She Smiles

Yep I'm 3 months out from my surgery and my scars are fading pretty fast.

Cleo, have a look at this thread for pics of peoples scars http://www.lapbandtalk.com/scar-stages-share-t6117.html?t=6117

Susannah I was saying the band had changed my life a month out! haha I love my band, it is the best investment I have made in myself ever. My port hurt more a few weeks out too, I think you're spot on, its probably the healing process. I'm glad you're feeling better!!!

I think thats a brilliant idea. They might be able to start you on some exercises and refer you to a trainer/gym that can work with you and your needs. So, I went for my 4th fill today. Another 1 ml in so now I have 7.5 in my 10ml band. Just had 4 spoons of Soup for lunch and am full full full. Boy I hope that this might be close to it for me. I really want my band to start helping me in conjunction with the exercise I am doing. I lost 1.4 kilos since my last fill 2 weeks ago. Not the best result possilbe, but its a pretty good loss all the same. I just really want to crack the 90kgs before I come down to Melbourne on the 16th!!!

Hi Terri! Welcome! The best soup I had in my thicker liquids stage was a cauliflower and blue cheese soup (blended to a smooth texture). My goodness it was wonderful. I am sure if you did a google search you'd find something similar. It tasted a bit like mashed potatoes, but was SO much healthier (it only had a teensy bit of blue cheese in it for flavour). Hey Susannah I think I spoke too soon, work has been crazy hectic the last couple of days and it looks like its going to stay that way for a little while at least. Trying to motivate my staff to get going on a project we have been lumped with is proving to be a challenge. And today I was running around to meetings and doing all sorts of stuff. But I went to the gym before work (I had to go to physio for my back afterwards) and I had heaps of energy, so I think I will be doing that a little more often to mix things up a bit. I also go for another fill tomorrow, which is GOOD because I have been able to eat like a horse (well a banded horse haha) and I don't think I have even lost a kilo in the last 2 weeks since my last fill :mad: I REALLY want to get down to 80 kilos by my wedding (which is in 4 months and 3 weeks, not that I am counting hahaha) I hope I get there!! I didn't get any $ beack for my dietician either, which I was shocked at, but hey what can you do. Just make sure you keep all of your medical receipts because if you spend over $1500 out of pocket in a year you can claim it back on your tax (I'm not sure how this works, but my Dad did it last year after he got his band). I'm going to ask my friendly accountant about it this year. I owe my parents the money my private insurance didn't cover for my band.Apparently ANY medical expenses can be claimed back in this way - even if you buy toothpaste or condoms (as my Dad put it!) in the chemist! I have a drawer full of receipts I'm saving for tax time. Bronnie, I'm glad you had a good day today!!! :clap2:

Bronnie, don't beat yourself up over this. You are battling a life time of habit and no one will deny that its HARD! I myself slipped up during my optifast but still managed to lose 7 kilos, so don't worry about messing up the 3 kilo loss you have. Tomorrow is a new day, and you can just start over. From here on in, when ever you feel like binging, just think about how crappy you felt afterwards as you were writing this post. You can do this - you're doing incredibly well!! *hugs*

Does this mean what I think it means hahahahahaha

I subscribe to the no pain no gain idea somewhat with exercise Susannah (I mean I'm not a hard core beleiver, but bear with me here). It is a well known fact that more intense exercise burns more calories. And while the old any exercise is better than none argument is good, if you are wanting to increase fitness and lose weight, you HAVE to go hard(er). You have to sweat and you have to push yourself. I mean running on the treadmill for 20 minutes ISN'T easy for me, but I do it because I know that 20 minutes jogging is MUCH better for me than 20 minutes walking, and I can handle it (ie - I don't feel like I am going to die afterwards!). I am getting results because of it. While you are still healing, I'd stick with the walking and building up to a higher intensity and longer walk bti by bit, but breaking a sweat is GOOD (plus its hot outside!). You also have to remember your body isn't getting the same kind of fuel it used to, so the sweating may be a reaction to that in a way. AND you might have been walking (subconsciously) faster than ever before because you are determined to get into a fitness routine and shift this weight (and that WILL happen!!). However, if you ever feel ill, or like your legs will pass from underneath you, you've gone too far, but it sounds to me like you just did a great workout! Good stuff Susannah!!!:clap2: (the others may disagree with me on this...) How is being back at home going???

Susannah, 4 kilos!!! You're a bloody legend!!

Best of Luck Dionne! When you feel up to it check in with us and let us know how it all went. I'll be thinking of you tomorrow. ONE MORE SLEEP!!!

Bronnie, the way you are feeling is pretty standard. About day 3-5 (depends on each person) the hunger will fade, and then for me it was just breaking the habit of going to the cupboard to graze, because I wasn't actually hungry anymore. I know I felt pretty lethargic while I was on optifast but thats probably because I went form consuming 5000 or 6000 calories a day (more some days!) to consuming, what is it, like 1500 or 1000 on optifast. You body takes a little while to realise that it has fat reserves to start burning as fuel. Just take it easy and enjoy the weight loss, its only down down down from here! Ahh Susannah, home sweet home for you today! I must say I'm a bit jealous of the first little while of recovery you have had - your sister is a gem! Soon enough life will be back to normal and the kilos will be droppng off!!! What sort of exercise are you thinking of getting into when you are ready? Or is chasing those kids around at work each day exercise enough??

Angel I'm not in Sydney either, but try this link and see if there anyone you can visit in the listed contacts for NSW http://www.lapband.com.au/Search.asp?State=NSW,#Bottom

Dionne, taking the Vitamin in Water doesn't affect how full I feel, its maybe only about 1/4 glass of water anyway. Although I have it before I leave for work and then have my museli when I get there and am organising my day. Cos the vitamin is liquid it just goes straight through like having a drink of any liquid will. Some people feel tight in the mornings so wouldn't be able to take a vitamin tablet or capsule which is why the soluble one was recommended across the board by my Drs. I look at my before photos and I am horrified too! I met my future in laws for the first and only time when I looked like that and I honestly wonder now if they wondered why my guy (who is tall, slim and handsome) was with me. I mean I wasn't feminine looking at all when I weighed that much. I am just under half way to my goal after less than 3 months, you too can do it - just be commited to your band and to the new lifestyle required to make it work. Exercise and eat healthy [most of the time (a treat IS allowed - like I had thai for dinner tonight for my Dads bday)]. All us bandsters started exactly where you are and soon enough you'll be joining us, and you won't look back!

Whats the biggest weight loss myth you have ever heard/read?

I take a eversvescent (sp?) supradyn Vitamin everyday. I pop it in Water before I have a shower in the morning and by time I am dressed and made up, all the fizz is gone and its just like vitamin flavoured water. Thats the one that was recommended by my nutritionist and surgeon. Dionne, you must be getting super excited by now! Soon enough we're all going to be banded! Bronnie, your 3 weeks will FLY past, look how quickly Susannah's surgery came and went!!

Oh and Susannah, the fun begins now, you will find yourself blending things you never thought should be blended (my nutritionist said that one of her patients had blended KFC, which IMO is disgusting!)! Mushies is such a wonderful change from liquids!! Enjoy!

It is SO not the easy way! There is no just eating anything, chewing 3 times and swallowing any more. There is limitations on the food we can eat. We have be ever attentive of our band and how we treat it and we have to look after ourselves by exercising and taking vitamins every day for the rest of our lives. We have to careful about the medications we take. AND the band is only a tool! I know that phrase gets thrown around a lot, but damn it its true! A person who is unwilling to work with their band will have VERY slow or minimal weight loss. They will PB and feel sick and run down and in poor health. We have the band to HELP us limit our food intake because our natural chemical controllers are all haywire and don't do that for us! It annoys me to no end that people make this judgement of us after we have gone through the rigourous pre op testing and consultations and the decision to operate is made by A TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS based on our weight histories. *Most* bandsters have tried every diet and every possible way of losing weight that they can physically manage. And the band is a last resort. Its the end of the road. Its not easy and I HATE (yes its a strong word) that people think its the easy way out. I don't know about you guys but I laboured over my final decision to be banded because I knew it wasn't going to be easy. This thing is in my body for the rest of my life, and I am 28, that a long time (hopefully even longer now I have my band!). All of that said though, and dispite it not being easy, my band is the best investment I have ever made in myself. *gets down off soap box*

Sharyn you look great!!

Dionne, All my fill details are in my signature block below :mad: I had my first fill less than a month after my surgery on the 18 Dec. My surgery date was 22 Nov. Pretty much each time I have been for a fill I have a chat with my Dr about how much and how often I am eating. The last time I went, he put more in that is "normal" because I told him I was exercising and when he weighed me he said I was obviously commited to my band so he put in 1.5 mls rather than 1ml, which is what he normally does. Each time you go, the Dr will put in a little less, until you reach the fill amount that works for you. I'm going back next Wednesday for my 4th fill cos I have been a hungry hungry hippo this past 2 weeks! :hungry: I've been eating the most since I have been banded, which isn't really how its supposed to work!

Bronnie thats so great. Once you get past the first couple of days of optifast, the rest will be a breeze. I did it for 2 weeks and I will admit, I did cheat in the end part. I had a little bite of pizza a couple of days before surgery and I felt incredibly guilty. It didn't satisfy me in any way, so all it did was make me feel crappy for being "weak". If you do feel the desire to "cheat" remind yourself of why you are going through all of this and if you need encouragement and support we are all here (I wish I had you all when I was doing it!). You will probably loose a few kilos while on optifast (I lost 7 in 2 weeks) so it will be a great head start for you!!

Bronnie that is so excellent about your MRI results!!

Bronnie any chance you can book in for the sleep study now in anticpation and then cancel if you don't need it??? I'mnot sure how these things work though, so it might not be possible. So our dinner out was lovely. I had a yummy fettucini with bacon and sundried tomatoes and chicken. I brought 2/3 of it home with me of course, so we both get to take some for lunch tomorrow. Then we went round and saw my folks to show them our new car we picked up today. I had such a fantastic valentine's day....and its not over yet hehehehe

He sure will turn up Susannah!! Happy Valentines day to you! I'm just about to head out for dinner with my lovely beau. I got a wonderful gift and flowers. I was rather spoilt I think! (It made up for all those years I was alone and got nothing!).

I've not had problems with sushi at all. In fact it goes down a treat for me, I had some just this last saturday. The trick is small bites and lots of chewing. I think the smallest bite of anything will go down as long as you are taking the time to chew it (I'm talking half to a full a teaspoon small). However whe we go we have the sushi train cos I can usually only eat maybe 3 pieces of sushi and I am satisfied. I doubt you will be able to even have half of a hand roll Susannah!!

I very much like how the Australian Dr's are more about encouraging a balanced diet than this atkins/the zone/south beach-esque way of eating and not having any carbs. When we are eating so little, sure we need protien and veggies, but darn it, I can't go to the gym for an hour 6 days a week with out any carbs!!