lellow

I can only eat about 200g of anything in one meal (I think about 4oz) usually, though foods I can no longer tolerate, like rice and chicken breast, can make me pb after just a couple of bites. After my fill yesterday, I'm struggling to finish a banana, but I know it's early and I probably will lossen up a bit in the next few days. I marinade my chicken with soy sauce and some honey, and that seems to be quite moist. Or chicken with american mustard and honey - yum! You can pan fry both of those too in a non stick pan with no oil. And if it starts getting dry, just add a bit of Water to the pan.

I had my 3rd fill today and found out something I honestly did not know - I already had some fill put into my band at my operation! Apparently it's routine for my surgeon pre-fill 2.5cc into a 10cc band at the time of the surgery. It was only when he was saying today that my 0.5cc fill would take me up to 6cc altogether that I questioned what he meant. My first fill was 2cc and my second was 1cc, so with another 0.5cc today I should only have 3.5cc filled, right? That's when he explained that there had already been 2.5cc in the band to start with! No wonder I'm on my third fill and already am feeling quite good restriction! In fact I am not due to see him anymore until at least Feb because he suspects I'm either at my sweet spot or very close to it now, seeing as I'm losing a minimum of 3kgs (6.6lbs) a month now without counting calories or even exercising that much. I will now only see him before that date if I start feeling too tight or if I plateau for more than a month despite eating well. I also was weighed today officially and have lost 15kgs altogether! He thinks I'm doing marvellously, and even said that he thinks I look fabulous. He also said that he thinks I only need to lose another 10-12kilos (20 - 25lbs) from here on in, despite me wanting to lose 18 more kgs to get to my own personal goal weight. I actually can't believe that after only 3 months post op, I'm halfway there and can see the finish line happening sometime next year. I can't believe after years of battling my weight, that I am no longer a slave to food. I can't believe that now, I know will NEVER put the weight I lost back on. I can't believe that I finally feel in control over my body. I know this has turned into a full-on hallelujah moment, but I FREAKING LOVE THIS BAND!!!

I like that theory, Ro! Lol! I agree though that whenever I see that I've 'only' lost 14+kgs (31+ lbs), I remember that I only had 30+ kgs to lose all up, which means I'm almost half way there already. Got to be happy with that when you're only 3 months out from surgery. My short term goal is to get to under 80kgs (176lbs) by Christmas. I'm 3.5kgs (7.7lbs) out from that still, but I reckon I should be able to get there no problems if I keep losing at this rate. So I can't slow down too much!

It didn't strike me at the time either, accountess, that the TOM might be why I was so tight. It was only because the tightness stopped that I looked back and realised the two events coincided. Take it easy hun. I too didn't lose weight despite PBing everything. But right after that week, I shed a kilo (2+lbs). I reckon I wasn't losing because of all the bloat that was happening.

Jachut, I'm glad I'm not the only one! It's so frustrating isn't it? Last week I honstly felt like I was too tight, and this week I feel too loose. I too worry that another fill will mean that my next TOM, I'm not going to be able to eat at all! But I guess the best way to find out for sure is to experiment and see how I go. And as you say, it might mean I modify my diet for the week and try to get through it. I'll cross my fingers for both of us.

I posted in another thread last week that I'd been vomiting heaps lately and was worried that I wasn't yet used to the restriction of my last fill. I was really down as it seemed to happen all of a sudden, with everything going smoothly for a couple of weeks, then overnight, it felt like I was tight and everything I ate was getting stuck. Then as quickly as it came on, the tight feeling disappeared, and I'm back to eating almost normally (no rice and chicken breast though!), even feeling hungry faster and being able to burp fairly easily, which are my usual signs that I need a fill. I was thinking about why I had that bad week when I realised it coincided with my TOM. I know that some people feel tighter during that time, but in my case, it was a very very marked difference! I'm thinking that I'll still go in for my fill appt tomorrow, as I do feel like I need it. If I do I'm going to ask for a very small fill though. How many of you feel really tight during your TOM? What do you do when it happens? I'm actually thinking that if it happens again this month, I may regress to mushies or even Protein shakes for the week. Any other suggestions? Should I even be thinking of a fill?

Hi there lovely August All-stars! From the 1st of Oct to the 1st of Nov, I've lost 2kg (about 6.6lbs). I only record my weight monthly. Quite happy with that loss as this month as I've not exercised enough due to work commitments, and even spent two weeks not exercising at all because I had the flu. I'm due for another fill tomorrow too. :thumbup:

I weigh myself every morning too (also can't help myself) but on the first of every month I record my weight for that day and take measurements. That way in my records I can see how much I've lost over the course of a month, which means I don't stress as much over the daily fluctuations anymore.

July, when I called my Dr, I was 97.9kg (215.4lbs) After my pre-op diet, on surgery day I was 92.9kgs (204.4 lbs) - loss of 11lbs. Today I'm 83.9kgs (184.6lbs) - loss since surgery of almost 20lbs So altogether almost 31lbs from the date I called my surgeon to book an appt.

Claudine, I'm due to see my Dr for a fill next week and because I think I'm close to good restriction, I think now I may ask for a small fill of maybe 0.25cc - 0.4cc. I can't eat a lot of things like rice, chicken breast and boiled egg (a recent discovery) and I eat too fast sometimes too, and as a result have had a few episodes of throwing up my food in the last month. I think in light of your experience, I too might be better off going slow with my fills and seeing how I go. I'm glad you're feeling better now, matey.

I eat too quickly too, and then pay for it when it all comes back out. I think it has to do with trying to fit it in around my life (around meetings or training at work, or around housework and uni and exercise at home). I end up eating fast because I usually have my eye on what I have to do next. I've thrown up four times in the last month, so am worrying that if I don't get it under control I'm going to eventually slip my band.

Hi Chris, do you mean Perth, Western Australia? My surgeon was Dr Stephen Watson, who has rooms at SJOG Murdoch. Loads of banders from Perth have used him, and I must say I would recommend him in a heartbeat.

I'm due to see my Dr for a fill next Thursday (the 6th of November) but I'm not sure I actually need a fill again yet. I thought I did a week ago or so, which is why I made my appt. I was getting hungry again more quickly, and seemed to be able to eat more. But this week has been a bad week for me. I've had a bad reaction to two meals - a vietnamese spring roll, which I think was wrapped in a wrapper made of gelatinous rice, and a pork chop that I too fast. I ended up vomitting copiusly both times and since then, it seems I can only eat a tiny bit before feeling tight in the chest and sliming. In fact this morning I had one egg and was spitting up saliva for 1/2 an hour. I'm stilll getting hungry between meals and I'm thinking that if I ate slower or avoided certain foods (rice and chicken breast just doesn't agree with me anymore, and maybe egg too now) then I should be okay, but I'm wondering if I should put off my fill until I've mastered this restriction a little more?

I was actually saying to my DH yesterday that the thing I'm enjoying most is how my body feels. I don't have to struggle to get out of the car anymore. I fit into the front seat easily. I take up less room in those horrible plastic Dr's waiting room chairs. I can squeeze between small spaces. I can lie in bed with my toddler without feeling like if he has enough space, then I'm about to fall off the edge of the bed. I can cross my legs and lean forward. The list is just endless. I'm not so fussed about the weight loss. It's the change in the way I feel and the things I can do that keep me going.

He's been my Dr for yonks, and Jachut is right, it makes him think he can have an opinion, when really I don't appreciate his opinion. I may go see him again and say I want a referral, and if he refuses, I'll say I'll be changing Drs. I've a little jacked off about it tbh.

Thanks for that info, Dr Schulman. I guess if I manage to lose 40lbs+, waiting to lose that last bit and stablise won't be too hard to do.

Hi Dr Schulman, thank you for all the great responses to the questions in here. I hope you'll be able to help me with my question: I've had an 'apron' since having my son 14 years ago. It got worse when I had another baby 2 and a half years ago and have had my lapband for 2 and a half months. I have lost 30 lbs already, and the 'apron' is getting far more pronounced, and hangs halfway to my pubic bone already. My goal weight is 143lbs and I've still got 40lbs+ to go to get there. I've booked an appt with a PS for January, and I'm wondering, if it's feasible for me to look at a TT once I get to 165lbs? I'm not sure how long I can take this apron and the rashes and having to 'tuck' it into all my clothes. Or would I be better off waiting to lose that last 20lb+? I also wonder how much of my excess weight is in actual 'skin', and if I get to goal then get a TT, will it mean I'll be even lighter than goal?

Yep vegemite on cruskits for me too! I was one of those people who only tried vegemite as an adult (was born overseas) and I definitely acquired a taste for it! Tomato and onion with tuna on cruskits is yum too. I can have bread some days, and on others, it won't sit. So I generally avoid it now.

I don't portion control. I eat until I'm satisfied (not full). Sometimes it's quite a lot, sometimes it's a couple of bites of hard Protein that sits heavily. As per my Drs instructions, I try to have hard protein for most meals, with a variety of veg and a little carb. I've only had two fills and don't think I'm at my sweet spot yet, but since my last fill, I don't seem to get hungry as often (am enjoying that feeling while it lasts!). So right now, I am listening to my body and only trying to eat when I'm actually feeling hungry and not because it's time for a meal. That's what my Dr told me - eat when you're hungry, not necessarily 3 meals, or every 2-3 hours. It seems to be working for me, so will continue in that vein, I think.

Hi boboleo, I am 5'4" and was 215 lbs at my highest weight. I was 209lbs on the day I called my surgeon, and had a BMI of 35. I initially said I would be happy just to lose 30 to 40 lbs, but a healthy BMI is 22-25, so really, I needed to lose closer to 70-80lbs to get within that range. I didn't think I needed to lose that much, and always thought that if I lost 30lbs I'd be rapt! But I'm 2 and a half months out from surgery and I've already lost 30lbs. I feel great but I do realise that I can lose more. So as far as I'm concerned, despite having a 'lower' BMI, the band is working for me like nothing else has worked for me before. I know I was on my way to gaining even more weight as I got older, so this way I took control of my weight, which was a problem for, and is a problem for most, whether you're 50lbs too heavy or 500lbs too heavy. I don't know about the insurance side of things (I'm in Australia and my insurance paid for my surgery) but I reckon if your 'lower' BMI is no barrier to getting the band. You're still quite a bit heavier than is healthy for you. So if the band helps you get healthy, why not do it?

Aw heartfire, hun, we all slip up sometimes. We're only human after all. I had a huge amount of chips at a barbeque a couple of weeks ago, and felt awful, but my DH reminded me that even us banders will sometimes make bad choices, just like the everyone else in the world. As long as we know it's a 'occasional' food, don't beat ourselves up too much about it, and get back on track, we're still doing better than most people!

Great news for you mum, Ro! I'm sure it'll be a great help that you and your dad have BTDT and can help her along.

Hey Claudine, I'm still weighing myself on and off, but I only record my weight on the 1st of every month. Seeing that I've lost 3 kgs (about 9lbs) in a month is a lot more encouraging and messes with my mind a whole lot less than seeing the scale move up and down day to day. Even week to week, it was fluctuating and making me depressed. But over a month, the loss is more tangible. My waist is now down to 38 inches. I've not had a waist that small in over 10 years. And I know that I'll keep losing with the help of the band, too. When I was scale-stalking, I swung between hope and despair. Gaining even half a pound would ruin my day! And yet the pants I bought a month ago is way too loose for me now, so I don't care about what the scales say as much any more. My DH hugged me tonight and said I don't feel the same as I used to, that I feel tiny now. Hey, I intend on being a whole lot smaller before long! You're on the right track, you're exercising and you're changing your life. There are so many positives that don't necessarily involve the weight. Be proud of that!

I don't know if any Dr does it without a gap if you're a private patient. I paid $170 for my pre-op appt (got some back from Medicare), $1950 for out of pocket for Dr Watson to do my surgery, and about $136 in hospital fees (don't know what for though). I paid nothing for the anaethetist, he was completely covered by my Health Fund. I now pay $150 per fill, and get about $100 of that back from Medicare. So without the fills, I paid just over $2000 all up. Pretty good when I have mid-level cover with HBF.

Lanakila, It's soooo good to see you too! I'm supposed to be working now but am sneaking off to check this forum, hoping to catch up on how you and the other August banders are going. And you're absolutely right! If this was another diet, I'd have put on weight and be heading back to the starting line all over again. I am so used to that scenario that I was sure I'd put on weight this month! But I didn't! I also know that my first fill wasn't restricting me too much. I could eat just about anything, and in quite large amounts. I did have 2 episodes of PB, which was nasty, but I've found that I'm intolerant to rice, and as long as I avoided that particular food, I could have steak, bread, Pasta, anything else. Since my 2nd fill though, my appetite has reduced. Not so much I think I'm at my sweet spot, but definitely enough to start losing steadily again I think. My Dr hasn't given me a date to go back, just to go back once I'm getting hungry often again, so that's good news. I'm so glad you're doing well, and finally had your first fill too! I saw that Ro still hasn't had hers, and that a few people have been refused fills as they're still losing steadily. Amazes me how differently we are all getting treated.