Cazzy

I would ask them to fit a different make band, there may be a fault with the batch of that band that your hospital use. I think i would give it one more try, it is so worth it in the end

Quite often the statistics these people quote are from the newspapers and magazines. Mostly they have no idea that there is a difference between a bypass and a lapband, i have recently read 2 articles in our national newspapers relating to a bypass operation and half way through the article they call it a lapband ! The press never report how many people have been helped or saved they just sensationalize those very few who encounter problems. Good Luck

Comments like your co-worker made are normally born out of jealousy and seeing other people fail is what motivates them to keep failing themselves. I just smile and walk away, you are walking away from negativity by changing your life, so dont join them there

I dont normally advocate for processed food but this soup was my saviour, it is really satisfying and taste nice, it is low carb and sugar, which i had to have while i was still diabetic, or i made my own soup with green veg and stick blended it till it was as smooth as a protien shake. Nutritional Values ..Heinz Weight Watchers Tomato soup Typical values Per 100g Per can Energy 110kJ 326kJ 26kcal 76kcal Protein 0.7g 2.0g Carbohydrate 4.6g 13.7g (of which sugars) (2.8g) (8.2g) Fat 0.5g 1.4g (of which saturates) (Trace) (0.1g) Fibre 0.3g 0.9g Sodium 0.2g 0.7g

Grats on your weight loss

I think your weight loss is great .. well done A large band normally has a capacity of 14 cc's so with a 6 cc fill u arent half way yet, for some that will be plenty for others they will need more, from now on the adjustment fills should start making a bigger difference, you may well find that 1 or 2 cc's more will start to really kick in, my last fill took me to 8cc's and i had to go yesterday and have 1 cc removed i could hardly eat or drink without it getting stuck, i probably wont need much more than a further .5 ccs. So from now on it will be more fine tuning than 'big' fills. Try not to see what u can 'get away' with eating, and if you are quite hungry u do tend to eat more quickly or chew less, old habits die hard so find a small snack low carb/low calorie, high protien for when the hunger gets to you, and eat from a smaller plate. I am sure most of us hate feeling hungry, but lets be honest not one of us is starving, it tooks years to train our brains into thinking we need all this food and will take some time for them to adjust to feeling full with smaller portions. good luck !

It might be a good idea to have a word with your GP and ask for a referral to someone who you could discuss things with like a psychologist etc, also writing your thoughts down often helps , like making a list of all the pro's and con's for surgery. I really do hope you can get the help you need to get your mental state in a better place where u can then concentrate on the physical one

Throwing up a lot isnt really good for you or the band, but i do understand why u are reluctant to let them unfill you too, maybe ask for just .5 mls to be taken out that way u should get some relief from throwing up but also keep some restriction, sometimes even the smallest of fills can make a big difference I cant help u on the chest pain front as i have never experienced any, but u do need to discuss that with your surgeon. good luck !

Hi Stephen, you have to decide if you want to carry on living like you are and just gaining weight each year or take the opportunity to change the rest of your life. I buried my head in the sand for far too long, i avoided mirrors and photographs, avoided going out so i was never really confronted with my weight until i woke up one day and decided i dont want to live like this any more, i chose to claim my life back. I am sure you will meet the criteria for NHS weight loss surgery, i am not sure they will agree to use the band, i had to pay for mine as they wanted to do a bypass/sleeve and i didnt want that. Having the band fitted was probably one of the best decisions i had made in my life for many many years, and 10 months on i have absolutely no regrets. It will take a lot of effort on your part to get rid of the weight that has took so long to accumulate, but coming back on the forum and accepting that you will need help/surgery is the first step towards a better and healthier life for yourself. I came to the conclusion that gaining weight every year and becoming more immobile and useless was far more scary than a short operation. The more you delay it the longer the road is u will need to travel. I really wish you well and hope you choose to live instead of just exisiting!

I always have this method of a fill so its not new to me at all but im in the UK and its probably more standard here to do it this way than the US

I didnt get my first fill for 6 weeks either. Uk here.

Prunes are very good, either the juice or stewed or just the soft prunes, start slowly tho u dont want any accidents !

From my perspective having the lap band was the best thing i did for myself, i found the surgery relatively easy to be honest, i really wasnt in much pain at all, a little discomfort with some gas in the shoulder but that soon went, the liquid and mushy stage post op was not easy, but to me, having time frames really helps get through the boredom. I had 4 weeks liquid then 4 weeks mushy first band fill after 6 weeks, i took this as a challenge and made my own Soups, did not eat anything starchy or carby, and i got through it. Now I eat around 1000 calories a day mainly good lean protien and green veg, plenty of fish,chicken and salmon ( i adore smoked salmon ), plain low fat yoghurt with bran added and a spoon of maple syrup or sugar free Jello with some berries added. I actually have really good quality healthy food and i rarely ever get hungry. I drink coffee and tea with skimmed milk and dont really restrict these at all. The band doesnt impact my life as much as i thought it would, protien and a some veg is a staple diet in the UK so not sure how much it will impact you if the food choices are a little harder if you go out or celebrations etc. When i have been out for a meal i stick to a Soup starter then have fish with either salad or veg. Exercise is essential for me to lose weight so i do cycling and strength training, the more u lose the more you can do The great benefits of losing this weight far outweigh any of the downsides like eating out etc, I make certain i have a sharp knife to cut food up small and if i cant resist my husbands food i take a teaspoon full, i was told if you do feel like cheating make it a small cheat. I rarely am sick/get food stuck as i just dont take chances, some food will bite you back on one day and not on another but the longer you have the band the more you will get to know what food to avoid and what to not take chances on. We are all different and everyones copes with things and deals with them differently, i have been banded 10 months and do not regret one single day of it, arming yourself with all the knowledge that you can before u make a decision and get banded is the best start you can give yourself. good luck !

great news well done

lots of loose skin

I wish you better and hope all goes well when u go back to the doctors.

I drink around 3 cups of coffee a day with no problems, i also use skimmed milk frothed up so i get my frothy coffee fix without the calories

good luck with the surgery, im sure all will go well and u can start looking forward to a leaner life

Congratulations , i hope to be joining you in onederland soon too

Thank you both , i have fought for every pound but its been so worth while i wish you both good luck on journey too !

I am also 57 yrs old and to be contemplating at 22 yrs old this surgery is a big deal. I used to play a lot of sport when i was your age and i did eat a very healthy diet, but life over took me and the sport and exercise became low priorities, then a heavy duty stress job and diabetes boom my weight exploded. If you can possibly do this on your own please do try to. I have had no problems with this band, am losing on average 3 lbs a week and it suits me really well, my diabetes is gone now and i am exercising like mad, but the biggest change was in my mind, eating what is considered a healthy diet is a mind set change having the band fitted can be the trigger that changes your way of thinking about food but it doesnt make the right choices for you, its just finding that trigger to get you in the right frame of mind to do it and then to stick to it. I cant give you any horror stories about the band as i havent got any if i had my time again would i at your age have the band, then i would honestly have to answer no i wouldnt, not unless it really was the last resort. I was also self pay so this was an investment for me for the later part of my life. The minute i used to tell myself i was on a diet, i was more hungry than ever, so dont look at what you need to do as a 'diet' just get fit and eat healthy and i am sure with your sporting activities things will change for you I wish you good luck and support is on the forum whatever your decision is.

I am almost there its my goal to reach 200lbs lost by christmas

It doesnt sound like u are eating too much of anything although i tend not to eat more than around 50 carbs a day as this does affect sugar levels and i was very insulin resistant. What sort of yoghurt are you eating that contains 20 carbs, the ones i eat have 6-8 carbs I understand how difficult it is for you to be driving and at night, snacking keeps you awake and also helps the boredom, i would suggest maybe some sugar free sweets, carb free Snacks which are low in calories and some raw veggies and fruit etc( when u can eat them ), take plenty of Water with you and maybe even a flask with some skimmed milk coffee ( if you are ok to drink it ), maybe even a low calorie Soup or a premade protien shake ( low carb/calorie) with you if you stop somewhere. If you eat from the roadside places temptation will always be with you and if you are hungry and smell cooking u will need more will power. I use an exercise bike which obviously isnt really practicable for you while driving i burn around 800 calories a day and my intake is around 1000. I also use dumbells and resistance bands which u can easily take with you and if u stop do some strength training, driving is a very sedate life and u need to move as much as you can. Put on your fave radio station and sing, i know u may think this sounds silly but singing along increases your general fitness with breathing etc Any carbs you do eat should be the 'good' carbs and give u other nutrients with a high fibre content, this then counteracts the amount of natural carbs in the food, stuff like white bread has empty carbs and if you want to lose weight, for me anyways, it just doesnt work. The longer you have your band the more you will get to know what works for you and what doesnt, i really hope you find the information you need and continue on your journey to losing the weight you need to

i have a small oesophagus so am used to choking sometimes, getting stuck with my band is really not the same feeling at all for me anyways. U arent fighting for breath and the pain/discomfort is much lower than when choking. Most episodes of being stuck i have been able to pin point why it happened, eating too fast, not chewing enough, the wrong food etc, my best friend is a very sharp knife and i do take my time eating and cut up food into small pieces. Being stuck tho is for me not a 100% predictable, on a rare occasion a certain food would get stuck that i was able to eat the day before but these occasions are rare. So to answer your question, for me yes it is a choice as to what you eat and how you eat it , but sometimes / rarely food can bite you back and get stuck for no good reason. I know some people prefer to have a very restricted band, and some struggle more in the mornings, but if you master your techniques for eating and choices of food you can eventually live wthout the band thoughts dominating your day I would say that after 11 months being banded i have been stuck no more than 10-15 times in all and that to me is an acceptable level, most recently as the weight has been lost and i get more 'expert' at what i can eat then it happens only very rarely. The time for more caution is normally after a fill. I would not let the concern over being stuck prevent you from taking control of your weight and life with the help of a band

I also do a lot of lightweight / high rep training and exercise bike, i was very insulin resistant so had to eat first and then exercise after to help my sugar levels. I eat around 1000 calories a day and eat 50 grm protien fresh food and no processed food . It does work for me but we are all different. Keeping a food dairy of calories in and calories burned is one way of seeing where u may be having problems, others on here use the fitness pal site. Sometimes its just a case of trial and error. I have been lucky and found a formula/mix of exercise and food that is working for me but if it stops before my goal i will try something different. Some people can eat just small portions of 'normal' food and like me some can't , u mention u are 'watching' what u eat but u dont say what u are eating so maybe the clues are there. I do feel for you it must be very disappointing to not get the weight loss u want. Just keep at it and maybe wipe the slate clean and start over doing something different food wise and exercise wise, i know sometimes our bodies need a good shock to get them to do what we want them to. I hope you find a solution