Parvathi

Like Anwyn, I weigh every morning and occassionally at night... When I've done the challenges on here that required measure weekly, I did that. Otherwise I don't measure myself very often at all.

Welcome to LBT, smiles. Jump on in and make yourself at home

Not a stupid question at all. Prebanding, I ate until I hurt. Now I can't do that, so it took me a long time to figure out when I was full as well. I stop when I feel satisfied. Usually, for me, its when I look at the bowl/plate and realize I can't be bothered chewing anymore. I know that doesn't help you much though. I've noticed I feel fuller quicker though, when I eat my hard Protein first. Are you doing that?

Welcome to LBT and congratulations on the decision to have the surgery. Its definitely improved my life :thankyou: For me, there was not a physical exam with the surgeon, but I'm assuming all surgeons are different. About the bra thing, two of my incisions were under/around where my bra line is. As such, it probably wouldn't be a great idea, but of course, you can always ask - no harm in that I was driving 3 days after surgery, but avoiding all bumps cause gosh they hurt lol. Good luck with it all!

There's a lady on one of the Australian sites I visit that was banded in 96 .. but she's on her 3rd band at the moment. I'm guessing way back then it was more experimental than it is now, so that makes sense...

Hahaha .. yea those bug me too. Size 10 (especially in Australian sizes, seems like a real pipe dream at the moment. My favorite thing about all of those commercials though, is the teeny tiny print at the bottom that says "Results not typical", even if they're only saying they've lost 12 lbs. Its laughable.

I can send you a jar if you'd like? LOL. I love the stuff, but as others said, in very tiny amounts, like the tip edge of a butter knife, on toast with butter and then a slice of tasty cheese (bad me lol). The kids here eat vegemite sandwiches with either just vegemite, or vegemite and butter usually. My husband likes it on his bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches. But I think for the most part, its a toast thing... I've always enjoyed savoury foods more so than sweets, so making the transition from jam to Vegemite on toast when I moved here was quite easy for me.

Hey Julie - sorry to hear you've been having some issues with the band. At one point, I was experiencing the have a few bites then not be able to have anymore but still hungry thing. I started drinking a cup of hot tea right before eating. Seems it helps to loosen the band up .. or maybe its in my head lol. Either way, it helped for me. What kind of foods are you eating? What level of fill are you at and what size band?

I didn't get weighed on the day of surgery and I did slip up a bit on my preop diet, but I spoke w/ the nurse at the office regarding it. Call your doctor and discuss it with him, but try to get back on track as well. You can do this!! As mousecrazy said though, you're still going to be able to eat all those foods post banding, just in smaller amounts. The only thing I've had to give up is gnocci (due to doughy content) and I could even have that in very tiny amounts .. I just don't think its worth the work it requires lol... Good luck to you

I sooooooo hear ya on that!! Initially, a few of my colleagues thought I was taking the easy way out. But after watching me for the past 10 months, they'd be the first to admit that you have to work for it and stay on track. They see me come into the office every morning dripping sweat from the gym (I shower at the office LOL), they've seen me turn down the pizza they occassionally order at lunch and opt for tuna instead and they were ALL impressed when I didn't eat junk in Vegas two weeks ago (the whole office went with us). hehe .. the lot of them ended up sick from lack of healthy foods there - I made it through just fine w/ the salads and fruits I lived on *g*

I nearly talked myself out of the surgery as well ... I think subconsciously, because I was scared that it would be another "diet plan" I'd fail at. Maybe even because I felt secure in my fat. Ten months post banding though and I couldn't be happier that I made the decision. We all have our internal demons before this and if you weren't nervous, that would be cause for concern. Only you know if this is the right option for you, but I can honestly tell you that my quality of life has increased tremendously since being banded. I wish you luck with your decision and if you need to vent/ask questions/etc, we're all here

Congratulations liana!! Those are great achievements You're right about the bounce it puts in your step .. helps to keep you motivated as well. Preband, I'd run into people who would say, "wow you're looking great - lost weight?", when in fact, I'd gained, so I knew they were just being friendly lol and were probably talking about how big I'd gotten when I walked away. But now when people say it, I know they're being sincere and I can proudly say, "Yup, 90 pounds now" with a big ole grin on my face lol. Today I got told by a friend I hadn't seen since October, that I was "wasting away to nothing" .. a bit of an exaggeration on her part but made me feel good LOL.

That's absolutely fantastic, Kel!!! Congratulations, on the uni thing and the getting married thing hehe. Can you come analyze me when you get done cause my head is one big mess the past few days lol...

My doc said if I feel like I need to stay on soft or liquids, to do so. Usually I don't for the first few days, but when I feel the restriction kicking in, I switch to soft foods for a day or so to give it time to adjust...

LOL *hugs* .. mine has said some pretty vicious stuff in the past too. Not meaning anything by it of course, but they know how to tell the truth a bit too well at that age :/

That's so fantastic, Alexandra!! You must have felt brilliant - Congratulations! I'm sure your kids will remember it for years to come

While I think I have pretty good skin (for a smoker), I carried alot of extra weight in my stomach. I've got a scar right above my bikini line from kidney surgery when I was younger and my tummy has always overlapped that. Now that I'm losing a good deal of weight, its got those horrible wrinkles, especially in my few stretchmarks. Looks pretty nasty lol. My boobs have headed south too, but I'm a G cup, so I well and truly expected that. So this year, when/if I hit goal, I plan on having both a tummy tuck and a breast reduction. At parties, my breasts are currently the most photographed feature LOL, so I'm looking forward to when they're smaller and people take pics of my face *g*

I've told everyone that wil bother to listen LOL, but that's just me. I'm so happy for what the band has done for me, I reckon if it can help anyone else by telling, the more the merrier. There are several threads here though, about keeping it a secret. I think actually, if you do a search for 'secret' some will turn up. Good luck with it all

LOL I'll have to invest in one of those gravity chairs

I may have posted this before and if so, just assume its a rhetorical question LOL .. I'm slowly losing my mind. Just wondering if fills for anyone else, are fickle? I'm not complaining by any stretch of the imagination .. I just want to understand how a fill works. An example: Several times, when I've gotten a fill, I haven't noticed any extra restriction for 4-7 days. Yesterday however, I got a fill of 0.1cc and I feel it already. Again, not complaining, cause I definitely wanted to feel restriction. On the few occasions I've felt too tight though and gotten a small unfill, I've felt relief from that instantly. Is it all in my head lol .. or do others have weird fill experiences?

I'll be completely honest and say I haven't counted calories/fat once since being banded. That said, I do try to make smart decisions where food choices are concerned now days. When I notice I'm not losing, I re-evaulate what I've been eating over that week or so....

Celine, like Kathy said, there's something about you that I like While I'm still very much trying to actively lose weight, I think its great that you're at a place that you're comfortable in, for now. The band has helped you maintain and that is a huge accomplishment! Who knows, a year down the road you may feel like you want to lose more ... that's the great thing about the band - it'll still be there to help you. There are people here from all walks of life and in every faucet of the weight game. You're sure to find others here that share your feelings. In any event, welcome and I hope you stick around, cause we can always use more people who are as well spoken as you

I've been too tight a time or two and my weightloss definitely slowed/halted during those times... plus I was miserable til I had a slight unfill. After the unfill I generally started losing again.

LOL .. okay, does midweek or weekend work best for you ladies? Daytime or evening? I'm really easy - free anytime, as my parent's are visiting at the moment and they'll babysit when needed.

Thanks everyone! I'm walking on cloud nine today LOL. I was sure I would have gained during the holidays. Now if I can convince myself to get back to the gym after a month's hiatus, perhaps I can drop this last 8-13kgs a bit quicker hehe.