Carriejess

Hi I know my BMI was slightly higher than 35 but i just wanted to say that as a relativley low BMI starter i have had no issues with losing and it only took me a year to get to my original goal. I had the band fitted 14 months ago. Good Luck!

I was 25, now 26

Happy New Year Peeps! New Years Eve 08 against New Years Eve 09. Sorry about the dodgy pics....they were the best out of very very very drunken bunch. I'm not sure when the pain of my hangover will end but i am hoping it will be some time in 2010. Wishing everyone an amazingly thin year! xx

i went from a 6 to a 5

Hello I had my surgery last October and i still smoke when socially (mainly when drinking!) I know the health risks and used to smoke about 20 a day pre band and prob 5 a day now. Quiting is one of my 2010 goals!

Hello Everyone Hope you all had a great Christmas! xx

Hello I weigh 130 pounds, can you freaking believe that! Love my band, love my life! Wishing everyone a great Christmas and a fab new year! x

Im not too worried, it has taken me 3 weeks to put on a pound. I might have a fill in Jan, i fancy having a bit of super tight time...il get the drinking calories in in Dec. Mind you i don't want to be so tight that is difficult to get enough calories in for the gym freak routine im planning for my 2010 goal. Lol must be 8 stone 12 must be 8 stone 12 must lose 6 pounds! Then if i excerise alot i might weigh more as i put on muscle? Oh the dilema!!!! Have a fab Xmas G if i don't get the chance to say it to you before xx

I agree with Jaqui, all the diets i did before gave me a guilt complex about food. I could never keep up with the counting and the restrictions therefore always gave up and punished myself by going on a binge and putting the weight back on. The band has helped me to view food in a healthy non obsessive way. I still like food and i still eat but i no longer think about it all the time i never think 'if i have this bar of chocolate now i wont eat any breakfast to make up for it' which is how i thought when i was obese. Now i am thin and i never get up in the morning and think that i will have x amount of protein and i will only eat any carbs on my plate last if im still hungry... To me that takes me back to when food was the most important thing in my life.

I eat what i want just a load less of it. I guess i am lucky as my diet has always been reasonably healthy just way too much of it! I couldnt cope with counting calories and weighing things or i could for a while just like every other diet i have ever done but certainly not on a long term basis i would just give up and the whole routine would collapse! As long as it works for you then thats all that matters i guess!

I agree with Bobo, i do think that you just leave it out for a few weeks whilst you heal and i did find that i got drunk alot more quickly. Other than that i have no probs, i spend less money because i need less alcohol and it takes me twice as long as my friends to finish a drink in the first place. I love wine, in fact i can be described as a bit of a wine snob but i do find that after a few glasses it does cause a bit of acid reflux and throat burning, not sure why this is... vodka and orange etc is fine. I really disagree with all the Dr's who are food and drink nazi's i got the band to be able to think about food etc like a normal person, normal people go out and drink and have the occassional pudding. I find alot of the posts especially in America about Dr's instructions about how to eat with the band too constricting. If i was one of their patients i would have probably found it too hard to stick to like any other diet and then hate myself for slipping up etc or have turned into someone who still has major food issues! Sorry rant over...lol Happy Christmas everyone!

Oh Dear I have put a pound on already! Damn qaulity street!!!

228 to 130, the bones are the best bits, hips, ribs and spine...i still cant get over it!

I have no idea im afraid but i think they list the costs on their website?

8 pounds to go!

almost there!

Wish i had had a tummy tuck from anyone!! My Mum had a tummy tuck through beaucare in belgium, she was so pleased she had a facelift by the same people a year later!

Svelte - good word! The restriction question is such as difficult one! Portion control is the way you want the band to be working! Ok so i thought i would put what i eat in a typical day. Breakfast - nothing...some people can eat in the morning i can never eat until lunchtime. Lunch - half a bowl of soup and maybe a couple of crackerbread Dinner - if im eating out il have fish or risotto coz i know i can eat those in a reasonable amount of time. If im at home then i will have chicken etc but it takes me ages to eat. My Dinner portion is the same as a starter in a restaurant, i could just order a starter instead of a main and be hapy but i always think it looks a bit weird if you do that. The bad thing with me at the moment is that i prob eat more chocolate and cake now than i did before the band because i dont feel as guilty and they are easy to eat! If i cut out the lattes and the chocolate then i could probably lose those eight pounds. I think that when most people achieve proper restriction then you will not be able to eat anything other than mushy stuff for a week or so but it will ease off after that and you can re introduce other foods into your diet. Even when you get propr restriction you will still need to have adjustments quite regularly until you get near to goal. I had one adjustment in august and i may have another after xmas but i will see how it goes. There is no easy answer unfortunatley, if you reach a good level of restiction on Tues then you may not be able to eat everything you want to over xmas but then the stuff you want to eat would prob not help you lose!

Just wanted to post this on here, there are just some pics that make you realise just how far you have come. I could not believe how thin i look in this picture...you cant even see my face but it doesnt matter!

Hi Sorry to hear that you are felling down but i agree with the others! Everyones restriction levels are different and when you get there you will def know and it will be a bit of a shock to the system. I know its difficult but you just need to try and resist temptation until then. Just think of it as a breather for xmas until the new year and a new you!

Im 26 and i do have a little bit of excess skin, its more like a little pouch of fat on my stomach rather than sagging skin other than that i held up ok. If i had the money i would have a TT and prob breast implants. However i have learnt that no one has a perfect body and my friends who have always maintained a healthy weight have areas of their body that look worse than mine do and vice versa! If someone gave me a lump sum and said you can spend it on what you want i would probably spend it on a new car and say that the plastic surgery can wait for a bit...thats how happy and comfortable i am with myself now compared to how i felt before surgery!

Freckles you look fab in your pics and that chocolate looks amazing!

That's great news if you can get them on the nhs, keep us updated!

Freckles Welcome back! Glad you had a great time, everyones allowed to gain on such a fab holiday! xxx

Thanks! Technically i am at goal, im 8 pounds under but 8 pounds away from my new goal. Lol i want to be 8st 12 so i can say that i lost 100 pounds :biggrin: