Cazzy

Hope you recover well and welcome to the 'other side ' .. now comes the hard work

I cant really help with any ideas as we dont have insurance problems in the UK .. but i really hope things work out for you .. fingers crossed

Wow Violet a 'rant in red' I have to say that although your words may seem harsh to some they are in essence the way forward for a lot of people who are banded. Having the determination that you have expressed goes a long way to making this band work. I know there are days i really dont feel like exercising myself, and in the beginning weighing so much it was awful but the only person i was letting down was myself, yesterday i cycled 25 miles on the exercise bike , even tho i had a bad hungry day i did extra miles to cover me for the few extra calories i consumed ... I, like you was not prepared to have all this done and go through what we have not to change our whole life .. Good luck to you and i wish you every success, for those who are struggling read Violets words as a motivation and not a criticism ...

I am sure you will find the soup helpful, i got the idea from when i used to eat out i would never have soup as a starter because it fills me up and i wouldnt eat my meal .. I have eaten soup before my main meal every day since being banded and i love it .. My partner lost 80lbs by eating soup before his meals too as he would not be satisfied with smaller meals either and he wasnt even banded ... sometimes we just have to go with what works and not what is standard

lol i just saw your thoughts were the same as mine

If you just started exercising then give it time and not all of us can lose weight by just not eating much, its what you eat that is important. Some people can lose just by eating small amounts of normal food others need low fat/low carb/low sugar for the weight to come off, people like me who had a ton of weight to lose had to eat 1000 calories a day and exercise every day. The more muscle you put on the more calories you burn by just being alive.. I have done exercise every day for a year now, lol i still dont like it much but it works for me so i keep at it Track what you eat, some use fitness pal on here to track their food and find it really helpful, which will help u look at your intake v calories burned .. Good luck with it, do u need another fill ?

My doctor explained to me that erosion can occur if u end up putting back on the weight you have lost as the fat layer around the stomach that you have intially lost grows back around the band which causes the band to get too tight and start eroding into the stomach, you dont necessarily feel more restriction when u put on weight either ... which is probably what happened to u some years ago I understand your fear regarding having the band removed but you probably have done all the work over the last couple of years 'on your own' .. sounds like u know how to eat now and know how to get the weight off on your own .. so good luck with it and i hope things improve for you !

It sounds like u still need more fill, u shouldnt be really hungry all the time. Just because u throw up when u eat too fast it doesnt mean u are at the restriction you need. I know i need a fill when i get hungry in between meals but i still can get stuck if i eat to fast, dont chew enough etc. I am one of those people that if i am hungry i definitely eat too fast and then i get stuck so I have soup before my main meal just a ww tomato soup ( 70 cals) this goes half way to making me feel satisfied so i dont eat too fast for my main meal. The last thing u should do is turn to food just because u feel tired, you would be far better to have a day of rest and not get 'overwrought and eat the wrong foods' . Try eating 5 small meals a day instead of 3 or if u are eating 5 meals a day then change to 3. I know if i eat more than around 1000 calories a day i just dont lose weight. Its a pain having to count calories all the time but i am not one of those that could just eat small meals of normal type food and lose weight. Try lowing your carb intake, if you eat too many it can trigger feelings of hunger ... I would consider going to see a psychologist or food counsellor as if some of your hunger is mind based the band wont really help you on that. JUst dont give up and try different things, theres a thread on this forum for people following Weight Watchers it might be something like that will help you, change your exercise routine, do small changes whilst you sort out your hunger issues and maybe try another small fill. Most of us became overweight because we just didnt like or couldnt live with the feelings of being hungry, it might be u have to learn to live with those feelings for a while yet, after all none of us will starve to death. You havent been banded very long so you are probably still in 'bandster hell', give it time and just tweak what you are doing for now. Yesterday i literally felt like i was hungry all day, i dont have any food in the house which will put on weight, i found myself 'grazing' but on food that i know wont put on weight. 0% greek yoghurt, sugar free jello, suagr free sweets, tea and coffee all helped me in between meals. I know i will need another fill soon even tho i still get stuck sometimes. I would definitely look to getting another fill soon as it really is too early to say that its not working for you, and talking with the doctor may help sort out what is going on for you.. good luck

I keep making that same mistake all the time, i also still buy clothes that are too big for me .. body is thinner than my mind still !

Yea i would definitely look to a different position maybe

Good luck for tomorrow and a speedy recovery.. welcome to banderland

If you dont want your friends to know about the WLS, just be on a 'diet' and have wine spritzers ( or whatever u call them in the US) red or white wine mixed with soda water just let it stand for a short while to let the bubbles die down or add some ice which will kill the fizzy if u cant drink gassy drinks. The bandwagon is a slow moving truck so just jump back on it .. Have a great weekend !

great that u found us

I had far more fear of me failing than i did getting stuck. To be honest i think some make more of getting stuck than need to really.. its really not that bigger deal, and if you really get stuck yes its painful, but then so was moving around when i was really heavy.. its all a matter of degrees, to me getting stuck is pretty low on my list ...

My port is placed on my breast bone i dont even know its there .. doesnt interfere with exercise at all !

I think i went about 5 days post op the surgery and meds alone do cause some digestive movement problems. You are only consuming liquids so u wont get much movement either till u start on more substantial food. Walking and water seem to clear the problems for most , but u may very well need to phone the docs and ask before it goes on any longer

Great job on the weight loss .. awesome pics

I would go to a local seminar at your hospital where u would go for surgery. They will discuss everything u need to know about the surgery and what options there are for you. The lapband is the least invasive and least complicated of all the surgeries for weight loss but there are other options and u may feel more comfortable having one of those like a gastric bypass or a gastric sleeve. This lapband , for most of us, not all, requires quite a bit of work on our part with regular exercise and eating healthy food so just bear in mind that the band can only help you so far. The choices u make will still be yours as to what u put in your mouth I have no regrets about having a band fitted it was a relatively easy surgery for me .. no worse than a wisdom tooth out lol At 17 you should be enjoying yourself and losing the weight will probably change your life.......... so good luck and i hope u get what u want !

Could u be having an allergic reaction to something that could cause you to swell up and retain fluid. I dont think lasiks would touch that type of swelling .. just a thought cant help otherwise sorry

Top of my list should have been a bucket load of determination but ty

Some of the foods i eat are : Total 0% greek yoghurt + teaspoon maple syrup Smoked salmon Black pepper ryvita Fruity ryvita Weight watchers tomato soup ( other flavours are ugh ) chicken with green veg Sea bass or any other white fish. Hartleys sugar free jelly _+ a few berries ( i make up 2 pints at a time so u can snack on it too ) I make my own green veg soup which i have every lunchtime ( broccoli cauliflour and peas ) I make my own oat rolls (adapted a Nigela recipe ) dont do any food which is white like bread, rice, potatoes.. I add oat bran to yoghurt sometimes if i am hungry and need a snack to last a bit longer .. I have roast beef sundays with green veg.. very thin sliced tho Tea or coffee when i want with skimmed milk .. I eat around a 1000 calories a day but its pretty normal type food really .. Hope this helps radpad

The band is placed on the outside of the stomach so what goes on inside your tummy stays there and doesnt touch the band The band is meant to last a lifetime nowadays .. but as with all things .. maybe it will maybe it wont, .. how long is a peice of string ... Whatever weight loss surgery u choose theres complications that can occur with all of them, to me the laband had the least invasive surgery and the complications were more of a minor nature. At least if something happens the band can be removed .. to me the surgery was no worse than having a wisdom tooth out .. I would be more scared of having my intestines rerouted in a bypass op

I am UK too am over a year post - op now .. let me know if u need any support !

I can go 2 or 3 weeks before i feel the restriction kick in so as far as i know thats just normal, some doctors have stated it can take up to 4 weeks to feel the restriction from a fill as per other forum threads on here so as long as u can drink etc lose some weight and the band will loosen slightly naturally anyways

Swimming is really good exercise and if u can do it then do so. I was really unfit when i started out but i like my exercise bike now and a few dumbells etc while watching tv and it has helped a lot ... exercise if u can as the benefits are not just weight related.