weightinggame

Thank you :-)

Thank you that's very kind :-) The band takes some adjusting to that's for sure and I certainly had some hard lessons to learn myself so I'll happily help/share my experience where I can.

Hey, no of course I understand. It's not nice whatever your gender. Hope you might be able to look into doing something for yourself. I did and still do strength training with a personal trainer x3 per week to see if I could improve it without surgery. It helped a bit but after 2yrs it was clear it was just wrecked skin that would never spring back so I know where you are coming from x

Well ladies I'm all finished! I had my breast lift. Size changed altogether as my back size somehow increased and my cup size reduced. Initially I ended up as a 32f but one breast after just the lift was a cup size bigger than the other. My areola pulled a little out of shape due to the stitches on the same side but my surgeon agreed to a free revision and reduction of the right breast after all swelling had gone. It took 6 months but I got done under local in January and I have perfect and equal 32e's now. Had my tum and legs done at the same time as my 1st surgery and it's all healing well. Went on my first summer holiday since the surgery 3weeks ago. It was amazing to turn a few heads in my teeny weeny bikini at the age of 40! Should have experienced that at 20 but I don't care, at least I've experienced in my lifetime. I love my new body. My band is empty and my life is wonderful. I'm maintaining all by myself as I have no restriction and I'm so so happy. Good luck to you all xxx

Hi All, I just wanted to post in light of my bandiversary which is coming up on 19th August. I am 3 years post op, lost all my 84 pounds, went from a UK size 22 and am now a size 6 and have just had my plastic surgery all in one go. I had a breast uplift, tummy tuck and medial thigh lift. I had an infection in the thighs but its all coming good now. My boobs are amazing and I love my new belly button. I'm still a little leaky and juicy but I have a major night out in 2 weeks and I'm using it as my celebration for finally reaching the end of the weight loss journey. I have a hair and beauty appointment, am going to splash out on a new expensive outfit and am going to get a tan! My life has changed beyond belief since the band, to include promotions at work, a new, absolutely incredible man who I love beyond belief and a very recent fantastic figure which I can be proud of thanks to my plastic surgeon. I wanted to share in the hope that those at the beginning or middle of their journeys can feel inspired and motivated just as I did by all the wonderful and supportive people on this board. Luck and love to you all xxxxx

Well I lost all my weight, now weigh 110 pounds at 5 ft 3. I had 32 G breasts. My back gradually reduced but my cup did not until the last 14 pounds of weight went. I discovered that an FF cup is not actually the same in a 28 back as it was in a 32 back, it is proportionally smaller. I am about to go for an uplift and have been told I am likely to lose at least a cup size because some of what is left in my cup size is of course excess skin so they didn't think I needed a reduction. Funnily enough I don't look too big anymore even though my 28 back is the same a teenagers lol still struggle to get sexy bras at this size just as I did when I was a big lady tho. Can't win em all tho can you.

I just popped on to have a look at the plastic surgery section, saw one of my old posts and realised I hadn't been here for ages. I have surpassed my target and now weigh 112 pounds and wear a uk size 6.... Cant even believe it myself! I will try to upload pics from Xmas day here. I look like a different woman but now need a TT and a boob lift as it's all gone South! It's 2 and a half years since banding and 84 pounds lost....wow what a journey. Keep at it everyone it's so worth it xxx

Hi All, I haven't posted before as I hadn't realised this forum was here and was posting on the main one. However support from UK folks would be great when it comes to discussing food and vitamins etc. I had my band in on August 18th this year and did really well to begin with. I lost a stone and four pounds in the first five weeks and now have a minimum of two stones more to lose. I had no restriction at all after five weeks and got my first fill of 3.5cc at 6 weeks, I still had no restriction and had lost no more weight so went for my second fill of 2cc 3 weeks ago(total 5cc in a 9cc band) where I had only lost 2 pounds more. I have restriction now but am really struggling to eat anything that I would consider normal food, i.e not sloppy or liquid. I get stuck most times I eat solid food and am feeling quite frustrated. I don't know if I need to sort my head out or my band out? I think I have some really bad food behaviours that got me to the size I am now and I know I rush at food and eat to much at once but I'm almost getting to the point of thinking I can't be bothered to eat anything solid as its too much trouble and am finding that junk goes down much easier. I am of course not eating anything like the quantities of food I used to eat what ever it is I'm eating but I don't want to keep or further develop my bad eating habits. I never expected it to be easy but I don't relish the thought of having to vomit stuck food back up every day and I'm feeling really fed up. My hairs falling out too and that certainly isn't helping. Any advice from you experienced bandsters would be really helpful, sorry to make my first post here a moany one.....I promise they'll get better :smile2:

Thanks for the replies so far, sounds like it may not be as clear cut as I first thought. I spoke with my nutritionist also who said that most people take some time in trying to find a balance often ending up like sweetheart is with about a 5 to 7 pound fluctuation range. She thinks it's perfectly sensible for me to try to reach 126 pounds as my lowest weight and then give myself 5 to 7 pounds above that as my maximum weight that I should stay within and that might mean an occassional tweak of the band if I consistently creep back up to that. One thing is clear, this banding continues to be a journey, even when you reach your goal! I would still love to hear of others experience and how other people have managed their appetites if they have a defill at goal weight. Thanks Rx

Hi. I wonder if anyone can advise. I reached what was my original personal goal of 134 pounds about 6 weeks ago. I decided I could stand to go a bit lower but had had 1cc out of my band ready for a long flight so it was coming off really slowly anyway. I have since lost a further 5 pounds of fat but gained 2 in muscle so am now at 132. I would like to reach and stop at 126 but tightened up with stress at work a week or 2 back so went for another defill last week. I had another 1cc out but instantly was experiencing very strong hunger pangs and really wanted to eat constantly. I tried to go with it for a while thinking it may calm down but felt quite anxious that I couldn't control it so went back and after a thorough assesment from my brill nurse had 0.5 put back in. Thankfully it's put me back to a much more comfortable position but it has really scared me. If I keep losing I'll have to have more out because they feel I should be focussing on maintenance now not loss but I'm worried about how I will handle it given last weeks experience. Has anyone else experienced this? I think my nurse would like me to remove as much pressure from the band as possible to reduce the chances of future complications but it really shocked me to realize that all the reasons I was overweight in the first place were still there and nothing had really changed other than my weight in the past year :wink2: i know that sounds really defeatest but I feel like losing the weight was the easiest bit and now I have the real battle on my hands..... It's scary and I feel a bit like I've been conned!!!! Can anyone advise me how they handled the return of their hunger with a vengance and how you managed slowing down the loss without having to have the brakes put on suddenly with a big defill please????

Hi, I made that post just over a year ago. Seems odd to read it again now because I now weigh 134 pounds and am still losing albeit very very slowly. I think what happenned at that point was that my body just said hang on a minute too much loss in one go after the liquids and decided to keep hold of what it could. With hindsight I was so impatient and expected it all to come off instantly and all in one go. It really doesn't work like that. once you have decent restriction which may take a good 4 or 5 fills, you will start to lose. For me it has come off almost continously i.e I have rarely ever gained anymore than 1 or 2 pounds at any one time, which have come off again pretty quickly but I have had periods of stalling for up to a couple of weeks and this is normal. Don't worry, have faith, it will come off, treat yourself and your body kindly and try not to push it too hard. Your band is quite tough but you don't want to overdo it regularly as this may break it. Good luck to you all, life is good when you are slim and in an American size 6! Rx

Hi All and congratulations on getting/almost getting to goal. I have 2 lbs to reach a healthy bmi and 9 to reach my personal goal. I seem to have slowed down significantly, almost to a stop actually which is to be expected I suppose when the calorie defecit is less than when I was larger. I seem to be managing about a pound every 4-6 weeks now. I just wanted to ask those at goal how long it took to lose your last 7 lbs? It seems it could take me as many months to lose these last few pounds as it did to lose the majority of my weight. Also did anyone just decide to adjust their goal because they slowed to a stop or did it just carry on coming off steadily until you reached your goal. I can't decide whether that is it for me and lets face it, it wouldn't be the end of the world if I never lost another pound maybe just a little disappointing that I was so close to healthy but didn't quite make it. Did anyone try and blast it by doing shakes or the CD or did everyone just continue with their normal foods? I'd love to hear from you because I feel I need to make a decision...... Never managed to sort my ticker but I'm 5ft 3ins started at 196, now weigh 142 and its 10 months since surgery. :tongue2:

Well I think that sounds like a good plan. I have just given myself lots of small goals along the way and I think it has made it easier for me to manage it. It hasn't felt too overwhelming. I do still wonder if I will get to 133 and then want to lose a bit more still but I'm trying to focus on other things now and just let the weight take care of itself. I've got my first holiday since my band in a couple of weeks. U.K to U.S and I can't wait to get to Orlando and have the energy to do the parks. I would never have managed it before. I want to start getting back the years I've missed! Very good luck to you in your efforts, you will be there before you know it :sneaky:

Hi, I am classing healthy as BMI of 24.9 as this is what most of the classifications use. As you say below 30 takes you into overweight on these calculators as opposed to being obese. Well done for getting there as this really is a major achievement. I had another fill a couple of weeks ago and lost a further couple of pounds which means I am in the healthy BMI classification, however I don't think that BMI is everything. Body fat is important too, mine is now 27% and I would like it to be at 25%, I would also still like to lose another 3 pounds to take me to 133. That gives me a 7 pound gap and room to manovere without easily becoming overweight again. Keep up the good work. Everyone is different and not everyone wants or needs to get to a BMI of below 25 or even cares about BMI fullstop really. As long as you are happy and healthier than you were previously then that's the main thing..

Thanks for the replies guys. It has made me think that perhaps I'm being a little unrealistic about the last stretch and that I should be a little more patient and like you say Jachut stop obsessing about it. However I have noticed the tell tale signs of requiring a fill creeping in over the last few weeks (can't believe I can still keep eating for some time before realising it, as soon as the band slackens off, even after a year with the band too, how dense is my brain...or stomach...or both for that matter) so am off to London tomorrow to get that done. It will only be a tiny one though as I'm holidaying at the end August to Florida which is a 10 hour flight for us from the UK and I have been advised to have some Fluid removed to ensure I don't have any problems from the journey whilst away (been there and done the "can't swallow my own saliva" bit before and don't want to go there again ughhh!). Seems a bit of a pain to have to have a fill and then an unfill but knowing my propensity to still gain weight when in need of a fill I think I better have it. I have just bought stacks of new skinny minny holiday clothes too and don't fancy growing the wrong way and out of them before I go away. :cursing: Great to hear from you and keep up the good work x

Hi Liberty, thanks for your reply, its funny isn't it but I've been on a few ups and downs since that post. I finally got moving on the weightloss after the band slackened up really quickly and I ended up with another two fills. I have just lost another 6 pounds after my last fill three weeks ago and feel that i got really close my sweet spot with this fill. It seems to have slackened again now but I won't be looking for another fill until at least 3 weeks after xmas, the last week the loss has slowed down but I'm OK to wait for a while, as long as I'm not going up in weight I'm quite happy. I found it odd when I was getting things stuck but was still feeling hungry but I think I've figured out it was just bad habits....eating too quickly and making bad choices. You do get to know your band though, I can feel that it's slackening off now and can guarantee I will need a fill in a few weeks but I think you are right.....taking it steady is no bad thing. You must be really pleased with your weightloss, you've done brilliantly. I have another 26 pounds to go to be in the right weight BMI category and so to say I have lost two stones in 4 months is good going when I have less than 2 left to lose. Well done to you, I bet it feels great to be there doesn't it! :ohmy:

Hi Jack, you seem to be very experienced with this banding business and I have only been banded for 4 months. I am having some difficulty in knowing if I am too tight or not and wondered if you or anyone else that's experienced could advise me please? I had my third fill last week (6.5 in a 9cc band). Up to that point following the initial swelling and restriction my weight loss had all but stopped. The second fill produced some sliming and pb'ing when eating chicken but nothing else and I certainly felt no supression of my appetite nor felt my hunger was satisfied. This fill however is differrent. I have no appetite, when I do eat its because I realise I haven't eaten for ages and need something. I couldn't even contemplate eating anything dry, chewy or doughy as the thought of the pain I would experience when getting it stuck puts me off. I am sliming and pb'ing when I forget to chew and seem to be managing tiny bites of solid food or a small pot of yoghurt as a maximum, any more food than that and I'm pb'ing and feeling very full. I am concerned that I am bringing too much food back but am unsure if this is because I have such bad habits i.e. overeating and eating too quickly(the band does seem to teach you these things!) I do seem to still expect to be eating more than I can manage though. I am not sick every time I eat and I think it may be because I am forgetting and eating too quickly and still trying to eat too much. I don't know what the signs of being too tight are. Do you think I am too tight or do you think its my habits? If it is my habits have you got any advice about how to slow down and eat thoughfully (I have a major problem with the first few mouthfulls) as opposed to trying to inhale my food? I forgot to say, my weight has really started to move with me losing four pounds in the last week, which I'm really pleased about after waiting so long to see a differrence on the scales. I would be really greatful of any advice anyone could give.:wink_smile:

Hi, I've been trying lots of differrent foods to see if any are better and unfortunately I don't have a very regular pattern of eating due to work which is very pressured at times and often means I don't get lunch. I called the nutritionist on Monday and she suggested that if I'm not eating during the day my band may become tighter so even if I only manage to get some soup which she wouldn't normally recommend, it will help me to eat later on. I wasn't eating breakfast but having a very milky coffee and then coming in from work hungry and trying to eat whatever was available (usually not a good choice of food either). The nutritionist suggested I take something like crispbreads with some protein like wafer thin ham to work as that won't be as likely to get stuck and will at least ensure I get something in during the day. She also suggested cereal in the morning as a minimum which I have been managing. I went to the shops and picked up these few bits for myself and seem to have done better since. In fact strangely I have actually had hunger pangs again today between meals and the band seems to have losened up as I have been able to eat more with nothing getting stuck. I did have a bit of a stomach bug at the weekend and was also really struggling with time and pressure last week at work (being away and having to eat at hotels is not helpful) but thats also slackened off this week so I don't know if the two are related but I have read that stress can tighten the band up. I'm sure a stomach bug wouldn't help particularly if there was some irritation to my stomach. I did get a few menu ideas but nothing particularly inspiring and as I'm dairy intolerant many weren't any good for me. You are dead right too, I'm not putting any weight back on and I think you can get past these phases but when you are right in it it's hard to know what to do. 3 months in and I feel like this is the time when I am learning the most really. Thanks for the reply and good luck to you with your weight loss, you sound like you are getting back on track yourself. Rx

Hi All, I'm glad I checked in tonight, that last string of posts has really made me chuckle. I needed cheering up too because I think I've hit the post bandster depression period:crying: I haven't lost even a pound in the last 3 weeks and the WLS guys tell me I need another fill but I wasn't allowed one until a fortnight after my last which was just over a week ago. Then because I work full time and they travel through the UK to do the fills, the nearest they are to me next is October 27th. So I'm really battling to keep my weight steady as it is and now I know I have to wait almost 3 weeks until my next fill. Thats why I woke up really miserable this morning. I know I'm being impatient and I know things will start happening when I hit my sweet spot but its really getting to me now. I suppose I should be grateful that I haven't gained for 3 weeks whereas before surgery I could pile on pounds in a week without trying but I'm finding it hard to see the positives at the moment. You guys are all doing really well and I hear you on the exersise. I do get some in at the weekends. I did a ten mile cycle last weekend which nearly killed me and I get on the treadmill at home a few times a week but a busy week at work usually puts a stop to anything more on the weekdays. Thanks for the laugh soontobe, my doc is really comical too and I can just see him saying something like that in fact when I saw him a couple of weeks ago, he asked me how I was getting on with my elastic band, he said it so seriously too like he didn't mean to, he's nuts :smile2: Hope you all have a good week Rx

Hey soontobe, you are doing really well and if you are still losing don't worry about not getting your fill. I stopped losing at week 4 when I had been back on the soft foods for a week and haven't lost another pound since, even after having my first fill last Monday. Don't worry about those clothes either, I'm sure you'll get into them. I have still lost inches even though I haven't lost any more weight. and have had to recycle clothes almost every week since my surgery. I guess it must all just be shrinking back into the right place after losing quite a lot in a short space of time. I have read many stories on here of people slowing down or stopping losing weight in the weeks of bandster hell so I'm trying not to get too concerned about it. I understand that there will come a point or a fill at which it will kick in again and I start losing. It's hard to be patient though when we have waited so long to be thin, so I know where you are coming from. Hang in there, it will be worth waiting for.

Hi everyone, I've been having an increasingly tough time with my appetite really ramping up over the past week and me hunting for for food like I haven't eaten all year. This is not a good time in my banding journey and especially when I was told to try a variety of foods to support the nurse in deciding how much fill I required, thank goodness I'm going for my first fill on Monday. I'm really hoping it helps reduce my appetite again because I had such a good feeling of restriction after the surgery. I do have to say though I am quite scared that it won't work and I am really afraid of the damage I could do to my 21 llbs to date weight loss if my appetitie continous to be this voracious! I have noticed that my weightloss has ceased over the past 2 weeks ish but Im still losing inches for some reason??? :crying: Fingers crossed for next weeks fill.

Hey Gina, I was banded the day before you, I have experienced exactly the same, my weight loss stalled as soon as I started on mushies and I have really battled to keep it down since then despite adding excersise. I have to wait for my first fill until next Monday so another week of fighting to go. You should be proud of yourself, you have done really well with your loss. I had a total of 70 pounds to lose and have lost 21 to date but I've stopped weighing myself as much so as not to get too disappointed. I keep reading that this is really common and my nutritionist told me not to worry about my loss during the healing period, it will happen when we get to the right level of restriction with our fills. Keep your chin up, you made the right decision and its really easy to think it's not working but it obviously is......look at what you have achieved so far. There's definitely more to come off yet!! Best wishes R

Hi, I spent the first four days feeling really nauseas and dry heaving, doc told me it was most likely the anasthetic and the morphine I had during surgery and not to worry about band slippage at that stage. I haven't felt or been at all sick after those 4 days despite moving onto solid foods at 4 weeks. Another couple of tips. Get someone to wind you like you would a baby, it really helps as do the gas x strips. If you are in England and can't them on line like I did, chewy remegel chewed and dissolved to nothing in your mouth before swalling helps tremendously. Peppermint tea helps also as does a heat pad. Don't forget your liquid or chewy multi vits, Bassets chewy in the UK are great and give yolu something to chomp down on the first few weeks, make sure they are completely liquidised before swallowing them though. Keep talking to your nurse/doc/nutritionist because they can help you progress at the right stage onto the next step of liquids, mushies and solids. I read not to do solids before the fill but my nutritionist has told me to move on to solids now two weeks before my fill as a way of testing my requirement for a fill at 6 weeks.....they know best! Don't panic about things, everyone on this board is fantastic and will offer you support very quickly if you need it and right through your ups and downs.....which I have discovered from this board are quite normal oh and don't rush it. Your weight will come off eventually but weighing yourself daily does not help it happen any quicker and upsets you when you go up which you are likely to at some stage even if its just after surgery . Best wishes for your bandig

Hey everyone, just dropping in to update you on my progress. I am 10 days post op and just feel fantastic. I have lost 15 llbs which for me is great and have so much energy I can't believe it. I did suffer for about the first four days with the shoulder pain but thats much less frequent now, only when I overeat (drink I mean) or eat too quickly. Its certainly a re-education, I've had to really slow down with my soup/shakes. The ice lollies (I think these are your american popsicles) are absolute lifesavers, they are so cooling and are just the right size to fill me up for a little while when I'm peckish. I went to the nurse for my staples out today and it was such a relief as I had an allergic reaction to the metal in them so my port site was starting to get a little infected. I now have some ointment and it drying up really quickly now those horrid staples have gone! Lots of people have started to notice I'm losing weight already and my jeans are hanging down my backside (not a pleasant sight believe me) Ah well I guess that means a shopping trip soon for some new ones hey......this band business is really hard work (tee hee) Best wishes to all xxxx

Hey everyone, well I'm 3 days post op now. It certainly was more uncomfortable than I imagined. I realised that all the pain was down to trapped gas (wind to all us UK folks) and then started chewing some remegel, it shifted it straight away. I expected to feel it all in my shoulders as is well documented here but mine was all under my ribcage and in my stomach. Today though I feel loads better. I've had to jump on the scales just out of curiosity and despite losing 10 lbs prior to surgery I have regained 4 of them. Now this hasn't worried me as I knew to expect it.....I look 7 months pregnant and that's not including my usual obesity stomach distention! This gain must be from the IV fluids and the swelling because I've been struggling to even get my water down never mind anything else. I'm injecting my heparin into my stomach each morning and look fab in my navy blue compression stockings:laugh: I'm already lactose intolerant so having to find other interesting things to drink for the 3 week liquid diet but I think I may venture out today with DH and my 10 yr old daughter to look for a new sofa. :laugh:Hope all you newly banded folks are doing well and are looking forward to slimness as much as I am xxxxxx