AlienBandit

the couch to 5k kicks my ass. I work out all the time and I can never make it past week 4. I dont know why. I just gave up months ago.

I might try it again, but running on a treadmill is boring and there is no where to run outside.

One of the reasons I dont think i can make it far is because I like to run fast. If the treadmill is at a slow speed, I just get too bored to run for 5+ minutes.

What speed do you use to run if you use treadmills?

What band do you have?

My first band I had 5cc put in my band ( it held 11cc) for my first fill but my doctor wanted to put in 7. I know another girl that got 9cc put in as her first fill ( her band was also 11cc)

My second band, my doctor put in 4cc during surgery then after a few weeks I only got a 1cc fill ( this band holds 10cc)

Someone mentioned they have a 12cc band? I have never heard of a 12cc band unless you are considering 1cc to be put in the tubing. Bands usually are 4cc, 10cc, 11cc or 14cc. What band is 12 cc?

I get what you're saying, but drinking Water, eating slow, only eating til satisfied, etc. are all the same rules as any diet plan I've ever been on. I just kind of feel like if I could have done all these things before, I wouldn't have chosen to do something as drastic as the band. And why fill the band if you don't feel any restriction? I'm seriously questioning why I spent an inordinate amount of money and went through surgery if all I had to do was have the 'self control' to change my eating lifestyle without it, if that makes sense.

These are all things that we learn we must do Before we get the band. It is not a magic tool that will help you lose weight. If you don't eat right, eat large portions and dont work out you probably won't lose the weight. I would try to read up more on the band to be more informed.

You are supposed to work WITH the band to lose the weight, it doesn't work by zapping the lbs away by it's self, its only plastic.

The first few months post band you should focus of healing first of all and then trying to slowly lose weight. Losing weight fast can result in lots of saggy skin, hair loss etc. If you work with your band then you can lose this weight.

p.s super jealous you're going to Greece have fun

Do NOT use metamucil!! It is so bad! I told my doc I was using it and he just about lost it on me going on about how bad it is!

It is acidic, it expands in your pouch etc. So NOT good

I use benefiber no flavour mix it with my coffee in the morning, does the trick every time

Over all the two bands do the same thing. They help you with the battle of the extra weight. Neither are a better or worse TOOL in helping with this but I do believe though they are the same they are also of course a little different.

I started my journey with the SAG band which was the generation BEFORE the realize band ( same company) and I lost it due to erosion 4 months post op.

After 5 months without a band I got the lapband ap small size ( third generation) and I noticed that this band is so different when it comes to fills, foods etc

The SAG band I got bigger fills, but ate less and didn't have many restrictions on what I couldn't eat ( breads and things in small portions was ok)

The lapband is much more picky. When I get a fill even .3cc, I go through 24 hours where I can't eat drink or even swallow my own spit. If my doctor didn't let me leave unless I could swallow Water, I would be at the hospital more than once a week requesting another fill. after the 24 hours of hell, I can always eat like I had no fill at all.

The lapband cuts out many things in my diet. Breads, Pasta, chicken, eggs etc are so much harder to eat and I get stuck so much easier with this band.

In my experience, I wish I got the SAG band again ( same one baffle style as the realize) or never removed my first band in the first place ( could have stitched the erosion), but I am also glad I tried the lapband because I would have been thinking what if's if I hadn't.

I guess the grass is always greener on the other side. I don't regret the lapband switch but I always wonder where I would be if I stayed with the other kind.

THough they are different they are kind of the same and vise versa. Really it is your choice, what you want to get.

I started with a BMI of 33 and I still havent told 99% of the people I know. My parents and none of my friends back home have a clue because they would freak if they knew. I was "never big enough" to need surgery they would say. Even at 210 lbs people would say I looked 175ish pounds, apparently I held my weight well, but the fact was I was only getting fatter so I got banded.

Now my BMI is 25 and I want it a little lower but people still think I'm too skinny to even consider losing more weight. I think if I told them I have the band now they would think I am even more crazy because my BMI is 25 and it's been a while since someone saw me bigger ( ive been 150 lbs since Oct last year).

You are doing this for your self and your health. Just keep up the good work

I would suggest going to the doctor and having a full check up. Have blood work done, endoscope check, upper GI etc to make sure the band is still in a good state and then start again with small fills and work your way up.

There is no expiration date to when the band will stop working for you if you take some time off, so hop back on the band wagon we are always welcoming to new comers and people who simply fell off for a while

I never thought going on a roller coaster would cause any problems, so a few months after I was banded I went to an amusement park here and it was so strange.

Usually on rides I would get butterflies in my stomach but now with the band I found that feeling stopped. The anticipation of the ride would kill me and then we would be off. I knew when I would get butterflies but those parts of the ride came and went and I didnt feel them.

Apparently the band makes roller coasters less scary.

Trust me still totally worth it! The band was perfectly fine

My bands name is Chokum. This makes no sense in English but it means small or a little in Korean. It only seems fitting since it only lets me eat a small amount or a little bit of food.< /p>

I never named my first band and it wasnt until I had drains that I came up with names ( with the help of some of my bandster sisters). Chokum has a very close friend Polo (port), and they are always attached at the errr hip? Polo causes some problems sometimes though and likes to hide from our frienemy Marco ( The doctor).

It really hurts me when Polo hides from Marco, but since Chokum is a bit afraid of Marco I can see why Polo is only trying to protect him.

Did you catch all that? lol

So I can maybe sort of answer my experience to your first question.

I used to have 8 tattoos and got them at all different weights. Usually I was 150-160 lbs when I got them.

I had one on my hip that I got at 150 lbs ( after losing 70lbs) but then I gained 60 back. Of course that tattoo didn't look the greatest but it wasnt that bad.

Here are some photos where you can kind of see it

http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/home-from-the-hospital-and-photos/ I was 77kg here

http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/11/06/photos-4-weeks-post-op-tummy-tuck/ I am about 150 lbs(69kg )

Over all my tattoo did well with the gaining and losing. It was sadly cut off because I still had lots of skin where it was.

Thank You! I thought so too! I am not too worried about it, but the military will be asses if they say "they can't" find people in the network. I found a general surgeon, looking for a specific one Thank You so much!

Which network are you referring to? The lapband network or some military network?

My doc used to use an ltrasound machine for my fills because my port likes to play marco polo.

How my port is really good at this game and we must use an xray machine to find it ( I do believe this isnt what u call flouro because we never see my stomach just my port).

Also I get the numbing needle. At first it was because I was freaked out by the pain that never happened but now with my port under my muscles I really need it.

Don't worry about coming to Asia with the band, there are docs in Japan, China, Korea, Thailand etc, that are band doctors so it is not like you have a little weight loss alien they dont know ow to deal with.

Bands are becoming a big thing on this side of the world. My doc has been banding people since 2007

I have PCOS and I have been doing well. I am almost at goal ( might settle for 150 though I was hoping for 140) and love my band.

I am not taking any meds ( I used to take metformin but stopped when I left for Korea) and only take bc.

I am not ttc but I hope one day since I have been at a healthy BMI for some time now, that I will be able to get pregnant.

There are many different versions of the lapband. The first generation was 4cc the the second generation was 9.75/10 and then third generation ( what a lot of people have now) called lapband ap is 10cc or 14cc.

So it is possible that you have the first generation band. There is nothing wrong with that band at all. There are people on here who have that band and are successful.

You can listen to what your doctors suggests but only do what you think is best for you.

How is your weight loss going? Are you at or close to goal? Were you considering the sleeve before be mentioned it?

Now if you are at 3.4cc and it is a 4cc band I say you might be able to get maybe 1cc more into that band. Don't forget there is the tubing and some saline can be in there too.

My doctor will see any patient any time of day any day of the week. He is the chief of doctors at his hospital and does bariatrics, plastics, endoscopic exams etc. He does surgeries and sees patients every day. I like this better then a doctor who only sees patients a few days a week because we can't schedule our overfills

Whenever any one needs an emergency unfill we can call him or his assistant or the hospital. Sometimes he is pulled from a surgery just for an unfill if it is serious. Generally he starts seeing patients at 9am but if someone cant wait that late he will come in earlier so they can get an unfill.

A doctor who wont help you or makes you wait almost a week for an unfill when you cant swallow your own saliva doesnt seem very nice. My doc says that is his responsibility to help his patients when they need unfills. Since he is the one that puts in the saline he should take care of any problems from doing so right away.

I hope your doctor isn't so rude anymore or that you find a new good doctor.

I am 25 banded at 24 and lost about 60 lbs as of right now. My skin was terrible at first and i jumped into getting a Tummy Tuck. I wish I had waited because my skin is still changing.

I was going to get a breast lift but in the 2 months between my consultation and the surgery day my boobs changed so much my doc cancelled my surgery when he saw how things had changed. I went from a d to a b and I'm glad I didn't rush into a lift.

Working out helped a lot with my skin I find.

Hey sorry I didnt have time to post links here are some now

my stomach 175 lbs ish http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/surgery-tips-and-first-photo-of-me/

my stomach 160 lbs ish http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/07/20/10-days-post-op-photos/

my stomach 155lbs ish http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/almost-3-weeks-post-op-tummy-tuck/

my stomach now http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2011/07/04/15-weeks-8-weeks-post-op-and-day-2-pouch-test/

I know my scar isnt the best looking and mega big but it will be fixed in a while.

Once my port was moved under my muscle you couldnt really see it.

You were at max fill 18 months ago? You should see a doctor and check your fill atleast 2 times a year. The band will slowly lose some fill over time so 14cc ( if thats ur band size) might be 12cc or lower 18 months later.

Also maybe you should go for a fill but have the doc change the saline so take it all out and then put it back in ( my doc does that with each fill). This is a good way to check the colour of the saline and how much saline is left in the band.

Maybe if you're not feeling restriction it's time to get an endoscope to rule out erosion and to make sure that you do have a healthy stomach.

I went to Australia in August and then had my surgery in October. I regretted spending over $1,500 on a new wardrobe in Australia when I knew I wanted the surgery ( but I really had nothing to wear because clothes aren't in big sizes in Korea).

All those clothes didn't fit me come December

I dont have time to get all my links but if u look at my photos feb 2010 july 2010 oct 2010 feb 2011 and now you can see how my port stuck out etc.

I'll try to post later

I did the same thing when it came to my surgery. I didn't tell a soul. Not my family, my friends or even my best friend. My best friend was probably the hardest because I tell her abolutely everything. She knows more about me then anyone in the world.

I didn't tell them because I live half way across the world and I didn't want anyone to worry or argue with me to not get the surgery.

When I finally told my friend about 8 months later ( and by that time I was bandless again) she was upset that I didn't tell her at first but said she understood why I didn't want to tell her.

Since I did finally tell her and I did this for my health she was glad I was trying my hardest to do something to make myself healthier.

Now I have done other surgeries and I tell her everything and the fact that I kept things from her before are long forgotten.

If a friend had said negative things before about a weight loss surgery etc and you didn't tell them because of that, I would make it clear to that person why you didn't tell them.

I still havent told my family and 98% of my friends because I know their responses will be negative about the surgery and I francally don't want to hear it. Sooner or later I'll tell them tho..... just not yet.

My doctor isnt so strict when it comes to drinking alcohol after having the band.

He recommends staying away from carbonated drinks and only having 1-2 because you will get drunk faster.

4 weeks after the band you will be back to normal. I was about 99% back after a week

I'm a teacher as well and didn't even take time off.

I had my surgery on a Saturday and went back to work on the Monday. I didn't even tell the principals I was having surgery ( they would have told me I am NOT allowed to have surgery, because they control our lives here apparently).

It was ok teaching, because standing and moving isn't bad but getting up and down hurts. I found I recovered faster because I was always moving.

I was a little worried about going back to work right away because I had never had surgery before and am a big baby when it comes to pain but it was ok.

I dont know if you should bring Protein shakes because right after surgery for the first few days you are usually on Clear liquids. You probably won't want to have something like a shake.

I am pretty sure I did 2 days of just Water right after my surgery.

Here is a post I made on things to bring. Oh course you won't need long socks in Mexico but you get the point

http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/surgery-tips-and-first-photo-of-me/