Maincat

Well done on your 100 pound weight loss. It's a great feeling when these milestones are reached. Different people lose weight at different rates - 16 months is fine. Others are slowly or faster, it doesn't matter so long as it's gone!

Well done! It's great to have unexpected NSVs - they give you such a lift in morale. I haven't been swimming for years and years. I really ought to try it again. Well done on your weight loss.

Here are my latest images. Before November 2007, after August 2008. 118 pounds between them.

Hope it went well and that you are now on your weight loss journey.

Thanks for that Jack. I hope that at some point the shadow fades away completely.

Yes it was. If you download the referal form mentioned in my earlier post you will see a section regarding sleep apnoea. Even if it wasn't, it is a condition that needs attention. If you have it, it is a notifiable condition to the DVLA as, if left untreated, falling asleep while driving can kill, meaning that you should not drive.

I'm near target weight now. I'm in medium clothes, people make lovely comments about my weight loss, I feel better for it.. but.... I still sometimes see the fat me in the mirror. I don't want to, but I do. Why is that? Am I alone in that?

Hi Anna, I suffered from Sleep Apnoea, which has been much reduced by my weight loss. Have you been tested for Sleep Apnoea? Talk to your GP about it, and try to get referred for a sleep study. You may want to listen to a BBC Radio Nottingham interview I did about Sleep Apneoa on my blog. Sleep Apnoea is a serious condition and should be treated. It is found a lot in people that are overweight. You can wake up in the night hundreds of times and not realise it. Please see your doctor about it soon.

Hello Anna, First of all, welcome to the forum. You'll find lots of very supportive people here who are only too pleased to give you advice and support. You should certainly go to your GP and discuss this. It seems that you may benefit from weight loss surgery. Don't worry about any reaction from your GP. He/she should treat you with professionalism, not laugh at you, but share your concerns and try to help. If your GP doesn't do that, go to another one. I was referred by my GP to Derby for my lap band operation. It went very smoothly and I've not looked back since. I'm now close to my target weight, feel great and in the process, re-educated myself about food. Do you have any co-morbidities, such as diabetes, heart issues etc? They will be discussed by your doctor with you and are factors deciding whether or not you can have the operation on the NHS with your BMI. I think that if your BMI is over 40, or over 35 with comoribities, they you qualify for NHS treatment. That may change, so please someone correct me if I'm wrong. You should also have tried other weight loss strategies eg weight reduction pills. You can download the referal document for your GP at Referral Guidelines That will give you a good indication as to the criteria that Derby look to. This is very important: don't get downhearted. I know that's easy to say and difficult to do, but please try. If you want to talk to me just to rant or for some support, please phone me - my number is on my website. I can be a good listener. Take care,

I use Firefox as my browser and was wondering what extensions are used by other foxes? My favourites are Adblock Plus, FireGestures, Interclue, NoScripts, StumbleUpon and FoxClocks, although I could list lots more. Do you have an extension that is a must?

Hi there, Derby are only just starting to do gastric bypass operations. I too have heard of dramatic results re. diabetes with the bypass, particularly on the 'Fat Doctor' and 'Family Fat Doctor' TV programmes. I've also heard of it with the band, but the results are not as quick. As for band v. bypass, that can only be your decision after taking advice. I thought that bypass was really designed for people with extreme obesity. The bypass also implies that it takes choice of what you eat away in that your body will not easily accept some foods. I am not diabetic, so I don't know the emotional aspect of having diabetes personally. That may be a factor for you, I don't know. You are clearly doing your research and I hope that people come forward with their experiences.

I just love Firefox 3.01 with lots of add ons. Favourite add on? I really like NoScript, Colorful Tabs, Piclens and FoxClocks. I only use IE now for the monthly security downloads from MS.

That's certainly bad luck after such a good start. I could only say follow doctor's advice regarding the fill. Band or no band, you've got to get that hernia sorted out. Have you discussed this with your banding hospital? Try not to get this setback out of scale. You will feel fed up, I certainly would. But try not to go back to bad eating habits. You've done great so far, and in a few weeks or months this setback will just be a memory.

Hi there, When you go for your first appointment, you will probably see the lead bariatric nurse, Kay Cresswell and the dietician, Lindsay. They will go through the procedure with you and give you lots of information, especially about post-op. You may also see Mr Leeder. When I went, I didn't see him because he was doing other things, but he did phone me the next day and we had a long detailed chat about the operation and what it entailed. I don't remember having any tests done at that visit. I was almost certainly weighed. This visit is to decide whether you are a candidate for the operation, so it is very important. My visit lasted maybe an hour or so. If you are accepted, there is a five to six month waiting list for the operation itself. Then you have a pre-op visit, about two weeks before the operation. Various tests are done at that visit, including blood tests and an ECG. I saw the anethetist then as well. Everyone is very friendly and supportive. Perhaps you would like to make a note of any questions that you may want to ask them whilst you are there. Good luck for Monday and let us know how you get on. Just a thought - parking is usually OK at the Royal and the City hospitals in Derby, but best to give yourself plenty of time. Lots of new building work going on at the City.

You clearly have more problems than your weight. Stop bitching because you are making yourself look very stupid. I told you to stop smoking. If you think that is bad advice, then you are an idiot. Social smoking = denial. Don't bother replying to this post as I won't be reading this thread, or maybe this forum, again. I've got better things to do with my time than deal with stupid women like you.

I really don't think I deserved that. If my post upset you, I' m sorry. But it did not warrant your response.

That's a bizarre story. If you do need to have the port restitched, that's not a big deal. I had to have my port resited and it was a breeze compared to the first operation.

They don't need to tell you. You know you should quit - now. You need to be in the best shape you can be for the operation and the rest of your hopefully long life. You may quess that I'm really anti-smoking. I lost my Dad to lung cancer and it upsets me to see young people ignore the undisputed warnings about smoking.

I'm now at 114 pounds lost and it feels great. My targets are now within reach and I might just make one of them in about a month. Well done to everybody.

Great job there - well done for your outstanding weight loss.

Thanks for that, I appreciate it. Those images do tell a story don't they? It won't be long until you start taking pictures of your weight loss, which I'm sure will be great. Take care,

Hi Arran, I'm doing fine thanks. I've hit a bit of a plateau with my weight loss at the moment, but am still losing. My targets are in sight now, which is very exciting. I gave myself a year to lose the weight and I think I'm on schedule for that. I've been out all day helping someone to move and I could go up and down stairs, lift boxes and maintain a conversation!! That represents a big improvement for me. Good luck when you see your consultant.

Welcome to the forum Arran. You're at an exciting time with a lot to look forward to. You'll find great support here, not just in the UK forum. When you see your consultant, ask any questions you may have, no matter how strange or silly they may seem to be. Are you going NHS or private? Good luck with your new weight loss journey.

I wrote that I didn't know if there was a stigma - and I don't. I didn't say there was, or there wasn't. If there is, I wouldn't let it worry me. I've appeared on BBC1, Central TV and local BBC radio about weight loss and sleep apnoea and only met support and encouragement. People seem interested in knowing how I lost weight and I tell them.

That's a little weird for me to read, since I really don't think I have a lot of confidence. I have suffered from clinical depression since 1994. It's strange for me to realise that other people perceive me so differently to the way I perceive myself.