Beka

Totally normal- I was worried to for a while but by my third fill I realised what real restriction felt like. Hang in there chick - this is why they call it bandster hell )

Oh hun, it sucks that you feel this way! Totally agree with WASa give us all the low down and I am sure that if we all stick our heads together we can work something out. As they say 2 (or more) heads work better than one. Bex )

I do the same. I am not on a 'diet' as such - I wanted the band so I could get away from obsessing about diets. But while I am still a 'newbie' I have been watching my calories and try to keep it around 1000 - 1200. This also helps to tell me if I need more fill. Don't obsess about the weight loss it will come once you start getting your fills - just use the time till then to heal and experiment.

My dr's advice was liquid first day out and then before I left hospital thicker liquid like jelly, broth, yoghurt. Part of their advice said these are the guidelines go with how you feel. For one week after it was thick liquids, then mush, then start trying out more foods a bit at a time and if I felt I wasn't tolerating it then to take a step back. I do find it interesting that all drs seem to have differing opinions. So I would say that just talk to your dr - when I told my dr that by week 3 I was on normal solids again and felt fine he was okay with it (as someone else said people obviously heal at different rate) and he did say that most of the post op guidelines that were given are given as over precaution and shortening a step by one or two days even up to the week isn't go to do any major damage (just make sure you definately are ready), because if that was the case there would be a heap of banders out there with slipped bands and huge problems. Also he said depends on the band placed - I have the new AP band and that has less healing time and patients are usually allowed to move through the stages a bit quicker. If you are really concerned go and have a chat to your dr, you will probably find it more reassuring - and I am sure you will find you are definately not the first or the last )

Why is it that when people have been successful at something ie: losing weight with the band, they become the judge and jury of any person who is now coming up behind them. They seem to self proclaim themselves as 'better' than the 'others', in an elite group and in some instances more virtuous than the rest of us. What makes succeeding in weight loss the holy grail, and thus the people who achieve it more perfect, more intelligent and more entitled to an opinion? In my opinion it appears to have made people more obnoxious and self rightious,not to mention condescending. But as I have not yet attained the 'holy-weight-loss-I-am-without-fault-and-know-everything' badge my opinion probably doesn't count.:faint:

BMI is just one of the factors there were a lot of reasons this one came up (including the fact that we have people in NZ who could do this job) and because this family was coming in based on a sponsored immigration from the work place the restrictions are different again.

Whatever...I have had my rant and I am over it. I know what I meant and in the end it was to get something off my chest (see meaning of rant in dictionary). And hard to believe I know but my posts are not all about you. Had my say, made my sorrys, live and let live and all that.

What makes you think I was talking about you...I never mentioned who - I guess working with primary school children all day and not taking myself or others seriously I try and grasp for any shread of maturity in the rest of my life - maybe this site is not good place for that. PS: Before any more PM attacks about this comment I mean it all in good humor!!

What I first posted (and yes sometimes I do go around in circles) I was annoyed and pissy at a group of more experienced people (this is probably what I should have said rather than those that had lost all their weight - bit of a snap judgement) who thought it was their right (almost duty) to pull this piss out of newbies and treat us like we were misbehaved children who could be talked down to and sarcastically blown off - thus my reason for the 'superior' attitude. In reading back over my post I can see how it looked like I was attacking those who had lost weight but it was more (well suppose to be) a rant about those with experience who thought it was acceptable to treat those newer bandies like a joke. Many experienced people on this site you included have wonderful advice but there are some who would rather criticsim and judge and they were the ones I was pissed at. I am genuinely sorry for generlising and lumping all successful losers in together cause some of you rock. Next time I will use the filter between filter and fingers before I type.

I must say that this is the BEST post I have read in response to my original post. Everything you said made sense and there was no pissyness underneath (even if my post was posted with a pissy under tone). This post is the first one I have seen that has started to change how I view some of the more experienced ones and now can see where some of them are coming from. Then there are just some of the other replys that well.....maturity isn't that first word that springs to mind.

Must have missed the whole humor part in it - maybe it hiding from this 'newbie'. Each to their own I guess.

This one is the feedback,suggestion area. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f5/rants-raves-become-not-newbies-45404/ Hope I attached it right! Really all it was, was a thread that caught my eye on a pissy day - thus why I posted in the rants area as opposed to main boards.

Definately none taken I am one of those love to debate types and it takes a lot to offend me! And I thought the rants section was a great place to let off some of my red haired fire but I will be a little more cautious in future - esp cause I too am a self proclaimed sometimes obnoxious, self rightous and condescending one.

And by the was love your new signature!!

Chickie you always manage to make me laugh or want to scream in frustration and that's why I like having 'oldies' like you around

Wow never realised that me going off on a rant would be such a hit! Now let me clarify a few things - why I had my rant (rant meaning getting it off chest as feeling at point in time) started because of a thread about having the Rant Area being made off limit to 'newbies'. Yes that is what someone called the people who are new to banding or the site - thread pretty much said rants should be off limits to newbies because we are too 'sensitive' and couldn't handle it all - WT? So I just had to add my rants about 'oldies' in no way did I mean to cause offensive cause have had much great advice from 'oldies' - as I said it was just a rant and mood of time. So to the 'oldies' (as I affectionately call you) from a 'newbie' I am sorry if you took offense but thought thats what rants are all about - getting it out there and trust me after reading your responses I am definately a'newbie' who is not too sensitive.

And my last point!! NZ has FREE health care, which EVERYONE including immigrants are intitled to - and there have been many cases of this being abused by people from overseas. Bit hard to abuse the US health care where everyone has to have insurance don't they???

<p>By the way NZ doesn't hate fat people - have you not met any NZers Transformer - if you had you would realise we are probably one of the most easy going accepting cultures around (of course unless someone decides to bag our country!!)</p>

<p>I am a Kiwi girl and my husband actually contracts to the company which wanted to bring this guy and his wife to NZ and it pretty much came down to - they wanted to employ him (husband and wife both overweight) but NZ now has a new immigration guidelines and one of those is obesity. Why should we let people into our country based on their skills (which by the way there are people in NZ who are qualified to do this job but its cheaper for them to employ someone from overseas) when in the long run they could end up costing tax payers money!! We already have a rising obesity rate and the costs are estimated in the billions. NZ and the US run very differently (thank goodness!) I love our country and want to see more money in education and health not paying for overseas imports and their health issues, and if this woman really wanted to be here with her husband (who by the way got off his a and lost the weight) she would do something about it.</p>

If you don't like what the 'babies' are asking why not just ignore it. I must admit sometimes I find it hard to get around this site or can't quite figure out what is meant by a certain explanation and need clarification so maybe some of the questions I have asked are 'dumb' but if your child kept asking the same question would you call them dumb. Come on people what happened to a bit of compassion and understanding from the supposed 'older and wiser'.

I get pain when I am hungry and when I am full!! I find it rather helpful when trying to gauge my hunger - no pain no hunger

<p><p>That is the band that I have got. My surgeon stopped doing banding for a while because he hated the complications with the old band but since this one came out in September last year is has started banding again. Must say I love it!!! And the whole less complications thing.</p></p>

Hi ya all you kiwis Its been awhile since I have been on here and there looks like there is so much to catch up on. I am now 3 1/2 months out from surgery and I have had three fills and finally with the last couple I can really start to feel the restriction and finally my weight has started to shift. So how is everyone going? It would be great if there was some way to organise a kiwi catch up - to share experiences,advice etc. Hope everyone is well!! Bex

Today it will be one month since I was banded and I feel like a failure. 10 days post op I had dropped 5.6kgs (12lbs) and today my 'official' one month weigh in I am only 4.5kgs (9lbs) lighter. I keep reading these amazing posts about people losing so much weight in their first month and I feel like I am going to fail with the band as I did with every other bloody diet I have done. What is wrong with me?!?!?! I have been on solids (with drs blessing) since week three and I am not able to have my first fill till Oct 1 and right now I am too ashamed of doing so badly that I am contemplating not taking the appointment. He was disappointed in me for not losing on my pre-diet now what will he think?!

He he ever since I read this thread I have been 'investigating' and have now found I burp!! Isn't it amazing what our bodies tell us when we listen. I had one day where I just kept mindlessly eating andonce I focussed again I realised that I had burped for the past five minutes and I felt terrible. It pays to listen!!!