NeedaBreak4Me

Omg yes, i couldn't believe that the stores sold buckets, yes buckets of crisps! And the actual chicken pieces were huge!
It seems dismal compared to our one row of chips and one row of soda lol...
I remember when i went into Walmart, i couldn't believe my eyes, supersized everything!
We our largest chip packet would be considered small.
So it doesn't suprise me why american surgeon's are so strict with their post op instructions, especially when all that is so easily available.
We are lucky here, we are generally encouraged to eat healthy and enjoy food, even the big companies are getting on board which is great.
But i must say, i was a huge fan of burgers in the states, they do make good ones lol

Well said!
It's funny, I always thought when I got pregnant (before surgery) that I would gain a ton of weight because I could have an excuse to binge... I'm eating for two, it's pregnancy cravings, the baby wants it, etc.. I only gained 25 pounds (a perfectly healthy amount), and it's because I basically gave myself permission to eat whatever I wanted without guilt, and the need to binge was suddenly gone. After the pregnancy when I needed to get back on the wagon, I started bingeing again, put on 40 more pounds, and then obviously got the sleeve.
My point to that long story, is that the same feeling of giving myself permission to "cure" my binge eating that I had while I was pregnant is how I feel now (I'm almost a year post op). Food doesn't equal stress. Life is so much better when I'm not OBSESSED with food!

I agree with you there.... not having forbidden foods really helps take the pressure off... i feel it teaches you to make good choices for yourself, not having someone dictate them for you. I feel that if i was told you are never to have x,y,z.. i would probably rebel and crave it so much more... but this way i know i can have it in moderation but CHOOSE not to.... that is exactly what i need to make a long term lifestyle change.... this is for life, and sometimes in life you will want a small piece of cake or a bread roll... denying myself or completely eliminating an entire food or food group is not healthy in my opinion (psychologically).. that for me would bea set up for failure.. i would feel deprived!

Omg yes, i couldn't believe that the stores sold buckets, yes buckets of crisps! And the actual chicken pieces were huge!
It seems dismal compared to our one row of chips and one row of soda lol...
I remember when i went into Walmart, i couldn't believe my eyes, supersized everything!
We our largest chip packet would be considered small.
So it doesn't suprise me why american surgeon's are so strict with their post op instructions, especially when all that is so easily available.
We are lucky here, we are generally encouraged to eat healthy and enjoy food, even the big companies are getting on board which is great.
But i must say, i was a huge fan of burgers in the states, they do make good ones lol

@@Nikkinee
Honestly, i feel normal... like a normal person who eats smaller portions...
I think a big part of this is psychological and how you look at it, i still enjoy food, i eat a balanced diet, make good choices, don't feel guilty or punish myself if i allow myself a small treat.
Regards to weight loss, i am losing steadily, i was able to fit into my size 12 dress yesterday and it looked great.. my legs are thinner and my tummy is getting flatter so i am stoked!
I realise now that i was way over thinking things, that i stressed myself out, that i should have been more confident in my choice to improve my health.
I do have days where i am a little jealous of others... in the sense of, wow that food looks awesome, i would have loved to have been able to eat that without feeling guilty or gaining weight.
Sometimes i have random thoughts that make me a little sad like that i had to resort to cutting out most of my stomach to be healthy, and that i wish i didn't need to.
But overall i am happy with my choice, i don't regret it, and its become my new normal which i don't really think about unless i am eating out.

Purging your friendships and relationships seems to be very common after life changing experiences, such as divorce, illness and including weight loss surgery.
8 years ago when i had my band, i had a group of friends for years that became very controlling, judgemental and mean after i lost weight... we were all the chubby funny people, so we had a lot in common... we would eat and be fat and lazy together.
Once i lost all the weight, i ended up regaining my confidence and stopped taking their crap, in turn i lost every single one of them.
To be honest, yes i was lonely for a short time, but then i took up new hobbies and interests and made new friends..... friends for life who give me love and support i deserve.
The purge of all the negativity was the best thing that ever happened to me! Hindsight is a wonderful thing... i realise now that they were never truly friends, and got off on putting me down subtly.
My point... it might hurt now, but this is a necessary process for bigger and better things... yes, it might hurt now, and it might always be a sore spot, but open yourself to love, take small steps, do small things for you because you deserve it.
And remember... not every man will cheat on you, not every person will hurt you... do not allow this horrible experience to cause you to build walls around your heart and mind... because this will only hurt you in the end.
The mistress and him deserve each other.... you have bigger and better things waiting for you... jump up and embrace the change... you will be better for it.
Through hardship comes ease, through trust comes love, through love for yourself comes happiness.

Girl! Don't let this man dull your shine!
You are extremely brave and finally found the courage to leave.
This sounds like it was a very controlling relationship, you are lucky you got out after anything serious went wrong.
Unfortunately most controlling people do try to distroy their partners self esteem, making them feel unworthy, having no respect for being loyal etc... very common.
This man is no longer in your life, its time to do things for YOU!
You need to love YOU, respect YOU, be kind to YOU, do things for YOU.. because YOU deserve it.
Accept the fact that you are looking fabulous, take up a hobby you enjoy, get out there and live life....
Once you do this, you will feel more comfortable in your own skin...
Don't let this man take anymore of your happiness or self worth, you deserve better ????
Love and dating will come when you are ready, focus on living, loving and enjoying life..

Not everyone that has a low BMI gets WLS because of the laziness of putting a "little effort" I had wls at a BMI of 32, this was because i completely screwed up my metabolism from having the band.
I was a BMI of 23 and jumped to 32 in less than 12 months since having the band removed. Basically i can not eat above 800 calories without gaining.
My exercise and diet remained the same, i did NOT gain from lack of effort.
Please do not generalise without knowing peoples history or story, a blanket statement like that isn't useful to anyone.
And as you say, being 200lbs, you lose with very little effort, this may be the case for you, but you will find that weight loss is slower the lower BMI one is.

Sounds like you are getting reflux from your band, ask your doc to loosen it slightly, it sounds like its too tight.

@@Elle09
Thank you!
I just didn't realize that i was half way to goal yesterday... that completely threw me off...
Unfortunately my head hasn't caught up yet... i can fit into more of my "skinny" clothes now and people are commenting... but my brain still sees my body at my starting weight... weird how that happens.... but i am happy... even though my weight loss is slow as expected... im losing.. so woohoo to me!

@@missblonde20
I agree, i think we (in aust) in general doctors are more focused on balance.... eating to live and enjoy food, whilst losing and maintaining... also one thing i did noticed during my many trips to the states is how big everything was! I can understand why some people who live there would need to eliminate eating out, everything is huge!
Eg. I noticed that the small sized coke for macdonalds is our large!... one slice of pizza would be equivalent to 3 here...
My point being... if we "cheat" it doesn't seem so bad... but at those portions.. i can understand why cheating would be considered bad...
To me, when i went to the states, everything was supersized and super sweet!
Do you guys in the states notice the huge portions? Or is it just noticable to us internationals?

I have only had a couple of throwing up episodes since I've been sleeved.
1st... i hadn't eaten for hours because i was in back to back meetings... so when i finally ate i ate way too fast and i puked. (This was week 3 or 4 i think... so pretty early out)
2nd was when i was out at a festival and there wasn't many "non junk" items to choose from so i chose to have a sausage, no bread, just the sausage... it got "stuck" for ages and was causing me pain... i slimed really bad and it came out when i didn't expect it to... i think because it was processed, my body just decided hell no! Lol.. that was at 6 weeks.
Other than that... if you chew your food, eat slowly... you won't have any issues.
But... its nothing like the "stuck" you feel with the band... the "omg i can't breath with this 2 tonne brick feeling on my chest and i feel like i am going to regurgitate into my mouth" feeling... with the sleeve, its a slightly stuck feeling like... a lump in your throat/chest... when you get it... you will know it... but i wouldn't say its as painful as the band.

@@dhm
I will echo what @@Mrready said.
I have no issues with Water... i can drink 34oz in around 20 mins now... no issues at all.... the first 2 weeks were difficult... but it only gets easier with time.
Because you are an ex bander... we have more movement with our esophagus and can fit a little more than a virgin sleever.
At 7 weeks, i can drink Water normally.. i can't gulp down huge amounts, but i can drink a decent amount... i have not had any issues with dehydration.
Restriction wise, its a comfortable restriction... no heavy feeling on the chest like with the band.
I wish you all the best with your surgey.... keep us updated on how you go

@@DGM no need to be nervous... the sleeve is soooooooo much easier than the band... no food getting stuck, no painful pressure when eating, its just like having a normal tummy.. except smaller... well thats what it is like for me compared to when i was banded ☺

Hi... i hope you are recovering well.
I was revised from band to sleeve... and the difference is like night and day.
When i had my band removed i did have a "phantom" band for a few weeks... but once that subsided my tummy was like my pre band tummy... normal.
Now that i am sleeved and healed... it just feels like a normal stomach... i can eat and drink without feeling odd sensations, pressure or food getting stuck like the band.
Earlier out when i was healing, if i ate too fast or didn't chew properly i would get a little "stuck" feeling.... but nothing like the stuck feeling with the band... sort of like.. stuck without that heavy pressure.
For me, once i passed the first 3-4 weeks... everything just became easier.... now i feel like a normal person, who just eats smaller portions.. Water isn't a issue and i am meeting or exceeding my daily goals.
One thing i will mention... as an ex bander... you will find you can fit a little more food/fluids than virgin sleevers... as we have less sensation in our esophagus because of the band.... so its important that we measure out food until we can adjust to reading the full signals...

He did not reject you.... you are not the problem.....
HE cheated
HE Controlled
HE had the porn addiction
HE was abusive
HE decided to be disloyal
HE damaged your self esteem
HE chose to be with someone else
HE had family and friends keep this from you
HE did not respect you or your daughter
Stop blaming yourself, it is not rejection of you personally, it is a rejection of the idea of loyalty and commitment.

Girl! Don't let this man dull your shine!
You are extremely brave and finally found the courage to leave.
This sounds like it was a very controlling relationship, you are lucky you got out after anything serious went wrong.
Unfortunately most controlling people do try to distroy their partners self esteem, making them feel unworthy, having no respect for being loyal etc... very common.
This man is no longer in your life, its time to do things for YOU!
You need to love YOU, respect YOU, be kind to YOU, do things for YOU.. because YOU deserve it.
Accept the fact that you are looking fabulous, take up a hobby you enjoy, get out there and live life....
Once you do this, you will feel more comfortable in your own skin...
Don't let this man take anymore of your happiness or self worth, you deserve better ????
Love and dating will come when you are ready, focus on living, loving and enjoying life..

For us, nothing is forbidden, just advised against having it in excess.... everything in moderation and balanced with good foods.
I have tried bread (was ok, but filling), rice noodles (omg worst feeling ever, heavy and cramping, never again), all types of meat (perfect), sausages (my sleeve hates them), chocolate (no dumping)..
But as a disclaimer, when i tried these things it was a very small amount, literally 1/4 bread roll, 2 tbs noodles, 1 chocolate piece.... so i wouldn't know how larger quantities of them would be like, and i don't plan to find out! Lol

Not everyone that has a low BMI gets WLS because of the laziness of putting a "little effort" I had wls at a BMI of 32, this was because i completely screwed up my metabolism from having the band.
I was a BMI of 23 and jumped to 32 in less than 12 months since having the band removed. Basically i can not eat above 800 calories without gaining.
My exercise and diet remained the same, i did NOT gain from lack of effort.
Please do not generalise without knowing peoples history or story, a blanket statement like that isn't useful to anyone.
And as you say, being 200lbs, you lose with very little effort, this may be the case for you, but you will find that weight loss is slower the lower BMI one is.

Is this what you had in mind?

One more for the peeps who liked the kitty on the scale....

And people.. This is how a respectful adult handles conflict/misunderstanding a forum..... we can all learn from this!
Thank you for not taking offence to us disagreeing, much appreciated.. you i like!

For us, nothing is forbidden, just advised against having it in excess.... everything in moderation and balanced with good foods.
I have tried bread (was ok, but filling), rice noodles (omg worst feeling ever, heavy and cramping, never again), all types of meat (perfect), sausages (my sleeve hates them), chocolate (no dumping)..
But as a disclaimer, when i tried these things it was a very small amount, literally 1/4 bread roll, 2 tbs noodles, 1 chocolate piece.... so i wouldn't know how larger quantities of them would be like, and i don't plan to find out! Lol