mooster

Hi,

Everone I am new to the forum and just wanted to let you all know I am having my band fitted on aug 6th.

I am booked in with dr bruyne and to be honest I am feeling WORRIED.

aLl the usual stuff risks etc, and also feel selfish to be putting my self at risk with two young kids and a family to support.

Was wondering if there were many other men on here who have had the band done.?

Hi Fullfat, welcome to the forum! In answer to your question, if you go back to page 614 (and many of the previous pages), you will find garrymcfall. He is definitely your man to ask any questions you might have. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you send him a PM (personal mail) through the forum! There are quite a few men on here who have been banded, and had terrific weight loss. Good luck for the 6th! Kath.:thumbup:

Don't know if anyone is interested, but Vanessa Feltz has now had a gastric band fitted AND she went to Belgium for it! Her story is in this week's OK magazine......Wonder did she have it done with Dr Chris?

Just booked a tiny fill with Freddyboy in Manchester on 8th July, anyone else going then?

Hi Freckles, I am going to Manchester on the 8th for a defill, at 10 50am........what time are you going? Kath x:blink:

You're very welcome girls. Yes kath I had to pay £90 to have 3mls out and then £90 to put it back in.But Freddyboy is very fair, because he couldnt get the 3 back in the first time I went back, he told me if it wasnt enough then he would do the next fill free of charge.

Which Chris deprez did. Then when i went in may with my daughter (her appointment) Freddy asked how i was getting along. i told him I was having acid reflux every night again. He said I'll take some out for you as its not good for your health to have the reflux.

I said to him that I didnt have another £90 and he said he didnt expect me to pay again and did it for free.

So to me he is a good guy and it proves they do care about their patients and and not just in the game for the money. My opinion anyway.

Hi Freckles, just wanted to say thank's for answering my questions the other day, much appreciated! I've booked for Manchester for July 8th, to have some taken out, then it's "Thailand-here we come"!!!!

Kath x

Hi kath, how lucky are you!!! well done hunny on your win.

I had 61/2 mls in and had 3 taken out. didnt have any tightening of the band that affected my enjoyment, but I did fly to Hong Kong, then to Singapore, Kuala Lumpar and then on to Australia, a lot of flying, did 10 flights in 3 weeks.

but i could eat and drink at the same time, only small meals but it was great to be able to eat normally. I loved it and didnt put on any weight.

Have a fab time kath xxxx

Send a mail to chris deprez he'll know the dates, its usually within the first couple of weeks of the month.

Thanks for the reply Freckles, can I just ask, did you have to pay the same amount to have some taken out, then again , to have a re-fill? Thanks, Kath x

Hi Everyone, havent been on here in a long time, there are so many new people joining that I'm losing track! Was wondering if anyone knows what the dates are for Manchester for June & July? FRECKLES, can i pick your brains please, as I seem to remember that you went on some long-haul flights some time ago? Can you tell me how much you had taken out of your band before flying, or what you would recommend? Reason being, I've been lucky enough to win a 5 day holiday to Thailand, and I believe the flight is at least 11 hour's! As I have 7mls in and quite good restriction, I'm getting a bit worried! I'd be grateful if anyone can advise...................Kath x

Just want to say thank's to Shoes, Wishful & Fatduck for your helpful tips........much appreciated! I'll certainly give them a try.Thanks again, Kathx

Hi Mooster. Who do you go to for your fills? I waited a long time for any sort of restriction and consequently my loss has been slow but had total loss of 2st 5lbs at last weigh in with Wendy 3 weeks ago. Not a huge amount over 6 months but that's ok by me as long as it's coming off. Probably got around 2 stones or possibly less to lose now to get to an ideal weight so hoping to be there sometime early in the new year. Wendy at WLS has been really good and determined to get me going with the weight loss, she is focused on making it work for people and is probably one of the most experienced and busy post band fill practitioners around and has lots of good advice. Good to see you popping in every now and again! Bigsis x

Hi Bigsis, I've been having my fill's with Frederik in Manchester, but I haven't been since about March, when I got to 7mls. My restriction is quite good, but I find the restriction works more if you tend to be a "quantity eater", rather than a "grazer" like me! As people have said on here before, the restriction does nothing to stop the "naughty stuff" sliding down all too easy!!! Just need to get my head straight, then I can start losing again! :smile2: Kath.x

hiya mooster

my head hungers were so bad,Wendy told me to eat things like chopped up salad, chicken, nuts,grated apples and other kinds of fruit, ryvitas,seeds, things that were going to sit in my pouch for longer so i did'nt feel hungry.I tried this and it did help me.now I'v got good restriction I just don't feel hungry at all I'v got to remind myself to eat. beeboo x

Hi Beeboo, thank's for the tips, I'll certainly give them a try(even though my head still desperately long's for chocolate!!) Does anyone know a good way to wean me off the chocolate, as it's sabotaging my weight loss??:crying::smile2:

:thumbup:

Hi everyone, dont know why I am bothering writeing this, I have enjoyed reading all your messages, it has been an insperation to me along my travels, but each time I post a messagage on here, I am totally ignorned, You just need to look bk at the last 3 postings of mine. Dont be affended, I know that people like to talk to certain people, I understand all that, so in future I will not post on here. I hope each and everyone of yous carrys on with you great weight lost, thanks for all the help and advice in the begining of my weight lose challenge, you were all great, keep up the good work. Mandy

Hi Everyone, I was sorry to read the above message posted by Mandy, and that she feels the need to leave the forum. Mandy, if you're reading this, reconsider your actions as I'm sure you'll regret it! I don't do many posting's these day's, but I do come on the forum regularly to find out how everyone is doing or indeed WHAT they're doing! Although I don't interact very much, I feel like everyone is part of my "extended family", from Flirty and her amazing loss & now her surgery, to the two "naughty sisters" and all their witty comments, to Gary with all the problems he's encountered, and Freckles with her poorly mum! I feel I know everyone individually!!! Beebo, if you're reading this, I too have a lot of trouble fighting the "head-hunger".....I was banded last Aug, and lost 2 stone fairly quickly , but then the head-hunger kicked-in and my weight has been static for months. Did Wendy give you any tips on how to fight it?? I find coming on the forum helps when I read how well others are doing, so Mandy please think again about leaving, because you will be missed.....and I'm sure you'll miss it too! I don't think anyone has intentionally ignored your posts! All the best to every-one, and especially all the newbies too! Kathx:smile:

Hi All

Here is a wee helping hand to calculating how many calories you should eat to loose the amount of pound per week that you would like. I found this (once i got my head round it) invaluable in understanding weight loss. One you have you BMR (basic metabolic rate) this is the ammount of calories you need to eat in a day to stay the weight you are, if you want to loose 1 pound per week then you need to be 500 calories less per day over 7 days to loose this.You will need a calculator to do this, give it a bash its helpful. I will go through mine so you can see the calculation and hopefully understand.

Women and men have different calcultaions so be sure to read calculation formulas below, so here goes

I weigh 24 stone 5 that is 341 pounds

My height is 5ft 11 which is 71 inches

My age is 36

Calc 1= 4.35X (weight) 341=2124.43

Calc2= 12.7x (height) 71=901.70

Calc3= 6.8x 36 =244.80

66+2124.43+901.70-244.8=2847.33.

My BMR is 2847 whic means if i eat 2847 calories per day for a week i will stick at the same weight whereas if i eat only1847 every day for a week i will loose 2 pounds that week. Now if i ate 1847 every day and done a good hard hour of cardio excecise then that would add an extra 1000 calories per day therefore i would loos 4 pound that week.

I know this is confusing but it really helps when you know and you guys that are light compared to me will realise that you will either have to eat very little or do loads of excercise to loose that meesley pound per week.

If any of you are interested and are confused then PM me and i will help.

Gx

English BMR Formula

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )

Hi Gary, been trying to work out my BMR using your calculations and ended up with a figure of 882!! Can this possibly be right? If so, I think I'll have to live off "fresh air" if I want to lose any more weight!!!:huh2: Kath.

:scared2:

Hi every1, Can any 1 help with a bit of info, I am hopeing to book my op over the weekend, Has any of you flown from manchester, which airline did you book with, did any1 book over the weekend, and does any1 know who flys bk on sunday x:thumbup:

Hi Mandy, I flew from Manchester and booked with Brussels Airlines, who were the cheapest at the time. You can find them easily on the internet. Kath.x.:crying:

:scared2:

Hi mooster what time was your appointment for your fill? i got there about 2ish but had to wait down stairs for 10 mins as they said it was busy in the reception area upstairs, when i got up there there was only 1 person there, think they must of left vi er the window because they didnt pass me. Are you going next month? x

Hi Wishful, I was booked in for 11am, but then again so was the girl sat next to me! I got in about 11:15 and out for 11:30.It was quite busy when I came out with 4 or 5 people waiting including a woman who was so slender she looked like a model! She said she had a band and had lost 3 stone, but she can't have been very big before-hand as she was really slim!!! Not sure if I'm going next month or not as Frederick said that 7ml might be enough but I can't see it some-how! Up to now, I've been going every 2 months, to give it time to settle between fills......Anyway, I will see how much restriction I have over the week-end, and then decide.

Take care, Kath.x.:crying:

Ah like i said before kath i can eat everything except if i eat certain things too quick they'l come back up im sick of it at this stage i better get half ml next fill iv went for a fill every month since op except this month im really sick of it

When do you go for your next fill? To say that you haven't had much restriction, you've done really well to lose as much as you have! Maybe your next one will do it....here's hoping!Kath.x.:w00t:

:w00t:

Hi kath how much did he actually give u today ? im at 6.75ml and no restriction im praying il get restriction with next fill how much have u lost?

Hi Flirtylass, He gave me half a ml today.....I haven't lost anywhere near as much as you, just 2 stone, and like I said I've been stuck at that for absolutely ages!! Mind you I've only been going for a fill every two months. I have a little bit of restriction, as I can't eat certain foods like bread or potatoes, so I'm hoping this fill will do it for me this time....fingers crossed!!!:thumbup:

Iv been for my 2nd fill today.. got another 2ml put in, thats 5ml in total.. just got to stick to liquids for a few days but fingers crossed my weight will start moving again. I met miss flump(again) and vanessa there, both lovely and doing well x

Hi Wishfull, sorry I missed you and Vanessa today in Manchester, I had my fourth fill, taking me to 7ml.....Really hope it gives me the restriction I need to get my weight moving again as it's been at a standstill for too long!:w00t: Kath.x.

Ah mooster i wish i could feel my port i could feel it perfect before my first fill after that it disappeared i cant feel it at all it makes fills hard cos fred has to spend ages to try and find it

I know when I had my first fill with Dr Chris, he struggled to find my port ( I could have directed him right to it!) and I ended up with bruises in the shape of his 4 fingers!!! They lasted for weeks!:thumbup: Kath.x.

:lol: Mmm you are bad, you just made me spit my coffee all over the keyboard...I dont belive you did that.

Good luck to you Mandy, listen to the girls on here they know what they are talking about.

Welcome Samspk, hope you get banded asap.

KaKa 9lbs????? Wow she has done really well, I've only lost 3 kilos, since before I started the pre-op diet and had the surgery.

But I think the no smoking is stopping me losing cos I keep turning to food....not a good thing.:thumbup:

Also the area where my port is is so swollen its sticking up for fine weather when I lie down, it seems really big!!!

Did anyone else have this?:crying:

Hi Freckles, Although I've had my band since August I too can feel my port sticking out especially when I lie down! It doesn't hurt, but I can feel it "pulling" sometimes when I move a certain way.Kath.x.

Gary knows my secret, I shrunk 1. inch and gained 10 lbs the night before my op (oooooppppppsssssss) it must have been the belgium air or the metric conversions.

Nobody checked height and weight at any time, but I did'nt have a uk consultation

Hi mmm, Does Dr Chris not do the consultations at his home now, the night before surgery? When I got my band last August, I saw him the night before, and got weighed as he worked out my BMI (which I already knew). Mind you, they have started doing the x-rays since I got my band as they werent doing them back in August! Kath.x. :thumbup:

I see those pigs flying...

how much has he given you..cos I have struggled to get 2mls on each occasion!!

Hi Vanessa, according to Frederick, they have guidelines that they follow, as to how much they can give at each fill. I had to really push last time to get 1ml instead of the half ml that he wanted to put in, even now, with 6.5mls in, I still don't have full restriction! Hopefully I'll reach it next week.....but then again......who knows? Will look for you if I'm still there when you arrive! Kath.x.

hi..

yes, thought I should make my own way in the bandster world!!!!... took a long time for mine to settle down.. only have 4 mls in.. very slow process... unable to get Frederick to go for more... weight loss very poor too.. but, since I have very little to no restriction its not surprising..am going for my 3rd on 12/3.. but read about WLS 's package.. am thinking it would be worth travelling to Birmingham if it gets the job done quicker and cheaper...

Hi Vanessa, are you going back to Manchester for your fill on the 12th? I'm booked in for my 4th fill @ 11am so maybe I'll see you there again! Kath.x.:cursing:

By the way, if anyone is interested, BEST magazine has an article on "gastric bands", this week. Didn't know, but they say "stress" can tighten our band!!! That's a new one to me! Kath.x.

Hi Freckles, just wanted to wish you all the best for tomorrow, and for your op on Thursday, also, hope your Mum is feeling a bit better. It's easier said than done, but try not to worry about her too much over the next few day's as you have enough 'on your plate', with your op! Take Care, Kath.x.

Hi everyone, I know the feeling of being a thread addict, it acts like a type of safety net for me, where if things go pear shaped I can get remotivated and feel that everyone cares about what the other team members are going through, so thanks everyone.

Its great posting on weekend to give weight progress, but I know I wont be showing a loss every week and may like you big sister have the occasional gain, but its the overall that will matter in the longer term, so thanks for being brave and saying about your gain.

WHERE IS GILLIAN i miss her wit and banter, please big sis sort her out and send her straight back here ASAP.

Now for the moan, why is it that I'm only 1 week post op but can eat anything, there is nothing that makes me feel uncomfortable, my appetite is normal, and my intake has gone back to normal, I did'nt expect to feel restriction until after my fills, but if I had'nt seen the band on the xray, i could make myself believe that they must have forgotten to put one in. Did anyone else feel like this

Hi MMM, I think the reason that you can eat so much after only a week is that you've healed inside really really quick. It usually takes a few weeks for the swelling to go down on the inside, which is what restricts you to start with. Frederick said that having a fill causes the same sort of restriction, and thats why you have to go on liquids for a few days afterwards, to let the irritation calm down. I'm sure that once you start having your fills, things will improve! I know thats no consolation to you at the moment, but stick with it, things will improve!! All the best, Kath.x:thumbup:

Welcome back MMM, glad to hear that everything went well for you and that you're now back "safe & sound". Now you can start advising other's who have their dates coming up.!!! Take care, and take it easy for the first few days.....and get ready for the journey to come! Best wishes, Kath.x