Fanny Adams

I think a big part of the problem here is in people's understanding of the word "salad". As I said from the beginning, if your definition of "salad" means "lettuce with ranch dressing" then yes, the doctor has a point. However, that is NOT the definition of "salad" that everyone uses. For most people outside the US, and I would have thought many inside the US too, "salad" includes a range of healthy vegetables that should be very much a part of a bandsters diet. The whole obsession with Protein and "protein first" is very much a US thing too. Australian doctors were pioneers in lapband surgery and the practice has been common here for many more years than in the US, yet I have not heard of any Aussies who have had this protein idea pushed by their doctor. The emphasis here by the greater majority of the medical community is on a healthy balanced diet of lean meats, fresh vegetables and fruit and unprocessed grains, low in fat and sugars...IN ANY ORDER. You know, that basic "sensible eating diet" that we've always been told we should be following but were never able to stick to until we had the help from our band.

Well that was so exciting!! As expected, there's no way I can get everything done at once, so I have to prioritise and work out how I want to tackle it. Most likely plan is that I'll do the torso lift and boobs first as the major op and then go back in another year or two for the arms and neck, if I'm still keen to do those. The doc says the torso lift will be a tricky one, because of the scar from the kidney operation. The scar from the tubal surgery won't be a problem because that is in the part that's going to get cut out anyway, so it will just be replaced by the new 360 deg cut. The tricky bit with the kidney is that the surgeon doesn't go that far up when he cuts, so I will end up with two scars afterwards - the old and the new. However, what he can do is to go under the skin and "release" the part of the old scar that has adhered to the ribs & muscle, creating a big fold. (Imagine a button in a thick fluffy couch/lounge chair being cut and releasing the pucker.) He says the results from that should be very pleasing. He also said that the torso lift would give great results - apparently my bum and mons area are in good shape and won't need extra work - the lift will give them all they need. I lose the scar from the tubal surgery and all that horrible stretch-mark riddled flab above it. I will have another vertical incision in front, though, to pull in my waist. For the boobs, he's going to do a lift with the classic anchor cut. He doesn't want to put in implants at the same time but said I could come back in a few years if I really want them. He thought that there was enough tissue left to leave me with a good full D cup, after he's removed all the excess skin and lifted them up (about six inches!) That should help to tuck in the flabby armpits quite a bit too. I dunno - I'll feel really weird being only a D cup after all these years of having huge norks. Even when I was young and really slim I was a DD to E. I'd really like to stay at least an E now. Still... we'll see how that goes... The bright side is that he said because he won't be removing any breast tissue at all and the nipple remains attached, just repositioned, I shouldn't lose any sensation in them - YAY!

Just thought I'd give a link in case anyone was interested in following this part of my journey... Fanny moves to Phase Two

Wow... I can hardly believe I've made it this far. Tomorrow is my first appointment with the Plastic Surgeon, where I get to ask about possibilities and pathways. I'm nowhere near goal yet, but I can see it in the distance and believe that will get there one day, and I want to start planning for it now. I still have well over 15kg to lose but I'm on a roll at the moment and feeling confident that it will happen. The boob job is a given - I've lost so much weight off my chest that the girls haven't just gone south, they've migrated to Antarctica. They'll need the full reconstruction treatment - lifted back up and filled out again. Of all the weight I've lost, the only bit of it I miss are my boobs :mad2:. After having G-H cups, I'm now down to an E cup, but that's all just skin. Basically, I have to roll the girls up and tuck them into the E cup, but there's not much actual boob inside them. I don't want to do just the basic tummy tuck either. I have 2 very large scars from previous surgeries and these both need removing/disguising. One is 10" long and is the common full line across the base of the pelvis, above the pubic line, which accentuates the flabby pannus that folds over it. That was from a surgery in the 80's where I tried (unsuccessfully :tt2:) to have both fallopian tubes repaired after using an IUD. The other is from a major kidney operation that I had in 71, to repair trauma damage after being run over as a child (I was 9 at the time). This runs 12 inches from a point about 6" to the right of my belly button, just above my right hip bone, up and around my side to the centre of my spine about 4" higher at the back. It is in just the right place to "help" the back fat and loose skin fold over into a really nasty roll. I'm hoping that the surgeon can somehow remove this or incorporate the old scar into the new one so that the foldover effect isn't as apparent. As a result, I think I'll need the full lower body lift, probably with some modifications to work around the old scarring. I'd love to get my upper arms done as well, but not sure if the doc will do all of this in one go and I will only get one bite at this cherry, so I am going to try to push for it. Lastly, and probably one of those "love to have" things but not one of those "MUST HAVE" things would be to get the slightest little tightening done on my neck. I don't have wrinkles around my eyes or lines around my mouth but the triple-chin has been traded in for the turkey neck and I DON'T like it! :wink: When I pull the skin back, it only takes a tiny tug to make an enormous difference - how hard can it be to add that into the Grand Plan? I'm so excited, I don't think I'll sleep at all tonight. I just don't know what can and can't be done to work with the problems I have, but after all this time, I'm at least going to be able to find out!! Wish me luck, folk! :smile:

Hmmm... My understanding is that the purpose of the Optifast diet is to reduce the size of your liver, to make the surgery easier. If you've been told you have a fatty liver, I think you should check back with your doctor about the advisability of doing it for at least a week or two before the surgery. Even if the doctor says you don't have to do it, it can't hurt and it does give a good kick start to your weightloss. Also, the pre-op time is usually the one time when you can stay really motivated to diet. There have been cases where the doc has gone in and had to back out again without putting in the band, because the liver is too big for him/her to safely get around.

I try to eat so that I'm not hungry all day long. I know that I don't have much willpower (hence the need for the band!), so if I've let myself be hungry all day, I will overeat and/or make bad choices at night. If I eat a good breakfast and lunch, so that I'm NOT fighting hunger all day, I find I can make much better choices at each meal and can resist the urge to snack again at night. My typical day's meals are: * Breakfast: 1 poached egg, 100g baked beans, 50-100g tinned mushrooms in butter sauce (total 185 calories, note - I thought the "butter sauce" would mean the mushrooms were way high in calories and fat, but it turns out they don't really use a lot of real butter and they are VERY low - YAY!) * Lunch: As many salad veges as I can fit in (cucumber, celery, carrots, sweet peppers, beetroot, pineapple pieces, etc), usually at least a cup, and a slice of very lean ham and low fat cheese (around 300-400 cal, depending on how much cheese I add). * Dinner: Whatever's on the menu, serving on a small sandwich plate, no piling up allowed (300-400 cal) * Late night snack: Low calorie dessert treat of some type, eg stewed apples or berries with custard (215 - 415, to a max total of 1200 for day).

Hi everyone, I was banded in December 07 by Dr Watson at St John of God. I've lost 42 kg so far, although I stalled for about 6 months after a minor operation last October and have only really started to lose again in the last 6 weeks. I'm still really happy with my progress though - I have a way to go but I can believe that I will get to goal one day. Leashie: The fourth fill for me was the first one where I started to feel any restriction at all and it wasn't until the 5th that I really knew what the band was all about. Hang in there and it will happen. I still don't have my band very tight. I have 6.5 in a 10cc band, but can usually manage a cup of food at a time, depending on what it is. Some foods are harder than others but I like being loose enough to eat just about anything if I'm careful. Do you track what you eat on something like Fitday.com or the Colorie King? I like the Calorie King best as it has all the Australian brand names and measurements. Here's a link: CalorieKing.com.au Diet Diary - weight loss control. Record your calories - Food & Exercise Diary If you haven't done that, it's definitely worth a go. It can be quite eye-opening to have to account for every mouthful and see how it all adds up. Some things are surprising too - for example, I discovered that a yummy and filling Breakfast of a poached egg, 100g baked Beans (half a small tin) and 100g of mushrooms in butter sauce (half a small tin) was only 187 calories, whereas a small bowl of Special K with a cup of low fat milk was 233 calories!! Guess which one I eat now? Other things add up too - it doesn't take much of the "wrong" things to add a huge calorie load onto your day. On the other hand, you can eat most fresh vegetables by the bucket load and not rack up too many calories. After using this tracker for many months now, I have been able to adjust my eating habits so that I can still have reasonable quantities of food but not blow my daily "budget" of 1200 calories.

Good for you!! Lingerie is my biggest weakness. Like some women are into designer shoes, I've been known to blow small fortunes on lingerie. When I was fat, it was in an effort to compensate for the flaws and I really got into corsets and suspenders. Now that I've lost weight, I can get all the pretty bra and knicker sets again (AND more corsets and suspenders coz I just LOVE those!!). I've spent WAY too much on lingerie in the last couple of months. I did have a try at buying from Target because I was so excited to finally fit into their bra sizes, but I have to say, I don't like their quality. I ended up back at my favourite lingerie shop, Silk Elegance, last week and managed to spend $850 :wub: over 2 days there!! OMG, can you say addiction?? :scared2: I did get some seriously sexy outfits though and have to say that the boyfriend's reaction to them made it all worth it!

Well I'm wearing a pressure bandage, been given some neurofen and applying an ice pack on and off for the day, but she didn't say I couldn't walk home tonight!! (Mind you, I deliberately didn't ask coz I didn't want to remind her!). I think I'll take it easy and just walk, no jogging, tonight though.

Oh crap. Two nights of doing the first 1-2km in jogging/walking intervals and my knee has started twinging badly and I have to report it to the site nurse. We have to report even the smallest "medical" issues, else we get in big trouble and I've already been told off severely for not reporting a back problem for a few weeks because it didn't seem bad enough to warrant it. If the nurse tells me I can't do the walks home from site anymore, I'm going to cry coz I can just feel them doing me good! Wish me luck!

It the mound over the top of your pubic bone, where the pubic hair grows.

ROFL! Tell it like it is, Jachut!

Well folks, I've been on again and off again on this wagon for a while now, but I think this time it will be different. I was trying the C25K interval program for ages but seemed to get stuck in about week 4 and couldn't move past it, so my motivation dried up and I fell off the wagon. I tried again several times but was never able to work up to doing the full distance with jogging/walking intervals. Since then, I've started work with a personal trainer and I can really tell a difference in the fitness level. Also, I finally faced doing the distance a few weeks back. It just so happens that it is just over 5km from the mine site back to the camp and I have always wanted to walk/run it. The first time I tried (12 months ago), I was only a couple of months into the weight loss and walking regime and I ended up so sore and worn out that I couldn't face it again. This time, I decided to not even worry about the running part - just see if I was now fit enough to walk the distance. I was SO proud of myself when I found I could not only make it, but did it pretty easily!! I was a bit puffed and sweaty at the end but nothing like the miserable wretch who crawled into camp in agony the first time. Since then, I have walked the 5km home from site EVERY night! Walking briskly, I usually do it in about 55 minutes. Just last night though, I decided to bring back the running idea and did the first 1-2km in intervals with really brisk walking for the rest. I cut 10 mins off my time! My goal now is to gradually work up to doing intervals for the full distance and then finally to running it all.

Except for the lingering smell!! :grouphug:

You know, LoneStar, after reading your message on Beth's board, I don't think I've ever seen a clearer case of "when you point a finger there are three fingers pointing back at you". That message you wrote describes YOU to a T!

No, it isn't. In an article titled "Why You Shouldn't Eat Salad", his opening lines are: "Everyone thinks that salad is a healthy choice, but as a bandster, it is very important that you unlearn this. SALAD IS NOT A BAND-FRIENDLY CHOICE. In the first place, it violates the number one rule of Lap-Band eating: Protein First, since salad is served first. But here are a few other reasons to avoid it on a regular basis and tips for doing so." This is NOT good nutritional advice. It is only when you read further into the article that he acknowledges that "IF" you must eat salads (like "gee, if you really have to, but I recommend you don't!") go for darker green leafy veges and eat the tomatoes. Good nutritional advice would be recommending a range of salad veges to include in your diet and EAT REGULARLY, not making it sound like salad should be a rare indulgence if eaten at all.

More from the Outback Adventures of Fanny Adams I had to go up to the top of the Primary Crusher today, to do a walk-through on some of the Work Instructions I've been writing. This was my first time up there - which is the very top part of the mine site. The views were spectacular. My little camera phone doesn't begin to do them justice. * View from the top of the Primary Crusher: This shows a bit of the mine itself on the right, the Underground Project area in centre, the Processing Plant on the left and the ranges in the distance. Take note of that yellow walkway in the foreground * The Overland Conveyor: This shows the Conveyor that brings the ore from the Underground up to the Crusher and a bit of the Plant. It also gives a good idea of the height of that yellow walkway * The walkway: Oh yes, I'm going to do it hehehe - walking out on this was SOOOOO cool!! * The Overland Conveyor seen from the end of the walkway: Unreal view from up here!! * The Processing Plant looking left - also with a bit of the tails dam showing: * Lastly - looking down into the Primary Crusher Bay area, where the guys are doing maintenance work on the crusher. The pic doesn't really show just how far down that is, especially when you're standing on an open grid mesh.

I hope it helps, Pashee - but just think. When was the last time that you went over a year without gaining any weight? OK, a 30lb loss in a year isn't a blisteringly fast speed but it beats the HELL out of gaining, doesn't it? So you must be doing something right.

I agree, Misty. As I tried to say in my first response to Dr Vuong, it was the bald statement in caps that I objected to. It does give the impression that "salad is bad" and the way he "grudgingly" seems to allow that some salad vegetables might not be that bad...

Wow, congratulations Lellow!! It's so good to hear the success stories and to know that there comes a point when the "journey" has ended and you have happily arrived in Slimsville with good health I hope I can join you in that fine destination soon!

Pashee, you don't say what types of food you are snacking on. Some foods will slip through much more easily than others, especially the types of snack foods we tend to go for when stoned. I think Aubrie had the best advice - don't eat dinner when you get home. Make yourself a good solid band-friendly meal with Protein and veges. Wait until you get the munchies really badly (i.e. not the first "hmmm... bit hungry..." signal), then eat your bandster dinner. Grazing will defeat the way the band works as it allows you to eat small bits at a time, which fit in the pouch. Go for foods with more fibre and substance. If it is all slipping through easily, you might even try tackling the more "difficult" foods. I know that if I am feeling really hungry, I will add a slice of bread (with low fat cream cheese instead of butter) to my meal. If I eat it carefully, it won't get stuck but will be just "difficult" enough to really stop my hunger in its tracks. If you have a similar food - on the edge but not quite pushing you into trouble - that might help.

Yes, losing that "morbidly obese" tag is a big milestone - it's such a horrible label! You're so close!! Go, girl, go, go, GO!!

Yay! Go Beth!!

Whoohoo!! I too have lost a Calista, so I can relate! We must have started at almost exactly the same stats, as we both have lost similar amounts and are currently about the same weight. Always nice to find someone who's journey closely matches your own... Bye bye, Calista!

The most interesting part of that article is this: "fat was reduced to 20% of the total calories in their diets, Protein was increased to 30%, and carbs accounted for 50%". That's not a "high-protein" diet, as most people in this forum understand it. That is a normal BALANCED diet. 50% carbs? You ask any of the "high protein" advocates around here if 50% of their diet is carbs - I'll bet money most would be horrified at the idea. Yet those proportions pretty well approximate what most doctors would call a balanced diet and are what I aim for.