Cazzy

I would think that being a chef will help you a great deal if you have a lapband fitted. Think of all those great recipes you can invent for your different stages of recovery .

I used prune juice post surgery and continue to eat a few prunes daily, i prefer take natural remedies if possible, prune juice worked fine for me

First port of call is your doctor and do it soon unlikely band has slipped but only they can tell you ! good luck ..

It sounds like u are eating very similar to me, and exercising. Are u doing any strength training ? I do a lot of cycling too around 6 miles a day but what burns the fat is doing strength training after u get your heart rate up. plateau's can last weeks sometimes months, the less u need to lose the harder it is to shift the weight, I know i am slowing down now too. keep plugging away at it and dont give up just keep going, maybe change diet only a little change tho, it sounds like u are eating enough Protein, maybe try changing a meal for a shake, plateau's are when your body is just maintaining its self u need to shock it into gear again Another fill will give u a little more restriction hopefully too !

My port is sutured to my breast bone so it rarely moves .. so i am told, but no port problems as yet !

Being English i love my cups of tea, but i also have around 2 cups of coffee a day too, all made with skimmed milk, it gives u protein from the milk, can stave off a little hunger pang till meal time and is very few calories. I certainly wouldnt give it up unless there were medical contra-indications for drinking it

It must be really hard coping with depression and trying to keep up with the bandwagon life and i do feel for you all and hope you all do better with help and support. What i want to emphasise is that, if anyone of us starts gaining weight, whatever the reason, get back to the doctor and tell them. The reason why most of us are overweight is that we hid our feelings, hid ourselves away, were afraid of being judged, afraid to ask for help when we need it. You have to stop falling into pattens of behaviour that led you to be overweight and use the band as a means to start changing your life. Dieting alone will give u a temporary weight loss but it wont last, seeking help and support when things arent working out will help sustain you on the right road. It like having a car thats going wrong , do u take it to the garage before the car gets worse and possibly much more to repair, or just leave it, keep driving and hope that nasty noise you hear is gonna just disappear.. you do know the right answer Surgeons and doctors see people struggling all the time, mostly its our own insecurities that make us think they will be disappointed, annoyed, judgemental. Give them a chance to earn their fees and prove their worth and go to them and ask for the help u need, just dont leave it so long that u undo all the good work u have done ..

The largest incision you have is the port site, its in different places on all of us, but it does feel hard to the touch, contact your surgeon if u are worried or if its red and hot to the touch, or is oozing fluid/infection. If not it sounds normal so dont worry

Did you get the liquid form of metformin for post op ? as these pills cannot be crushed !

I believe what you are feeling is your body detoxing all the bad food from years of overeating. Protien is one of things that our bodies cannot store and it is why its essential that we keep a daily intake going, most other nutrients our bodies have stores of and will use them in times when we arent eating. None of us were/are any where near starving, the time post op is the time when our bodies are adjusting to surgery and new eating methods. Its not great to feel tired and listless etc, but this will pass, im sure many of us didnt feel great post - op. Discussion with the doctor is the best way forward if you are worried, all we can do here to help is share our experiences Good luck i am sure u will feel a little more energised soon.

I was 57 when i was banded and on the same amount of metformin as u are. Post - op my sugar was high too and thats because we generate sugar when when dont eat, as much as we do when we do eat.. like after we have been asleep all night and not eating, u are getting glucose dumps from your liver as it thinks u are hungry/starving, of course you arent but your liver is used to a lot more food in your system so u need to retrain it . Give it time and patience, make sure u drink what u can and still follow the low sugar and carb diets whether u are on liquids or mushies, when the weight starts coming down so will your sugar levels From 2000mg a day metformin i am now completely off them, i still dont have sugar or high carbs as i am used to eating like this. I am sure things wiill work out but pls discuss things with your doctor/nutritionist too. Good luck !

Best way to do it and come to an informed decision

Too true patty

Your welcome

Guess i beat the averages you have been quoted to me if you have the right mind set and are prepared to put the work in then it 'should' work for you and how hard u work and restrictions you place on yourself will help you beat those averages too. I know the averages sound a little low to you but to me this was a decision for the rest of my life , if it took 2 or 3 yrs to lose all the weight that i needed too i was prepared to do it. I researched the band and bypass and was much happier with the complications that could arise from a band than what can happen with a bypass. Do your homework and reach an informed decision based on all the factors, how fast you lose the weight is pretty low on the list really, how long have u been overweight compared to maybe taking 2 years to lose it, if i only had 100 lbs to lose it would have taken me 6 months so it can be done faster Good luck and do what you need to do that will give you the best outcome in the long term !

It really is an individual thing, some people feel restriction with no fills, others just a few some a lot, the nurse was probably right in that they rarely need to go over 6cc's in a 10cc band but it doesnt mean they wont if needed. Just concentrate on making sure u eat good protein rich food and plenty of fibre from veg etc, u need to make sure that the food you do eat lasts u as long as possible, it really helps with the hunger in between meals. I know some people like to eat more regulalry but just have smaller meals, its all a case of finding whats right for u, waiting for fills can be frustrating but u do need patience with a band, so give it time im sure u will get where u want to be

Best wishes and good luck

I weigh myself once a day first thing in the morning but only record my weight once a week. I like to do it daily as if the scale has gone up a 1lb i work harder that day to get rid of it, i know sometimes if u gain it can be distressing but i am over that now and accept the odd lb either way with no emotional pressure

yea almost a year ago on the 14th jan .. 5cc i didnt have that much restriction but when i hit 6 i really began to feel it more Just bear in mind that we all feel the band at different fill levels and different stages of the process, what u have got is a nice big band to play with so u can try lots of fill amounts to find what works for you .. dont get disheartened, it may take a bit of time to get there but once u do the wait will have been worth it !

I have a 14 ml band and am 7 fill so far almost full restriction now, i did go to 8 but had to have some removed as it was just too tight

same here

Dont be so hard on yourself, everyone goes through whats called 'bandster hell', but also u may not feel much difference with the first fill, so u need to get ready to exert some more willpower and start as u mean to carry on. U can eat a lot of food on around 1200 calories a day as long as you choose wisely. Make sure u are exercising and burning the calories to create a deficit. Its hard work but look how good you feel already losing the weight you have, use that feeling to help motivate you further:) Good luck !

The time post surgery where u have to drink liquids is to help heal and let the band settle in, eating so soon after surgery isnt such a great idea. Gas pain in the shoulder can be very painful, just make sure you are drinking the amount you should and to try walking to help shift it. Eating before you should will also cause more gas to accumulate so please do try and follow the guidelines you were given you will benefit in the long term

I am not a great lover of fitness dvd's but leslie's ones are great, ive never been a fast walker and i do find she walks a little fast for me but i just keep going and i enjoy it ! She has been doing these walking dvd's for a long time now and is still very popular which shows how good they are

I find it quite sad that you have to pay so much for a fill, it must make the decision to get one done so difficult, in the uk the equivalent of a self pay fill at the hospital i am is £80 maybe $150 equivalent, any chance u can find a new fill doctor ? I think getting a partner to work out with will help the motivation too, so good luck with that. I would be wary of OJ it has a lot of fructose in it and ofc calories, maybe water it down some or actually eat an orange so u get some bulk and therefore fill u up a little .. Just dont give up on yourself, you thought u were worth investing money in to pay for the band, so dont make it that u paid all that money out for it not to work. Find food that will fill u up without adding empty calories or that passes through too quick. As u are a teacher set yourself some homework to do call it 'Project me' and become your own expert at what u can and cant eat to lose weight and what exercise u need to do to create a defecit in calories each day. Good luck to you and i hope u can get to do the next fill u need !