Hi everyone (with a special hello to all my fellow Aussies)

My date for lap-banding is set for 23 April 2009. Will have the band inserted at the The Avenue in Melbourne.

I am excited and scared all the same time. The success of many on this site inspire me and the prospect of future success is very exciting. Past failed attempts at maintaining weight loss haunt me (I've lost weight then put it back on [plus more] more times than I care to remember).

Would love to hear from others of you that felt the same way at the start of your journeys and who have succeeded.

My partner is having a lap-band inserted on 9 April. We both have fatty livers and have therefore been advised to do the Optislim VLCD liquid diet (with veggies allowed) commencing two weeks before insertion of the band (next week for her and on 9 April for me).

Any advice on surviving this would be greatly appreciated. Also, advice on whether it would be a good idea for me to try and support her by doing shakes maybe for brekkie and the evening meal two weeks before I really need to would be great.

Looking forward to sharing the journey with you all!

For my friends in the US who don't think in kgs

Edited March 14, 200917 yr by PharmaGirl
updating ticker

Hey Pharma girl

Yeah, am drinking a bit more. It is much easier to drink Clear Liquids now, and am about to attempt fruit juice (given that once I have healed I cannot have it anymore). I tried a Protein drink last night but it was too much so am trying a different brand today.

Everything tastes really... chemical - will be glad when I can just mush/puree veggies and eat them.

Much much less pain though, am waiting much longer between bouts of painkillers, and i can bend over without pain so I reckon it's going ok:)

I really should make myself a ticker thingy.

Hey Veal,

Great to hear you're doing better than yesterday.

Yeah, get yourself a ticker and even though you're "photo" phobic get yourself a before shot (if you look in the before and after photo thread, there's quite a few people who are sorry they didn't take one).

To get a ticker click on anyone's ticker. A new window should open up. You choose create your own ticker and click on the weight loss areas. Choose the background for your ticker (16 pages to choose from) then choose next and choose your marker then choose next then enter your details and voila it is created. Copy everything in the bb code area and then go to your profile, click where it says customize profile (to the right just under your name) and then click on edit signature and paste the code you copied from the ticker web site. Save and you are all done.

Hey! Have a look!

I got a ticker!

Thanks PharmaGirl for sharing your wisdom re the Tickers! I feeling very techo-mo-logical!

Glad to hear you're doing better today veal. I've had a much better day too, pain-wise, etc. Why no fruit juice after you heal? That's a new one to me! (Or is that just because it's not "low-cal"?) Also, re everything tasting "chemical", what about making yourself some thin vege Soup? It's almost like "real" food!

Great job on the ticker Tam-Tam. Really like the ladybird on the daisies. Very cool. If you wanted, you could add the date you were banded to your signature so we can all see how well you're doing.

Veal, I'm glad to hear you are doing well! I've been told I can't have any juice until the second week. Guess every physician is different. Hope you continue to make a speedy recovery!

PharmaGirl, thanks for the scoop on the ticker. I had been wondering about that! I don't have a surgery date yet (taking longer than expected to get necessary paperwork for insurance) but I could do a ticker for my BMI. :tt2:

Have a great day everyone!

My doc was happy for me to have juice the night of my surgery! Yep, they're all different. I wondered about it myself, but he was happy for me to go right onto any liquids (non-fizzy of course).

Hey Veal,

How are you doing after the weekend? How's the pain situation (hopefully all gone!) and how are you feeling generally? Are you hungry yet? Are you able to have a shake yet?

Lise and I start the Optislim on Thursday (i'm dreading it).

Hi guys :frown:

Yep - the juice thing - I've been told to avoid high calorie liquids after the liquids phase is done. I might very occasionally have some pomegranite juice though, just not very often?

Food-wise, all is ok, everything still tastes a bit chemically, but I've progressed to eating very very very watery mashed potatos. Still can't drink protien drinks though - it has a... laxative effect.

I'm having a few internal twinges, but I dont really need painkillers for it.

On saturday night I suddenly (really suddenly) had an allergic reaction to one of the clear dressings over one (only one) of mywounds - it also came off and was gaping. Had to get a locum to come stick it back together.

Called the clinic today and they got me to remove all of my dressings - it's all healing pretty well, although it looks yuck. Well, it's all healing well apart from a perfect rectangle of rash and that particular incision. blech.

I might join you and Lise back on optifast - I'm hungrier (I think) now than I was on it.

But yeah, I'm better time heals most things.

-sare

Hi girls!

Bummer veal. Sorry to hear about the dressing business. Weird, hey, that it would come on so suddenly like that after being on for a while.

I've never really been much of a juice drinker because of the calorie content (though I was never quite so concerned about the calorie content of chocolate... Hmm...), but my dietician recommended a cup of vege juice and half a cup of fruit juice during the liquid phase. I figured I'm not getting much else, so I didn't worry about the calories from the juice! I'm still drinking the Optifast too - I figure at least that way I'm getting all I need in one go. But I move to purees this Thursday - woo hoo. I'll be thinking of you starting the shakes PharmaGirl - but don't worry, it's really not that bad, and worth it for the weight loss.

Speaking of which...

I HIT THE BIG 10KG MARK THIS MORNING!!! WOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!! (But as my 6-year-old pointed out, I still have "some weight". Duh!)

I'm off to the dietician this morning, so will let you all know how it goes.

Tamara xox

Sare, so sorry to hear about the allergic reaction - at least it is only a temporary problem and will pass.

Does anyone know if the band often changes the way food tastes like Sare is experiencing? If so, how long does it last? Is it ever permanent?

Tamara, have you had that experience with food tasting different?

Tamara, CONGRATULATIONS 10kgs!! - awesome and you've only been banded nearly two weeks, right? Clearly the juice didn't do you any real harm.

I'm ready for those shakes - bring it on!! Sare, you lucky thing, you'll be back to food way before you know it.

Bye for now

Lili

Hi ladies.

Thanks Lili - I'm really pleased! Yes, banded nearly two weeks, but the 10kg includes the two weeks on Optifast. I saw the dietician today, and she said that by this stage most people have lost around 7-8kg, so for once I'm happy to be "above average" weight-wise. The other thing she said was that lots of people's tastes do change after banding. Not something I was aware of, but there you go. Also she said that I am now to have NO soup, NO juice and NO SHAKES!!! So there you go.

I'm now onto the "mushy" stage - very exciting! Today I had some tuna with a bit of white sauce mixed (and mixed and mixed) through, then blended up some rice and beef and red wine casserole tonight. The texture isn't exactly fabulous, but it's nice to know I can now have lots of different flavours.

How are you going now Sare? Hope the rash is clearing up and you are feeling well.

Enjoy your last day of "real" food Lili!

Tamara xox

Hey girls,

Tamara - 10kg in 4 weeks is AMAZING!! Thats more than 2kg/week. Keep it up.

Must be great to be able to start enjoying the different tastes of real food again (just in small portions). The thought of the casserole has my mouth watering.

Lise and I were discussing where we wanted to go for dinner tonight - I suggested a really nice French restaurant but you know what she suggested in return - let's go to Hungry Jacks for the last time ever!! If we go, I'll only doing it for her! My girl is all class!

Thanks for the info on the possibility that tastes may change. I hope chocholate and lollies and cake taste like crap to me after the band!!!

Sare, how are you doing?

Ha ha Lili, thanks for the giggle. Now I can see the merits of both the French restaurant, and HJs, but my suggestion for a "last hurrah" would be one for lunch and the other for dinner, probably followed by a family block of Cadbury's!

Yes, I have to say when I was thinking about the "puree" stage, I was really expecting a fortnight of baby food, so when the dietician started mentioning things like bolognaise sauce, rice, etc (in another 5 days or so), I got a wee bit excited! Now, what will I have for lunch today??? Hmm...

Sorry to say, I had a small bit of chocolate last night, (melted it in my mouth first, so technically it was a liquid/puree!), and I haven't lost the taste for it. But I'm certainly not NEEDING it like I used to, and was more than satisfied with just a very small bit.

Let us know where you end up tonight, and get ready to shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it!