::tracy::

Ok here are my tips ... Yes my band is very unpredictable in the morning. i tend to stick with very soft foods until after lunchtime. Night time is when i have my more luck with eating. As a rule, if you PB once during the day, you will do so again for the rest of the day. If i do, i go back to liquids/soft foods for the day and take it easy. You have to be super patient with it! Some things that help me with eating are ... before i eat i drink a glass or two of Water ten minutes before. This makes a load of difference for me. It clears out the pouch of any gooey stuff and makes it easier for the food to go down. I read in a lapband book i was given ... you should beable to eat 1/2 cup of food in 20mins. i talked to a lady and she was saying you need to eat little fingernail sized bites and put your knife and fork down between each bite. Really slow eating and teeny bites is the key. As for eating a sandwich ... i can't eat a sandwich, i would PB trying. i can not do bread. Try different foods. i have become quite inventive as i am intolerant to alot of food. i am quite unlucky in that regard ... or perhaps lucky as most of the bad food i just can not eat now. It took me a good 6 - 8 months to learn what i can and can not eat ... The other thing is ... never ever drink during a meal ... i am sure you have been told that though! That is sure to cause a PB. As for an unfill ... it can be a good idea, you would be surprised at the difference just a half a ml unfill can make.

are you in HB too, getting banded at royston? am happy to share all with you ... i am far from shy ... i can private message my details, give you a call, catch up for a coffee. wow i am s super excited for you ... it is an amazing wonderful step to take!! tracy

Hi all, It has been a while since i have posted here. Have been busy with life! Weight loss is going well, i have just come out of a slow patch where i only lost a couple of kg over a couple of months. i had a 0.5ml inflation though and it made all the difference to me. i am now back on track, losing my 3-4 a month. yay. Quite exciting too ... i have just about reached a little mini goal ... i wanted to lose 35kg by christmas ... i decided that the day i had my banding done. The rate i am going i will be there by the end of this week ... not to bad ... a good month early. i really can't believe this worked as well as it has. So exciting!!

i get chest pain when i am hungry. I am now 9 months post op ... it seems to be something that somedays doesn't bother me too much and others it is terrible pain. food fixes it though. It is kind of weird experiencing all these new niggles and sensations ...

Well i live in hawkes bay and i am filled here. The closest to me otherwise is Hamilton ... very nice people i have been to them when my surgeon was out of the country.

i don't have any reflux issues ... and i don't think anyone in my support group does either. things i do struggle with are ... eating in the morning. If i try and eat in the morning it gets stuck ... then i am unable to eat again until later that night or the next day. my mornings are now protein shakes. i am unfortunately one of those people that struggles with alot of different foods. Perhaps it is fortunate though ... because it makes losing weight easier! i don't eat bread very often now, i can't eat most takeaway food ... especially mcd's burger king, fish and chips, pizza ... all the bad things. They all get stuck. i don't eat alot of red meat ... however i never really ate it before so that is not too much of an issue for me. i am not going to sugar coat that it has been easy ... cause there are days i want to cry and just be normal!! It is huge changes to make, a life time of habit to break! i forget to eat slowly, i forget to take little bites ... i have to work really hard to eat the way i need to. However it has been totally worth it! i would do it again if i had the choice. Most days are ok though.

i didn't find it too bad. It is just one month out of your life ... not much really! There are ways to make the opifast taste better. Yes it does get tiresome after a month of drinking shakes ... but trust me that the time immediately after your surgery, you don't want to eat really anyways! I would do it all again for the outsome so far. Tell whoever you are comfortable telling. i found most people were very supportive, there have been some less supportive along the way but that means little now i have lost almost 1/3 of my total body weight and over half of my excess weight! Totally worth it! Good luck with your journey and keep us posted on how you go.

Hi Chris, i didn't tell anyone for along time. I had a few close friends that knew but that was all. i would just say when people commented ... i am eating less and exercising more. It wasn't a lie ... Now though i am more comfortable with it and just tell people ... but it has taken me a long time to get to that point. i was really insecure about what people would think, that they would think that i am taking the easy option. Though those close to me have seen it is not the easy option. As for eating out ... i still struggle with it. i almost always end up over eating when i go out ... as i feel like people are watching how little i eat ... and to be honest, a few of my friends comment on how little i eat now. Compared to before, i used to shovel food into my mouth, i have always been a fast eater! As bad as it is ... you can become quite skilled in the art of reguritation ... in the event of over eating ... though not a recommended practice by any stretch of the imagination. i can't offer any good advice about how to deal with social events, especially sit down meals ... other than do what you do at home, eat slow and don't finish your plate. It really is a tricky one.

Yeah, it is normal, nothing to worry about at all. 8kg is an awesome start. We all tend to lose alot from preop diet and immediately post op. That period until the first fill can feel like forever and i know i worried terribly i would put it all back on. (that didn't happen though). i can't say i felt hungry ... though i did feel like i could eat as much as i wanted. i guess the key is making the good food choices. It wasn't until my second fill that i felt real restriction. i am now at a point where i need more restriction due to weight loss. It can take a while to find that "sweet spot" with restriciton. A really good indication that i read in the lapband book i was given ... you should beable to eat 1/2 a cup of food over 20mins and feel full. It said you need to eat very slowly, putting your knife and fork down between each mouthful and never finishing whats on your plate. I have found that a very good techique to use, early on i would (rather hubby would) dish me up much larger meals and a life time of habit would see me trying to eat it all. Now i dish up less than i think i will eat ... about 1/2 a cup of food ... and go with that. i haven't suffered from malnutrition ... despite what others may think will happen only eating that amount of food! i am fading away though ... but in a good way. All the best on your journey. If you can join a support group, it is hugely beneficial ... we have one here in HB. Otherwise find good people to keep in contact with ... as it is very encouraging to know what you are feeling and experiencing is really quite normal. keep us posted!!

You are doing awesome Flax ... wow 41kg ... your goal is so close!! I can not wait to get to goal!

Hey, great story. i love hearing peoples successes ... all too often we can get caught up in what is not going right. However i do have to say ... you men ... you make me so jealous at the rate you lose weight!!! Haha ... good on you!! i have to stay i am so pleaed with my own journey so far. i am over half way to goal in 7 months ... can not complain at that. i just invested in a punch bag, pink boxing gloves, dumbbells and resistance bands ... this is to add to my already full on cardio work outs ... lean muscle burns fat!! i love the new me!!

i had quite a while off as i was banded just before xmas and had holidays in there. However i could have gone back after 10 days i guess. i had planned on going back after 6 but it didn't work out as i still had the little staples in my tummy and they were uncomfy ... once they were out though, i felt alot more comfortable. Just see what happens, take it easy. The other thing that can prevent an early return is of course ... liquids in ... liquids out. i haven't read all the posts to see if anyone has mentioned it ... but i know it was a problem for me. I never went too far from the bathroom!!

i think you are doing great too. i cheated a little, i had a salad on my birthday which was a few days before my surgery. try not to stress, the stress will be more harmful than the noodles!! all the best with your surgery, let us know how you get on. it is a tough road to travel, but totally worth it!! i would do it all again if i had to. i feel amazing!! *hugs*