7 fills there is no set pattern here other than patience is the best thing to do right now, after all how long have u been too heavy, these few months it will take for u to get what u need from the band are nothing compared to the years most of us have been heavy.. good luck and any weight loss now is a bonus not the usual

Good luck , u might find it can take a good 3 to 4 fills to get u close to where u really need to be, but small steps are by far the best in this process, keep doing what u are doing and u will be fine

Sounds like u have done exactly what u needed to to set u up for the rest of your life, its so good to hear others getting their head and body right .. well done !

Sounds like u are doing sooo well .. u have 3 options, keep doing what u are doing and enjoy your coffee, reduce your coffee to just one a day treat and maybe lose a little faster, or cut it out completely and maybe lose a little more ... personally try reducing the amount u drink, u might find that works for you just fine

It is common to be full of gas post surgery, i know a lot have got relief from gas x strips, we dont get them here, but my heat pad was my saviour and in a few days u will find that the gas will start to move and find its own outlet

I did 600 calories low fat/carb/sugar for 10 weeks pre-op it seemed to go very quick as the weight dropped off

Good luck to you all on here, i know how hard this is gonna be for you 'younger ones' it will be worth it tho, if i had my time again i would have this surgery in a flash when i was 20 something, take this opportunity to make the rest of your life what u want it to be. This is still a medical proceedure, it isnt cosmetic, you have to meet medical requirements to get this surgery, its like people telling u not to have your appendix out, if u meet the requirements for this surgery, then u need it ..!!

Most people go through what u all are going through and believe me it does get better. The relationship with food doesnt end it just changes, no longer does food control you but u control it, food can still be a friend but not your best friend, at the cost of your health and well being. You all recently had surgery too and that in its self is an emotional rollercoaster, let alone the emotional side of having to restrict what u eat too ... just concentrate on what u can eat, not what u cant ... A year and half down the line and i am happy with the food i eat and extremely happy over the weight i lost, all the positives that will come over time as u lose the weight will far outweigh any negatvity that u are feeling now. Start walking, get out and about, and look forward to a healthy and happy future, and dont dwell on a food laden unhealthy past

I think cocoabean is right there wouldnt be much harm if u left your band empty for the few months u are away, having said that many in the UK go to Belgium for their surgery , like u have people go to Mexico, and they have fills done here in the UK, its not an issue if your original surgeon supports this

Sounds like u know what to do so just do it .. u might want to try some extra strength training, but everyone gets plateaus so donmt be too hard on yourself, just be patient and as long as u are burning more than u eat u will start to lose again , but small shocks are good for the body .. lets it know u are in control

I hope u have a speedy recovery... Well weighing ones self is a personal thing depending on how u are as a person, if by putting on a lb overnight it would motivate u to exercise more the next day be even more dilligent over what u are eating till that lb comes off then i would say weigh daily, record it weekly.. if on the other hand putting a lb opn overnight will send u into a depression or ruin your day then maybe once a week ... I weigh myself every day, am not obsessed by it, but i got to 400lbs by not weighing myself and i wasnt going to make that mistake again, i chose to make the scales my friend and my motivator , some like to think of them as the 'enemy' its entirely up to you. U are already doing the brave thing of using the photo as your control, see how u go with the scales, everyone fluctuates overnight with weight but i never fluctuated more a lb and i never since my first appointment in 2010 october have put on weight ... i did an excel sheet of my weight loss since being banded and there are a couple of weeks where the number lost is zero but every other week leading up to my plastic surgery i lost weight .. i am accountable to me now i am inmaintenance

What u have to look at is .. are u losing weight at your current level of calorie intake ? You might not like what u have been told by you surgeon but maybe they are basing that number on your history, exercise etc, none of us know how many calories u should be eating and our estimates will be guess work... Maybe they are trying to kick start u losing more weight than u have been.. if u dont trust your surgeon and his staff then u shouldnt have gone there, i was on 600 calories a day pre-op and that was enough to keep me fed and watered for 10 weeks ... u wouldnt be on more calories than around a 1000 if u had a bypass, u can eat well on that so try it and see

I am now 58 yrs old and having the band was the best thing i ever did ...

When did u get banded, when did u have your last fill, we cant help you unless u give us a little more info

Some of the statistics that are available for slippage and erosion will not reflect the input some people had to their own downfall, some people didnt go to see their surgeon for a long time and then go back once the problems occur, some over ate with the band put weight on and made the band tighter again with visceral fat, and that can cause slippage or erosion. Of course there is a chance , as with any surgery, something will go wrong as with the gastric bypass or the sleeve, the main thing is is to not take any chances with the band and it is essential that u keep it maintained, by at least 1 x yearly check up with your surgeon. Minimising the risks can help prevent problems but we all have to accept that life doesnt give us guarantees on anything, what is guaranteed is the obesity related illness u are facing if u dont do something about your weight .. It would be like having a car, driving it everyday and not having it serviced, eventually it will go wrong . I do understand some people lose their insurance and are unable to afford to get their band checked , but again statistics can only reflect numbers rarely do they reflect the causes

Did he say what difference 2 weeks will make ? .. sorry but this just doesnt sound right, is he a very experienced surgeon ? does he normally do his own fills .. u need to ask a lot more quqestions than what u seem to have done , u are paying his wages through your insurance i would arm yourself with a lot more questions written down to take with you next time in case it happens again. I know sometimes it can be intimidating and u can feel vulnerable when u are laying there but this is a serious issue if he cant fill you, it will render the band pretty useless ...

I would make tuna your friend if u can, mix with some lemon juice and black pepper or some 0 fat mayo with salad .also minced turkey burgers anuything that u can lightly grill so it doesnt dry out, also i know some people eat tinned chicken ? we dont get that in the uk so not sure on that one, premade shakes maybe or protein bars, some almonds will help the snacking .. some ham too if u can cut thin or buy some thin ham i eat smoked salmon for protein as i love it

When people get an unfill for various reasons the doctors very unlikely to have filled it up to the same level again, most doctors proceed with caution and although u may have a similar amount i bet u have room for more, which is what it sounds like u need. Also WW is pretty good, but can contain a lot of salt so be cautious on the salt intake and reduce your calories if the points system isnt working .. i didnt do ww but used an odd frozen meal in an emergency, but i do have a ww tomato soup every day before my dinner and thagt helps fill me up ..it has worked for me anyways i have had soup every day for over a year and half and always feel satisfied after my dinner

Nice !

A lot of people do gain during that transition time and have to either severely restrict their intake of food or start burning it off, it is why its called bandster hell, u will have little or no restriction until the fills start kicking in so most of it will be down to sheer willpower ...