Jachut

I found I had enough restriction after each fill to continue losing moderately sowly, but it took till 3.0 cc to actually get "tight" and i had a bit out. My fills are now .1 cc and taking out .2cc left me WIDE open. As you get more Fluid in a 4cc band, teeny tiny fills make a big difference, you have plenty of scope to get much tighter at this point. 3 is good maintenance level for me, now that the hormonal issue that caused brief over tightness has resolved. To lose anymore, I'd need more fluid.

Usually its pretty immediate. You will feel pain or discomfort as if you've swallowed a golf ball, you will produce a lot of saliva. That can go on for ages, or it can result in vomiting. For me, the actual vomiting can take a good 45 minutes to occur, but I know its going to! its not like you'll eat lunch, be back at work and suddenly throw up on your desk! Other people can eat, think oh that doesnt agree and go and get rid of it seemingly at will. For me it has to be a huge production. We're all different.

Its worth being excited about! Not only have you slashed your risks of any weight related health problems but obese is such an awful word. Nobody can apply it to you now. Morbidly obese is even worse, it just sounds awful.

Mac, you have a pic! You've got a nice skinny face! Marlena, I think, for peace of mind, if I were you I'd seek a second opinion from another surgeon. I have never heard anything to do with weight loss surgeries causing cancer and I suspect he doesnt want to do the sleeve, is trying to put you off and may well have just made that up. You may have a good working relationship with this guy but I would like to see someone completely impartial. I think with the band, there are just certain people it does not work well for. It may be as simple as an error in placement. I have a friend from another board whom I also know in real life who was my inspiration to be banded. I'd known about the lapband sort of in the back of my mind but when she did it it started me thinking and I followed 6 months after. Unfortunately for her, she has followed that same underfill/overfill pattern and lost maybe 20kg in 3.5 years. Well, a few months back, she and her surgeon decided to swap her over to a new band, and at the same time as he went in he found a hernia, which he repaired. The weight has fallen off her in the past couple of months, the new band is working brilliantly - what it was we dont know - new placement, hernia repair, new style of band, maybe a combo of all three, but sometimes, there's just something wrong in there. The sleeve isnt really a common option here yet, the band is getting more and more popular but deciding to be rebanded without having slipped or eroded made all the difference for her. My point is not that you ought to be rebanded but sitting here feeling like YOU have failed the band isnt really productive and surgical intervention of one sort or another might be your answer. My friend's hernia was not picked up by any testing, till she went in for surgery and it was actually seen. I'd definitely seek another opionion just to compare notes.

It really alarms me how little fruit and veg bandsters eat. In Australia, the recommendation is 2 fruit, five veg every single day and I try my best to do that. How can protein be more important than EVERYTHING else? I see people post that they've eaten loads of eggs, cheese and deli meat and nothing in the way of fresh food in a day or worse, they live on protein shakes, which I see as a manufactured processed food and therefore not really that good. How can this be good for you long term? I see it as you may get enough protein but your teeth are going to fall out from scurvey, not to mention all the saturated fat, erk. I also find I really NEED my complex carbs - a small serve of good organic wholegrain bread or a cereal like good muesli or oatmeal daily to fuel myself, I run daily, and I'm active in general. I've also lost all of my excess weight. I'm quite comfortable with my eating habits and we dont focus as much on protein in Australia, but we argue this endlessly on this board and I'd really like to hear from a nutritionist as to what your views are on it.

The very hardest thing to get our heads around with our bands is that we NEED them to keep the weight off. Regaining when unfilled happens to almost everyone, you are not a failure, not at all. You've lost a LOT of weight and kept it off for a long time, you will lose the little you've regained pretty quickly with a new band. Hang in there, keep up some exercise, and try your best to eat healthily. Although its utterly human to see this window of non restriction as a chance to catch up on all those things you couldnt eat. I live well within the boundaries of my band but the thought of a few days of unrestricted eating, completely free of the threat of blockage or PB, seems like utopia to me. I had .2ml taken out of my band and have gained 4lb from it. Sounds like nothing but I have the same feelings about having failed.

If you're eating to the point of discomfort you are overeating. There shouldnt be PBing or discomfort at the end of your meal, unless you're also not chewing well enough, taking too large bites, eating too quickly. I find myself having to relearn that after every single fill and also periodically now that I'm maintaining. I find that probably all bandsters do eat around their bands in that we naturally choose foods we know are easier for us to eat, even though those choices may be healthy ones. If I try to stick to harder foods then I always always lose weight because I eat less, it stays with me. This morning for example. My usual Breakfast is Cereal of some description. Today I had Eliza's left over dinner from last night - a tiny piece of steak, half a potato and some broccoli and carrots (it was going to go to waste otherwise and for some weird reason looked appealing to me this morning!). Took me ages to eat, made me really full and is still with me now. Same with eating a sandwich for lunch - yes, bread is difficult and I tend not to really fancy it, but I can guarantee if I do eat a tuna and salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber for example) sandwich I wont eat again till dinner, if I eat a salad with some tuna, I'll be looking for food in two hours - the simple addition of the bread saves me from raiding the cookie jar at 4pm. So what you choose to eat - even if you're not a carb eater, like most American bandsters arent - what you choose is important. Its worth tackling the more difficult foods because they're the most filling. Most of all though, I think you need to learn to recognise satisfied. Its a physical sensation that is not always backed up by our heads, i can KNOW I'm satisfied but still want to eat more. But its a bad habit to keep eating until your stomach actually physically stops you.

True - lots of those apparently thin people out there work very hard to be/stay that way.

Luluc if you've got a BMI of 23, then you've lost OVER 100% of your excess weight! 100% would take you to a BMI of 25. And your body fat is extraordinary, WELL below max levels. So you've not got any excess weight on you! Goes to show how different all our bodies are. My BMI may be 22, but my body fat level is still up there at about 25%. I truly should be lighter than I am, I dont have that much muscle. I am quite toned and you can see muscles, but I have a lightly muscled build, not meant to be curvy.

I have been trying to get my mum to understand that. She believes that if i have truly learned new habits, I should be able to manage with minimal restriction in my band. She simply cannot understand that what SHE can eat in a day to maintain her healthy body weight is much more than what I can - and she's 68 (albeit a very fit and active 68 year old). I simply must remain at 1500 calories or below to maintain my weight. Which, whilst it is a good amount of food and leaves room for indulgences, is RIDICULOUS for someone of my height, weight and activity levels. The numbers just do not compute. That is WHY we need a band, we need to eat artificially low levels of food to stay at a reasonable weight. Whether that's why we all got fat or whether its a sad result of having been obese, its just the way it is. People who have never had a weight problem would need help to do what we have to too!

Lol, I'd do completely the opposite - fill up on fruit and salad and even bread - low fat, airy and relatively low calorie stuff. The calories in cheese can add up FAST. I've never ever been honest when keeping a food log, its a waste of time for me. But mid December is not far away, 6lb is easily lost again and you HAVE dieted before. Its knowing that soon you'll have restriction that kind of gives you licence to pig out when you can but you must try to avoid that.

People in general are seriously warped in what they believe is "too skinny". Many fat people simply cannot recognise a healthy weight when they see it. It seems to mortally offend them. It is entirely normal for collar bones, hip bones, knees, elbows and wrist bones to show. It is even normal for your ribs and backbone to show. Not in every minute detail but being able to see your bones does not make you anorexic. Being dedicated to a healthy diet and daily exercise is not obsessed and it is not an eating disorder.

I'm the same flowers - thin build. I cant carry weight. I find myself astounded when people say they're happy at 180 or 190 at my height, I was still really rather fat at that weight! But we all have different bodies and I think we have to decide where is right for us by ourselves.

Hi Rob, I'm from outer SE melbourne myself. Dont worry too much about your goal weight. When you've been heavy, its almost impossible to imagine yourself at a normal weight and saying "I think I'd be too thin" is very very typical! See how you feel as you get closer. Although I agree, for men it is a bit different, you dont want to get weedy - the answer I gave DH to that one is put on some muscle. His family are all long and thin - his uncle was a sprinter, won the Stawell Gift many years back, they have that type of body. DH is the same and appears to weigh a lot more than he does because by nature, he should be really really skinny. Of course he doesnt want to be, but you cant fool nature and there's not a lot of point remaining too fat after you've had weight loss surgery either. You asked about the hardest stage of banding, personally I'm finding it harder now, 3 years out. There's nothing new and shiny about it anymore, its just day in day out discipline of maintaining a weight loss, and fighting old habits that creep back in, continuing to go out and run daily, in general continue to practice all those good, healthy behaviours without the reward of motivation boosting weight loss and heaps of complements and admiration from people who are now used to seeing me at this weight and dont take an interest anymore. The early stages are so great because you're rewarded so richly for all your hard work. Not that its that hard, but it was such great fun dropping pounds every week, getting smaller month by month etc.

I've noticed this on occasion too - very rarely and only when lying in bed at night.

I think the reality is that as a bandster, you're NOT going to get in everything you need in any one day - and that's why eating a great variety on a day to day basis is important. personally, I focus more on the two fruit five veg than I do on Protein. I obviously get enough protein because I am healthy, but I dont put it first. I put fruit and veg first. I dont eat a lot of dairy, I'd most likely not be getting enough Calcium. Trouble is, I suck at taking Vitamins and supplements. I figure I got a lot more food before I was banded, but not a lot more nutrition, because all I've really cut is the rubbish I didnt need. I never have to push myself to eat, truth is 3 years out, my hunger levels have reestablished to some degree, I dont get the same appetite control from my band that I did, just portion and satiety control. So when its lunchtime, I'm ready to eat! But overall, I think some degree of not getting everythign we need is reality to a bandster and there's not a lot you can do about it. Focussing only on protein is a fast track to lacking in other areas if you ask me, I try to treat ALL foods as important.

Hmmm, nobody has ever SAID anything, maybe they've thougth it. But I really dont eat so little that anyone would notice and I've only ever had something get stuck badly in public (to the point of vomiting) once in three years and I was with my family then. I told all my family and friends, but I dont think anyone in a work situation etc would guess. They think I'm naturally thin and just have a small appetite.

Its happened to me a lot. I would shout from the rooftops that I absolutely NEVER faced discrimination when I was overweight but have since losing it. It seems to be a crime to care what you look like, to look fit and healthy and to not want to stuff your cake hole with McDonalds like everyone else is doing. Fat people *assume* you are looking at them disdainfully or thinking "she shouldnt be eating that" when the thought never crossed your mind, you were simply admiring their necklace! So they give you greasy looks, or dismiss you as a bimbo or dont want you joining in the conversation. When I was heavier, I was a BMI of 36, absolutely "normal" in the circles in which I move. Most of my peers are mothers of several children, have been stay at home mums for a number of years and are in that stage of life where the weight begins to come on and the time to care for yourself is limited. So I looked like everyone else. Now I stand out, these sorts of women envy me and think I am one of those "lucky" ones who never had to worry about her weight and they treat me rudely out of resentment! Men I have no problem with - I'm treated the same as I always was. I'm average looking, some men find me attractive, some dont. It hasnt changed. I get tooted and yelled to when I go out for a run but that used to happen when I was out walking too (yes, men are still just as much idiots as they ever were, lol). Friends and family were all supportive though, I'm talking about people that never knew me fat. I havent had anyone who has seem me lose weight react negatively.

Im 5ft 10 and now 70kg, I'd really like to be about 65kg but I dont seem to be losing any more, have been 70kg for over a year now. Its fine by me, I'm an Aussie size 12 which is fine at my height. My initial goal was 79 simply because I maintained that sort of weight for years in my 20's and had never maintained anything lower. But I knew I wanted to be lower so I never planned on stopping there! For me it was mostly vanity. But I was starting to feel old and had a few issues like a bad ankle, and I began to worry how fat I was going to get as I progressed into my 40's! I felt very unsexy and very unyoung and I hated it, so I had WLD to fix the problem once and for all. I couldnt be happier now. Most people think I"m in my 30's. They wouldnt if they could see my poor old boobs!

Dont feel bad, I cant do it either. Wasa was a machine when she was losing, incredibly focussed. I'm not that strong. To run those sorts of distances, I simply MUST eat carbs, I would die trying to do that on reduced carbohydrates. Not to mention it means I need more calories and if I try to eat 1500 calories of high protein I get sick, bloated and gassy, it REALLY upsets my stomach, way too rich for me. I have to space it out with more fibrous, airy and instant energy providing foods like bread and cereals, and plenty of fruit. Everyone's different, as long as you're happy with how you're losing, it doesnt matter how someone else does it, except that I was very jealous of how fast Wasa did it. It took me over 2 years!

Same here. Its no longer as much as a staple as it was, but i eat rice, pasta and bread. I dont do anything to achieve that, i just can.

That's exactly what it feels like - for months and months (probably 18) the band completely cut hunger for me, then over the past 18 months, gradually appetite has increased again. Not huge physical hunger, not at all, just an *interest* in food. I'm always ready to eat again, hungry or not. I finish a satisfying meal and think half an hour later I feel like a little x, y or z. It makes perfect sense to me that my body has taken up producing this pesky chemical in normal quantities for me again. I can manage it, but its interesting how resilient our bodies are. I'm pretty sure too that if I just remain as active as I am, weight wont be a real problem for me again.

Mine's left of centre about 2 inches below my ribs. I like it there, its comfortable and as you're NEVER likely to catch me in nana jeans it comes nowhere near the waist of anything I wear. The only reason I'd move it is its somewhat visible. The only place I can think of on my body that it would never be seen is on my bum - that would never get skinny enough, lol, but then again maybe they'd have trouble finding it. But it wouldnt be nice to sit on.

I find that really bizarre - risk death rather than PMT? You do realise that a clot can easily KILL you? If medical advice is to stop her shots, she should follow it! Its given for a reason.

Honestly, i eat like a normal person - well a normal person that eats healthy. Nobody would know I was banded if I didnt tell them. I can pretty much eat anything put in front of me if I have to and can easily buy foods that I can eat when out and about or pack a lunch that is quite normal.