Jachut

Your story is so similar to mine, banded over five years, had done wonderfully and then out of the blue, diagnosed with rectal cancer. I had chemo, radiation and a huge surgery in which my rectum and a fair bit of colon was removed, i was given a temporary ileostomy and sent home with a bag on my lovely flat stomach. I got through to the actual surgery without unfilling my band and I looked at it like this - cancer is a nasty shock and its life threatening, but that's not the worse. I hate how it took over my life, I couldnt work, I wasnt free to do any of the stuff I normally did, I was tied to the hospital routine of daily radiation, I was limited by my need for treatment. I'd just gone back to university at 36, gotten a teaching degree and was in my first job, i was so devastated. But I was DETERMINED that it was not going to undo my triumph over my weight - I ran and did bootcamp right through the initial six week chemo and radiation, right up until my surgery and I went for a run ten days after my bowel resection. I went back to bootcamp. I had another 20 weeks of chemo which was MUCH tougher than the initial lot, and my band was now totally unfilled, but I kept to my normal excercise routine. I lost a fair bit of weight through the surgery and I've managed to hold it off. I. just. will. not. let. the. cancer. win. I wont. I have hung on with grim determination to my diet and exercise routines and its paid off. I dont know how to say that without it coming across as I'm stronger, smarter, better, whatever. I'm not. Its just I looked at it and I thought I can beat anything, but if I get fat again, its won. And I wont let that happen. i was greatly helped by the fact that my treatment has had effects on my digestive system, even the chemo regime is not the same as for breast cancer, with breast cancer, weight gain during chemo is very common. I didnt tolerate my second chemo that well and had to be hospitalised three times for bowel obstructions, so every time I gained a little weight, I found I was nil by mouth for four or five days and it would come off again. I've gradually started filling my band again now. I'm about to have my ileostomy reversed and will now have the challenge of regaining bowel control, which might mean that I have to moderate my exercise - I might be running on my treadmill near my toilet for a while to come, but truly, where there is a will there is a way. I have to have genetic testing too, I'm the fifth person in both the current and previous generation to have had bowel cancer in my immediate family under the age of 45 and the only one not to have died from it. Sometimes I felt so damn sick but I went out running anyway - it never failed to make me feel better and just the emotional benefit of it was enormous. I dont have a secret or anything to tell you, I can only encourage you that maintaining your routines, keeping on top of your weight, not allowing the cancer to take away what you have achieved - it makes you stronger, and more emotionally stable and that has positive benefits on your health. It is SO worth getting yourself back on track, and I will definitely pray for you.

40lb in 7 months is over 5lb a month - well within the 1-2lb per week weight loss expected with the band, and from what you describe, its doing its job! OK, so you may not be enjoying the experience of having a band, and that's a shame, but its doing what its meant to do. YOu're always going to have to work to make good food choices, not eat too many calories and a good amount of vigorous exercise helps enormously - its work, that's for sure. Nothing is really automatic with the band,

Planks are the BEST ab exercise. i found that running really strengthened my core up too. As does stuff like Body Pump because if you do it right, you need to brace from your core. Its really not necessary to do a lot of crunches and sit ups.

Well, first, I agree, make sure there's nothing wrong if you're in so much pain. but on the whole, I'm like you. I'd die before taking pain medication or any medications really and i'm not sure why. I walk around all day with a shocking headache for want of some simple paracetamol. I'm in knots over my coming ileostomy reversal - the thought of needing regular medication would be devastating to me, and many people take immodeum daily to make life manageable for them, but it would really upset me to have to do this. I should be doing it now, I get very dehydrated from the all the Water I lose from my stoma, my blood pressure plummets as a result, i get dizzy and nauseated, I even put up with embarrassing leaks and accidents and STILL I dont take any immodeumm to slow things down. its very silly. There's no need to be in pain from surgery and there's no need for me to have constant diarrhoea either, neither medication will hurt you in reasonable doses, but I hate hate hate the thought of taking anything regularly.

I agree with this. Within reason, I'm not really conscious of DH's weight or about how he looks, he's just him! I know for a fact that I'm not his "type". We didnt meet because we saw each other across the room and the sparks flew, we got to know each other through mutual friends and a friendship grew - if he'd been looking for a woman who caught his eye, she wouldnt have looked anyting like me. He likes petite, curvy, very dark haired and ivory skinned kinda women, I'm mousy brown, 5ft 10, willowy and not the least bit curvy with olive/freckly skin. He's a breast man through and through, I'm lucky to fill out a B cup. I dont worry in the LEAST that his eye will wander becuase we've built a life together which eniether of us would jeaopardise. I know he'll look occcasionally, but so do I! Fat/thin can be a little different because I agree there's that control issue over the fat chick thing going on, and its about health also. I mean if DH hit 300lb I'd be pretty concerned.

Gosh, dont worry about it. What's a little pee. I had a major bowel resection in November and an ileostomy and I can tell you, I made a MUCH more disgusting mess when the bag leaked overnight. And I gather than when I go in for reversal of the ileostomy in 3 weeks, its more than normal for you to have several bowel actions before you get the hang of feeling when you have to go. I'm not looking forward to it, but I guess in that ward, they've seen it all before.

I agree with Xavier, I dont count any of those things. I prefer to listen to my body. I eat till I'm satisfied/no longer hungry - not very often until i'm really full - and because of my band, that point comes before I've ingested too many calories. My rules are: 3 meals no Snacks, healthy food most of the time, exercise every day possible. I favour a simple approach. I dont count a thing, for me personally, that's obsessive dieting behaviour that prevents a healthy relationship with food, it makes me think about and obsess over food all day. I eat what I feel like eating at each meal - and when I really think about it, normally that's reasonably healthy food. Even exercise can be simple. I just go out the front door and run, sometimes I chuck a heavy sandbag around and I like body pump classes. I dont worry about all that crap about working individual muscles, supersetting this, pyramiding that, special shake before exercise, Protein shake after, this supplement or that. I really believe eat less (that's where the band helps), move more. Its all you need to worry about. The rest you can do if you enjoy it, but its not strictly necessary.

I had been thin at times in the past, but I think I lived in denial of how fat I was. i mean, on some level I must have known it because I did act on it, but I didnt really "see" it. Truthfully, now I just really do look like how I thought I looked. So Ididnt spare a second or shed a tear mourning my body as it was. I dont think its an unreasonable or unhealthy way to feel though. changing yourself to such a degree is a big step, and it may also be tied in on a less conscious level with how much you're really going to have to change INSIDE to make this work.

Fine if you're just out of surgery, not good at all for long term health. You absolutely cannot nourish yourself adequately on such a small intake and if you're also exercising at reasonable intensity (ie. more than just walking) its not enough. You will also probably find that you dont really lose weight much quicker than people who eat far more. And you'll lose a lot of muscle and less fat.

This half cup thing is a ridiculous myth. If you were truly eating 1/2 a cup and eating nutritious, low fat food, including vegetables, then you'd be eating about 300 calories a day. If all you can eat is 1/2 cup, you'll need to eat more than 3 times a day or you'll be rather malnourished in a few months time.

Sort of, yes. I do drink milk, mainly on Cereal and in coffee - but cappucinos and lattes can really turn my stomach and make me feel ill - cold milk or a dash in ordinary coffee is fine though. So not lactose intolerant, but a bit dairy sensitive. However, since I had a bowel resection and got a temporary ileostomy, you do have very liquid output at first, but for me, the diarrhoea has persisted for over 8 months, its got both my surgeon, the stoma nurse and I quite puzzled as it does not respond to the common thickening foods nor does it respond to immodium. I'm hoping that when my stoma is closed in a few weeks time and my colon is recalled to action, it does its job of absorbing Fluid and the diarrhoea goes away. So I tolerate milk in small quantities - I wouldnt dream of drinking a milk shake or Protein shake though, I've never liked milk that much anyhow and I know that Protein shakes really give me horrid bloating and gas - and made with Water, they're hideous. The other thing that happened to me - I now get car sick, horribly sea sick, cant go on rides. No idea why but its since banding.

Three meals with no snacks and lots of running.

I couldnt pinpoint one - there are several that let me know I went a bit too far with weight loss, sigh. Like a top I have a photo of me wearing and all I notice is ribs in my chest. But the thing that looks the best on me and makes me feel really hot is a pair of true religion skinny jeans. They really really are worth the money!

Personally, I'd work on liking plain brewed coffee - you really need to give up the need for constant sweetness, there's lots of experts that believe artificial sweeteners have the same effects on your body as the real thing anyway, but even so, its just plain easier if you're able to just drink plain things - plain coffee, plain water. It takes a few weeks to get the taste but it's a relatively easy transition.

Well, spare a thought for me with an ileostomy too! Not only do I have large, loud lapband rumbles, but also my stoma works noisily too. Naturally, I dont fart - not becuase I'm a lady but because the air exits my stoma and doesnt make it to the rear end. The disadvantage of this is a stoma has no muscles, so when it comes out, it just comes out - sometimes VERY loudly and people think I've farted. Naturally too, since what I eat exits my digestive system only half way though, its very liquid - so sometimes it sounds like someone's turned the garden hose on! Sometimes i can pass off the noises as tummy rumbles and other times, I have to try to explain what it is. Its hideously embarrassing and happens anywhere quiet - getting an eyebrow wax, having a massage, in the cinema, in the bank queue, sigh. A little over three weeks to go now before its closed though, lol.

I know what you mean about that "pressure change". that's what I wait for as well. Might get 4 bites in then have to wait a bit, then another, sometimes, I need a 5 minute rest, you just have to wait till you feel that subtle shift. Now we know what that actually is - well I knew but it confused me because I alwasy thought food wasnt supposed to be goign through yet!

Same here, once I start, i want to eat a "meal", I cant quite at just a snack. And I have never mastered the art of heatlhy snacks that support my nutrition - snacks always tend to be processed foods for me, even if healthy like a nut bar or something. But I eat it and I'm not full, so I want to eat more and before I know it, I have eaten as much as a meal anyway, but just not as healthy food as I would normally eat at a meal. So my rule is 3 meals no snacks. If I'm truly hungry, my trick is to eat a raw carrot - a difficult food for me - and a cup of coffee. This blocks me up and creates that I couldnt possibly eat feeling even if my lower stomach is still telling me it needs food. but generally for me, its breakfast, lunch dinner and that's that. No snacks.

I'd actually disagree with that recommendation - cardio is usually the easiest and most effective for people to be starting off, it will kick start weight loss, and what's the point of starting any strength training now, for 3 measly weeks when you're going to have to take a few weeks off that after the surgery? You may as well wait - whereas you can walk a day after the surgery! Also, with neck, shoulder and back pain, no matter what, starting exercising is going to make you hurt, and I wouldnt go aggravating that just now. If you're really out of shape, I'd make a commitment to walk as many days as possible between now and your surgery. In even as little as 3 weeks, you might bring your blood pressure down a little, might improve your blood chemistry and get your heart a bit stronger - all important things that will minimise the risk of an anaesthetic. What's more, you can build a little fitness and if you can get out a day or two after your surgery, and build up over the following week or two, you might even retain that extra fitness you've built!

I'd do the landscaping. last time before my huge bowel resection, I got ny hair done, my toenails done, a new set of acrylic nails - french tips because they had to be clear, lol, legs, underarms waxed and a brazillian as well. Ok, so I knew my bits were going to be seen - they were going to be up my rear end and also used my caesar scar again and I didnt want to deal with the hatchet razor job they usually do - a good wax means the hair wont be growing back a day later when that dressing is on - I'll never ever make that mistake again after having to rip off a huge dressing after a caesaren with grown back pubes - OUCH. Plus mine have gone white, lol, and very patchy since I had the pelvic radiation last year - it all fell out and that's how it grew back. I'm more embarrassed about having the nether regions of an 80 year old than I am about being as bare as a 10 year old. Anyhow, I think going in to have an op, being in hospital for a few days, being a bit insecure about being looked at when you're anaesthetised and on the table, if it makes you feel better then get the works done. I like to go in feeling good - people are goning to be touching me, looking at my incisions, checking things out, and you have visitors too - I dont think its silly to have a day of grooming so that you're feeling tip top. I know nobody's looking and judging but its not really about that, its just about feeling good about yourself.

Its not a good idea to eat before bed anyway even without a band - obviously when you're laying down, there's more potential for acid to enter the esophagus. With a band, its even more likely. I dont have too much trouble with this, but then, I'm not a nightime eater. However the other day after a cup of coffee and a piece of fruit at morning tea time, i went back to teaching gymnastics - yep, handstands and cartwheels - I had absolutely awful heartburn.

Also, dont be surprised if those figures just dont work. Like, eating 1000 calories less than you need *should* result in a loss of 2lb per week right? So if you ate 1247.1 a day you should lose 2lb more than you would on 2247.1 per week - well that would almost NEVER happen. YOu might lose a little faster but the math is never that exact. I think the only thing you can be sure of is that if you eat less than you need you will lose some weight. I dont know how the heck I lost down to a BMI of 19 - never planned it that way, never counted a calorie but also never lost a predictable amount each week - it was way more like 3lb one week, nothing for two weeks, 5lb the next week, nothiing for six weeks, 1lb the week after that, 4lb the next week, nothing for a month then suddenly 6lb gone - all over the shop basically. But its gone and who cares now years down the track? Trying to be so precise about it and trying to plan what to expect is going to do your head in when it doesnt happen that way - best just to accept what comes along.

Losing weight is simple math, eat less burn more than what your body requires and you lose weight. Your metabolism slows with weight loss in that your smaller body requires fewer calories to be maintained. So you lose slower and slower. That's unavoidable but you can minimse it by eating and exercising in a way that leads to retaining as much muscle as possible, losing mainly fat, but you WILL lose muscle with weight loss, everyone does. In truth, most obese people are used to enormous quantities of food and also used to making excuses for their eating behaviour "I dont eat that much", or "I eat less than her and she's not fat" etc. The amount of food you actually need to remain healthy is small, but if youi're used to eating like 3000 calories a day its going to seem alarming, but you WONT starve. Likewise, not many people hinder their weight loss or make themselves ill by actually exerting themselves a little - sweat and a high heart rate wont harm you either, but people "dont want to push too hard in case I burn out" or "need to start out slowly" and they way overestimate the quality of their workouts as well. Eat less, move more and you'll lose over time, plateaus and all.

About 20 minutes per meal for me. I dont have time for that for Breakfast, so I dont sit down to eat it. I carry my Cereal bowl or piece of toast and fruit or whatever with me around the house whilst I have a shower, get dressed, do my hair, make kids lunches etc. I just have a bite every so often! the only time I feel rushed is eating with others who want to bolt something and then get moving again.

I didnt find it so much with band research but I've had to make a decision to NOT google or visit any dicussion boards about ileostomy reversals. It scares the sh*t out of me, no pun intended. I struggle to find any positive stories, as even the supposedly positive ones describe a lifestyle to me that I dont find at all enticing, I was really at the point of deciding to keep a bag for the rest of my life. My surgeon went nuts at me, he said four to six weeks, I'll be back to a manageable bowel habit. Now I remain unconvinced because of all the stuff I've read and he's a very very experienced surgeon, I should believe him. But you dont, do you? You believe the "real" stories. So I have just made myself stop looking and having not read a thing for eight weeks or so, I'm feeling a lot better about giving the reversal a go in a month's time. I suggest you do the same, if its really freaking you out, if you've made a decision to do it, then stop reading now and just focus on preparing yourself and thinking about how you're goign to make it a success.

OMG, that would put me at 200lb at 5ft 10!!! That's obese! I think that formula may be more than slightly flawed.