elcee

I am 5' exactly. If I had weighed 199lbs when I got banded I would have had a BMI of 38.9! Sorry that makes you mad. What makes me mad is people that don't think some people are/were fat enough to get surgery. Personally I am glad that I had the motivation to do something when my BMI was only 32. Being obese was bad enough , I don't see why I should have had to wait until I was morbidly or super obese to do something about it.It is always better to do something sooner rather than later.

Actually Shirley's suggestions were spot on. She didn't say anything about fried foods(except the mushrooms). Steak is healthy if you are able to eat it.Have you ever heard of grilling or baking it? Most foods require some kind of sauce post band. Dry foods are very hard to eat. Gravy does not have to be full of fat, it can be made with stock, flour or cornflour and a stock cube or other seasoning to your taste.

Glad it's not your band. Sorry that it is still something serious. How are they going to treat this?

I'm considering having fillers in my cheeks to help with the tired look from the bags under the eyes which are accentuated by fat loss . Would love to hear from anyone that has had them.

That is just disgusting

I would rather be underweight than overweight. The normal BMI range is quite wide so I think it is easy to settle on some point within that and be happy. I certainly wouldn't be happy if my BMI still said I was overweight. I am forever being told I am skinny but it's not true. It is simply that my friend/s are jealous(which they admit) and also that they are no longer used to seeing normal weight people as there are more overweight people these days than there are ones that are at a healthy weight. I would actually like to lose a few more kilos but i need to be able to choose where they come off ( my stomach instead of my legs) As for the wrinkles - the bags under my eyes are more prominent than they used to be. I actually went for a consultation last week and was told that it happens with age as you lose fat in your cheeks so fillers would help. I am seriously considering having them done but they are so dam expensive and only temporary. I still think the slightly tired look that I have now is preferable to the big round face and lots of chins that I had when i was overweight.

Maybe you can feature on the next "people of Walmart" movie.

Cazzy is 100% correct.

I also do not diet, do not count calories and simply eat smaller portions but I think it would be easy to "cheat" the band if your head wasn't in the right place. Unfortunately most of the high calorie foods that cause weight gain do not cause pain and discomfort. Well for me they don't, I think if they did it would be great as it would discourage me from eating them. chocolate and the foods I mentioned earlier are too easy to eat . B52 maybe the reason you don't have an issue with these type of foods is because you are male? Males seem to naturally prefer foods such as steak, meat etc whilst us females are generally the ones that have issues with chocolate. I am sure that there are some exceptions to that rule but on the whole it seems to be true. There are people that have been banded that have had limited success. I believe that for many of them it was because they were unable or unwilling to change their eating to the way that it is recommended you eat with a band. A lot of them were looking at the band as being a magic wand and it isn't. It is possible that the band was not the correct type of surgery for them. They may have been better suited to something such as a bypass which causes malabsorption of food as well as restriction and some people also get dumping syndrome. I think it is important to carefully investigate the different types of surgery available and work out as far as possible (with the help of a Dr) which one would suit you and your particular type of eating issues best.

Congrats Denise.I love hearing from people that have been successful and are happy with their bands.

It is perfectly possible for the band not to work especially if the person with the band expects it to be a magical cure that does everything for them. There are lots of foods that it won't stop you eating. e.g chocolate Icecream Milkshakes custard candies crisps Cookies etc These will go past the band really easily, they will not make you feel full and you will gain weight. For the band to work you have to work with it. Follow the dietary recommendations your Dr has given you, don't drink your calories, don't eat all day long and do some exercise.

I assume you must be a consultant.

!!!!!!! You are only 5 days out , relax. You didn't put the weight on overnight and you aren't going to lose it overnight either. Plus it is normal for a persons weight to fluctuate from day to day because of Fluid, hormones etc. That is why many Dr's only advise you to weigh yourself once a week. It would be nice to think that we could have the surgery and wake up slim but unfortunately that doesn't happen. The surgery is just the beginning and the actual weight loss takes time afterwards. Some lose quicker than others but the speed doesn't matter as it is not a race. The recommended weight loss with a band is 1 - 2lbs per week.

Sounds rather odd. What type of band do you have? Allergan ports are stitched into place so it is unlikely that all the stitches would have pulled loose at the same time. It would be more likely that a couple of stitches could have been pulled causing the port to flip. I believe that the Realise band is held in place by teeth. Again I would have thought that for it to come completely loose and travel that far would be really unusual. Have you been doing anything unusual lately. Any kind of strenuous exercise that you are not used to? I would be going to see a DR ASAP. Freaky bumps are not to be ignored, you never know what they might be.

Glad that you had good news. Jachut next time you are over this side of the world give me a shout.

That was the part that jumped out at me as well. Reading the post it sounded to me as though the Op thought that everything would just magically fall in place once she got restriction. Well it isn't like that. When I introduced myself on this board initially I was told that the band is only a tool and that I have to make it work. I was probably a little shocked and taken aback but I kept that info on board. I realised that in order to be successful I had to be in control. Yes of course I needed HELP to lose the weight and keep it off but I also had to remember that it was only HELP and that the band wasn't going to do it all. For the first couple of months I kept "chasing" the sweet spot(restriction) as people used to refer to it then. It sounded like a wonderful place. I would be able to eat tiny amounts and not get hungry in between. What I hadn't realised is that the sweet spot in the way it had been marketed to me doesn't exist. But what I also should have realised was that i was already there. I was eating smaller amounts, not getting hungry as quickly and losing weight. If you do your part and eat the type of foods that you should be eating. Protein, veggies, good carbs, fruit you will probably find that your band is working and that you will lose weight. You may not lose it as fast as you would hope but slow and steady is good. Also noone expects you to be perfect 100% of the time. Stick with the 80/20 or 90/10 rule. And as Sharilo says the tighter you are the harder it becomes to eat the kind of foods that you should be eating. So yes you may need another fill but do not expect that it will suddenly turn you into a perfect eater overnight. And recognise each fill and the help it gives you and work with it to achieve the body that you hope to have.Sometimes the changes from the band are subtle, it doesn't always scream at you so make sure you are listening carefully.

Wow Cheri that is scary. That would put me off for sure.

He is an excellent surgeon but all his aftercare is done by the other staff and I believe he also has others installing bands now too. I now see Stuart Eaton in Ballarat which is much closer, the waiting time is much shorter and I get to see him and not one of his fill staff.

It sounds to me as though you are expecting the band to do everything. You seem to have forgotten that it is only a tool that will make eating properly and less easier. It will not do it for you.

Go and speak to a Dr. It could be anything. Kidneys, band, female parts........... the only way to find out is to get and get checked out

Peter did my band. I have been seeing a different Dr though for the last 12 months as I got too lazy to drive all the way to Williamstown.

Hope this all turns out well. Where did you move from - to and who is your new Dr?

I'm at goal too

You shouldn't have continued trying to eat. You should have waited until you felt the pain /pressure disappear or felt the object move through.Putting more food ontop of something stuck usually just makes it worse.

Yes it can hurt when you have eaten too much or too fast.