nina874

Hi all you UK bandsters! I just thought I would pop on here and ask if any of you had any questions. I am not the oracle:biggrin2: but I have had my band for nearly a year now, and I am about 6lbs off my initial goal weight. I was banded with Surgicare in Manchester, had the op in the Alexandra in Cheadle and have been very happy with my aftercare etc (which isnt to say that I didnt spit out my dummy on more than one occasion) I have had fills both at the MRI in Manchester and in the Priory in Birmingham - I prefer the guy at the Priory but it is a personal choice thing, he is much more agressive in his approach. If there is anything that you would like to know just fire away, cant promise that I will know the answer, but I'll try! Nina x

Hi, I didnt use 'healthier weight', I went with Surgicare, but the Alex in Cheadle is fantastic, I use it for any procedures that I need and I have never had a bad experiance! Nina x

Hi Amanda, I am in the UK, down in Cornwall. I got banded as you can see from my signature in October last year and I am almost at goal now. I had a very stormy relationship with my band in the initial few months, and I found that the weight came off in fits and starts. I have been really slack for the last few months, but I am still maintaining whereas when I did diets in the past at this stage I would have put most of the weight back on! If you have any questions just fire away and I will try to answer them. Nina x

I always gag so I sure hope it doesnt cause slippages!! I also chew gum, in 40 years I have never swallowed a piece so I doubt that I will now - it does make me quite gassy though! LOL I am trying to think have I used a straw, I didnt even know that you werent supposed to! I must have, and it obviously hasnt caused me problems, diet coke I have to say is an entirely different kettle of fish, cant go near the stuff anymore! Nina x

Dont get me going about fuel bills!! I now pay £300 PER MONTH for my electric and the same for my oil!!!! I live in a rural area so I cant get mains gas, and my cooker is an AGA which means it also heats my house, which also me that you either have it on all the time or you have to wait about 1/2 an hour for it to heat up before you can cook anything - and as for the hotplates...... they should be called lukewarm plates, in order to get them hot you have to open the oven door to drop the oven temp as they only get hot while the oven is firing up, that doesnt waste fuel does it!!! Grrrrrrrrr it's one of my pet rants at the moment!

Mmmmmm vanilla slices.....mmmmmmm.... Oh heck thanks Jach, now all I can think about is gooey chewy custardy loveliness...... On the origional subject of exercise - if anyone is still talking about it!- I have to say that I was soooo unfit that the thought (and indeed the doing) of cardio used to make me want to hurl. Rather than make each work out a torture session - I figured I had enough of that going on avoid the likes of vanilla slices - which would ultimately just negg me out and p*ss me off, I bought a Power Plate. They are pretty darn good, they dont involve any joint impact for those that are less than supple, and they do deliver what they promise. They will make you sweat, but they dont make you wheeze! A complete workout only involves 10 minutes on the plate so even the busiest mum ( I've got 6 myself) can fit it in! I built up my confidence and muscle strength and eventually progressed onto recumbrant bikes and cross trainers, now I can do an hour of cardio (can I have a big woo hoo please as I never thought I would type those words) but it had to start with something that I enjoyed. Worth a try for those who are struggling? Nina x

I voted yes, for the same reasons as chickie!

I think that what a lot of the people who a struggling actually need alongside their band is some structured councelling (did I spell that right?) it isnt a question of will power or wanting it more, but I think it does have an awful lot to do with where your head is at. I have a friend who is a type 2 diabetic (she does have to take insulin shots every day), and it is probably weight related, but all she really eats is fries,chips and cheese. The thing is her head isnt in the right place for her to make the decision to change the way that she looks at food, even if she got a band it wouldnt solve the issues that she has. I have to say though she never ever whinges about weight and has been fully supportive of my journey. I guess what I am trying to say is that for some people having a band is like trying to move house/area when you feel miserable, you just take those problems with you. The band wont cure the issues that got them fat in the first place, they are far deeper than that. But I agree wholeheartedly with you all when you say that it isnt right for them to diss the acheivements that the goalweight people have made, because to a large degree everyone at goal has had to fight their food demons and defeat them. Did any of that make sense? Nina x

I have to echo everything the others have said! When I am too tight I cant get any of the good food down, it all gets stuck, so then I am still hungry, so then I end up wolfing dwn a packet of crisps (chips to you guys) cos I know that they will go down. Get your fill eased off a bit so that you can get the good stuff like chicken and steamed veggies down once in a while The other key is regular exercise, I used to leather it at the gym for a few weeks but in a way that was impossible to maintain, now I just do 1 to 2 hours 3 times a week and I make sure that I do half of it on the bike and the cross trainer. That way I havent set a schedule that I cant keep up and I do really enjoy it. it can be very disheartening, and you can plataeu, but if you keep chipping away the weight will come off. Nina x

Arms??LBL???Knees???? What have I missed?? Good lord hon I was shocked enough that you had had a slippage! Ok give me an update or are you going to make me scroll through a gazzillion pages?LOL I agree that you shouldnt be feeling nausea at this stage, I hope that the cat scan goes well and that it is just the thought of all the upcoming slicing and dicing thats making you feel a bit wobbly! (((hug))) Nina x

Dont beat yourself up hon, I was overfilled a couple of months ago, the same senario as you, up all night just puking slime - niiiice!! It was my own fault really as I believe the phrase that I used when he was doing the fill was 'pack me tighter than Donald Duck's arse', well I wont be making that request again! We all lose at different rates, but I would say that if you can get a hamburger down then you cant have restriction, lord knows I have tried many times and every time I just puke it back. They arent really a good idea anyway.......sighs.... I have 6 kids so I empathise with your struggle to grab something for yourself, one of my standby specials is to mix a tin of salmon with some very light mayo , then slather it on a rye crispbread, its yummy and it really fills you up, and it has all of the essential oil type thingies that my dietician keeps going on about! I wouldnt stand for my fill doctor speaking to me like that, and I have found in the past that the phrase ' Excuse me, WHO do you think you are talking to?' works wonders. When all's said and done he works for you hon not the other way round! Keep your chin up hon, you will get the right fill! Nina x

Losing - I PM'd you hon, check your inbox!

Jason - stop spamming! All 5 of your posts have been about this miracle cure, the guy wants help not a stupid sales pitch. Hammer - you sound like you are getting back on track hon, it is never easy when you first start out, I for one has a very stormy courtship with my band, but now we get along just fine! Getting the right fill is so important, the other things that I found really helped were the old rules about chewing your food really well, pausing between mouthfulls ( I often eat while I am cruising on the internet so that I type as well as eat - slows me right down) and trying to take 20 minutes over each meal. it takes 20 minutes for the message to get through from your stretch receptors in your tummy to your brain that you are full, so give them time to work! Depression is a terrible thing to cope with, I dont think that having a band or taking it out would make any difference to how you feel about the world hon, but there are people who can help sort out those feelings and put them in some kind of order. Its just a thought but I know that I found it very helpful when I got down. Anyway CONGRATULATIONS on losing 80lbs!!! That is no mean feat you should be so proud of yourself!! I have only lost 60 and damn I feel very self righteous!! ((((((((hugs)))))) Nina x

Let your mum take him!! Seriously, the chance to chill out on the sofa, watch my TV instead of cartoonnetwork........ well worth going through surgery for!!! Nina x

Ahhh I know this technique!! My PS developed it for his LBL patients!! Seriously google 'Dr Pascal lower body lift' you will see all about his ass technique!! LOL He does the best ass in Europe!! So where are the piccies?? Even if you don't want to share you should take loads so that you can marvel at the stupendousness (?) of your new butt when you get it! I know that the vast majority of people dont have their nips drop off in the bath, but every time I think about it I can feel them shivering at the thought, I swear they kind of suck themselves into my body....

That post brought back so many memories! My father raised us on that particular saying - I mean it was drummed into me - and I am so grateful for it. I have never stepped back from any kind of a racist/predjudicial comment, I have been known to get into knock down drag round in the dirt rows with total strangers when they make ignorant remarks. I have found that the vast majority who make these comments are NEVER challenged on them and when you actually question their knowledge (god forbid) of the chosen subject, they back off fairly quickly. I had an interesting convesration with some people on holiday who were being quite vocal on their views of Muslims, at the end of which they had to admit that they had knowledge whatsoever of the Koran, and that perhaps there was chance that other religions had Fundametalists in them also...... sheesh...! I tend to change my race/religion to make the point - I am very dark skinned, so I will just say, actually I am part black/asian/hispanic/jewish/muslim - whatever it happens to be that is getting slated. I find its quite an effective method!

Is there ANYONE on here who doesnt wish that they had the band fitted before things got out of control?? Are you seriously saying that it is a GOOD thing that people get to 3/400lbs before they get a band and then have a huge mountain of weight to lose? If people who are only 200lbs should do it by dieting then how did we all get so fat? All of us were 200lbs or less at some stage. Its just a ridiculous statement/argument.

I tend to stick to dryer foods when I really want to work with my band - think cajun spiced skinless chicken breast with a few veggies. Chew really slowly and well, I spend ages cutting mine up and making the perfect mouthful (dont ask) and mostly listen to your body. Mine will sends me distinct signals when I am getting full, I get a slight feeling of pressure in my chest area and that is the 'back off' signal. Another good food for a quick bite is a ryvita (dont know if you get them in the US) crispbread with mashed up poached/tinned salmon on it. Again chew well and take your time!

1cc makes a HUGE difference to the amount of restriction that you have. Sometimes it can be as little as 0.1cc that sorts you out. I would say bear with it and build up the fills gradually in 0.2cc jumps, that way you wont overshoot your sweet spot!

Yes most definately!! I have a time in the middle of the month when it loosens right off, and then just before TOM it tightens right up again! I also find that flying and warm weather can make it tighten up, but not as noticably as TOM, it makes it a bit tricky when you are looking for the sweet spot, if I had good restriction in the middle of the month then I would be too tight at the end! Its great being a woman isnt it!!

I have already had my surgery, but I wanted to wish you the best of luck, and you will LOVE you results I am sure! Ellen - are you using Dr Pascal by any chance? Nina x

I dont know what other people payed, but I went to Lyon in France to use this guy www.docteur-pascal.com and it cost me about 12,000 euros for a high lateral tension TT ( no drains and special stitching) and a shed load of lipo! Nina x

Frangipani - I have to say that I am firmly in the camp of the Demi Moores! If you can get it done and it makes you feel better, then go for it is my principle - then again I have a similar veiw on most things, if it feels good and it doesnt hurt anyone, then why not?? It is narcissistic theres no denying it, but I figure that after all the work that we have put into losing the weight and getting healthy we deserve it! Pump up that butt hon, and enjoy strutting your funky stuff! Nina xx

Buttock augmentation! You go girl!! Are you having fat injections or an implant? If you go onto www.makemeheal.com you will see in the forums that there is a buttock augmentation section where there are loads of threads/experiences, have a gander there is loads of advice! I am thinking of having my back/upper arms/waist lipo'd next.Its so flamin' addictive and I sooooo want the coke bottle look! LOL I really need a boob lift/implants but I cant move past the fear of one of my nips dropping off.......... Nina xx

OMG Karey!! You dont do things by halves do you?? Most of us when we want to lose a few pounds just cut back!! Cripes hon I am not surprised that you have lost 11lb, liquids for a month and a perforated stomach!! How are you chick?? I hope that you are feeling better and not quite eating your own feet with the desperate desire to have something chewy in your mouth! (no naughty comments required thankyou) Love and a gentle (((hug))) Nina x