lellow

Actually it was never my goal to only lose 60 or 70% of my excess weight either. I always intended to lose 100% of my excess weight. My Dr set my goal weight. I wanted to be 65kgs (same as when I was 14 and where my BMI would have been 25) but my Dr said he thought I would ideally weigh around 70kgs to look and be a 'normal' weight. So 70kgs was my 'official' goal weight, but I'm a little below that, and I actually think I'm at my ideal weight now. I will lose some more with my body lift, anyway, but I like what I look like now and would prefer to not lose anymore bar weight of the excess skin that's being removed.

Lol I'll admit I'm pretty scared of the pain as well. But not so scared that I'm prepared to live with this 'skirt' of skin forever! Not everyone has to be unfilled prior to PS. My PS wanted me to be, mainly because he was worried about the obstruction the band would cause if I get sick from the anaesthesia and need to vomit. But I'm getting re-filled 4 days after surgery while I'm still in hospital recovering, so it's not so bad. Thanks for the good wishes. I promise I will update on how it all goes!

My Dr set my goal weight at 70kgs (BMI= almost 27). He asked me initially what I wanted to get down to, and I said 65kgs (BMI =25). When I started losing, I got to 74kgs and he said at that point that I only looked like I needed to lose another 4kgs tops. So he revised my goal weight to 70kgs then. I'm now 68.6kgs, and with my body lift surgery happening on Thurday this week, I'm expecting to lose another 3-4kgs in skin, so that should take me to around my desired goal weight of 65kgs after the swelling subsides anyway. Though tbh, my Dr is probably right. Right now, my ribs are showing, my collarbones stick out, but I still have my bum and breasts, and I don't want to lose those things, so I personally am pretty happy with where I am now, and just need the excess skin removed!

It's like a tummy tuck, but with a whole 'belt' of skin taken right around your body instead of only from your tummy. :thumbup: I've got a 'skirt' of skin hanging over my hips, tummy and (a little bit) on my back now I've lost 100% of my excess weight, so I'm having it removed!

Congratulations cutiew/booty! That's something to Celebrate indeed! It's also nice to see you back posting. We've missed you!

Heartfire, what an excellent idea! I hadn't thought of that at all! It's been years since I changed the batteries on those scales. Maybe 4 years? Lol! Will definitely give that a go. Thanks, you may have saved me a packet! And thanks to a bout of gastro, I'm losing again. Dropped a lb this morning because I'm barely eating anything. Everything I eat comes back out. Not sure this is the way I'd like to lose weight. And I'm hoping I'm better soon, as surgery is only 4 days away!

You guys are so positive, and that counts for so much in this journey! Set ambitious goals and now that every lb lost is that lb gone forever! Now my stats: Start 158.4lbs Goal: 150lbs Now: 151.6lbs Lost: 6.8lbs To go: 1.6lbs I normally would have been somewhat confident of making that goal in the time we had left, but with being completely unfilled now, I'm struggling to not gain (and am exercising like a demon so as to not stack on any weight), so will most definitely NOT make my goal this time. Oh well!

This is my last Friday weigh in for a long, long while as I go in for my Body Lift surgery next Thursday! I also got completely unfilled on Tuesday so have been trying hard not to gain now, let alone lose. I can definitely eat much more, but am trying to control portions, and I seem to be constantly hungry. Obviously my stomache hasn't 'shrunk' much from having so little food in it the last 7 months! But by Dr's scales on Tues, I'm down from last week, so that's what I'm going by. My scales at home are all over the place so I haven't bothered weighing myself on them lately, and will buy a new set after my PS. So! Last week: 69.1kgs (152lbs) This week: 68.9kgs (151.6lbs) Loss of about 0.4lbs. Wish me luck for Thursday!

My surgeon says it's wise to have a small fill every 6-8 months once you reach goal. But I'm going to wait until I feel I need it before I go back.

I went to autology again yesterday and my blood count has dropped to 110. It's at the very bottom of where it should be for them to be comfortable for me to go into surgery. Not great news for me personally but at least surgery is still going ahead. It just means that I couldn't donate any more of my own blood and will have to use blood from the red cross on the day. Saw the anaesthetist as well and he's given me a tablet for reflux to take on the morning of the op, and has ordered for me to have a sedative 1 hour before I'm wheeled into theatre. I think I'm going to need it! He's also confirmed that I will have a pain pump in hospital until I'm ready to come off it. Juli, I hate being unfilled. I can eat so much more now and it's hard to stop myself from eating too much because I'm constantly hungry. Plus the pathologist kept telling me yesterday that with one week to a major operation, it's 'no time to diet', so I'm torn between eating normally or going on a liquid diet to try not to gain. Luckily my lapband dr is visiting me on the ward 4 days post op to put some fill in!

The scales I've been addicted to, I just found out have been lying to me! Lol! I've had a frustrating few weeks because my weight has been fluctuating up and down on different days, by as much as 3lbs from one day to the next. Then I went to see my Dr on Tuesday and found out I weighed less than my scales ever said I weighed, and that was just after lunch and fully dressed! I went home, got completely undressed and hopped onto my scales again and it STILL said I weighed almost 3lbs MORE than my DR's scales said I did just 20 minutes earlier. So I don't trust my scales anymore. In fact I think my relationship with it is over. :cursing:

I apologise for not clarifying. I'm having a lower body lift with a vertical incision. I guess I could go without undies. I'm just worried about when my TOM arrives (it's due about a week after my op)!

My husband asked me about this today and I have to admit I haven't thought about it too much. I assume that under your compression garment, you wear underwear, right? My garment will look like a body suit - under my breasts down to my groin area. If it's as snug as they say it will be, what is the most comfortable sort of undies to go under them?

Thanks Jeni. My local health food place reckons they have it, so I'll be going round tomorrow. Well, today I get unfilled in preparation for the surgery next week. :rolleyes2: I feel like I'm losing my security blanket. I will not gain, I will not gain, I will not gain......

Great news on getting those drains out Jeni! I've got 4 weeks off with a possibility of another 2 weeks if I need it. I expect unless I'm feeling really badly, I'd prefer to come to work! I have a desk job anyway, and work is pretty fun, but we'll see how I feel.

Happy bandiversary emma!

Come on down, hun! I'd be happy to show you around! Australia is beautiful, and Perth (where I am) is particularly laid back. You'd love it! I do! The silicone spray is called Kelo-cote, and it's made in the US. I looked long and hard to find a supplier in Australia. You start using it once your scars are closed over, so you can still get it now because you won't be using it yet for a couple of weeks yet. Check out makemeheal.com - I'm pretty sure they sell it online. I've also read about Arnica Montana and Staphysagria, but am not sure how available they are over here. Might have a look for them at my local health shop this Wed. Thanks for all the tips you've given us, Jeni! I apprciate how generous you've been with your advice. :crying:

Thanks for the tip, Jeni. I still haven't gotten round to getting a toilet riser, but will definitely put a wedge pillow on my list. As for the silicone spray - I've read that silicone assists the healing of scarring so that it doesn't form keloids (raised scars). I'm also olive-skinned, and silicone apparently can help with reducing discolouration too. Some of my lapband scars are raised and darkened, so if a silicone spray will reduce that sort of thing, I'm willing to give it a try!

Here are two NSVs where I've taken insults as compliments! My son got bitten by a kid at daycare, and I went to complain to the kid's mother. In the argument that ensued, she called me a 'skinny cow'!!! I think I took the wind out of her sails by grinning like a Cheshire Cat at her 'abuse'! My dad hadn't seen me since Christmas, when I was nearly 8kgs (almost 18lbs) heavier. When I saw him this last week, he told me that I needed to stop losing weight because I'm starting to look 'wierd'!! He later admitted that he's not used to seeing me as a regular size person, and he just 'can't get used to it'.

I've doing okay. My starting weight was 158.4lbs and I wanted to get to 150lbs by the 1st of April and as of Friday I was 152lbs. BUT I get completely unfilled on Tuesday the 24th of March in preparation for my body lift surgery, and will remain unfilled until the 7th of April. So while I would love to get to 150lbs, I think that if I don't GAIN after being unfilled, I'll be ecstatic.

Hi guys, I did weigh myself on Friday but got swamped at work and couldn't post. Last week: 69.9kgs This week: 69.1kgs (152lbs) Lost: 0.7kgs I'm back to exercising as of today and, so far, am experiencing no pain. Am hoping to get down another kilo before my op on the 2nd of April - it's one and half weeks away still. Don't know if I can do it, but I'm going to try!! I also get completely unfilled on Tues (the 24th) in preparation for my op, so if I do lose any weight from then on, let alone 1kg, I'll have a lot of celebrate!!

Thanks Juli. I think I will be having the surgery. I haven't had a call from my PS saying otherwise so far. I've actually been on Iron supplements for the last three months, and it's only increased my blood count marginally from my BT when I had my lapband surgery. But I guess I still had the lapband surgery despite my low count, so I think I should be okay. Just probably won't be able to donate any more blood though.

I would probably go and ask for a really small fill. Maybe 0.1 or 0.2cc. I only had a 0.25cc put in for my last fill because I was sure that too much would make me feel too tight, and that tiny amount seemed to do the trick. 0.1cc shouldn't tip you over into 'too tight' and may be just enough so that you're not feeling hungry between meals again.

It is hard but you get used to it eventually. I still check the clock to see what time I've finished dinner, so I know exactly when I can go get a huge glass of Water (1/2 hour later). It feels wierd for a while to not drink when you eat, but like all habits, after a while, it becomes less wierd.

I was covered by insurance, and I'm definitely not a slow loser. So yes, I think it may be an over-generalisation to associate how you pay with whether you're successful.