lellow

I've going to admit I worried like hell about that too. And when I was losing, there were definitely times when I was looking a little grey and washed out, esp if I wasn't eating so well. I lost hair too, and my pony tail got to being 1/2 the size it used to be. But my hair came back, and so did my colour, as my body adapted to less food. As for the wrinkles though, I really believe that that's genetics. I don't moisturise, I use plain old bar soap to wash my face, I smoke, I sun bake and I lost a tonne of weight and I still don't have many wrinkles, even at 42. Asian genes, gotta love them!

I have an addictive personality. Alcohol, cigarettes, food, whatever. My ex husband used to worry that the portion control that the band gave me would never cure me of the way food made me feel, and that I would fail as a result. But once I made the decision to get the band and lose the weight, I replaced my food addiction with exercise and clothes shopping and going out dancing instead. I still have a shoe addiction that rivals Imelda Marcos, I kid you not. Just like any addict, you need to want to kick the habit. And I wanted to. So there is hope for us addicts, really.

I don't know what sort of diet they put you on, but I ate carbs right through losing. Not a huge amount, but I did it eat it. I had Pasta and noodles (the two things I could tolerate) almost everyday, albeit in small amounts. It's not the carbs IMO. It's the calories. Now I never counted calories but I KNOW I was working off more than I was eating. And if I stopped losing, I exercised more, and made sure my diet was balanced and low fat and low calorie (even if I didn't add all the calories up). If you're not losing, start food journalling. Use a site like calorieking. It will give you an indication of how many calories you're consuming a day. Then add your exercise and it will tell you how much you're burning off. You might find it a great way to figure out why your weight loss has stalled.

My sister turned out to be the one person who struggled most with my weight loss. She went from being the skinny, beautiful one with the 'fat sister' to suddenly having guys walk right past her to talk to me. Initially I thought, 'well now you know what it's like' but then I realised she didn't ask for this, and it was an adjustment for her too. And no woman likes a blow to her ego, and that they already are thinking that you will be should be taken as a compliment (back-handed or not). My sister got married on Friday and I was her matron of honour. She put me in a Kermit-coloured shapeless dress because she said 'the bridesmaid cannot look better than the bride'. After initially getting offended, I realised what she was really saying - that she felt like she couldn't compete now I was thinner than her - so on the day, I wore the dress with pride, and was the best damned matron of honour to her that she could have asked for. Now I can't really 'lose' the friendship of a sister, but I guess I'm saying, see the insecurity from which they say these things, and don't take it to heart. You'll be this new woman, and they too need to adjust to that.

Hi, I had an unfill for surgery, and the funny feeling I got mainly felt like my stomache was really unhappy about not getting a slow drip feed of food. For the first meal after my unfill, I threw it all back up. And then between suddenly being able to burp again, and the weird 'full' feeling I would get after meals that I wasn't used to, I just felt out of sorts. I only felt like 'me' after getting most of my fill back in. Funny when you think I only had had the band about 8 months when I got unfilled, and my unbanded stomache for 38 years prior to that. But I think our bodies adapt quickly. I'm glad you're feeling back to normal now.

I lost on average about 7 - 10 lbs a month, but I was actually exercising quite a lot. I was cycling about 20 miles 3 times a week at 55 rpm. I also ran and walked everywhere. I started with a BMI of 35 at surgery. I agree that losing when your BMI is lower can be slower, but you can speed the loss up a bit if you really want. It works the same way big or small - less calories in than you expend. Also being lighter, it's often esier for us to exercise. Take advantage of that!

Is it getting worse? I get soreness around my port if I having something pressing on it too much, like if I wear pants that constrict me just where my port is. The soreness can last a few days, but it eases as the days pass. Is it warm to the touch? Or swollen? It may be an infection then and the best idea in that case is to see your dr. I still have the odd case of port soreness even now, over 3 years post surgery. I wear low rise pants, and automatically adjust so nothing is pressing on my port, but sometimes it's unavoidable (like falling asleep on a plane and having the seatbelt buckle against your port for 3 hours). If it's getting better, I wouldn't be as worried. If it's getting worse, don't wait, see a dr, coz an infection will cause you more complications in the long run.

I told everyone. I told complete strangers. I'm not saying this has to be what you do, but my decision to do that was for two reasons: 1) it made me accountable. I wasn't going to fail. And I certainly wasn't going to fail if there were a tonne of people watching me. 2) for those who were struggling with their own weight demons, I never wanted to perpetuate to them the myth that ALL you have to do is watch what you eat and exercise more, and it would make you thin. Or that it was what made ME thin. I couldn't do this without the lapband. I wanted others to know that. So I told everyone, I blogged, I updated FB, I posted progress pics, and every now and then I still come to this website, though most days I forget I have a lapband now. I don't regret telling anyone, even the haters, coz in the end, I had the last laugh, didn't i? ETA: one of the best things though about telling people is that the lapband went from being 'oh it doesn't work' or 'it's the easy way out' to 'holy crap, it does work' and 'wow, she works out and is fitter than most people'. I alsoI had a tonne of people I knew, who had had WLS, come out of the woodwork to start talking to each other and supporting each other, especially where I worked. I like that I helped dispel the negativity around WLS. It was a side effect that I didn't think of but am grateful for.

Moderate (and not so moderate on occasion) drinker and same after surgery.

elcee, I am an Aus size 8 and I can't get into my US size 4 jeans anymore. I could only wear them when I was 120lbs and under, or the equivelant of slightly under a size 6 Aus. So basically if they got their way, an Aussie size 8 would be considered overweight. You and I would be considered overweight. Can you imagine the impact of that to a teenager who would walk into a store today a size 8 only to get told she was considered overweight? That she would think she'd need to lose weight? Or the girl who's a healthy size 12, who will then think she's an elephant, even though it couldn't be further from the truth? And not to mention the girl who already can't cope with being a size 18. What's she going to think she is? Clothing sizing should reflect healthy weight ranges. Period.

I am sitting on a BMI of 22.3 now, or on the 'higher' side of the BMI scale. Look at my photos. I am a size 6. Apparently that would make me overweight. Do I look overweight to you? Sizing matters. It may not to you and me, but it does to that teenager whose self esteem and self image is already struggling. Size 6 IS NOT OVERWEIGHT. And it's about time those people who see themselves as the 'style police' take some responsibility for the truly twisted way that society views weight in general.

Now let me preface this by saying I'm glad I had my body lift and my BA, coz they did make a difference in the way I perceive myself. But I just thought I'd add that when I was big, I focussed on my weight, when I lost it, I focussed on my excess skin, when I got rid of that, I focussed on my lost boobs, and when I got a BA, I started focussing on my thighs, and my teeth, and my... well you get the picture. I then realised that it's human nature to always pick out the worse things in yourself and think that's what makes you 'you'. I remember being overweight and thinking if I got to 160lbs I would feel perfect. But it doesn't happen that way. You always find something wrong with yourself. You're never happy. But you have to decide if that rules your life or not. I exchanged excess skin for significant scarring. I remember telling a good friend after my body lift that I didn't know whether trading excess skin was worth looking like Frankenstein in hindsight, and she said, do you realise that no one cares about that but you? And she was right. No one did. You are your own worst critic. Don't listen to the inner dialogue that continues to put you down despite your success. Because it won't suddenly start happening once you get plastic surgery. Choose to Celebrate your achievements now.

Chris, your post was incredible articulate, and I can relate to so much of it. I'm just 3.5 years out and I intend to have this band continue to help me maintain my weight for years to come. I hope every bandster reads your post.

Fran, it's one thing to lose weight when you have nothing impeding you, it's hard enough then. But when you're struggling with other factors and still not losing focus (most of the time), and still losing (slowly or not, it doesn't matter), not only are you entitled to your pity party, but you also deserve a mighty big pat on the back for being an inspiration to others. xxx

I'll be banded 4 years in Aug and no complications at all for me.

Your goal weight is your goal weight, not your facilitator's. I'm 5'4" and I got down to 117lbs and I stayed there for 6 months, before deciding that I'd like a little more weight on, so I actively put on weight until I was 130lbs and that's where I've stayed. So obviously I don't think you getting to 125lbs is unrealistic at all. If I can do it, anyone can. I was no 20 year old either. I was 38 when I got my band, and the weight I lose was directly proportional to how much I worked my ass off.

Actually most men only produce about 10mls of it on average. You're fine. Trust me.

I don't know if it will last forever, but if it doesn't, I'll still be grateful for the years it's given me where I lost the weight and kept it off. If it stopped working, I would probably opt for another lapband if I could (the devil I know!) than revise to sleeve. I know the lapband works for me. Why fix what ain't broke?

I generally can't gulp water. When I was well restricted, water used to gurgle down my throat. If I was working out, I'd sip throughout my work-out. If I couldn't, then at the end, I'd fill my mouth with water, and slowly drink it bit by bit. I know it sounds silly, but I have PBed water before from gulping it, so I try to take it slow.

If you click the link in my signature, it'll take you to a post I wrote a while ago about my own personal mindset wrt the band, and how I lost the weight. I am now in maintenance mode and I eat more than when I was losing, do not do any formal exercise (though I know other banders for whom formal exercise is something they continued to do) and find myself working not to lose anymore, as opposed to working not to gain, like I did all my life. I got down to about 117lbs mid last year and it did not look good on me, so now I make sure my weight doesn't fall below 130lbs. I have a fair amount of ccs in my band - about 8.25 in a 10 cc band. However while I'm restricted, I am by no means too tight, and everyone is different. My dr says that of all his patients I am on the upper most scale of how much my band is filled, so obviously most people get there before they get 8.25cc's worth of fill. I have never counted calories and I still don't, but I explain that in my post. Feel free to read it if you want.

ALLLLLLLLL my friends know about my chicken dance. Or the pocahontas dance as my partner calls it, coz the first time he saw it, I was wearing two long plaits on either side of my head, was wearing shorts and ugg boots and doing what he reckons looked like a rain dance in our lounge room. I kinda do this hoppy walk in circles and lift my arms up and down, and this often helps to move the food down. It sounds crazy but it does work a lot of the time. And no I won't be you-tubing a demonstration!

But when I was losing, I was lucky to eat 1/2 a cup 3 times a day. I ate less than my (then) 3 year old. Now though, 4 years on, it varies. Some days, I'd be lucky to eat a cup of food all day. Other days I could easily eat 5 cups. I let my band dictate how much I eat now. But nowhere do I eat the amounts even near to what I used to pre-band. You'll be surprised how little food you can actually survive on. My partner never knew me before I lost weight, and he always says he cannot believe how little I eat and still have the boundless amounts of energy I seem to have! He eats four times and much and is always tired, it seems.

I got a torsoplasty but didn't need a thigh lift or an arm lift, and I was almost 39 when I lost my weight. I had batwings for sure but my dr said they'd go in time and they did. Same with my thighs. I have some excess skin there but definitely nothing worth going under the knife for. You just won't know how your body is going to react until after you've lost the weight. So worry about it, sure, but don't let it keep you up nights.

Oh I just thought of a negative - I hate it when you get stuck while you're out, and find you need a toilet quick smart to PB, and your mouth is filling up with saliva like crazy, and you can't get there fast enough. It's happened to me twice - once I didn't quite make it to the toilet. Suffice to say - embarrasing! Another negative (or maybe it's a positive) - if I am getting 'full' my nose starts to drip. Anyone who's close to me sees me start to sniff and they all look at me like 'ok, stop eating NOW'. Oh and I can't get falling down drunk coz trust me, you don't want to get alcoholic poisoning with the band. Puking from the bottom of your tummy is NOT fun. It can lead to needing an emergency unfill. Again, not sure that's not really a positive though...

Like everything, some will hate something, others will love it. This thread is a good example of that. I can tell you how much I love my band, but that's me. Fluffy obviously doesn't, and that's her. I personally don't think it's support to tell someone what you believe and expect them to believe it themselves, and I'd like to think that Fluffy knows the difference, coz I sure do. All you can do is relate your own personal experience, perhaps quote some well researched and objective statistics (who's laughing with me at this point?) and hope the person you're offering advice to gains some insight from you. In the end, everyone has to make their own, preferably informed decision. I am proof it works. Fluffy believes she's proof it doesn't. Oh well, only you can decide if it's worth the risk that you'll be one of the ones for whom it works. And oddly enough, I don't see any statistics that prove that for MOST people, it doesn't work, and that for all those "people", it is directly related to band failure instead of user error, so take from that what you will. You will always have supporters and detractors, in EVERYTHING. In Australia the lapband has been used for over 15 years and still remains the WLS of choice for most. That sounds pretty long term to me. Just saying.