lellow

You shouldn't have an issue with communion wafers. They virtually melt in your mouth, so they won't get stuck or anything. Leave it in your mouth until it's mushy, then swallow. I had communion less than a week after my operation.

My Dr also said I was 'perfect' at a BMI of 27. But I lost more and got to a BMI of 23, and guess what, I did look too skinny and a bit gaunt. I'm up to a BMI of 24 now and it looks better, and it's a weight that both me and my Dr now agree is a good weight for me. And yet I probably looked fine at a BMI of 27 too. I agree about sometimes getting too hung up on the whole BMI thing, because it doesn't take into account someone's build. I am in the high end of a healthy BMI now and yet I'm a Australian size 8 now (US size 4).

Babe, for the fill that got me to my sweet spot, I had a similar thing happen. I called my Dr's office and they told me I needed to be on liquids only for a couple of days to let things settle. As you approach restriction, the swelling associated with getting a fill will have much more of an impact that earlier fills. After 3 days of liquids, it settled, and I was tight, but I could eat again (albeit very slowly and softer foods). Go back to Clear Liquids for a day, then full iquids for another day, then pureed foods for the 3rd day. If by day 4 you're still struggling to get liquids down, your Dr may be the best person to speak to.

I'm Asian and I find I have real trouble with broccolli in Chinese food. I don't eat celery either. Rice is another thing I can't eat when it comes to Chinese food. I'm fine with Japanese rice and Arborio, but something about Jasmine or Basmati makes it hard for me to tolerate. But there are heaps of other kinds of Chinese you should be able to eat. Avoid the chewy/fibrous stuff and you should be okay.

My DR set my 'goal' to a weight that was a BMI of 27 (or 70kgs). In his opinion, that's a healthy weight for women of my height (5ft 4in). But I believe that at 70kgs, I was still a little too heavy. I got down to 61kgs but that was a little too thin IMO (despite it being a BMI of 23). Unlike Jachut, when I lose, I lose my bum and boobs first , so I ended up looking like a skinny little boy - all straight up and down and no curves. So now I'm about 63-4kg and happy with it. My Dr now even agrees that this seems like the 'right' weight for me. You can still see my ribs, but I have a bum and boobs now! So I think setting a goal weight should be just that - something to strive to but not necessarily the end point. By all means, have something to aspire to, but once you get there, find out what weight works for you, and that'll be your 'maintenance' weight.

yep, I've had that. Differently things work for different people but for me, I find sipping on pineapple juice helps eleviate that feeling. If that doesn't work then unfortunately only time will help!

I got to goal, and then passed it by 19 lbs and started to look a little gaunt. So I stopped exercising as much. Plus as months passed, I didn't feel as 'tight' as I used to be. So I ate more and my weight stabilised. I still get the occasional fill if I'm getting too loose but I've probably only had a couple of small fills since hitting goal (and refilling after my plastic surgery) You can keep going and lose more if that's what you want to do, because only you know what the weight looks like on you. I am now about 8-10lbs more than at my lowest recorded weight (so still 8-11lbs under goal), which actually puts me on the high end of 'normal' BMI. But I actually think I look better now than when I was thinner. I actually have some boobs and bum! So really nothing much happens when you get to goal. If you want to maintain that weight, you eat more and exercise less. If you want to go lower, you carry on doing what you're doing now!

Nope it doesn't restrict your ability to breathe if you get stuck.

Hey Fanny, I'm so glad I went to see you too! I've been hanging out all day to get online to let you know how good it was to actually finally meet you! I can tell you first hand that Fanny looks great guys! You wouldn't think she just had surgery 3 days ago! Lol! And I am green with envy over her new boobs! Fanny, we've got to catch up when I get back from hols. Until then, take care, rest up and be fabulous!

Heidsz, I'm in maintenance mode too (sx was 16 months ago and I've maintained for about 6 months) and have to say that I eat much like Jachut now - like a 'normal' small eater. No one even notices that I eat differently to them now. So I don't necessarily think this will be the way you will live your life forever more.

Hi eyeinthesky, I am in maintenance mode (not trying to lose anymore) and I have so far needed a small 'top up' fill every 5 months or so. In fact I got one last Friday. My weight has been stable for over 6 months but lately I noticed I was able to eat more, was taking a long time to get full (sometimes I DIDN'T get full even, and had to stop myself from eating more than I should have) and then in the last month, I put on 2kgs (about 5lbs). So I went back to see my Dr and got a 0.25ml fill. It seems to have done the trick, and I'm feeling restriction again, and have already lost 2 of those 5lbs. So if you're not feeling a good level of restriction anymore, go get another fill. The band is there for you to use it, so use it well.

Aw I missed wishing you luck before you left, Fanny! But remember you're in my thoughts and Dr Allbrook is a genius, so I know you're in good hands! If you manage to log on and feel like a visitor, I've got some time off this Wed and would love to come see you! (You're in Murdoch SJOG, right?). We can compare notes. :thumbup: Sweet dreams, matey. When you wake, you'll be waking to a brand new you!

Fanny, I'm having the same argument about my weight with the lb dr - Dr Bowater. He thought that at a BMI of 23, I was too skinny. But my band is loose now and I can eat just about anything, and I'm struggling to not gain, but he won't fill me anymore because I'm still technically within a normal BMI range (which he thinks is too low). But in the meantime, I've gained 2 kgs in 2 months. Not good. So I have made another appt with him for this arvo, and I'm going to crack it with him if he doesn't give me a fill. Hell, I've got a band, let me use it FFS. As for your surgery, you're going to love the new bod, hun, I know you will! I still can't believe that I can see my hip bones, my ribs, my feet! And with implants, you're going to be smokin'! I wish I'd gotten some, but my DH reckons he's happy with my boobs still, so I guess I can't complain. Not long now!

I was a BMI of 37 when I first called my surgeon, BMI of 35 on the day of surgery, and was at a BMI of 25 within 7 months of being banded. It worked really well for me, being a low BMIer. I'm glad I did it when my BMI was still under 40, because the way I was headed, it wasn't going to be under 40 for long.

Jachut, I'd say you look pretty damned good overall and I don't know if trading the bit of sag you have for a whole torso full of scars would be a good exchange. For me, it was worth it because I had 3.5kgs of excess skin hanging over my pubis and bum, but I've seen your stomache and IMO removing the sagging skin you have isn't worth the massive scars, never mind the cost. I can't wear a bikini ever again (Not that I could before, mind you!). You still look great in one!

My BMI was 37 when I called the surgeon for the first time, and 35 on the day of surgery. I had no co-morbidities but had a significant familial history of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The band has been wonderful for me. I lost 100% of my excess weight in 7 months, had a body lift to remove my excess skin, then went on to lose another 19lbs in the months that followed.

I get that. I didn't get excited until I went past the point where I could always get to on my own with diet and exercise. For me it was the 86kg mark. When I first went lower than that weight, I was pretty chuffed. After that, it seemed like my goal was achieveable, and then when I got to goal, it was a bit of an anti-climax because I guess I had started to believe it was absolutely going to happen. So when it happened, it was no big deal. The next time I got excited was when I got to 62kgs (8kgs under goal). That's less than I weighed than when I was 18, and got me to a (clothing) size that I have not been in size I was 14. That was very exciting for me. I hover around that weight now, and that's the weight I'm happiest at.

Emma, My surgeon was Dr Bruce Allbrook - I would recommend him in a second, he is a genius! Google him, he's easy enough to find. He did an amazing job on my body lift. My entire surgery cost about $26k, but I only paid about $16k out of pocket after Medicare and PHI chipped in. If you're only after a tummy tuck, it will probably set you back about $6-8k out of pocket. Dr Allbrook provided me with Medicare item numbers for the reconstructive aspects of my surgery, I was the one who decided to go the 'whole hog' and have a lower body lift, which is why it cost as much as it did. But I don't regret a cent.

Graciebelle, I hear you on the drink spiking. It's pretty common over here in Perth as well - in fact a friend of mine ended up in hospital after just one drink in a club recently. But we always had one of the girls at the table with our drinks, and the bouncer (an elderly guy who was just so sweet) watched over us all night. This was at the Crown Casino in Melbourne and we were all very very cautious because it's a bit of a meat market there. TBH, I was drinking French Martini's and I think just one of those would have knocked my socks off. Everyone else was drinking champagne, but I avoided it exactly because the bubbles make my tummy feel funny.

Give it time though. My upper inner thighs are also my problem area and they are improving all the time. They probably look the worst right after you've lost all the weight. But then over the next year, a lot of it bounces back. Mine did. As long as the skin in that area isn't stretched paper thin, I think you have a decent chance of it settling into something you'll be able to live with long term.

It's funny, but in hindsight, eating was the furthest thing from my mind while I was drinking, which is so not like me usually (the 2am kebab was a staple for me in my early years). So you're right, with the way I eat now, one glass wine and I'm feeling it already. I'm such a cheap date now!

Lol Jachut, I'm 39 and it was the first time in about 8 years that I was so drunk that I needed to throw up. I don't even think I drank that much that night. I suspect that it was more to do with the fact that I hadn't eaten much that day instead. Though after that night, I have made a promise to myself that I will never get that drunk again. Being drunk is bad enough. Being drunk with the band is a truly horrible experience.

I recently got blind, falling down drunk while on a girls' night out, and it was horrible, not being able to 'get it all out' when my body really seemed to need to. I kept going to the toilet to see if I could yak everything out, but it just wouldn't come out. And the more I tried, the more painful it was. In the end, I gave up, and was so uncomfortable that a girlfriend ended up taking me home, where I flaked out on the bed. Not a nice way to end the night. The next morning, my band was very tight, and I suspect that I irritated my stoma with my repeated attempts to throw up. I went on to liquids for a day or two, then was fine again. Funnily enough, I didn't even have the slightest hangover. Go figure. Moral of the story: don't get so drunk you need to throw up.

before I reply I have to say that I didn't count calories, carbs or fat when I was losing. In Australia, we are encouraged to eat healthily, from all food groups, and I generally ate a range of Protein, carbs and veg in every meal. So whenever I went out to eat (and in my job it's pretty often - maybe twice a week) I'd order whatever I wanted, eat approximately a cup of whatever it was, then would leave the rest. I enjoyed every bite and the only way I knew I could leave the rest was knowing that if I wanted, I could have another cup of it the next week (and funnily enough, I usually didn't). My workmates are now so used to me eating some of my meal then leaving the rest they don't bother asking about it anymore. Now I'm restricted, I couldn't eat more than a cup even if I tried, so leaving the rest of the meal isn't hard to do at all now. And I never feel deprived. I still managed to lose an average of about 10lbs a month too, eating everything in moderation, and exercising 3 times a week. So you don't have to 'cut out' entire restaurants from your life simply because you're banded now.

uneeek, I think inner thigh lifts don't seem to have the same 'seamless' look of other surgeries like tummy tucks, and was one of the reasons I didn't get one. The results I have seen have been a bit patchy, often looking a bit asymetrical. I was lucky though that when I got my body lift, it 'pulled' my thighs up a bit, and with further weight loss, they just don't look so bad anymore. The main area of excess skin for me was my inner thigh, and while it's still there a bit, it's not obvious when I'm dressed. I even had someone tell me the other day that I have great pins! How bad are your thighs?