MummiesBB

Congratulations that's brilliant - are you keeping track of your loss with photos? Be wonderful to see you befores, during and ultimately your after ... take care and enjoy the journey! Cx

Dear All I had my band a year ago July in Belgium and made my target 101 pounds to lose. By the end of the year I had lost 107.5 and 90.5 inches. I am now bouncing around at approx 9st 10lbs give or take 2 lbs so very pleased. In total I have lost 117lbs and 93.75 inches. Can't quite believe that I have lost it but never doubted that the band was the right tool for me. Have fun and stay focused. Claire

Good for you - enjoy would love to know more about it and how strenuous it is on the knees Good to carry a snack and definately to weigh & measure if there is one thing that really motivated me to keep tabs on myself it was this weekly event on a Friday when I could focus and record it accurately. Have eaten a lot of soup since the band and still find it difficult to manage real solids. Although saying that the other evening we were in a Harvester and I order the soup only for them to say they didn't have any. I ended up with a bowl of sweetcorn and beetroot and thousand island dressing and the £3.99 small childs option of chicken and jacket potatoe. Managed a few forkfulls of sweetcorn and beetroot and half of the chicken and didn't dare risk the jacket potatoe. At least I had something and then because I had managed to keep hold of it I treated myself to a childs dessert of the Rocky Horror (it was yummy) and yes I shared it with my other half. Interesting as they say it gives you a new release of life can't say that has happened from this end! I'm described as a bag of skin and bones and you can see the revulsion so clearly on his face. Ohh well can't have everything can you????? Pity really ... Enjoy whatever the band brings you as it is to be cherished. Have a good evening. Cx

Take it really easy the body has gone through something major and now we are asking it to use up all the fat that has been stored instead of over feeding it. Keep a healthy snackin your bag so that you have something to nibble on if you need it. I love cashew nuts and have only just managed after 13 months to start eating them again. Yoga will be really great, I teach Pregnancy and Well Woman yoga and we need something to combat the weightloss lots of focus on the pelvis and areas where the skin thins (lots of pelvic floors) There are others on here who use their Wii fit aswell purey for that reason that they are at home. Enjoy and weigh as soon as you can so that you know where you are starting from and what you are aiming for. All the best Cx

Well done that's a fabulous loss. Are you keeping a record of it? Don't forget to measure as I was astounded when I saw that I had lost 93.75 inches over the 12 months plus the pounds. So glad you are pleased. If you need help with the ticker shout and we will help you as much as we can you can email me as well if you get stuck, address is mummies birth buddy at yahoo dot co dot uk Take care Claire x

This is the same for me on a day to day basis as I never know quite what the band is going to be like. When I had my October 2010 fillit crucified me and I found it very difficult but workedmy way through it. I was going to the USA on hols and concerned about the flight aswell. I only had cuppa soups on the flight as the airline botched my meal order booking. I was tight for a few days after arrival and when we came back. I think the return was more jetlag combined with slightly more srestrictionand being unwell. Hope you have a lovely time in Gran Canaria and the weather is good! Enjoy and let us know how you get on. Take care Cx

So glad your band was replaced successfully. Good idea to just go to Dr Chris as he is the expert, nothing against Frederik or Chris du Prez as they have both done fills for me. Actually all three and Dr Chris is the quickest. Slowly slowly especially after what you have just been through let us know how much you gave lost . Lots of positive energy from this neck of the woods as I know you will achieve the loss that you want. Take care Claire

Congrats on losing over 6 stone that's brilliant. Complete empathy with the not eating very much and the things that you have been able to eat are suddenly your worst enemy and the cold, ohh I am not looking forward to the weather getting colder!! Brrrr Do hope your restricton eases a little. I must admit that my restriction has only just started to ease and my last fill was May/June I have 6mls in my band. I am now able to eat cashew nuts and raisins which is a real luxury. I have started to have bevitas aswell as I was having a few problems in the elimination area and needed fibre! Take care and look after yourself. Claire x

Yes they do and yes Dr Chris would need to see them. I am going on the 10th November. HTH Claire

Xray express - 121 Harley Street, London, W1G 6AX Letter from Dr Chris at the London Clinic Cost is £90 Tel: 020 7224 6493 HTH Claire

Hello I think it's quite normal for people to think ohh what have I done, but then we are making a choice so that we can be healthier and happier and ultimately thinner! Enjoy your last few weeks and particularly the last evening meal the night before. I had my final Belgium beer and enjoyed every last sip! Ohh how I have craved an ice cold beer since and not been able to have because of the bubbles! Just wish I liked real ale more! But it's just not the same. Don't fret just think of all the weight coming off and the new clothes you are going to buy. Be happy and enjoy! All for now Cx

Hi Paul Brilliant that you feel so positive and you are nearly there. How much have you lost? So sorry to hear about your wife and do hope that she is ok. Great that you want a TT go for it if you think it will do just what you want. I have saggy skin but it's flat which is great not over hanging. I have posted some new photos to here: www.mummiesbirthbuddy.co.uk/weightlossphotos.htm feel free to take a look Let us know how you get on and all about the cycling - how exciting and the freedom to just up and go - would love to but family life is very hectic at this end. Anyway take care and look after yourself. Claire x

Wonderful image of a small balloon floating up into the sky ... Gas is quite common and can take a little while to disperse ... lots of gentle back rubbing An auspicious date this will be in your yearly calender as it's a good one to use to set targets. I chunked my year up or rather my weightloss I initaiily wanted to lose 101 pounds so looked at it as 25 pounds with mini targets on the way and had some lovely treats - hair done, buying a nice outfit! Soon too big so have had to ebay. When I lost 75 pounds I booked a Thai massage in Covent Garden and had this two weeks ago. I wanted to try and lose the weight in a year and was very focused but it doesn't always work that way as you will have read on the various threads. I think I was lucky as this was the right tool for me to lose what I needed. So when I reached a 106.5 pound loss at some point during the weeks 40 - 50 I was chuffed and then went on to lose a further 11 pounds. Everyone's journey is very different and we can never really predict how it will go. Wishing you a lovely journey filled with wonderful weight and inch loss! Take care Claire x

Congratulations and welcome to the world of gastric bands their highs and their lows. As Slinky said we are here to help and even though I have reached my target weight I regularly visit and touch base especially as I found the forum really informative and helped me to make a choice. Sorry to hear that you ended up paying more, it's very easy to think that they are the Consultant. You are here and just take your time don't rush it or thnk it is a quick fix as it isn't. It take s time and patience and persistence by the bucket load. Take care and enjoy Claire x

Hello Yes I have this every now and again. Try lying down elevated if this makes any sense. Are you eating later than usual? Dr Chris advised me to eat earlier and at least 2 hours before I was due to go to bed. Try cold and hot beverages to see if this helps with getting soemthing down - as everyone is different. The band can be temperamental and every day can be so different from the one before and the next one. Are you managing to keep liquid down? When I had this I was better on solids very slowly and stopped soup altogether until I felt I was ready to give it another go. Hope you are soon feeling a little better. Take care Claire

The body is amazing and can do wonders when we think the odds are against us! Enjoy every minute and take lots of photos of you pregnant and your changing body. There's plenty of time after the baby arrives to worry about losing weight. You have done amazingly well to be just 13 pounds off your target - well done!! I would be so chuffed and flying on top of cloud 9! Just the way you are!!! With lots of love ... Cx

Ohh I am sat here grinning from ear to ear! Very well done Claire on reaching goal, I never quite got there weight wise, but I defo have end goal wise. - this was never really the ultimate goal for you it was about losing the initial weight so that you could have a very precious gift a baby I am so so pleased for you both and really hope that everything can go smoothly for you. Make sure you have good support around you and have a doula we are worth our weight in gold. Doula UK will have a list of who is registered near you. So so happy for you, congratulations!!!! Do keep popping back to let us know how you are getting on and especially when you are nearer your due date for lots of positive support and birthing vibes. Take care and stay in touch Claire xxxx

Hello We have all had very different journeys and that is the beauty of the band! It works it's magic and this can take a little while or be quite quick. It's a tool and you need to understand how it works in order to make it effective for you. The journey can be up and down just like life. It's a journey that can be fraught with challenges but I wouldn't have it nany other wAy otherwise it would have been to easy and I wouldn't appreciate where I am today. So might be scary before you go for surgery but better you know up front than not know at all and say obj I wish I has known that. But then you may never experience it. Believe in the choice you have made it's worth it especially when you buy a size 10 dress in East like I did today and have the lovely male assistant tell you it was perfect! A very pleasant experience. Take care Cx

So sorry to hear about the defill in NI pity they didn't have someone nearer or available. Hope you are soon feeling better. Take care and be gentle with yourself. I had a similar tight experience after my 2nd fill. Very painful my body shut down but I worked through it and did come out the other side! Take care Cx

How frustrating is that! Have you got some restriction? How about the amount you eat? Are you able to eat smaller or slightly bigger portions? What are you eating? Are you doing any exercise? Do hope you get some movement as it can be very demoralising. However, I am sure that once you have the right amount in your band then it will start to work more effectively for you. Would be interested to hear the theories on why this happens fromother bandsters and Dr Chris and his team???? Take care and hope all sorted soon for you. Cx

Hello all So much going on. Well I had my bandiversary and yes I met my target! I am now at week 59 and weighing in at 9st 10.5 lbs never in my wildest dreams did I even think I could be this. I am stunned and so so pleased. I had a little clear out over the summer via Ebay and bought some lovely new clothes. Currently wearing a size 10 on the bottom half and a 10/12/14 (depends on the cut and tailoring) on the top. Applied for NHS funding for a breast reduction but was declined as my BMI had not be stable under 25 for 12 months. They have recorded it as August 2011 so I shall ask my GP to resubmit in a years time. I am sure I can grin and bear it. As for food well I am trying not to lose weight but that's just not happening so thoughts are that I am probably going to have to have a slight defill and see where I go from there. I am very happy at the weight but really don't want to lose anymore. A few issues in the eliminations dept but nothing that prune juice can't sort out and keep at bay. Have good days and bad days and days when I am absolutely starving and need to have a snack; mainly my school days as I am an early lunch and a little worried to eat in case I need to get rid or suffer with pains in my back. Managing so far. Will post back again soon. Take care Claire x

You learn very quickly who will and won't be supportive. I only told my best friend, my husband, my mum and the children. My dad found out afterwards but that was more a choice of not having him worry. Afterwards I did tell people but on my own terms. I have been very open and honest when people have asked me how I have lost weight as they have been so surprised by the amount of loss. One of my colleagues guessed and asked if I had had a gastric band? I was so shocked I had to ask who she knew that I knew. She was so shocked that she had guessed and her response was well you only ever read of people doing this in magazines and it's not always positive! So yes you'll gauge who you want to know and not. Good luck with your journey. Cx

Hello R Many of the questions you are asking are what most of those considering having a band have posted on this thread and there are pages and pages of peoples experiences. I'll try to answer the ones you have. I was banded just oiver a year ago with Dr Chris and have lost my terget weight and more. So here goes 1. I've heard that meats, breads and pastas are very difficult to eat after banding...in which case, what on earth do people survive on? I can't eat fish, it makes me feel ill! Is it mainly vegetarian diets? meat would refer to steak as it is very fibrous and difficult to digest. Mince is fine but in small quantities. Bread some are able to eat this. Pesonally I can't so I replace with crackerbreads and titx biscuits. Pasta depends on the day and type ofpasta. Only recently (last few weeks) have I had a fe spiral twists or tubes finely chopped up. We are talking about 2 pieces of each (so not much). Again everyone is different. 2. I'm most definitely, absolutely, positively an emotional eater and I guess a food addict. I quit alcohol a year ago (not good for me at all), and smoking earlier this year. Seeing as I clearly have an addictive personality, I'm very worried that removing the food addiction by force may end up in a brand spanking new addiction rising....anyone found other compulsive areas arising post-band? I know that's very personal, so you obviously don't need to answer on the boards! Not sure whether I have another addiction but I still drink alcohol but not in the same amounts. I look at this as a treat as I have reached my target weight. 3. Is PBing really as terrible as it sounds? How can you avoid it? Do you have time to get out of company before everything comes back up? Sometimes this just can't be helped I find I get a lot of liquid build up where I have chewed and chewed and perhaps gone a little too quickly and next thing I need to get rid of a liquid build up. Yes you have time to go to the toilet. Those around you who know are very aware of what the pattern is and understanding. 4. I had heard of an increase in complications after 5 years -anyone know if this is true? Not sure about this as just into my 2nd year of having a band. 5. The port - can you feel it? As in, if you touch the skin over where it is, can you feel the port? Or can you feel it moving around in there? Do the fills hurt? Yes you can feel the port. It's stitched in place and no I can't feel it moving it around. No the fills don't hurt. Dr C is very quick at doing these. 6. Has anyone regretted getting the band fitted? If I go ahead, I'll be using money I was supposed to be saving for a housing deposit....I feel enormous guilt at the thought of that...and I'm scared to tell my family as I think they'll judge me as vain. No regrets at all. Good health and happiness is not vanity, it's an investment in staying alive and healthy so that you can enjoy your family. Talk to them you never really know how they will react. BUt again this is individual and yu know how you feel about this and how they may react. Good luck and take care. Messgae back if you want to know anymore. Take care Claire

Oh Kerry Hope you are now feeling better. Awful when you feel unwell . Makes you realise just how dependent we are on liquids. Take care and look after yourself. Cx

Good motivation to sell things on ebay. I have this job to do. Hope you feel warmer I had a similar situation a little while ago and now wear a haramaki and also had a tuned yoga session that focusedon warming up my kidney area and my thyroid. Has worked wonders I am warmer and still don't break a sweat but am feeling the warmth of the sun again! Haven't heard from Pearce, do hope he is ok. We were banded on the same day so I really feel for him. Good news about Gary so glad all is well for him. Take care and look after yourself Kerry. Cx