steveelea

Wow there has been a few posts....sorry havent been on guys been flat out and hey @@wombatski congrats on having your surgery.....sorry you have had a rough time. Have you gotten any better as yet?? As for the amount of weight loss I guess it's a wait and see thing. The better foods you eat well the better chances you have of losing lots of weight.....and also the fact that you have gone through surgery to help you should make you want it more as it's not an easy thing to go through and you want it to be worth it all @@Pilbara Girl yes stalls are normal and especially once you start eating again.....I found that after being on fluids and puree when I started to eat again I would stall but then it will start again. I have been through stalls since the surgery but after the stall I would seem to drop what I would have if I was losing constantly and evenly. Dont stress too much.....they are a normal part of losing weight. @@chez What amounts can you eat?? I am trying to think how to explain the amount I can eat......probably half to 3/4 of a bread and butter plate is what I can eat.....or (and this is not a good thing to admit but here goes) I could eat most but not all of a kids meal from macky D's ....not with a burger but with a small fries and a mini chicken wrap.....I can't eat it all but I can eat most of it . I have honestly only had about 4 of these since Feb so I don't think thats too bad and the seared chicken wraps are healthy anyway.....but I do love a couple of chips only very occasionally I refuse to deprive myself of everything and I eat good food most of the time but like the occasional treat or have the occasional lazy meal, but it's so much easier for me to control now that I just don't get very hungry anymore. I think the best part of the surgery has been the removal of the hormone producing thingy to help stop the hunger, and of course the small stomach to help make you feel full with eating not too much at all. I know what you mean about people wondering when you go out....have you told everyone or are you keeping it between close friends and family. My family know and 3 friends know also (1 of which I wish she didn't but thats a long story haha) I had friends over on Saturday night for dinner and they didn't know. I thought how the hell am I going to handle this but I just put some food on my plate and had a bit at a time in between going into the kitchen to finish cooking and bringing more stuff out for everyone. Lucky it was pretty cas and all the kids (teenagers and 20 year olds but I still call em kids haha) were wandering around so it wasn't a sit down formal type of thing.....I would have had to make up something...some excuse if it was. I am a bit nervous about going out with friends that don't know about it TBH Being that I am still overweight I guess it's probably easy for me to just say oh no I am watching what I eat and I am only going to have a little bit. Most of them probably would be so busy talking about everything (and some busy talking about themselves) that they would't notice anyway haha

Thanks @wombatski

THANKS CHEZZIE XOX.......WHOOP WHOOP INDEED hahahaha Doin Ma Happy Dance

Thanks Dislexicon and Bella and by ton we meant 100kgs haha You will get there soon enough Dislexicon....I have been on this goal since November 09 when I first got a lapband and I got to 103kg's by almost starving myself on a Protein diet but couldn't get any lower.... I LOVE MY SLEEVE Hope it keeps coming off now

Ohhhhh Myyyyyyy Goshhhhhhh Wasn't expecting to hit this by today which was my goal to get there by hubbys birthday Check this out.....(lets see if I can post a pic) Framed and all ....please excuse the feet haha I weigh 3 times and take the Highest weight....it did go to 99.6kg but then 99.9......who cares I cracked the ton Chezzie haha. Never to be back in triple figures again.... EVER!!!!!!! Wonder if I can get to 95 by Christmas???? I have had this goal for soooooo long,,,,, I never had another planned as I thought it would take me a lifetime to get here. I know I am bragging but hell I am soooooo excited. I think my next goal will be 89kg and hope to get there by Valentines day.....HAHA WOOO HOOOOO I DID IT Ok I am calm now.....NOT haha

OH WOW travelling on a plane I ALWAYS needed an extender ......I haven't got any plans to go on one but maybe I should just to see if I need one or not???? haha Good excuse for a holiday Let me know how you go but by the looks of you girl you will be absolutely fine and I bet you will even have room to spare and have to tighten your belt Thanks about the results....woop woop its ACE news isn't it!!!! Go for it get it a bit shorter.....you gone this far keep going..........says me and I am getting sweaty palms at the thought of getting the side shaved Haha Ok so my goal was to be at 99.9kilos by tomorrow (hubbys birthday) but I am going between 100.00 and 100.5....soooooo close,, might be laxative time

Thanks guys and Chez wow it looks fantastic...U Sexy Chick You have braved it going that short and it looks great.....so how much shorter you reckon?? Hmmm nervous about shaving the side as it has to grow back. Taylor wants to shave it for me but I am scared haha Well I haven't heard from the doctors officially as yet but, I read the report myself from the mri as the cat scan wasn't done yet and they said that there had been no change and it looks like it did a year ago so I am SOOOOO Relieved I can tell you!!!! Has a few wines last night to Celebrate and was a wee bit shabby this morning haha I don't have Protein shakes so I cant tell you sorry

OMG @@chez ,,,,,,,,,,I will have to see it,,bet it looks gorgeous!!!! I am thinking about getting the side shaved and leaving all the rest long Freaking out thinking about it but it looks soooo cool I LOVE that look. Growing it back will be a Biatch tho If it's a hiatus hernia I am fairly sure they will fix that during surgery, at least that is what my surgeon said he would do if he found one.....don't stress all will be ok. Ok so this is a little off topic and I am sweating just writing about this but, last year I went for an ultrasound and xray on my knee to see why it was swelling and they found a tumor in the bone (unrelated to swelling), which, thank you God, turned out to be benign. I had to have mri, ct and then finally a bone biopsy which was very unpleasant but worth it to find out I was ok. I have to have it monitored every year for 3 years to make sure it hasn't grown or changed, and have recently been for an mri and ct to compare to last years. More common that we know, apparently. People may have them but until they go for an xray or scan for something else, they don't find them till then. Hopefully mine is that one and not the one that has recently come on and is still growing So I have been waiting for ages as I got it done at a different hospital and they did a report but didn't compare it to last years so I had to go back and take all the films again and am still waiting for the results. The first results I got back I don't think it has grown much so hopefully the results will be ok. I know deep down that they will be but there is always that horrible voice in the back of your mind saying PANIC!!!!! I want to slap that voice in the face. Anyway I just felt like I needed to talk about it as I thought writing it down may help with my anxt with waiting for the results. I think what has made this all so much worse is I didn't go to see my regular doctor as I couldn't get in, so when they got the results back from my ultrasound they called me that day (on hubbys birthday) and told me that I needed to see them straight away....when I went into her room she told me to sit down, put a box of tissues in front of me and said....these tests have come back looking like you have something sinister....you have a tumor and it looks like it could be cancer. My regular doctor whom I went hysterical to the next day told me that she should never have said that and that a lot of the time these tumors are benign but still once you have been told that by a Dr you tend to lose the plot. Anyway I am trying to be positive, but I just want to know that its all ok and I want to tests back and results to be positive so I can relax about it all for another year.

@@Dislexicon sounds like you have a fantastic and thorough surgeon I have heard that after getting the sleeve, patients can often have trouble with their gallbladder down the track.....I think that would be from weight loss but not sure 100% why I know that I am on Nexium for reflux. They told me to take it after I was sleeved and I am still on it. I am on the mild dosage but if I miss a couple of days it can get bad so I have 1 per day and they said I may always be on that, or may end up coming off. I think it's due to the small stomach and it's common in sleeve patients but again I haven't asked too much about it so not 100% sure

Hey @@Bellarose100 I wouldn't stress as I think that reflux can be caused by a hernia and he probably just wants to check it out to see if he needs to fix that too. I got reflux and mine was nothing so don't stress I am sure it will be fine. You can ring and ask him (or the nurses at his clinic) what they are doing this test for and will it stop the operation or will they just fix what they find during the same op. Some Dr's do this test routinely I think but Chez may know. I know that when we tag Chez it tags another chez so I am not sure if she is getting the messages or not??

@@Bellarose100 No I didn't have one of those. They just said that if they find a hernia going in that they would fix it up in there.... Is that what they are looking for a hernia?? Did you get your surgery date yet??

@@nerms Don't worry about having put weight on.......it just means that you got a little off track but you have realised it now and are fixing it which is a positive step.....also the fact that you are hungry and gaining weight means that you need another fill so once you get that you should be feeling a lot better. Don't beat yourself up you are going well and as for those others bagging you out.....just ignore the horrid people.....KARMA is a bitch and they are most likely miserable human beings with no life @@wombatski I am so sorry you don't have many people to talk to in person. I didn't tell many people that I was getting weight loss surgery and still haven't told them. Only family and a couple of friends know as I don't feel comfortable with people knowing. Thats where forums like this come in handy. You can be in the same state or across the other side of the country and you can have people there to listen and talk to about it all. I love it because even if you have people that know they don't really understand unless they have been in the same situation so it can be very isolating. We are here to chat to if that helps How long is the recovery time did they tell you?? Wonder if your husband can take time off to help you for a bit with the kids after the surgery??

So you must be able to get the plication just on its own?? Do you know much about what's involved pre and post op @@wombatski and what the success rate is?? What's the recovery time and hospital stay time etc?? Do you know anyone thats had it done? Personally I can't eat much chocolate since I have had the sleeve as more than 4 squares (small ones) makes me feel sick for some reason it's just too much for my system....not that I am complaining at all haha I don't know anyone personally that has lost all their weight as I don't know many that are sleeved. My nurses said to me that realistically they would expect me to have a BMI of 35 and they would be happy with that. I was 150kg and only 5'2, and I would love to be 65kg but I don't think that is ever going to happen. They said that 85 to 90 kilo they expect me to achieve but I am hoping to prove them wrong and at least get to the high 70's. @@Dislexicon I think that it will be very different for you mentally once you have the sleeve to what you can imagine, at least it was for me and I had had weight loss surgery before. I still go to eat while I am dishing up dinner or snack before I eat a meal then I can't fit my meal in, or I go ahead and dish myslef up way too much and realise I just can't eat it. It will take time but you will get used to it because you just won't be able to eat or nor feel like eating when you are full. You know how you feel stuffed after Christmas dinner and you would love to eat more as there is so much to chose from but you can't even try because you are too full?? Thats the feeling I get when I have eaten a good meal and then everyone else goes to get sweets or seconds and tries to make me try some.....blah no way can i do it. I still do notice that when it's almost that time of month I get more hungry than normal and am looking for more food but that only lasts a couple of days and I just have to be strong as I know I am not really hungry, I just feel like I want to eat. I guess you could cheat the sleeve by filling up on high calorie foods but I do find it easier to have more of a will power when I am not hungry all the time and to be honest, I could never have had this type of will power without the sleeve. My nurses also said that you have to be careful that you don't overeat more and more and put weight back on and that 2 to 3 years after the sleeve can be a danger time as you become complaisant and eat more of the wrong foods and more of it. I did that with the band but I was never 100% satisfied after I had eaten for some reason. this just works better for me but everyone is different. I also think that removing the hunger hormone has helped me a lot @@nerms hows things going with you?? When are you due for your next fill?? Do you know what size band you have and how many mls is filled??

@@Dislexicon I don't know if this is the correct advise or not, but even if you don't scale back your portion sizes before hand it won't make any difference to the outcome of the sleeve. The sleeve makes it so you can only eat very little amounts so you won't physically be able to eat large amounts any more so I didn't worry about portion sizes before the op. I only started at pre diet and post op. Of course you don't want to gain any more so just be mindful of calories and type of food I guess. Put it this way, you will not be able to go to an all you can eat or sit down to a big main meal again so without going overboard my advice is make the most of it while you can...as I said this is just my opinion and I am not condoning pigging out all the time but you wont be able to eat a regular size meal again after the sleeve. Its handy tho as I just have a little of everything and I am happy so I love the sleeve. I take Elevit for pregnancy multis as reccomended to me by the dietician, and also get Vitamin B injections instead of taking the tablets. I wrote something on Vitamins a few pages back and will try to find and repost when I get a chance as I am just about to run out. Welcome @wombatski I am not sure what plication is so I am unsure on how it works but I can say that the lap band or sleeve will not stop you from eating chocolate. It's a cheat food that slips through the lap band, but with the sleeve I can't eat as much of it but not sure what everyone elses experience with overeating chocolate is with the sleeve. With the band you can eat slider foods very easily that are full of calories so you need to be dedicated. I am all for weight loss surgery but I guess it depends on your situation and how much you have to lose and if you can also change your mindset. Weight loss surgery is a tool to be used with your efforts in weight loss.....it won't do it on it's own and I'm not gonna lie, it is still hard work, although these tools make it a lot easier for people who eat larger portions. Have you spoken to a surgeon about it?? What did they say??

Hi @@Dislexicon and WELCOME!!!! Congrats on making the big step to have weight loss surgery....are you being sleeved?? It is such a great idea to be prepared....you sound like you are ready. As for tips on pre op dieting....yes its hard but you don't seem to mind doing it because you know it's only for 2 weeks and this is a long term thing that is happening so its almost exciting as it's the beginning. I found out only a few days before my surgery that I could eat sugar free mints jubes and chewing gum so that was handy but just a warning.........extreme moderation with them. I remember eating a handful of jubes as I was so excited that I could finally eat something sweet and I spent all night with pains in my stomach and an upset stomach....not great the day before surgery but oh well you live and learn. The post op diet seems to go so fast compared to the band post op diet (I had band 4 years ago and went to sleeve Feb of this year) and it was for me easy to stick to as you are not hungry. It is important that you keep up your fluids and this can be very hard because you are only able to take "fairy sips" as I called them A great way to keep hydrated is to have icypoles during the day (I loved frosty fruits but I am sure you could get diet icy poles or make your own) My nurses were not worried about calories at the first post op stage as you can't really get enough down to matter in the scheme of things. I also sucked on a lot of ice cubes Being that you are being done in Feb it will most likely be very hot so just be mindful to try to maxamise your Fluid intake and have things ready for when you get home from hospital. Also post op when you are able to go onto puree I think that they baby food jars (the ones for 4 months or whatever the youngest age is so that it is runny puree) are the best and easy to have. You won't be able to eat a whole one so I used to just put some in a little bowl of what I would be able to eat and put the jar back in the fridge for my next meal. That group sounds fantastic and thanks for posting about it. I know that there are a couple of people on here that are waiting on insurance so that may come in very handy. As for eating habits after the sleeve, yes you have to be careful not to just fill up on the wrong things. This is a tool to help us and I find it works really well for me. I make sure that I eat my Protein and veg first then my tiny bit of carb if I have room left. The beauty of having weight loss surgery is that if you are mindful and think about what you are putting on your plate, you will fill up on that and won't feel the need or have the room to eat the wrong thing, and beleive me that has made a massive difference with me. I know my family (they are all thin lucky them) will eat a big meal and then dive straight in to look for sweets. I am lucky in the fact that when I have eaten my teeny meal that fills me up very well, I lose the urge for something else to eat as I feel so full. Mind you I still do have my Snacks....I love the mini magnum ice creams and I probs have one of those a week but its only a sometimes food for me now so I think its ok....so different than before as before I just never felt full so I would look for something else to satisfy me. Anyway thats enough from me I could talk about it all day. Hope some of this info helps you out Leanne Oh and I too have been diagnosed with pcos and even though my hormones are going a little haywire with all the weight loss thats going on, things are better than they were so thats a positive. I am more hormonal I think because of my age too or so the gyno says (I'm 42)

@@sweetcaro Thank you for the lovely comments... that is exactly what I did re private insurance.....and funnily enough it was cup weekend that I took it out too haha. I waited the 12 months to get the first lot of weight loss surgery done (Band in November 09) Now sleeved At least if you have decided to get the sleeve it will be a lot cheaper for you as if you have to pay for longer hospital stay or intensive care it will end up costing you a fortune I would think I went into intensive care the first night (both with my band and with the sleeve they think I had sleep apnia and I also get asthma) just as a precaution (don't be scared if they suggest it as it's just a precaution and its nothing to worry about) and then had 2 more nights in a ward so was in for 3 nights all up @darwinlady Welcome and wow exciting times ahead for you. What weight loss surgery did you decide on?? Who are you getting to do your surgery??

@@Pilbara Girl I forgot to add that until you are ok with swallowing the vitamin tablets, you should use berocca. Its good but not as good as the elevit but will help you until you can swallow them. I was on the tablets about 4 weeks out I think...maybe 3 weeks out but I cant remember for sure

YAY @@nerms well done you are doing fantastic!!!! The way I look at my diet is that I eat healthy most of the time but love to have a little bit of something thats not great for me now and then....I make it a sometimes food Last night I had a magnum mini and it was devine!!!!! Great to hear that you are doing well nerms...proud of you girl!!!! @@Pilbara Girl Wow I am so disappointed to hear that your after care has not been great. I don't know where these surgeons get off thinking that they can just get the money from you then leave you to your won devices....that sux big time. Ok so I can tell you what I was told to go on but it's not medical advice so you might want to check with your gp. As far as I know this is what my dietician gives to sleeve patients but I suppose some may require different things. We are required to take 1 Elevit for Pregnancy Multi Vitamin per day (in the morning) 1 Citrical plus D (at night) Vitamin B (not oral capsules as your stomach wont absorb easily after sleeving) You will also need to get your Iron, Vitamin D and vitamin B levels checked to see where you are with them and also. I get the vitamin B injections from my gp every three months, or you can get the dissolvable tabs you put under your toung and take them every day. If I were you I would definately be taking the multi and Citrical as I have been told that sleeve patients need to be on a good multi for good. As far as food afterwards is concerned, I am finding it hard to remember what and when I was allowed. I do know that I had to see the nurse at 2 weeks post op then the dietician at 4 weeks post op to discuss food and weaning onto full solids again. I think by 2 or 3 weeks post op I was on mashed food then gradually increased from there and by 6 weeks I was eating normally again although only small amounts. The amounts that you are eating and how small a bites you are having should have been explained to you too as it's very important. A great tip for getting more fluids in is ICY POLES ..... My faves were frosty fruits!!!! I snacked on them over the day (i couldn't have a whole 1 in a sitting though) and it helped with my Fluid intake. I will try to find my post op info and am happy to email them to you if that helps. Are there nurses at the clinic that you can call or make appointments with???? @@Chez and Anyone else, Can you remember your post op diet and what Vitamins you are on?????

@@Pilbara Girl Welcome and great to hear from you .....we don't mind if your not from Melbourne Sounds like you have lost weight super fast so far....was that including your preop diet?? I have lost 37kg since end of Feb till now....which has been exactly 37 weeks (since my preop which was mid feb) So averages out about 1kg per week but I know I lost more than that per week and now losing around 0.5kg per week and the nurses at my specialist told me that that's completely normal and I'm on track. Hope this helps

@@sweetcaro Welcome Congrats on your decision....how exciting for you!!!! I am from the other side of the city (knox area) and I know my surgeons will not do self funded pay (well I think thats still the case anyway) I know some of the girls here went to great surgeons and can give you more advice. The sleeve was the best decision that I have made health wise (after having a failed lap band first) I started at 150kg, got down to 140 with the lap band and went into sleeve surgery at 140. I was sleeved at the end of Feb this year and am down to 103kg's and gone from a size 28-30 down to a 20 going into 18's now. This has been life changing for me so I am very excited for you. Hopefully Chez and a few of the others can help you out with surgeons

Yes my nutrition nurse makes sure we all go on the pregnancy one and I think that has all the things in it we need. Also have you had all of your levels checked?? They test our bloods to see what we need to be on extra apart from B and multi which is standard. We get tested before surgery and a year after (so for me thats not till end of Feb) but my dr has done bloods in between and all my levels are good now. With the lap band and before I was taking the multi and getting the B shots they were low. I think I may be able to come off the Iron soon too which will be great. Vitamin B makes a big difference to my hair loss too so I think that's related (but not 100% sure) Apparently all sleevers should be on B and Multi as well as calcium as a minimum for good as our stomachs can't absorb B as well anymore. Could be just me so double check.....what has everyone else been told?? Friend of mine that went through the same group as me is on the same basic ones as in B (not oral but disolvable apparently our sleeved stomachs cant make use of just the B tablets anymore) and Multi Elevit for pregers I have such a lot of hair but mine was thinning and breaking off too but it's all good now so yours will be too. Maybe get a check up from your gp and test your Vitamin B levels and Iron etc

@@Chez have you noticed it thinning or are you just losing heaps?? Mine lasted for about 3 or 4 months but now is back to the normal amount so it wasn't too long really. Are you taking Multivitamins etc?? Whats your doc got you on?? I am on a pregnancy Vitamin Elevit, Iron, Vitamin D and Calcium with D....I also get my 3 monthly vitamin B Injections

@@Chez that is a heap of weight to lose you are going so well.....It hasn't even been that long since you have been sleeved......WOW Whats your secret please haha Glad things are working out Bellarose100 I have dropped another kilo slow going but then it just comes off all of a sudden and when it does i sigh a sigh of relief then squeel like a teenager haha 3.1kg till my goal of 99.anything as long as I am in double figures.....wonder if I can speed it up a bit haha. Enjoy this gorgeous weather everyone xox