Band2Sleever

Hi @@Alex Brecher I'm in the UK. I'd like to be a US 4 (which is UK8). Particularly for jeans size! Thanks

Thank you all for your kind comments... @@Teachamy @@cherbear33 @@Sassy Pants1 @@Unbesleeveable @@dfwtxmissy

I knew obesity has ruined my life when... 1. I realised that I had spent more years of my life on a diet, than not on one. Through my teens, mostly winning, up a bit, back down and maintain for a bit. In my twenties, up a bit, down a bit, then up a bit but always with extra pounds and up and up up to obesity. Then banded and 10 years of divine control. 2. When I realised that I'd never had the feeling you're supposed to get when you're older. You know, the one promised to you when you're an insecure body-conscious teenager, they said "don't worry, you'll feel comfortable and confident with your body as you get older". Nope! Felt worse 3. The constant feeling of "abnormalness" running in the background of my mind, like a particularly bad soundtrack to my everyday life. The the sense of abnormalness coming from not being able to maintain a normal weight (when most of my family and friends can). 4. The yo-yoing (or more like yo-yo-yo-yo-yo-yoing) of my weight and the sheer embarrassment of dealing with people's comments again and again and again, depending on how often they've seen me and what state I was in previously. Comments like "Oh you look well" (also know as "you've lost weight"). Or "Your hair looks lovely" (whilst staring transfixed at my expanding bum and thighs, so clearly thinking something else). Or, the direct approach "You've lost weight. Are you on a fitness kick at the moment?" (arrrrghh, it's not intended to be a transient health kick, I'm trying to keep my weight under control for my whole life so that I can see my children when they're grow up). All the usual ones about food "No cake for Betty. She's on a diet" , and "have some more, don't you like it?" (When I've said no thanks and it's nothing to do with their cooking. Only the family-feeders do thus!). Or, worse, just not saying anything at all, but looking you up and down in that very subtle but noticeable way. 5. Avoiding major family events because I was ashamed of what I looked like. 6. Avoiding photos. Full-length. Half-length. Face-only. Any and all photos. I developed an "avoid or destroy" strategy. Either make sure I'm not in the photo, or if someone's got photos thee check them all and ruthlessly throw away the fat ones (so that would be must of them on my teens and twenties then 100% in my thirties), and in the past even go through the negatives and destroy those as well. Clearly this is impossible to do now we're in the land of the digital camera. Bad photos are forever! 7. Avoiding going swimming with friends and then later my children. I feel deeply ashamed about choosing not to do things my children would have enjoyed. 8. Being grumpy everyday with my family and friends because I am obese, but never being able to confide in them the reason I feel so bad. That deep sense of shame that comes from knowing the reason that I am obese is quite simply that I eat too much. Too much Breakfast, too much lunch, too much dinner, too many Snacks. Too many pieces of cake, too many chips. The visible embodiment of having no self control (although, once I had a band I discovered this was not in fact correct, and I had great self control, monitoring everything I ate and reaching and MAINTAINING a normal BMI). 9. Not carrying on with sports that I loved as a teenager because I felt too fat to join in when older. Not running (most of the time) because my thighs shake and shudder . I did run periodically on my "losing weight" phases, but always felt as if people were staring (they were, as I thundered my way past) and in sure sometimes commenting. Telling myself to just keep going and ignore them, but inside silently crying at the woeful results from my latest diet and fitness regime. 10. Feeling totally mentally exhausted from thinking about food ALL the time (and this being much worse whilst on a diet, which was 90% of the time). Waking up worrying about weighing myself and what I can eat today. Going to bed worrying about what I weigh and what I've eaten, and it's too much, and it will never go away, and I have no self control, and the endless cycle of yo-yoing. And , that horrible sense of futility that creeps in when you've lost some weight, and mentally decide that "THIS time it's going to be different. I'm going to keep up the healthy eating and keep this weight off once and for all", but the the creeping realisation of failure once again as the weight creeps back up. 10. The small things ... chafing (chafing thighs in bare legs, chafing in jeans, chafing thighs in stockings, chafing thighs in summer, chafing thighs in bed), crying about wearing a swimming costume in public, never wearing a bikini, never wearing sexy underwear (choosing to camouflage and disappear things instead)m This is not intended to be a pity party. I just wanted to vent on my journey through obesity, and out the other side (with the band), and back into obesity again whist I wait for a SARS for my sleeve. Roll on the sleeve. Roll on the better half of my life. Good luck to everyone on here who is making the journey,

What does anyone think about a '"Ban The Band" campaign? Would anyone start this? @lapnicky mentioned it on another thread Purpose of the campaign: - 1) get the band withdrawn from the market to prevent other people being harmed unnecessarily - 2) get compensation paid to people who've been harmed by the band (so they can pay for necessary treatment to have it removed and treatment if any other harms that have happened to them) Read this : http://www.weightlosssurgery.ca/why-is-adjustable-gastric-band-surgery-no-longer-offered/ Weight loss surgery centre in Canada say: "We no longer offer adjustable gastric banding as a bariatric surgery option because we see too many patients referred to us from all over Canada, in addition to those in our own practice, in whom the gastric band failed to achieve the desired results or produced life threatening complications 5-10 years after the surgery."

Sorry, see your doctor is the best advice here, surely?

Incredible progress! @@sissy13 Well done and thank you for sharing. It's really inspiring. I don't have photos like that because... I became a total professional at hiding from the camera and wore black cover-up clothes all the time . For several years there are almost no photos of me , or I'm deliberately standing behind someone, it sitting down blending with the chair!

Wow 181 pounds loss is truly amazing progress! @@Mrs Havelock You're standing taller and your smile is different in the after photo

Great question . Have a read of the "veterans'" forum too.

Lol! You sound like you've done a great job What's your weight & height?

Hi @@HealthyNewMe Your "apple test" is reall y interesting idea. I will definitely try that. And I think I'm more with you in saying to myself "you don't have to eat the cake/chocolate/icecream now. It will still be there tomorrow. You can eat some tomorrow if you want to"... and often, as you say too, when it comes to tomorrow the desire for it is not the same intensity. I wish I could say the desire has completely gone the next day, but unfortunately it's not quite like that.

Hi @@Cait12 I saw your status update about being 199pounds (yay!) and then being 210pounds... I just wanted to say DON'T GIVE UP . You are doing great, keep going. In short time periods (like a day or two) listen to your body, not the scales. Sure if it keeps going up over weeks or months that's different . Good luck. Stay strong

Well done @@Kindle, what amazing progress in 3 months! Keep up the good work. It must be so frustrating to have C. diff diarrhoea. Keep strong. I'm sending you vest wishes for as speedy a recovery as possible. Good to ficus on that right now, rather than the scale... that can wait!

Get some medical advice from your surgeon urgently. Look after yourself. Vomiting liquids does not sound normal. Put your mind at rest and make the. Call your surgeon as soon as possible.

I would love to read this, but can't read the font! Anyone else have that problem, or is it just me?

Keep going @@CurvyCakes I'm preop too... my date is May! I am converting to sleeve after failed gastric band. I scared of yet another surgery, but just want to get it done. I had a band for 10 years. It took me time at the beginning to get down to a normal BMI... then it was great and I was maintaining (albeit with a lot of hard work!). Then the band failed mechanically, and I had to have it removed, and put the weight back on til obese BMI again and now I'm preop for gastric sleeve.

Great progress. You are doing amazingly Keep going! @@acampbell1318 Losing 40pounds in 11 weeks sounds fast to me! That's 3.5 pounds a week ... it would be almost impossible to lose that much on a "normal" diet without surgery. And, it probably took way more than 11 weeks to put this much weight on... sp me kind to yourself and patient as it takes time I had a band for 10 years. It took me time at the beginning to get down to a normal BMI... then it was great and I was maintaining (albeit with a lot of hard work!). Then the band failed mechanically, and I had to have it removed, and put the weight back on til obese BMI again and now I'm preop for gastric sleeve. Scared, but want to get it done.

@@Mrs.RRn what did the positive supportive responses say? Can you post them as they may be motivating and helpful for others on here. Keep going... brush off the negative/weird/spiteful/jealous comments... I'm guessing that the people who post them can't help it as they don't understand what it is like to be obese, or what it is like to do the hard work after surgery. Thanks

I agree, scary stuff indeed @@Madam Reverie "Its almost like its the same beast which beat me up daily before the surgery" ... THAT scares me. What if I have the surgery, and a few months or years out the hunger comes back and the weight creeps back on? I'm having the sleeve in May - it's a conversion from band, which had to be removed, and I've regained to obese BMI again

Amazing progress @@Nell65 Well done!

Good luck @@Leena I hope everything goes well for you. And, good luck with any decision in what to do next. I had my band removed, and really missed it. Despite my best efforts I really struggled and gained weight back to obese. Now I'm preop for conversion to gastric sleeve... scared, but want to move on with my life.

Wow! @@Stephannie you look incredible Can you post your start weight, how much you've lost, height and how far out you are? How are you finding hunger levels now? I am preop (conversion from band to sleeve) and worried about all kinds of things including... what if I have the surgery and then 3-5 years out the hunger returns and I can eat more and I regain all the weight again?

Wow! Incredible progress @imeldasy Do you mind me asking your start weight and how much you've lost? Thanls

Wow! Incredible progress @imeldasy Do you mind me asking your start weight and how much you've lost? Thanls

Don't give up @@parisshel I had a band for 10 years and got to "normal" BMU and maintained it. Yay then the band failed mechanically and I had to have two surgeries to remove it. After that, I have had no band for 1.5 years... it has been hellish. I have put on all the weight again and I'm back to obese BMI I am now preop going through assessments for gastric sleeve in May. I am very very nervous... bit so ready for this!

Wow... incredible photo @@sassypants Amazing progress Are you at maintenance and how are you finding hunger levels?