lellow

Morning all! Not a bad week, considering I'm not working as hard as I used to. Last week: 71.8kgs This week: 71.1kgs Loss: 0.7kgs. I'm hoping I get to my Dr's goal of 70kgs sometime in the next two weeks. After that, I'll be trying not to get under 68kgs before my body lift in April.

I am definitely an at-home cycler! And I went out and bought an extra wide seat for my exercise bike before I'd get on it! Even now, I wouldn't use anything but the most comfy seat. I mean, why suffer if you don't have to?

I have definitely had the 'you're obsessed' conversation with my husband as well. I honestly didn't expect seeing how he used to be an ex-personal trainer and used to hit the gym religiously 4 times a week. But I guess he saw it as taking time away from him and the family, which tbh, was bollocks. And as far as being obsessed? I don't think I'm obsessed as much as I'm aware of my goals and have psyched myself to exercise regularly now for the rest of my life. That mentality took a LOT of work on my part, and it's what keeps me going. So when he brought it up, I explained that the lapband wasn't just about losing weight, it was about getting healthy and staying healthy, and exercise was a part of that. And just like going to work or showering or breathing, it's something I just have to do from now on. And because it was hard for me to motivate myself to change my life in this way, what I didn't need was for him to undermine the new habits I was developing. And you know what? Over time he's adapted. And I think he's also come to accept it. In fact last week when I dropped one night of cycling (was the TOM and was feeling 'off') he kept asking me why I wasn't exercising! It is hard to get your partner to understand this new commitment to a new life, but it can be done. Their support is important, and sometimes you need to teach them HOW to support you.

In contrast to Jachut, I kinda figured I'd always need surgery. I carried all my weight around my stomache (check out my pics in the link in my sig, and you'll see) and I've had 4 big babies, and each time my stomache would get more stretch-marked and would never bounce back. When I had my last baby, I was huge, and YET I still had an overhang of skin under my big pregnant belly. I knew then that if I ever lost weight, the skin would still be an issue. In fact most bariatric patients are expected to lose, get to goal and then maintain before getting PS just to see if their skin will 'bounce back'. But my PS took one look at my skin and said that it would never bounce back (well, d'er!). It's covered in stretch marks, and looks like an empty balloon. And just to answer your question, I'm almost 39, but Jachut was about my age when she lost all her weight and she hasn't had the kind of skin issues I have. The funny thing is, I look great in clothes! But naked, I look like I have a 'skirt' of skin all around my hips, over my pubis and now it's developing in my back as well. I just look like my skin is several sizes too big for me.

Thanks for dropping in Kareyquilts! I've been lurking in your PS thread and appreciate your wisdom on the subject! I too am glad I'm staying in hospital for a while. I don't think it's a bad thing, even though I'm not fond of hospitals in general. It would be nice to have someone cook for me, and help me with my wounds and dressings, and provide pain meds when I need it! I have to ask though - what's a toilet riser?

I posted something almost identical to this when I was just about to be banded (and Jachut was the one was posted back immediately too and showed me that I can make excuses, or I can find a way, so I found a way!) My day: I wake up at 6am, make breakfast and lunches, get ready for work, wake up my almost 3yo, feed him and get him ready for day care, drive 45 mins to work, drop my son off at day, work from 7.30am to 5pm, get home at 6.00pm, cook, feed everyone, clean up, shower my son, then spend 1/2 and hour or so spending time with my family before putting my son to bed at 8.30pm. And then at 8.30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I hope onto my spin bike for 40 minutes and ride until I'm pouring with sweat. After that, I shower and go spend time with my husband. On Sunday mornings at 7.00am, I walk for an hour with a friend. On Sunday nights, I cycle again for 40 mins. My family has plenty of time with me. And while I cycle, my hubby showers so it's not like he's missing out on that much time with me. And as for finding the energy - I so did not have the energy to get on the bike 3 times a week to start with. But like anything, you initially have to push yourself, and as you get fitter, you will have more energy and more strength to do it. And pretty soon, you not only want to do it, you feel like crud when you don't do it! ETA: I forgot to add (and was reminded by Jachut's post) that I also get in a lot of 'incidental' exercise besides my 'structured' exercise regime. I carry my 15kg son on my back in a sling everywhere I go now, and can walk for hours with him on my back. I also walk to the shops 15 mins away at lunch everyday. Things like that add up too.

D'oh!! Sorry about that, Pearson, I read your last post and for some reason the name Becky stuck with me! The only excuse I can offer is that I'm at work and trying to type stealthily!

megsy, a body lift is also called a belt lipectomy - it's when they excise a 'belt' of skin right round your lower body so you end up with a scar that goes right the way round. They then pull the skin down and suture it all up, so that all the 'slack' of excess skin from your stomache, back and hips end up getting tightened. In my case, I'm also having a upside down conical vertical incision (from pubic area to belly button) to remove excess skin from my upper tummy area, and my belly button will be repositioned. I will be having some body contouring and the fascia underneath my upper tummy will be 'knitted' together, to get that 'flat stomache' look. My PS will also do some lipo on my mons area to ensure that everything's 'flat' all the way down. All in all, after Medicare rebates and health insurance rebates, and inclusive of my PS's fee, anaethetists fees, autology and hospital fees, it will cost me around $16 000. I will be in hospital 4-7 days, and will be expected to recover at home for at least 4 weeks before returning to a desk job. If I were doing something more active, like working as nurse, I would be expected to take at least 6 weeks off for recovery.

Becky, everyone different but in general, the first 3 days after surgery are the worst (most painful), but it's definitely manageable pain - in fact the 'trapped gas' pain is worse than any incision pain - and then you start feeling better pretty quickly after that. I managed to go for a walk 3 days after surgery, and was back at work and feeling 95% better in two weeks. In fact I reckon I could have come back to work in 1 week when I was feeling 80% better. The port site hurt for about 4-6 weeks, but not badly, and certainly not badly enough to restrict your activities. And I started cycling 2 weeks after surgery.

I also didn't vote btw because it didn't have the option of cycling! Cycling is a great non-weight bearing exercise.

Lol Juli, after joining the board I can calculate in my head how many lbs is a kg and vice versa! I was a little taken aback that my bariartric Dr set a goal weight for me that he'd prefer for me to not get under. But what happens after my PS and I'm refilled will be up to me. Basically what I'm hoping for is to get back to this level of restriction, to continue my exercise regime once I'm able to after PS and let my body decide what my weight should be. Eventually it will peter off on its own, I figure. But between now and my PS, I want to keep my lapband Dr sweet and stay on or around 70kgs, at least until after I get filled to my sweet spot again. :thumbup: But like you, you can see my ribs now when I'm standing upright, and my collarbones stick out (haven't seen them in years!). But the bottom half of my body is all saggy skin, so who know what I'll look like once that's all gone.

I guess I'm a success story now. Was 98kgs (BMI of 37+) when I decided to have the surgery, was 95kgs (BMI 35) on the day of surgery 1 month later, and in just over 6 months out from surgery, I've a BMI of 27 and am almost at goal. Like Jachut I've found a new lease on life. I am fit and strong and am actually enjoying shopping for clothes now. Who would have thought it of me 6 months ago? Lol!

Juli, my PS wants me to be completely unfilled a week before surgery - just in case I get nauseous from the anaethetics, he doesn't want anything obstructing me being able to throw up (yuck). But one week after my surgery, my bariatric surgeon will refill me to approx 80% of what I have now, with monthly fill visits thereafter for a few months to ensure I don't gain. Actually it's one of the reasons I don't want to get too much under goal by the date of my PS. My bariatric surgeon wants me to stop losing at 70kgs and has indicated that if I get too much below that, he won't refill me to the kind of restriction I have now, so that I can stop losing and start maintaining. But I LIKE this restriction! So I'm trying to get to, and stay around, 70kgs right up to my PS surgery date.

Cathy good luck for your surgery! You should start your own thread so we can keep track of your progress! Juli, I don't have my bloodwork done until the 11th March. Then I have two autologous appts (where I donate my own blood in case I need a transfusion during surgery) in the two weeks following, and then it's surgery day! I'm going down to my PS next week to pay too, so it's all getting to the pointy end now. How are your preparations going? My best friend reckons we're going to have to go shopping for wedge pillows, some nanna nighties and packets of disposable underwear in the week before my surgery! As for weight, I'm still losing, but slower now I'm almost at goal. I hope to be just under goal by surgery though.

momster, I just wanted to add that I do 95% of my exercise at home, on a spin bike I bought off the net, in the dark, after the kids go to bed and when DH is watching TV. I don't go the gym, but I do walk once a week with a friend. The rest, I do virtually in complete privacy.

As of today I've lost 1.5lbs. So another 6.9lbs to go.

In the last 7 months I've been a part of this board, I constantly have read about how new people who are looking into the band worry that getting a lapband will mean that they won't lose weight fast enough or that they'll have to work out all the time to lose, and they're scared off by that. They often talk about RNY instead, thinking that it will mean quicker weight loss and won't require as much 'work' on their part. Today I even read someone say 'if I wanted to work hard to lose weight, I wouldn't need the band, I could just do it on my own' or something to that effect. And I think part of the problem is that the band doesn't get enough credit. And there aren't enough realistic expectations about what WLS can achieve, NOT just in the short term, but in the long term as well. So I'm here to share what I've personally learnt in the last few months, thanks to this forum: Yes, the band is only a tool. But it's very effective tool to control your physcial hunger and control your portions. It's not going to help with you head hunger - no WLS will do that for you. If you can't get control of your head hunger, WLS will not work for you, no matter what you get done. You can eat around any WLS if you want. Yes, you have to exercise, even if it's only moderately to start with. And this is because a sluggish metabolism developed from too much dieting over the years means that you could eat the same as a skinny person and still get fat. If you try to eat less, your metabolism slows even more. To lose, you NOT ONLY need to eat less (less calories), but you also ideally need to get your body to burn it off faster (with exercise which increases your metabolism). Otherwise as you get older, your metabolism gets slower, and you will start to regain. This is true with whatever surgery you decide on. In fact it's true if you want to lose weight and keep it off long term period. WLS is is one part of a bigger picture, and that's something you shouldn't lose sight of. You will probably lose more slowly with the band. But in studies, it shows that total weight loss between band and RNY at the 5 year mark is similar. In fact regain in the band is less than that of RNY. I don't know about everyone else, but I am prepared to trade off slower weight loss for less regain long term. And for that matter, I don't HAVE to accept that the band will means slower weight loss. In fact I haven't and have lost almost 60 lbs in just over 6 months. I don't consider that slow at all, in the whole scheme of things Weight loss isn't simply a physical thing, it's also a mental thing. Because for long term weight loss, you need a two-pronged attack - physiological (the band/RNY/whatever) and psychological (your attitude). If you want a miracle cure to your weight problems without changing how you think about food, WLS will never be the answer for you. There are loads of RNY, lapband etc patients who don't overcome their food addictions, and unfortunately surgery isn't the answer in situations like that. I am proud to give my band credit for helping me. Yes I exercise, yes I make good food choices, but the band makes it EASIER for me to do those things now. I tried and failed for 20 years to lose the weight, and the ONLY difference between then and now is that my band is there to provide portion control all day every day. Yes I slip up, yes I'm not perfect, yes I sometimes still battle head hunger (less and less so though as time passes) but the band is very forgiving. I get back on the wagon the next day and it rewards me with making sure I haven't gained 5 lbs like I used to whenever I fell of the wagon pre-band. Sometimes, despite falling of the wagon, I still lose. So if you're wondering if the band is nothing more than a gimmick that won't help you do anything more than you could have done yourself, perhaps this will be a small reminder that there are literally THOUSANDS of successful banders who have lost the weight and kept it off because of the band. I have NEVER lost this much weight before, or done it quite so easily either. This is no gimmick - the band WORKS. But it's no miracle cure - a lot of it is up to you. If you're not prepared for that, will any WLS be the answer for you?

I used to weigh myself any chance I got, but the novelty of that did wear off after a while. I only weigh once a day now, first thing in the morning, when I wake up and after I go to the loo.

I see this really often on this board. On or around the 4th week post surgery, many people come on asking why they've stopped losing, or even gaining, despite eating 1000 calories or less per day, and exercising. The fact is, right after your surgery, you were on Clear liquids and were eating very few calories - probably around 600 calories per day. On that sort of calorie intake, your body goes into starvation mode, and while you will shed weight like crazy, your metabolism slows down to try to 'survive' starvation. It also burns not only fat but muscle in an effort to 'fuel' energy for you. Once you start to move from 600 calories to 1000 or so calories, and especially if you start or resume exercise, what you're essentially doing is building muscle again (which makes you put ON weight) and battling a slower metabolism, so even on 1000 calories, your body is hanging on to every kj it can. You will eventually break the starvation cycle by moving to mushies, and then solids, but your metabolism will be slow, and the only real way to kick it up the backside is to exercise. Aerobic exercise is great (and burns heaps of calories) but muscle-building exercises is what will increase your metabolism. So in a couple of weeks, if you're exercising, you will start seeing losses again. But at 4 weeks or so post op, this 'plateau' happens to just about everyone. HTH.

It's not too late to measure yourself. I don't know when you were banded, but I only took measurements after I was banded. I also weigh myself everyday. The first rule of doing that is NOT to beat yourself up over a 1 or 2lb variance in weight from day to day. Just as long as it's not MORE than a 1 or 2 lb variance. And if it is, use it to spur you on to eating better and exercising so you get back on track faster. I couldn't do without my scale, I'm afraid.

I weigh myself everyday too. Every morning after going to the loo, and in the nuddy. And I have learnt to expect a 1/2 kilo (about 1-2lbs) difference here and there, but on average I want to be the same weight at least two days in a row to accept that it's my new 'lowest' weight. And as long as I don't display more than that 0.5kg variance I know I'm on the right track. I actually like weighing myself everyday too. I reckon it's a great reminder to tackle each day's challenges and come out the other end feeling better for it. It spurs me onto exercise too - because after a session on my spin bike, I'm almost guaranteed a loss in the next few days!

I was banded by Steve Watson, who consults out of SJOG Murdoch. I am with HBF so don't know what your fund covers but I paid $1900 for the op, nothing for anaethetist (completely covered) and about $130 for the hospital (mostly pharmacy though).

shaggs, The thing that worked for me with gas pain was peppermint tea (which I loathed but, damn, it did the trick) and walking. Exercise, to this day, helps me get gas out. And as you get more fills and get tighter, burping becomes harder to do without exercise. As for the alcohol - hell, it used to take a LOT to get me tipsy. Now it takes 2 glasses! And try to stick with not giving in the the sugar cravings if you can - you get over them soon enough, believe it or not. Now if I have something too sugary, I feel a little ill. And don't be surprised that things you used to love the taste off suddenly don't taste the same. There was a thread about it recently and I think a lot of banders go through it - and it may well mean the end of your love affair with food (and drink!) and that's not such a bad thing, trust me!

Oh hell and I had a real slack week too! Only lost 0.3kgs (or 0.7lb)! It was my DH's and my anniversary on Monday past and we had a huge, lovely high calorie meal (well huge for me anyway) and I only exercised once this week. So a small loss is excellent (and surprising) news all things considered. I said in another thread that my Dr has said that if I get too much lower than 70kgs, he will unfill me a little so that I'll stop losing and start maintaining. So rather than him do that, I've eased off on the exercise a bit and am not watching what I eat too closely so I don't get down lower than 68kgs (I'm 71.8kgs now) before my PS. Otherwise when he refills me post-PS, he reckons he will keep me more 'loose' than I am now. I actually quite like my restriction level now, so am now just trying to ease back on the rate of weight loss a little. So while I'd like to still keep losing, I am actually hoping NOT to post huge losses from now on, believe it or not.

gingerbug, it's so funny that you're talking about unfilling. My Dr has hinted (okay more than a hint) that if I keep losing at this rate and get down too low that he may unfill me a little so I can stop losing and maintain instead. And I said: can't I just exercise less? But I actually think he doesn't trust me to exercise less! And tbh I don't blame him. The acid test will be when I see him just before I go for my PS - he says if I'm too much under 70kgs by then, he won't refill me as much after my LBL. So I'm so torn between still trying to lose (I'm 4lbs off goal) and trying not to lose so I don't end up with less fill when he refills me! So yeah I'm a basketcase now, and completely get how you're feeling!