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That's a fantastic weight loss. You look so great. My 8 week bandiversary is coming up soon too. I doubt I will have lost that much though! Keep up the good work.

My all time favourite is Boston Legal. Very cleverly written and so darned whitty. Next would be Survivor. Love the mind games. We have survivor nights with our friends. Next would be Top Gear (the UK version). I am in love with Richard Hammond.....no more to be said there. Anything medical. Anything with operations, bringing people back from the brink of death, anything with blood and guts in it. Can't get enough of operations etc. My day job is obviously not exciting enough. We don't have pay tv at home, so we are restricted to 4 free to air channels here in Victoria (Australia!).

We have heaps her in Oz. But the one that bothers me the most is "pacific" for specific. That is where people can't get their tongue around the "sp". My coworker used to say the word 'edumacate' (educate) just so to make it sound more childlike. I hated it, but it caught on and now I say it to the kids.... Can't win.

Yeah, count me in too. I am a lurker from Oz. Always reading this Feb 08 thread but never quite know what to say! I was banded late in the month so you had all excellent advice for me when I went in!

Hi all I was taking Supradyn effervecent tablets with Water for a couple of weeks, then becuase they were so bad I stopped taking them. When I went for my first fill last week, I asked for an alternative. The doc recommended Accomin liquid. Accomin Tonic - Whitehall laboratories - Home Pharmacy Australia Accomin Adult Tonic 200ML Product Details - Chemist Australia Online Pharmacy I find it better to take, easy to swallow and a much better taste than the supradyn. Just thought I would let everyone know just in case they wanted an alternative.

Hi Slimmy I am a little taller thank you by a couple of inches! What size did you start at if you don't mind me asking? Actually no i haven't reached size 10/12 but I do want to report that I am now a size 14 on the top! I don't have big boobs, but I have big arms and I used to be large across the back also. I am wearing a very slimming size 14 black work shirt, which fits fabulously. Now on the bottom is a different story. I think I am still 16/18 as I have huge thights and calves. I have a lot do do in that area and it will probably be very slow going, but clothes I haven't been in for years are starting to fit now. My waist is actually a 14, so whatever I buy, I have to have it altered. Darn this pear shape I have. People are starting to notice the weight loss now which is nice.

Hi all I am a little disappointed, but not at all suprised. After my fill last week, I can still eat the same amount I had in the past. I was very careful over the weekend not to eat too much, but I didn't feel any restriction. I didn't want to get to the point where I would PB so I took it slowly. But I never felt full. I now just have to wait a month until my next fill and be careful about what I eat. Mornings are still like most, with indigestion type feeling, so I leave eating anything until about 11am. I survive on Up and Go liquid Breakfast with a cuppachino. Hope all are well.

Hi all Today I went for my first fill. Thank god for bulletin boards and email lists where you can get so much information. I was not at all worried today due to the wonderful support and knowing what to expect from people here. Well it went fantastically. Firstly I want to say that I am so blessed by having been referred to the Centre I go to as they have the most wonderful staff. I didn't see my surgeon today, but I did see the other surgeon who was there when I was banded. He remembered saying hello to me, but apparently I was drugged up. I honestly don't remember him! He was just wonderful for the fill. He sat me down asked me how I was, then told me about the process. 2ml in today, another 2 in a month, then slowly from there if I still need some. He did tell me that they do put some in during surgery, so I now have 4ml in a 12ml band. He double checked by withdrawing what was in there and then added the whole lot. There was absolutely no pain, no discomfort and he lived up to his name of not hurting anyone. I was really suprised that I felt absolutely nothing, it was wonderful. Then again they do this all the time, so they should be expert at it! He did mention that I would have the tightness in the chest area much like indigestion and much like what it was like soon after surgery. I have had one 10 second burst of a little bit of discomfort up there, but nothing else. I will stay on liquids until tomorrow lunchtime. I am ecstatic. This is the fist day of the real life after banding. This is when I hope to feel some restriction and the fun will now begin.

Hi E-glide I realised the other day I will never be able to sit down and eat a few full plates at a all-you-can-eat Chinese anymore. That will be what I miss the most - tucking into all that good stuff and having buckets of rice too! Anyway, my doc described it to me as, at the top of your stomach near the esophogus you have two receptors which food trigger the brain to feel full only when the food reaches that level. Now unbanded, this can be difficult as our stomaches are rather big and would need a lot of food to feel full. Once the band is in place, the upper part of the stomach (stoma) can only hold 1/2-1 cup so that you feel full much earlier than normal as the food triggers the 'full receptors' without much effort. This was the deciding factor for me! When I get a fill (2 days woo hoo) I hope to have restriction and feel full for the first time in my life!

Niki you crack me up! I have never been one for tuna but since being banded, I have eaten tuna almost daily. Whilst reading this thread I am eating my lunch and have become very congisant of the fact I am still eating like a pig and taking way too much in at one time. So what do I do? Take smaller bites and chew like crazy. Except now I can taste every morsel going into my mouth (rather than inhaling it) and it is making me feel like yakking it up! :purplebananna: Oh how I love that term... Now I remember why I never really liked tuna. :cool:

Hi Joanne Good luck with your op next week. I know what you are going through (we all go through the yips!) but believe me you will be so thankful for having the surgery, all that Optiyuk will be worth it in the end. There are all sorts of ways you can make the shakes more palatable (powdered jelly mix, flavourings etc) so explore this site and have a look at a few suggetions. It certainly helped me get through the two weeks priot to surgery. You will be fine, you are going through the normal emotional process right now and in a few days time, you will feel more rational than you thought you would. Hugs

Oh I badly need a fill. I bought a roasted vegetable roll for lunch and because it was so big, when I looked at it and it nearly made me sick to the stomach. But I ate the whole darned thing! It was so yummy. I have my first fill on Thurs 10 April and can't wait. I have no restriction (my doc doesn't put any in during the op) so I can still eat anything I want. I find rice and Pasta the worst though - they cause horrible indigestion. My weight is fluctuating also. I am still losing steadily (and very happy with my loss so far) even eating more than I should on occasions. I just can't wait to feel some restriction and limit the amount I am eating. I need to chew and eat slowly though. This is my biggest fear right now, that I haven't got that down pat yet. Cheers all.

Having the band has made me experiment with many foods that I would not normally eat: Breakfast: Up-and-Go liquid breakfast Snack: 2tbs cottage cheese and some mango Lunch: cubed chicken, taste of mustard and ff mayo, boiled egg and dip (rocket, fetta and bell pepper). All mixed in together, YUM! Snack: Cuppachino Dinner: Pumpkin soup (after netball).

Hi Batkitty I live in Eltham, a little way away from you but work in the Docklands. Don't hesitate to post your worries here. There are many here that can help you. Pain from the op is normal. Just keep up with the meds. Remember everyone is different, the pain is temporary only and within days you will be back to normal. Hang in there Kylie

Sori, congrats on the band - finally! The most satisfying drink I had during those Fluid days was the Up-and-Go liquid Breakfast yoghurt. I even still have them for breakfast right now as I feel refluxy until about 10am in the morning. So I think I am going to be one of these bandsters that can't eat breakfast...and I used to love a big breaky. I never did Water down a meal to liquid consistency in those first weeks, I always stuck to soups and tried many varieties until I stuck with a homemade chicken and sweetcorn soup I found in the refrigerated area of Coles. I got addicted to it! It saw me through to the third week! I go for my first fill in 13 days and counting and look forward to feeling some restriction as my hunger pangs have returned. Good luck and enjoy!

I had a Homer Simpson moment! 'Doh'! It was when I had winged and moaned at my local GP for the second time about my weight rising yet again despite eating properly and excercising 3 times a week (netball over three nights). I wanted to try Xenical but he thought that was a bad idea given his patients experiences with it and my background of 'trying every diet possible'. I ignored his suggestion of LBS the first time as my Sister in law had it done and was not successful. I didn't know much about it by the second time he suggested it. That was my 'doh!' moment! My AH-HA moment was when I found this site and started reading about it. That was in the morning and I was due to have lunch with my husband that afternoon. I suggested we both get it done (he's overweight too and has drastic cholesterol problems - his specialist referred him to gastric banding which he doesn't want!). He wanted to explore the LBS further so I pointed him to this site. That morning I had made up my mind and once I make up my mind I am not going to change it! I was banded 55 days after deciding I was going to have it. I am so thankful I found this site and the pictures. That was the selling point for me. The support here is wonderful and while my journey might not be easy, I am confident I will be putting before and after photos up and show off my new sexy-momma body! Thanks everyone!

Emma, this 'not hungry' stage will pass. It took me about three weeks to feel even slightly hungry again and about 4 until I had the urge to have a chocolate (my favourite food!). I found that the two weeks after surgery were the hardest, I didn't drink the amounts I should have, not even water! Don't worry too much. You will survive. Now 5 weeks post band and I am famished. It has caught up on me but I would rather not feeling hungry as everything (even tomatoes which I don't eat) look apetising. I have 2 weeks until my fill and I can't wait. I hope you recovery goes well.

Cherry_blue, I feel for you and can totally relate to how you are feeling. I am nearly 5 weeks past banding and feeling pretty hungry too. I am trying to keep the amount I put in my mouth down and restrict it to the right foods too. Why am I craving white bread right now - even when I don't eat it much! I do seem to scoff down my food as I seem to be so hungry..and that's not good as I am supposed to be chewing it slowly! I do feel some slight indigestion too after I eat now. This is surely a sign that I am eating too fast... I think whilst my weight is fluctuating a little, I am losing the inches. I tried on a couple of clothes a couple of weeks ago and again last night and can tell the difference in my size. This is a good thing! My first fill is 10th April and I am really looking forward to it.

I agree with all the comments here but none sticks out more than 'noone else wants you to succeed'. Is it because we would be a threat to woman kind being skinny? Is that their problem?! :thumbup: I sincerely believe that not too many people know why this surgery is available. I believe that people don't know anything about it plus what it is like to be obese, slimmer, more obese, slim again etc. you get the idea. It's such hard work, even thinking about losing 30kg is hard work enough for me! When I was infertile, noone was able to understand what I was going through, they couldn't relate, they couldn't understand or sympathise with our plight unless they were going through it too(I have gone on to have three children thanks to fertility treatment). I believe it is the same thing. People can't sympathise/relate because they can't imagine what life is like being like us (as a group I mean). There's nothing like free pychological help like these bulleting boards - they are a fantastic support because we can all relate. Once you make your decision, keep it to yourself unless you necessarily have to. I did, and I love the fact that I have a secret that only my hubby and one girlfriend knows. I see the scales drop, my clothes getting bigger, and I can walk around with my head held high knowing that I am succeeding and people will look up to me no matter how I got there. When I get to goal, I will probably tell people how I did it as I will be so much more informed, and able to answer any questions and more importantly be confident enough to ignore the knockers of the surgery and say things like, "hey it worked for me then it must be good" Good luck anyway.

There's not much pain afterwards, more like a little discomfort. It is well worth it believe me. Luscious I was originally scheduled for banding on 7 April too; that date was set back at the start of Feb. I thought I would die waiting that long! I was lucky enough for the nurse to realise how 'desperately' I wanted it, she called me and bought the date forward to 22/2! April 10 is my first fill day so I will be thinking of you recovering! Mojo are you doing Opitfast? If so have you started yet? Good luck ladies/lads.

Hi all Three weeks post op and tonight I have returned to playing netball. Even though stretching is a little hard and tender feeling, I played well and didn't have a problem with running. We lost though! :mad2: I have also lost 11kg as of last saturday. I finish on mushies this week and am looking forward to eating more things. I am trying to follow the dietician's suggestion for a post-fill and suprisingly I am not feeling the least bit hungry. I am experiencing some difficulties in the morning (early morning) so I have breaky when I get into work at about 7.30am. I am pretty much used to having an Up-and-Go for Breakfast and on the weekends I will have porridge with a banana. For lunches I have been mixing it up between having tuna/avo/ff mayo and lemon juice (I don't really mush it up much) and thick hearty Soups but with the hot temps in melbourne at the moment soup is sometimes hard to stomach! Dinners have been mushed up whatever I cook for the family and I am only serving myself between 1/2 and 1 cup of a meal. Despite what I thought, I am doing OK with it. I have my first fill on April 10th - a little way away right now. I am looking forward to feeling some restriction and I doubt the doc will have trouble finding the port, since it is still sticking out a little and feels like a baby's foot in my midriff area all the time! Does anyone have a port that sticks out a little? I must admit that from all the research and the reading I did prior to this surgery, I have outdone what I thought I would have done to this point. I know it will become harder, but with the weight loss I have achieved so far, I am really happy. I remember discussing a goal weight with the surgeon, not really attaching myself to a number, but I remember saying I would like to get down to 70kg, and the surgeon told me that he thought I would do better than that. I can see perhaps he might be right, but I need to take stock and try to do this the right way rather than the quickest way! I have told my workmate about the surgery and it is suprising when someone tells you they know someone who has had the same surgery. (Her friend had to have hers removed due to erosion). The only other is my hubby (and kids) and my best friend. I will discuss it further with people as I feel more comfortable with more people knowing. I don't think I am ready to tell everyone yet. I am looking forward to buying some clothes that don't hang at the back of the racks or at the front of the racks for the larger ladies! I had a pair of jean shorts that I bought at Christmas altered the other day as they just hung off me in all sorts of ways. After wearing them a few times, they may now be too big again! What a great feeling. I am also looking forward to wearing clothes in my cupboard that I haven't worn for such a long time. I have some great fashionable clothes that are ready and waiting! Sorry to rant and rave and post such a long post. I hope everyone is doing well and are feeling good, and good luck for those being banded in the near future! Kylie

Wow Josh. What a noticeable difference in the last 8 weeks, you have done fantastically well. Keep up the good work.

Hi all I am two weeks post op and am doing fantastically well. My scars have healed well and I saw the surgeon's nurse this morning who gave me the go ahead to go straight to mushies. Can't wait. Scrambled eggs for lunch! Yipee I have lost 9kg so far in the 4 weeks and am very happy with that. I know it will be a constant struggle from here on in but hey this is what I signed up for. I go back in a month for my first fill too. I found the liquids to be easy. I found a homemade chicken and sweetcorn Soup in Coles that I lived on for dinner in the last week. I also love the Up-and-Go liquid yogurt and the Sustagen easy to digest and it seemed to fill me as well. Of course normal yoghurt and smoothies were a treat. I already feel so much better than I did a month ago before I started Opti. That first week on it was such a struggle, but from then on it was all downhill and this journey so far has been so rewarding, I am going to make it continue. I hope those banded around the same time as me are doing just as well. Hugs

I lost 5kg prior to surgery and have lost another 3.2kg in the 6 days post surgery. I am very happy with my weight loss so far as any loss is still a loss. Don't stress too much over what you will lose before surgery. The most important is that you do the Optifast as your doc suggested as it not only is there for weight loss, but to shrink the liver for surgery and to prepare you for the weeks after surgery. Remember everyone is different and will lose differently. And again, any loss is a loss and it will never come back again. :smile2: Keep up the good work Aus_girl..

Hi all I had my surgery on Friday. I went in very late in the afternoon, about 5pm so I was nil by mouth from 8.30am onwards. It was hard! It all went well. My surgeon repaired a small hiatus hernia in the spot where the stomach meets the aesophogus (sp??) which had to be done before he would put the band in. I have a lovely xray showing my swllow test and the exact positioning of the band and port with it's lovely hooks. I am still tender and sore and I have found recovery a little difficult. I have had a little shoulder pain and almost like reflux or heartburn pain in the upper chest (I hope that goes). I had sliming for the first two days many times a day especially when I got up to walk. I haven't had it yet today, so hopefully that phase is gone. Last night was the first night I could manage to sleep on my side. Other than that things are pretty good. Good luck for those having their surgery this week.