susannah

Hi Agoody, Welcome to LBT. I am not male or of African American descent, actually I am female of Hungarian Jewish descent and born in Australia.:girl_hug: I understand that coming from an African American background and being a male you would have your own unique life experience. Having said that there are lots of people here that would like to give you support and advice. Keep in mind that most people who are banded are women too. All the best. Susannah

Hi Bronnie, If you go back several pages in this thread you will see that I had been having stomach aches from maybe drinking or eating too fast. It really is all trial and error. Also I found that your band behaves differently from one day to the next, and from one meal to the next. You may be able to eat a full cup of food at one meal, but only a half a cup at the next meal. It is like an intricate dance that you have to do with the band. I have now found that I approach every meal with care and caution, ie eat slowly and really listen to what my stomach is tealling me, and not letting myself get to that point where my tummy starts aching, which may mean you have eaten too much. I have only 1ml in my band. Maybe because you have 2ml it is tighter for you. My surgeon fills the band up slowly. Speaking of my surgeon I am going back to see him on Wednesday.:mad: Please no port revision!:girl_hug: Susannah

Hi All, Hi Bubble butt. That was a very comprehensive response!:biggrin1: Christie lives in Australia, so the it is a little bit different here. You are covered if anything goes wrong with the band if you have private insurance. You are covered for revisional surgery and replacement etc, once you have paid your $3500 out of pocket fee. As for the band The AP band has been available in Australia for a while now and alot of surgeons are now switching over to it. Australia and Europe have been performing banding surgery since the early nineties. Susannah

Hey, I love South Park. All these moaners were complaining about how SP lampooned Steve Irwin with a stingray barb hanging out of his chest. Who Cares?! Any celebrity is fair game in my eyes. Susannah

Hey, I love strudel, both apple and cherry, and kugelhopf. My Hungarian grandmother would take me to all the different cake shops as a child and we would devour some really delicious cakes. I think cakes are a real comfort food for me as they are also tied up in the memory of my wonderful bubbe. Susannah

Hi Christie, I just wanted to welcome you to our little family here on the Australian section of LBT. Why dont you join us on the Melbourne chat thread. I wish you lots of luck on your banding journey. Susannah

Hi All, Meredith your latest pic is fantastic.:clap2: It is hard work but we will all get there. I think I will be happy when I get to goal, but my happiness will be tempered because I have been through years of trauma and abuse at the hands of others as an obese person. I think that has left me with emotional scars and insecurities that I will have to live with always. Some people have not given me the time of day, and many have been outrightly hostile. Many have been beautiful though and stood by my side all the while. I would take a bullet for those people. I have got a really long memory, and those that have abused me will not get the time of day from me ever. I don't mean to sound morose, but I feel very scarred and weary from this battle. Better times ahead. Susannah

Hey Meredith, Wow! You look terrific. All the blood, sweat and tears at the gym are really paying off. When I get under a 100 kgs I reckon I will post my full length pic also. Susannah

Hi Everybody, Quick question. Can you eat sultanas with the band? I like to get the little boxes and put some in my yoghurt. Not sure if they would swell once inside the little tum tum though. :) Thinking about my mini goal today I thought I will celebrate big time once I hit the 99kg mark. It will be ace to be under 100 kgs. Haven't been there since I can't remember. Susannah

Hey Meredith, Will your mum have the same surgeon as you did? How is your dad going with it all? How much has he lost? Susannah

Hi Karen, I have never experienced vertigo as part of my disease course.It must be horrible for you.:mad: I wonder where exactly in the brain the lesions must be located to cause the vertigo type symptoms? You are amazing mate. Next time I have a little pity party for myself, I will remember that others are doing it much harder than myself. Keep storming the trenches digger!:biggrin1: Susannah

Hey Meredith, 4 kilos!:biggrin1: :clap2: That is ace mate! Don't ya just love it! You eat a little bit of choccie and you still lose. That is wicked. Belinda, I have heard that there is quite a considerable wait to be banded on the public waiting list at most of the hospitals. I would say at least 18 months to two years. Is there any way you could go private? Check it out anyway. Loretta are you out there? Hope you are well. I am doing well, I just keep on keeping on.:mad: Susannah

Hi Bronnie, Do you see your surgeon already? I didn't see mine until 5 weeks post op. He does not fill before that point. I am going to see him again next week, and I am looking down the barrel of a possible port revision already! :) Will know by next week what the go is. Meanwhile Bronnie all your aches and pains are normal as Meredith said. You must be looking forward to the mushies and solid stages also. Enjoy your game of tennis. You are doing really well. Good on you B!:clap2: Susannah

Hi Dionne, How are you? One thing I have found that really speeds up your weight loss is the dreaded exercise. It really does. I know it is hard and unpleasant at first, but as you get fitter it gets a little easier each time, and you feel a real sense of accomplishment for doing it and sticking with it. As for my picture I know That I was not blessed with looks, but I was blessed with having a big and kind heart. Your diet sounds good. The only thing I would get rid of is the up and go. It has a lot of sugar in it. Good on ya D.!!!!:clap2: Susannah

Gday Dr C, You should go to www.youtube.com and check out all the anti band/pro mini gastric bypass videos produced by a Dr Rutledge. He is really down on the band. Just put ''mini gastric bypass'' into the search feature there. Susannah

Hi All, Blyth you will be a bandster before you know it! I thought I had better post something educational for once seeing as I usually just muck around and post fluff!:biggrin1: Benefits of exercise Physical *Reduced body fat *Faster metabolism *Stronger immunity and resistance to disease *Greater proportion of body defining muscle *Shapelier figure (women); more chiseled physique (Men) *Improved appearance *Easier to maintain weight loss *Increased strength and endurance *More energy *Better flexibility and mobility *Protection against bone loss and osteoporosis * Greater cardiovascular fitness *Reduced risk of diabetes *Reduced risk of developing some cancers *Less desire to smoke,use alcohol,or overeat *Improved sex life *Slowing down of the aging process Benefits of exercise Psychological *Sharper mental alertness and concentration *Relief of tension, stress, and anxiety *Brighter mood, less depression *Improved body image *Greater self esteem *Improved self confidence *Stronger sense of self discipline I thought it would be good to remind myself why exercise is so important in my life. The main points for me are that exercise will help to keep further disease out of my body, and it will slow down the aging process. FYI the source of this information is the Dr Phil ultimate weight loss solution book. Susannah

Hey Blyth, Mate I love Glicks!:frog: But my love affair has had to come to an end. There is a new glicks in elsternwick. I also Love the Aviv cake shop in Elsternwick. Not any more though. They were my crack houses!:biggrin1: I used to love fruit challah, but it is so doughy that there aint no way it will go through the band.:eek: Only my mum's family are Jewish and we are those shock horror progressive Jews!:Banane30: :der: My rabbi drives on shabbat. My cousins are more orthodox Jews, and they would not set foot in a reform shule. Each to their own, Coz its all gravy baby. How are things going for you Blyth? Susannah

Hey Paul, I have been giving this some thought. I think you really need to have the fill doc situation organized before you commit to surgery in Mexico. I read all the time here about doctors refusing to fill patients that were banded by another surgeon. That happens both in the US and Australia. Sure it may be cheaper in the short term to be banded in Mexico, but if you can't get fills and aftercare it is going to be so hard. Fills and aftercare are vital to the longterm success of weight loss with the band. I think it would be important to think this through carefully before you set off to Mexico. Susannah

Hi Tara, I will try to come to the get together on April 1st. It would be nice to meet other bandits.:biggrin1: Are you guys not looking forward to being surrounded by chocolate at easter time?:eek: :Banane30: Jews are not allowed to eat chametz ( Bread) over passover. Mate that is fine with me coz I can't eat bread anyway! LOL:biggrin1: Susannah

Hey Paul, Gotcha!:Banane30: I wish you lots of luck on your trip to Mexico to be banded. Is the cost of banding too high in the land of the long white cloud also?:eek: If you have private health insurance you only have to pay $3,500 dollars out of pocket here in Australia, and that covers lifetime fills and maintenance ie revision surgery etc. Susannah

Hey Meredith, Can you cook fish on th GF grill without oil etc? I might just get one myself.I could really use some inspiration re recipes etc. Sorry I am not much help. Susannah

Hi, Good question Jacqui. My father is not overweight, my mother has the tendency in that direction but she keeps it in check and would weigh about 70kgs. My siblings are not really obese but they could head in that direction, but they all keep it in check. I was the one to let myself go.:eek: I so wish that I hadn't now. I am ashamed that I got as heavy as I did.:Banane30: Oh well, at least I am working towards getting it off now. Susannah

Gday, Why are you going to Mexico if you live in New Zealand? Would it be better if you have to travel to come to Australia to be banded? There are many Docs here that fill. Susannah

Hey Meredith, Did your sister ever think about getting banded? With you and your dad being banded, your sister could make it a family trifecta!:biggrin1: Susannah

Hi All, Last night I watched The Biggest Loser and one of the contestants lost 9 kgs in one week.:eek: I have lost that in six weeks. Sorry but losing 9 kgs in a week can't be good for you. It is far too much. They have to train for 6 hours a day. No wonder a lot of them have had injuries. That is just excessive. I also think that it is irresponsible to promote that amount of weight loss in a week as healthy. I know it is only for the show, but people watching it may think that is what is required to lose weight.:welldoneclap: This is a lifetime process, and it has to be done in a way that it promotes health and teaches lifetime good habits. Meredith your beloved Big Brother should be back on our screens soon!:biggrin1: Saw the ad for it last night. Susannah