WLS 20-10-2009 - Lap Band Weight Loss Surgery

10 weeks...

2011-08-11T13:00:00.000+08:00

That's how long I've been stuck in the same 2kg range... 10 whole weeks!

It's driving me bonkers!

I have managed to crack the double digits and am now sitting on 97.3kg... and even though I've been stuck lately, it's most likely because I've seriously sucked at drinking water and haven't been as motivated.

People think I'm nuts for not being motivated after losing 60kg... and don't get me wrong, I am motivated not to put weight on... I have just needed a break. I think I'm back now though. 1kg loss this week! :)

I'll try and update this more. But I now work for myself and just completely forget I even have a blog!

Hugs to you all x

I'm still alive ;)

2011-02-15T13:49:00.001+08:00

Well... With a 0.5kg loss last week (god damn water, it's still my biggest need) I'm sitting on 103.5kg.

The last 10kg has been super slow, but at least I'm still losing. I am so happy. I know I will cry when I hit double digits, even though stuff like that normally wouldnt effect me in that way. I guess it's because it has been pretty tough - ESPECIALLY the last 3 or 4 months. My last fill left me so extremely tight I could only do liquids and soft foods for about 2 months and then only very soft moisty foods up until last week. BUT it was my choice not to get half my fill out. I wanted to be stubborn. And even though a few sneaky bad habits did creep in during this time, the fact is I have been craving some hella healthy foods because of it. Lettuce and tomato for example has been a nogo... It still is sometimes by itself, but in a roll or sanga with other salad veg and meat is ok. I HAVE NEVER ENJOYED A SALAD SANDWICH SO MUCH AS I AM WHILE WRITING THIS!!! Ohhh yeahhhhhhhhh lol

Let me describe this heavenly food for you; and be mindful I'm only eating half of it coz my portions are nicely controlled atm.
1 sm knot roll with 2 tsp fruit chutney spread on the bottom topped with a sm amount of vintage cheese, beetroot, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, grated carrot and light mayo mixed with wholegrain mustard.

Best.thing.ever.invented :D

So yeah, 3.6kg off being double digits- that will make me 99kg - holy sheeeeeeeet!

Hugs to Bec, i did this update for you lol xx

Mobile blog fom my iPhone :)

2010-10-28T19:12:00.001+08:00

Le sigh. +400gm this week. It's gotta be the fact I havent been drinking water or exercising. It's been SO HARD! gotta kick my ass into gear... I only have 30 to go and I'm over 40 down...

Mobile blog fom my iPhone :)

2010-10-26T13:21:00.000+08:00

lost 200gm last week.

yep, that's it.

I've been pretty bad though, so I dunno.... happy I haven't put on, but even though I know it's my own fault, not happy that I'm just staying the same. Bah!

It's got to be too much dairy now. And to think I wasn't getting enough a while back.

Probably the fact most of that dairy is ice cream... (because i struggle during the day with most foods and when i get home I'm like "well i need to have something" and then I have too much of it...i'm only talking like 2 scoops (rather big scoops)... but its the.best.ice.cream.ever.....and probably the highest calories in it too lol

grrrrrrrrr

my own fault....

And again..

2010-10-15T10:44:00.000+08:00

Another week of no loss... at least there was no gain.

Kinda shitty about it though. bah! So close to double digits!!!! 12kg... come the f*** on!

put on

2010-10-08T12:58:00.002+08:00

put on 100gms. not bad for a gain, but I'm not too disappointed seeing as I had such a good loss last week.

Cross fingers next week is better. :)

:O

2010-10-06T09:04:00.001+08:00

so... I got this last night...

White gold engagement ring.... :D I got proposed too!

It was really romantic. He took me up into the hills just after sunset with a view of the city as the lights were coming on. He said lots of lovely things and put the ring on my finger and asked if I would marry him.

I said yes of course! :)

starting to manage better

2010-10-02T14:35:00.000+08:00

It's about 4 weeks down I think since my last fill.

I'm starting to be able to handle food better now, so hoping I will be near normal eating again soon.

I've been having to boost my points by going back to whole dairy, etc. That has been working fine, but I'm looking forward to eating MORE and eating HEALTHIER in general.

I got half a chicken and salad sandwhich down for lunch today.

That's the most I've eaten at one time in weeks. I saved the other half for later, because it was so yummy :)

I'm at a fairly nice restriction, so I'm hoping I will stay like this for a while. I hate getting looser and being so hungry all the time.

Hugs all... xx

nice...

2010-09-30T22:56:00.000+08:00

Nice loss this week. Pretty impressed with myself, even though I didn't really do much out of the ordinary except not eat as much - it's been a bit difficult the last week or so. I've been making the most beautiful meals and not eating any of them myself. I think I've cried most of my weight.... "wahhhh i just want the garlic mash mummy pleaseeeee" haha! temper tantrum ahead.

2.5kg down. Couldn't be happier with that weigh in... I hope I can keep it up... I'm so close to double digits now!!! only 12.1kg's and I will be 99.9!!! WOOHOO!! I cannot even fathom when I was that last... The lightest I remember is in the 120's...

I LOVE MY BAND AND I LOVE WEIGHT WATCHERS!

Hand in hand, they are both the perfect weight loss solution. <3<3<3

Moving again...

2010-09-24T08:41:00.002+08:00

1.4kg down this week... finally had a decent loss after 4 weeks.

Happy again :)

Just need to be careful this next week, because last week was badddddd....and some people dont get the results until the week after... so hoping I'm not turning into one of those...

extra exercise is a must this week!!!

:(

2010-09-23T11:45:00.000+08:00

really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really bad week this week.

really bad.

:(

Every day I have eaten over my allocated points.

Not really much food in general, but just the wrong foods.

It's so easy to pick the wrong things.

Doesn't help that I've been a bit down in the dumps this week.

I don't know if I want to go to WW tonight. I'm scared :(

I hate this.

Don't take your tablets at night if you're really tight...

2010-09-15T13:08:00.000+08:00

I've been having odd painful feelings for a while now... like food goes through majority of the time, but not smoothly... feels like it grips on it's way down... i feel kind of dry.

Well, I'm pretty sure I've figured out what it is... taking my tablets so close to bed time. They somehow must sit around the opening and stick to it or something because I'm laying on my side and not sitting or standing so there is no liquid for it to digest in... I even tried taking them an hour before bed last night and today so far has been horrible. So I think it's move it to midday or similar.

I took my tablets before lunch today, so if I feel better tonight and feel fine in the morning then that will be a definite yes. I'm already 98% sure that's what it is, but it can't hurt to test it out, right?

Anyway... just a short one today... Don't feel myself

UGHHHHHHHHHHH

2010-09-10T13:09:00.000+08:00

500gm down this week.

I'm going to try and make an extra effort this week to eat MORE food and better quality food to get my points up. I'm always having low days and because I need to fill my points, I eat bad stuff at the end of the day, otherwise I wouldn't have had enough.

I started this morning by making porridge... nice effort, but didn't go down.
I then opened a small tin of baked beans; they went down OK.
Home made pasta for lunch: Cabonara with a twist... Penne, Ham, Sauce made with Cream/Eggs... garlic, mustard (wholegrain and dijon) coriander, mixed herbs, salt and a Mediterranean Blend spice squeeze thingy... turned out SO yummy... but this is taking so damn long to eat... I just get so SICK of chewing... Back on the liquid diet I would have been dying to chew... it's funny how when we go to extremes either way we get fed up easily, yet if we were in the exact opposite position, we would be as equally fed up...

Just a thought.

My WW leader re-set my goals last night to my 25% and 30% goals because I'm "doing so well". If only she knew how discouraged I've been feeling the last few days. I got home and had a cry last night and thought it's about time to up my tabs a bit. My doctor always prescribed me as 1-2 tablets once a day and I've always gone just the 1. After the way I felt last night I upped to 1 1/2, so I'm hoping that will make me feel a bit better. I need to keep myself out of the hole because if I get into it again then I will make this journey a lot harder for myself than it should be. Stupid brain, why can't you just be happy! >:[

I feel like I've become a little socially retarded since moving here. Don't get me wrong, I can socialise perfectly well, but as much as I really want to socialise MORE, I equally as much don't want to... I have met two really nice girls at weight watchers and would love to be-friend them more, but I always feel like I'd be a pain in the ass or a nuisance to them. They have already organised a birthday dinner out because I found out I have the same birthday as one of them, and the other has invited me to a demonstration party thing which was nice... She has even said to go around there if I wanted to... but ERGH. I just feel like I don't even know what I'm doing anymore.

I think it's going to be harder from now on in

2010-09-06T12:16:00.000+08:00

400gm loss this week. Bit down about it, but could be due to not eating enough. Trying my best to eat more this week, had a very low day the other day because I was really tight and even threw up my water at one stage, the next day I had a bit more than I should have hoping that will level out a bit.

Going for a walk tonight, will try and get in another before Thursday. I need to get back on track with my walking, been a bit slack lately.

:)

2010-08-27T11:15:00.001+08:00

900gm loss this week. Happy with that :)

:( tmi AGAIN

2010-08-26T16:54:00.000+08:00

Oh man....

The last couple of hours I've been bundling brochures and grouping them for a mail out. I got back inside and was hungry and my friend at work had left me half a jam donut (as much as I didn't want it at the time, it was staring me in the face when I got back inside, and being so hungry, well, we all make mistakes)

I took my time knowing that things like pastries/cakes/donuts etc are very hard for a bander to get down.

Boy did I underestimate THAT piece of information.

I have pb'd plenty, but usually it's quiet and fairly tame and pleasant compared to an actual vomit (of which I haven't technically had for years)... But I think this could have been in the vomit category, except PB style (and by that I mean, no stomach acid because it didn't reach my stomach)

The first couple of ....heaves? lol were ok. Normal....then the pit of my stomach cramped up like "Oh! So you're wanting to vomit, let me help you a little! I'll push, you heave!"

I then felt as if the bottom half of my stomach was going to go through my band inside-out and come through my mouth... If you could put that in the same category, then it's definitely a different experience to what vomiting was like before banding.

I.Never.Want.To.Do.That.Again

I can handle PB'ing. It's just a normal part of banding. There are always days you mess up or days you are tighter than usual. But this was hell. And caused by my stupid judgement of food choice! I wish this person would stop "sharing" and giving me crap food!!!!!!!!!

:(

Weigh in tonight, probably update later or tomorrow....

Lap Band, Oh Lap Band...

2010-08-23T13:11:00.000+08:00

Why do you hate me one day and love me the next?

Yesterday was hell for me, you little shit! I couldn't eat a thing and I could barely manage liquids...

Today I've downed a smoothie, some pasta salad with mash and chicken (left overs from last night that I couldnt eat) and some delicious cheesecake that my friend got for me... (only a little though, very rich!)

Did I do something to offend you? Did I hurt your feelings and now you forgive me? Whyyyy are you such an ass! lol

Oh well, thanks for making me feel good today. Glad I wasn't at work yesterday.

No Love, (well maybe a little bit.... )
Caz.

(ok ok, lots of love... but don't get cocky!)

Can't eat my favourite thing :(

2010-08-20T13:11:00.000+08:00

I discovered an awesome meal a few weeks ago; Salsa's Chicken & Vegetable Rice Bowl. I've only had it once before and it lasted me 3 meals. At the time I was eating fairly normally, so the fact it lasted so long was a surprise - albeit a good one.

I got it today, because I was hell craving it. It's just fully awesomeness...! I had a couple of bites and it got stuck. Off to the loo for a spew I go... It's now sitting in the fridge waiting to go home... For another attempt... and another... and another... and another... I won't be able to resist it and there is no way in hell I could watch Aaron eat it without a tear. I think it's either the rice or the skin on the tomato.... or it could be the broccoli... or the onion.... meh. It's probably the whole fricken damn thing :( This sucks.

I think my last fill I was considering getting some taken out, wasn't I? I should read back and see how long it took to settle down. Man, I have some hard weeks coming up. If I can't even eat vegetables, how the hell am I supposed to eat anything else? I can eat junk food just fine. chocolate melts... ice cream melts.... chips are hard and seperate nicely..... meh. I don't want to eat crackers or crispbread for weeks.

There is such ups... and such downs... Looks like I won't be eating out with friends at work for a while either. Not that it's too often I suppose.

End rant??

Not quite yet.

I'm feeling an awful lot of nausea this time. Haven't had that before. I'm still feeling like I have that odd pouchy thing happening where food/drink gets puddled there.... and then I just feel yucky. Not sure what it is, but I don't like it.... and this feeling of puddling is horrible. Maybe I did do something to my band :(

hhhhhhoooolllllyyyyyycccrraaaappppppppp

2010-08-20T07:59:00.001+08:00

=O

=O

=O

=O

=O

=O

=O

they are omg faces by the way.... =O

2.9 lost this WEEK! what the helllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll........... I started off so bad... yes, I did have three days of major low points days because of my fill, but I did NOT expect THAT!

And guess whaaaaaaaaat?????

Not only did I have an awesome loss of 2.9kg

....I made it into the teens.... completely skipped 19 and 18, 117 baby yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....

ANDDDDD I crossed my half way point.....OOOOOMMMMMMGGGGGGGG.......

so so so so so so so so so so so so happpyyyyyyyyyyexcitedddddcrazyyyyyyywooohooooo

over analyzing

2010-08-19T12:51:00.001+08:00

Here I was thinking I had done something to my band yesterday...

It felt a bit funny after I had a couple of crackers...

The rest of the afternoon I felt like I had a odd pouch bit that was puddling liquid and not going down... if that makes sense...

This morning while drinking water, I didn't notice a lot of gurgling... I had a coffee as well and didn't notice any gurgling (after two days of MEGA gurgling I was a tad worried)

For a brief time I thought perhaps I had slipped.. or done damage or SOMETHING.....

Until I had 4 little bites of lasagne and its just sitting there... not stuck... not uncomfortable... just sitting there... playing games with me.... telling me I am full... like a good little band-pouch should... What a tease! Last week I could have scoffed this lasagne... That's how loose I was.... but now.... my beautiful friend Lacky... (hehehe, get it? Lacky band!) is here to support me and allow me to eat small and feel big!

I love you, Lacky.
:)

I weight in at WW tonight. With 4 days WAY over, and 3 days way under.. I wonder how I will do. Is it going to make me stall going from such heights to such depths? Or will it even out alright?

I'm hoping for the latter...

Kind of excited to see :)

PS: hiiiccccuuupppppppppppp

.....hhhhhhiccup....hhhic.....cup....

2010-08-18T12:18:00.000+08:00

Erggghhhhhh.... Struggling BIG TIME.

I just had two small spoons of porridge and I'm hiccuping like mad.... I'm really struggling to get this down. I wonder what else I could try that would be easier, coz I'm a bit hungry... so glad I'm not starving mad like last week, but still hungry because I just can't eat!

I'll leave it for about a week and see how I go. I can get down very small amounts of food, but I am just getting sick of the wait between mouthfuls. No stuckage yet, but I'm waiting for it to happen any day now....

Struggling

2010-08-17T18:03:00.001+08:00

I've had the worst migraine over the last couple of days.

It started off as only a dull headache, but I worked myself up so much the other night, it turned rather quickly...

I had an appointment for a fill on Monday arvo at 4. I got to St John of God Hosputal right on time, found a park and headed up to the specialist rooms only to be told that they've moved somewhere else. I was a bit pissy that I didnt get told so on my way down to my car I called Aaron. I paid for my ticket, went and got in my car and finished on my phone. I then started up my sat nav, went to get my ticket ready for exit and realised I had no idea where it had gone. Panic mode set in and i started to stress out. I went back upstairs and explained what happened and the lady there called security for me. Finally i had another ticket to get out so i started heading to the new place... Then i got lost :(
Eventually found where i had to go, grabbed a park and then the damn ticket machine was broken! I started looking for another, but ended up chucking a tantrum and just went inside.

My dietician said i have a Vitamin D & B12 deficiency plus my cholesterol has gone up a bit. Afterwards i had an appointment with a different doctor for a fill. Only 0.5ml went in but hell, it's fricken tight... I can barely even get runny porridge down!

Hoping it will sort itself out over the next few days, because I definitely can't stay this tight I don't think... at least i'm not eating my shirt anymore i guess lol

Not deserving...a little tmi again sorry

2010-08-13T14:14:00.000+08:00

I lost 1kg this week, however I definitely didn't deserve it... Last week I deserved it, and I put on 700g... but that being said, I was a bit consto...

I think I lost the consto weight, plus 300gm... I've just had a shitty feeling week overall, so I guess bad choices usually come with feeling bad.

Back on track though.

I always feel a lot more hungry in the mornings than the afternoons; So to try and combat that this morning, I had toast at 8am and around 10.30am I had my porridge. Normally I would have one or the other and then a snack for mid morning... but I thought to myself.. It's probably better using the snack points on having both of those rather than one.... keeps me fuller for longer and its better for me than what I would normally snack on.

It got me through until lunch time and then I had 1/4 of a Salsa's chicken and veg bowl (which is absolute heaven at 3pts for 1/4 bowl which was plenty enough... and even if you wanted half, 6pts is reasonable for lunch!)

In other news (:P) I have two weeks left in my WW tracker journal and I was told last night that they aren't making anymore 2010 journals.... what the? It's only August and they have already decided that they aren't going to do another print run... There is still over 4 fricken months! I can't even find one online... so peeved off... I need my tracker journal or I'll definitely screw up.

I don't know how well it will go, but I tried scanning in some blank pages and making my own version... I binded it with the binder at work... and although its a pretty crappy rip off, it might do the trick. I'll see how I go. Just irritated that it's not an original you know? As stupid as that sounds, I'm a little anal when it comes to things like that... I sometimes feel as if I have some sick and twisted form of OCD. Like, if I don't have an authentic journal then I will fail and put all my weight back on.. Obsessive much??

Had a shocker of a headache for the last few days... can't seem to budge it. That along with girly cramps = death. Wish I wasn't at work today... I took Tuesday off, feel heaps better... but I don't want to be here today either lol.

Anyway, enough for now. Hope everyone out there in band land is going well. Hugs!

2010-08-09T14:01:00.000+08:00

This gain is really getting me down.. I think because it's so close to the last one I had... I think I only lost twice and then gained?? I dunno... I definitely think I need a fill because I am STARVING most of the time now.

I really should change some more of my foods, I think... *shrug*

It's definitely not easy to keep up this momentum, especially when everyone else around you eats and drinks shit all the time. I just can't seem to get away from it.

tmi.... sorry

2010-08-06T10:42:00.000+08:00

Do NOT read if you don't wanna hear about consto.. lol

Definitely starting to struggle again... I just asked to go to the chemist at 10am on a friday morning because I'm scared that I'll get the consto pains like last time... they gave me grief for days...

I also got a softner, so I hope that it won't hurt my insides :( I'd like to get through this with minimal pain if possible..

I suppose that could be a reason why I didn't lose this week... afterall last time was Wednesday... so yesterday I had a couple of days in there.... :\

:(

2010-08-06T08:20:00.000+08:00

700 on this week.... I hope I don't start this up and down crap..... can't stand it.

I did drink all my water before my meeting though and I think I'm a bit consto....and I'm due... tmi

sooo... next week will tell I suppose....

Yes? No? Dust.

2010-07-30T15:35:00.000+08:00

1.2kg loss this week. I am only 900gm off the teens..... mannnnnnnnn feels like its ages away... just hoping that I can lose again next week. I must have done something right this week, but I don't know what... luck of the draw I suppose... just keep doing what I'm doing and hope that the losses keep coming...

Just a quick update :)

to be expected...

2010-07-23T15:53:00.000+08:00

No Loss this week.

No Gain either.

Bad a bad day with sweet stuff the other day, but tried to rectify that with 3 days of being good and being under my points. Glad I didn't gain, but it would have been nice to at least lose 100gm. Oh well, I suppose that's bound to start happening now I'm getting lower.

I do have to say though that I have been absolutely starving at work the past few weeks. I think it's mostly boredom hunger, but still, it's horrible. I get aching pains because I'm so hungry!

I am pretty close back to being able to eat whatever, if I take my time. So perhaps I will get a fill next month when I am booked in. I just hope I can get some more losing happening before then. At least I will feel a bit better about things if I can still lose while not relying so much on the band.

Anyways.... Still a blasted 2.1kg away from the teens.... come on!

back it up sista...

2010-07-16T13:17:00.002+08:00

1.2kg lost this week. Not too bad I must say.

For some reason after lunch yesterday afternoon I started getting a little pain in my gutt... and last night it turned into a full on stabbing pain... today it's the same but moving down... so I think I'm a tad backed up... TMI sorry lol

The painters will be in today or tomorrow and generally around that time I do get backed up a bit, but it's usually when I've already started... I had to get out the powder this morning to have with my morning cuppa in hopes that I can get some more water going through to soften me up a bit. Hurts like hell... I even have my heat pack at work.

Hoping for a quiet night in tonight but it's possible we will get given a couple of tickets to see a movie... wouldn't mind the movie to much, but hoping in turn that doesnt mean we have to catch up with the other people going and do dinner or drinks or both.... not feeling very social at all today.

I'm craving sweet things big time.. I've had 3 little choccies and a shortbread biscuit.... still in good points range as I had a small breakfast and lunch... so I should be OK if we can have a normal dinner.

I wanna lay down :( stupid work

No longer MO!

2010-07-13T10:24:00.000+08:00

I stumbled across one of those graphs yesterday, which show you what category you fall under using your height and weight as a guide.

I was so shocked to see that I am no longer in the Morbidly Obese category.... I can't remember when I WASN'T in that category! I'm still Obese... but no more Morbid.... holy crap how awesome is that?? :)

i'm baaaaaaaaaaaack

2010-07-09T09:36:00.000+08:00

:D

1.1kg down this week. Pretty sure it could have been more, but I didn't use all my points before weigh in.

I saved about 34 in total and only used 10-15 of the saved ones... I was told that you can only save points if you plan to use them on the weekend, otherwise your body gets in a rut and will stop losing.

So I got home and had dessert last nite, just a little funtime cone... but with the bestest yummiest ice cream.... cookies and cream connoisseur mmmmmmmmmmm --that used about 8 pts, and I ended up with 12.5 left at the end of the week. Not bad :)

So I'm hoping if I can keep it up this week as well and make sure I use my points that I save, I will keep on going down.

I am now 2.3kg off the teenies.... OHHMYGAWDijustcannotremembereverbeingthatloweveromgomg.

hmm

2010-07-07T12:52:00.000+08:00

Each day is different for me... The rest of the spring roll went down OK today (yes, I'm a glutton for punishment trying that again lol)

But I was still hungry and it was sitting there looking at me after I ate my chicky wing... lol

Did you guys know that you can get your fill bills back on medicare?? Here I was thinking I had to pay $180 dollars for a fill and that was it... but I just found out I can get about $110 back from medicare! I only just ran out of finance on my account for appointments, so now I won't be so worried about it when August comes if I need another fill.... I can deal with paying $70, but not $180 with no rebate... ugh

I just read Bec's list of foods she can't eat and I noticed she had noted down raisin toast.

Does anyone else struggle with that?

I'm pretty darn tight, but I have raisin toast every morning with no problems....?

That being said, I've always been a cold toast eater.. so I toast mine to a dark brown and leave it in the toaster until it's cold and hard... then I butter it and put jam on it... always crunchy and doesn't clog up...perhaps thats why I do well with it.

People have always thought I'm odd because I'd rather cold toast than hot toast.. I like hot toast as well, but I prefer it cold.

chickidy china...

2010-07-06T13:11:00.000+08:00

chickidy china... the chinese chicken..... had a spring roll that got stuck and pain and owie and damnit!!!! whyyyyyyyyyyy meeeeeeeeeeeee D:

Today I decided to be a little naughty at lunch and bought chinese. In the fridge at work is a home made eggy, ham, tomato and lettuce mountain bread wrap i made this morning... but I just didn't feel like it when it came to lunch time.

I went out planning to buy another bowl to add to a set of mine, in case I broke one.... didn't get the bowl unfortunately, but I did get yummy smelling chinese.... part of which, was a teeny spring roll i put in the bottom of the container (self serve)

well golly gee gosh... I've had spring rolls before since being banded... but not since my last fill..... WHAT THE FREAKIN HELL; THE DEVIL MADE THIS SPRING ROLL...

all was going down fine (all, being my first two or three bites) and then I chose to bite that damn spring roll.

Haven't done the dash for the dunnies yet, but it's painful and hurty and owie :(

bec, kill me lol

so far, so good

2010-07-03T17:49:00.001+08:00

I briefly mentioned in a comment on my last post about my last couple of days....

So far, I'm going good... I'm trying a kind of 'quick start' again, which should work pretty well considering my last week was very high... so my body should have a bit of a 'wtf' moment----------hopefulllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy....

Thursday I did 20.5pts and a walk worth about 1.5 (only small because I had my bf's Mum with me)
Friday I did 21.5pts and walked around the shopping centre at lunch. I only put this down as 1.5
So far today I've done about 16 and haven't had dinner yet. Had a big shop session this morning and wrote it down as 1.5, but could easily have been 2 or 2.5 Expecting about 3 or 4 pts for dinner and I'm having a glass of agrum, so that might be another 1pt if I finish it.

I must admit I'm not going great on the water today, but I don't genereally do well with it on the weekends...

I'm watching the AFL at my bf's brothers place and it's an eagles vs collingwood match. Their team against mine. I'm also having a roast dinner cooked for me (for once!) so looking forward to it and it smells great :)

Go pies! :)

Onward bound :)

2010-07-02T11:41:00.001+08:00

Well.. the inevetable happened.

I put on.

Luckily it was only 300g. But still, 17 weeks of losses and now a gain.... crap!

Lucky for me it's motivated me to do better this week. Now the next hurdle is plateu... please please please... no plateu's...

Guess what? No dessert last night.... yay! Yes, obviously I missed the sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet taste of something so sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.... but... I was proud of myself, because it allowed me to earn some points. I also went for a 20min walk, so there is a little bit on top of that also. I wanted to go longer, but I had my bf's Mum with me and she can't walk far. It was also getting quite dark so we decided to go the shorter route...

Does anyone know about the WW quick start rules? when I first started and was on 27pts, my leader made me do I week of quick start which was 25pts and then back up to 27 again... Is it just taking off 2 points? So like... if I did a week of 23, would that work the same way??

Perhaps some miricle person will find this blog and answer my question... or perhaps not. *shrug*

I really wasn't surprised that I put on this week. It was pretty bad.... I did expect to put on last week... 1.5 loss WAS a surprise... 300g gain.. not so much.

blorg...

2010-07-01T14:08:00.000+08:00

I guess I shouldn't be worried if I did have a gain... it would be the first one in 17 weeks and I'm sure that it wouldn't be much... (can you tell I can't get this off my damn mind???)

I guess the thought of putting on scares me now... I went through such a struggle in the beginning with all my complications (before and after surgery) and to be over 35kg down already is such a blessing.

I went onto the yahoo aus forums the other day and there was one bloke who had his surgery the same month as me (Oct 09) and he had already lost 63kg and was at goal.... wtf??? I know Men lose weight A LOT quicker than us girlies... but 63 kg in 9 months is crazy!

I dunno... I suppose after my initial loss of 15kg with pre-op and liquid/mushies the extra 20kg in 5-6 months is pretty good.... 18kg of those in the last 17 weeks (3-4months?) thanks to WW and tracking though.. so I suppose that's pretty good.

Rambling sorry..

I just caaaaaaaan't get this out of my heaaaaaaaadddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd....

Continuing on from my last comment on my last post... my food intake for the last week has been SO good, once again up until desert time... even including the milo's I've managed to be around the 18-20pt mark after my afternoon tea and generally my dinner is only 4-5pts (I have 25 a day atm).... so then I have my meal... and generally sit around 22-25pts... and then I have something fucking stupid for desert.. lol just kill me now! I did soooooooooooooo well for a few months after my surgery, not wanting desert... actually could leave a tub of ice cream in the freezer for weeks and not touch it... but i dunno... the last month or so it's every night (and mostly thanks to my bf who loves his desert)....(when i dont care, he wants it, when he doesn't care, i want it... thus usually every night lol)

siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh ok... i should get back to work.

Nana's

2010-07-01T11:53:00.000+08:00

I don't know if it's just me, or banders in general... but does anyone feel as if eating a banana is quite difficult and time consuming?

I've been avoiding fruits for a while now, because a lot of them do the same thing to me, but I find that Banana is the most difficult, alongside Melon and Mango's...

I can chew it until it's runny mush, but as it's going down, it practically forces itself through the band and I feel uncomfortable with every bite. Obviously it's going to go down because it's so slimey, but it's always an uncomfortable feeling as if it's getting squished through??

Haven't had the best week with points this week, and haven't really had the opportunity to exercise extra like last week.. soooo cross fingers I've lost something!

It's the hot Milo that does it to me... 2.5pts per cup and I have about 2 or 3 a day... because my circulation sucks and a warm drink helps (and I don't like tea or coffee!)

Actual food consumption is good.. it's just the darn milo... :(

Salt.... is the devil

2010-06-25T13:33:00.000+08:00

Well.. my plan seemed to pay off.

Even though my points for last week were very much over what they should be... my change in diet in general for the week plus the extra exercise paid off.

I lost 1.5kg.

I definitely must have been retaining water because of the salt the week before.... man... I had so much. argh.

This last week I have incorporated more fruit, more veg and rather than snacks such as vege chips or an LCM bar, I've had better alternatives that also keep me fuller for longer. Such as a crispbread with ham, cheese, sundried tomatoes and marinated mushrooms.... so good and much better than a cereal bar or chips.

So I'm at roughly...35 down from my highest at the moment... 18 in total since I started WW (in 16 weeks) an average loss of 1.2kg a week.

I am keen to see my Mum in September when she gets here (she is currently doing around Aus trip with her H2B) and if I can keep up the average then I should be lighter then she has seen me in a good 10 or MORE years.... since high school probably.

Crazy.... I put it all down to tracking!

Okay.. so it's time to slap me on the wrist...

2010-06-22T13:17:00.002+08:00

I went on a mission to reduce my salt intake this week and eat better foods... I got fruits, reduced salt stuff... have stayed away from the salt shaker and have taken decent wholesome foods to work as snacks... none of this le snack, vege chips and LCM bars crap...

I do so well until after dinner time... and then I crave something sweet... and for some reason the last few days when I've gone to do the desert thing... I've chosen the wrong things... because they are just there.... and like... did you know that those little snack apple pie things are like 6.5 points???? OMG it killed me! Even with sugar free ice cream!

I went for a long walk with Bella the other day and I'm going for a walk tonight.. and planning to go for another walk tomorrow night... as well as saving points from today and tomorrow in hopes that I can gain about 10-12 points back for my week (4 each day from less foods and 1.5-2pts per day from exercise)

Soooo....cross my fingers that I can at least lose 100g coz at least that will mean that I haven't put on.... I don't want a downward spiral to start... and I'm not the strongest person when it comes to my emotional side of weight loss.

So, wish me luck...

And I've noticed that people are coming to my blog and not following... is it because I'm naughty? Or am I just boring as bat shit? :)

Salt...salt....soooooo effin good....

2010-06-18T12:44:00.000+08:00

After a loss of 500g this week, I think I need to massivly reduce my salt in-take.

I know I can do better.

Anything above 500g I'd be happy with. I'm still happy... but I'm sure there are steps I can take to improve it.

Last week I had massive amounts of salt.

Mash a few times. With Salt.
several Cup-a-Soups ....saltyyyyy
Kiev... I'm sure lots of salt in that...
Le Snaks... surprisingly high in Salt...
1/2 a cheeseburger....(at 1 am driving home from a party where I ate minimal chippies) um. salt?
fish... floured.... yep, I added salt.
chicken nuggets... salt.
chippolata (mini sausage)... salt....
baked potato... with reduced salt butter (and yep, LOTS OF SALT hahahaha)
chinese.... so has to be plenty of salt in that...

Ok, so not great food choices... but keep in mind my portions were really tiny...

So... I have been writing a list of stuff to get at the supermarket that I can buy to try and reduce my salt in-take. Hopefully this will help me get a better loss next week. Although, as long as I keep on moving down I'll be happy. As soon as I stall or put on I will be sooooooooo angry/sad/mad/emotional.

I'll soon be a teenager again...

2010-06-16T09:32:00.000+08:00

I'm so close to the teens I can smell it.

I can't even remember the last time my second number was a one.

I DEFINITELY can't remember the last time I was double digits... but that's still a little far away yet... but I'll be able to smell that soon.

The teens.... wow... Just the thought of it is making me giddy. I remember being in the 120's, but just.... ugh... the teens!!!!!!!!! englkjeanbkjeanbkjsandbkjnafbabg

700g down last week.... weigh in again tomorrow.

My week has been OK I suppose. I had a really low day last Thursday, almost fell off my graph it was so low... but I've tried to even it out in hopes that I might get that 'lacky band' effect where it kicks my metabolism a bit.

Either it will go good or bad.... or OK.

I can deal with OK. ;D

2010-06-06T19:43:00.000+08:00

1.5kg the week before last and 1.1kg last thursday for my losses since my last update.

I seriously can't believe how well this is all working out for me now that I am using WW as a steady ground.

Since writing down everything I eat, I have found it equally as easy to eat to many points as it is to not eat enough points... having a number to follow every day is making sure I eat enough on the days I don't want much, and making sure I don't over eat on crappy stuff on the days where I could easily have too much.

I seriously urge anyone out there that may be struggling with a lapband to consider using the WW points as a base. I definitely couldn't do this without the band, but the points factor is definitely keeping my weight going down.

It's all about "knowing" :)

2010-05-21T13:34:00.000+08:00

Not only did I lose a whopping 2kg last week.

I reached 30kg loss AND broke into the 20's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited!

What a happy week for me :)

do not want

2010-05-20T12:40:00.000+08:00

Ergh... so tight. Struggling :(

Ergh

2010-05-18T12:51:00.000+08:00

I had my fill, now it's time to get used to being so tight again. I like it, however it's also frustrating when you're STARVING and just want to eat! The good thing about it is that you eat little and you are over it in no time. Sweet!

The doctor that saw me was very impressed with how much I've lost since October. He seemed crazy impressed actually and I don't know whether he was just putting it on to make me feel good. Feeling good went out the window when he used the needle to search for my port and then slipped over the edge and the needle got pushed down in me with brute force.. second time lucky (lucky for him, that is, I was ready to punch him...lol)

The dietitian said I need to eat more fruit. Yes, it's barely non existent at the moment and apples make me hungry so I stay away from those. Might have to get some bananas or something. I love mango's...om nom nom but I'm scared that some will slip past my tongue and will cause me grief.

I couldn't be arsed cooking last night (I was only going to make mash for myself and something else for my bf) but we went and bought chinese instead. I had about a spoon full of rice over an hour. Pretty disasterous considering I was so hungry.

I had porridge for breakfast this morning as it's nice and soft...struggled a little with my tablet this morning, but it went down ok after about 5 minutes aaaaaaaaand dinner time tonight I should be back to normal food, but I'll take it easy for a while as I'm pretty sure I'll struggle with red meat for a while.

First 24 hours is careful for me after a fill because I swell pretty bad, I've noticed.

I'm actually enjoying the tight feeling again. I've had two pieces of ravioli so far for lunch and I'm getting the slow-going-down feeling that I enjoy. The way I was before this fill, although I could still only eat about a cup, I could definitely eat faster and finish my meal pretty quickly. I'd always pace myself, just by telling myself to do so.. but obviously not as fast as you HAVE to do when you're feeling quite tight.

Anyway, I forgot to mention that I lost 900g last week. Weight in again in two nights time. I'm not too good with updating this thing on time at the moment, because we just moved house. But at least I haven't stopped altogether :)

Decisions decisions

2010-05-17T12:28:00.001+08:00

I am currently in for a checkup every 6-8 weeks with my doctor. I have an appointment with the Surgeon and my Dietitian this afternoon.

I have been sitting here thinking for the last 4 hours whether I should or shouldn't get a fill.

My reasons why I shouldn't.
I am currently at an average of 900gms to 1kg loss each week.
I am still PB'ing some things when I eat too fast
I can basically eat anything where I am at right now as long as I take my time and chew properly.
Owie pains lol

My reasons why I should.
I can basically eat anything where I am at right now. Meaning, I AM eating basically anything.
I am starting to eat faster because things are going down easier.
I started a new medication a week and a half ago and I am constantly hungry.
My portion sizes are getting slightly higher because food isn't in my pouch as long.
Although I've lost an average of 900g - 1kg each week, the first few weeks were higher and the last few weeks have been lower.
It will be about 8 weeks until I get the chance to go for a fill again.

It's a 60/40 and I suppose the whole reason I got the band was to have the restriction. Sooooo after writing those few points down, I think I will get one and hope that I dont die in the process. My last fill was a disaster with 0.5 and I ended up having to go back in after hours to get it taken back out again. I'm hoping that 0.5 this time won't end up in me being so tight I can't swallow my own saliva.

That was a horrendous experience.

Thoughts and Ramblings

2010-05-07T12:45:00.000+08:00

Okay... so... my doctor has put me back on anti depressants. (don't ask).

One of the side effects I've read is that it promotes weight gain.

I started the tablets yesterday, but I am so so so worried that this will make things so very difficult for me now :(

I need the tablets for, if anything, anxiety. I don't know whether you would so much call it depression, but I definitely have a problem with anxiety. I have been so super emotional for ages now and I always feel as if I am holding my feelings in my chest. The drop of a pin would make me cry, or get angry, irritated, murder spree material.

It doesn't help that there are certain people at work who I would like to stab with a fork to the eye. Seriously. Rude, selfish girls on a power trip that they don't have the authority to have. Think "their shit don't stink". It seriously just infuriates me. And what have I done to them to deserve their attitudes and horribleness?? Nothing! I can not think of one thing I have done to either of them for them to warrant treating me like a piece of crap. I just don't understand people.

Anyway. I lost 600g last week. I suppose that's a plus, innit?

Turning Point

2010-05-03T12:43:00.000+08:00

I've crossed the turning point, but I don't know when.

I just turned down a free strawberry thickshake from McDonalds.

That was one of my favourite things! Every time I got Maccas, I would substitute the soft drink for a strawberry thickshake.

I didn't even hesitate turning it down either. Straight out "no thank you :)"

I am a legend, lol.

In other news, last week I lost 1.5kg. Happy! :)

Small loss, but a loss none the less

2010-04-23T11:10:00.000+08:00

I weighed in last night and lost 400g. I was fairly disappointed at first, but a loss is a loss so why am I disappointed? If I had put on I'd be devestated, so why am I complaining??

I have been filling out a graph for the last 6 weeks of my points and have found that every week except this week I had 2 days OVER my points allowance and on other days made those totals up. This week I went over ONCE and the rest of the days were quite low... could it be another case of "I didn't eat enough"?

I don't know whether I want to test the theory by having a very high day followed by a really low day and the rest of the week just general (funnily enough that would almost be something like the wendie plan). I guess I'm scared to test it because if I put on weight I will be so upset :(

I bought a couple of tops yesterday, a new longish cardigan and two new bra's. It's amazing how good new clothes can make you feel. Pity about my attitude today, so grumpy!

:)

2010-04-20T16:18:00.002+08:00

Hello,

I didn't update last Thursday, but I was another 1.5kg down last week.

I am tracking along nicely, but I am concerned that this week I might pay for some bad decisions.

We went out for dinner last night, and I chose wisely. A piece of fish and mashed potato. I had half of the fish fillet and about 1/2 cup of the mashed potato... and some cucumber which was with the salad on the side. Oh, and another note.. my first PB on an outing! I was a little excited, but shitty at the same time! All good, nothing to bad :)

Dessert was a disaster... I was craving Mcdonalds soft serve so badly! We decided that it's OK to be naughty once in a while, as long as you don't do it every week! So I got an Oreo McFlurry with caramel topping... it was actually quite sickly and I wouldn't get it again, but the ice cream was so good :)

That being said, my day was so good that I didn't go over my points even though dessert was bad.

I guess maybe I'm just being paranoid? If I stick to my points I should still lose... *cross fingers*

Anywho... My pants are officially on their way out. I keep having to hitch them up.. and I can't keep doing it at work or I will get caught... That would be so embarrasing...

I will be going to the shops on Thursday to buy some in a smaller size, but I will probably just get some cheapies if I can find some. I don't want to go wasting money buying new clothes at good shops because if things keep going well then I will just grow out of them in a few months anyway. I tried opshops, but no luck yet. Maybe when I get under an 18 I will have more luck.

Aaron is off to China Wednesday night, so I have 5 days to myself. There is a public holiday on Monday, so 3 of those days I will be off work. Might have to go and do some more op shopping!

;)

keep on going...

2010-04-09T12:38:00.001+08:00

Another 1kg off this week.... sweet!

Hopefully I can keep this rate up... I really hate when you get into grams etc... 1kg will do me nicely, thanks... :)

A decent update

2010-04-06T12:35:00.002+08:00

I've been going pretty well the last couple of weeks. I had a moment there for a while where I thought that this was going to be a big failure for me. I've been down and out for a while, not really motivated... I'm still not quite back to normal... but it usually takes me a while to bring myself back up after spells like this.

I weighed in again last Thursday (very quickly, didn't stay for the meeting) and have lost another 1.2kg. Very happy. I wanted to stay for the meeting, but we were going camping at the break of dawn the next morning and I still had to go and do a few hours worth of shopping and packing.

I have been a good girl over easter. Had one or two mini solid eggs last week and over the 4 day break I only had half a Charlie the Easter Chick! (the small one)

How cute are they!

Besides that and the two chocolate mini eggs, I didn't eat much in the way of junk food. A couple of potato chips here and there, maybe a handful in total? Not even half a handful of salted cashews, a few jatz crackers with some dip and half a meat pie (I got rushed and couldnt make the breakfast I had organised, and all that was open was a stinking bakery... bah!) So I did pretty well, considering last year Easter was an excuse to eat bad and drink too much. Oh! And speaking of drink, I only had one alcoholic drink while I was away... ONE... last year? Don't even ask lol.

I really am surprised I did so well, chocolate is definitely a weakness for me... but because I write down everything I eat, every day... it's always on my mind. You always eat more when you don't write it down. Never believed it until I realised it myself by doing it myself.

Back in the swing of things now, it's pretty overcast and snuggly here today so I pulled out a porridge sachet from the cupboard and had that for breakfast. Creamy Honey flavour from Uncle Toby's.. yum.

Hope you all went OK over the long weekend.

Another loss...

2010-03-26T12:45:00.002+08:00

1.6kg down this week. Woohoo!

Just a quick update today... so tired. Bah.

Band & WW ;) I think this is the way to go

2010-03-19T13:35:00.002+08:00

Well... 2.1kg down this week (4kg since my last fill)... Very happy with myself...

I thank both the band AND WW for this loss.

The band keeps my portion sizes under control meaning I can relax a bit with choosing what to eat.. Obviously I watch what I eat anyways, but for example, the other night I wanted satay noodles BAD... so I got them. I could only eat between 1/4 and 1/3 of the box, so instead of 17 points for the whole box (i know, i shat myself when I read it -i could have eaten the whole thing in one sitting before my band!!!) it ended up only being 5.5 points and I was MORE than satisfied.

WW is giving me a good guide on how much I should be eating. I'm fairly certain weight loss for me has been slow the last month because I haven't been eating enough and my body has freaked out a bit... another example to show that is I lost 2kg in 3 weeks with the band alone and 2kg in one week by eating a bit more and watching it like a hawk.

I've worked out that some days I would probably eat barely anything, and not even get anywhere near the amount of 'points' I should be eating... and other days, just by bad choices... I could blow them out the window.. especially when I have a drink!! I've gone off fizzy mixed alcoholic drinks (turkey and dry, yum!) so now I usually have a mudshake or 2 or 3.... but at 6 points EACH I only have one now.... thats a lot of points...

Keeping a journal of what I eat each day has helped me immensely. I never really thought to try it, even though so many people have said it's worth it. Now I think it's something I will do for the rest of my journey... it's scary how many calories can creep in when you're not looking.

Anyway.. there ya go.. another week down...

wendie is a shit stirrer...

2010-03-11T13:20:00.000+08:00

Bec has written on her blog about the Wendie plan; Which is a variation of Weight Watchers that a lass named Wendie made up.

I've always been meaning to try weight watchers, but after so many other attempts at different things never bothered. Although I probably should have tried it before going ahead with my surgery.

So... I'm going to be a copy cat from Ballarat and copy what Bec is doing. I started this morning... SO MUCH FOOD wtfffffffffffff......D: if I want my Super High Day (SHD) to be on Saturday, that means today I need to eat 33pts worth of food. It's. Just. So. Much.

It can't be good, can it? I mean, the band is supposed to make you eat barely anything.... why on earth am I now forcing down more than I want? And I mean, it's a lot.... So far today I've had 1 banana, 1 hot chocolate, a le snack, tomato cucumber ham and cheese salad with home made balsamic dressing, a small calci-yum strawberry milk and one chicken strip. That's only 23.5 points... I have 9 left for afternoon/dinner... so I suppose if I can muster up a 6 or 7 point dinner then I only need to have one more 2pt serve of something... how the frig am I supposed to do the SHD??? THATS 43 pointssssssssssss gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... The only way I can think of stomaching that much food is to eat bad high point stuff... not to mention the fact I doubt I will use any extra allocated points (35 per week).

The chicken strip I had today I ate because I knew it would shop off about 6 points... which it did. I have another in the fridge for tomorrow. I know it's not a good choice... but I mean... how the hell can I eat like... two sandwhiches or a billion pieces of fruit, or a thousand good foods to make up that many points... it's never endinggggggggggggggggggggg.......

I will curse very loudly if this doesnt work :( bahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh stupid weight loss, stupid...

Curisity killed the.......Lapband Patient lol

2010-02-25T13:39:00.002+08:00

Just realised I haven' t updated since my last entry, so I probably should do that.

9.30pm the same night of my last post, I ended up calling my doctor after hours to meet her at the hospital so she could take out half of the last fill she put in.. So instead of having 1ml extra, I have 0.5ml extra.

(tmi) Basically my saliva wasn't even going down, let alone water or food. I ended in horrendous pain, bringing up the saliva I've swalled every 20mins or so because it was completely shut.. the pressure was unbearable.

had 0.5ml taken out - Instant relief! The next day was even better.

I have been wondering if she took out more, but she did show me the syringe... and well, I guess I was more focused on the pain I was having rather than looking.. but that's only because I've felt like I am looser than I was before my second fill.

That being said.. the last two or so days, I've kind of tuned in and realised that I'm feeling a different feeling. Not getting food stuck more, but just all food I eat is going down soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo slowly.

It's great, don't get me wrong.. but it's just so hard to adjust to.

Aaron took me out for dinner last night. First restaurant meal since my first fills - I barely ate any of it. I felt horrible, because he splashed bought me a lobster! First time I've tried it... and not only did I not particularly like it (just not my thing) I barely ate any of it, and it was so darn expensive! Lucky it wasn't massive, although I did ask beforehand whether something could be taken home). He finished half of it off for me, and the rest just stayed there after I was done (so I had half a tail?) ......thenihadicecreambutthatsnaughtyandishouldntreallytellyoubutididpleasedonttsktskmeeeeeeeee. :D

When I mean I'm hardly eating anything.. I mean hardly ANYTHING! No way near a cup, like they say you should have (max).. I'm talking like... 1/4 of a cup, sometimes if I'm REALLY lucky, maybe 1/3 of a cup. Depends what type of food it is as well. Pasta type foods I can eat a bit more of, then again it depends if I'm doing something at the same time (like lunch break at work I read websites etc). The more distracted I get, the more I eat, because I settle and then go back, settle and then go back.. whereas if I concentrate on my food.. once I get THAT feeling, I usually pick a little and then stop.

Rambling, sorry!

I haven't had the guts to get on the scales yet. 1 week since the fill/weigh in.. I'm thinking maybe I should wait until I see my surgeon next in 1 month until I weigh in again.. but I don't know if I can hold off that long. I'm pessimistic as all hell, but I'm just so curious!

D:

extremely disappointed

2010-02-18T12:51:00.001+08:00

Turns out it was all a lie... in fact, not only have I not lost weight. I've put on 1kg since I had my first fill... WTF? This is absolute bs... I'm so upset :(

I just got another 1ml in my band... I can barely swallow water.. I'm hoping the swelling or whatever will calm down in the next few days and I'll be able to get down a normal size meal. I had a couple of bites of some salad at lunch and a piece of meat got stuck :( now I'm paying for it...

Anyway... w/e... *shrug*

Sigh

2010-02-16T12:57:00.000+08:00

It's a constant effing battle... Even just the emotional side of this whole thing is enough to wear a person out.

My weigh in showed no change last week... after my scales at home blatantly lied to me and gave me a different reading every time I stepped on (6kg difference from one to another!), I confirmed it when I went to the chemist to weigh in at a Tony Ferguson location. I was exactly the same as the week before. Not only was this disappointing, but it makes me feel that perhaps my last few weigh ins weren't correct, and perhaps I haven't lost as much as I think I have.... :(

I am d.y.i.n.g to have another fill. As crazy as that sounds for those out there that know the feeling you get when you stuff up.... I just...don't feel like I'm in the right place... and my weigh in proves that.

I'm going to be insanely tight I think... but I hope I can at least get maybe 1 or 2mls in the band and after a couple of days it should settle and I should be able to eat the way I was eating after my last fill when I thought I was at my perfect spot. I /thought/ I lost 5kg in my first week... but perhaps that was all a lie and I was kidding myself.... or at least my scales were kidding me.

I just feel so miserable, I just wish I could have the correct numbers AT HOME, without having someone breath down my neck and asking me how my week went and if I drank enough water and drill me about my food choices etc.

Blah.

cross fingers

2010-02-10T13:27:00.001+08:00

Not feeling flash today...

In the back of my mind I have this worry that maybe I haven't lost anything this week.

I feel as if... just like anything else I've ever tried, I'll lose a bit, then stop losing... and probably put back on again.

I'm due for a doctors appointment on the 18th and I will get a top up fill and hope that it makes me feel a bit better. I'm not as tight as I was 3 weeks ago, so I know I can still go a little more... so hopefully that will sort me out.

Weigh in tomorrow morning, so we'll see then whether I've lost anything. Cross fingers it's something decent ._.

2010-02-04T14:36:00.001+08:00

*does a dance*

I've lost 20kg so far!!! :)

My jeans fit me again!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D

2010-01-31T13:51:00.004+08:00

Things are going well and I'm feeling much better now.

I'm not struggling as much to get down food, but I do know that if I'm not careful then I definitely will get stuck. It's been a few days now since I got something stuck, so I'm fairly relieved... it's so freakin painful. I guess most of it is time to adjust to the new style of chewing. It takes a while, but once its a habit, you don't notice as much.... I'm not thinking about it as much as I originally had to... my tongue uses it's brain instead... not letting me swallow unless something is small enough and seperating anything that might not get down... like a piece of potato skin or the funky bits in a prawn.... lol

When I weighed in on Thursday I was a total of 16.5kg down than my highest weight. Thought it's time to try on some clothes that I just grew out of. My jeans fit again :) I'm wearing them today. I tried them on before my surgery and not only did I have to squeeze my thighs into them, I had to really squeeze my stomach in to do up the button. Today the button was fine and I have some space in the thigh section to move around... they don't feel like they have been painted on :)

I'm comfortable where I am now in regards to a fill, so after the next three weeks if I feel like I'm looser than I am now, then I will probably get a top off... otherwise if I feel like I am now in 3 weeks time, I will cancel my appointment and re-schedule for another months time.

Here is my first comparison... doesn't look much different... in fact, I think the side on picture my tummy looks bigger?? Unless I was sucking in for the camera the first time round.... which I may have done without knowing... Some back fat has gone and some of my rolls have decreased a little...

First Band Fill, First Loss

2010-01-28T08:25:00.002+08:00

Just over 5kg loss in my first fill week :D

Hair Style

2010-01-25T10:42:00.001+08:00

When I get to my goal weight, this is how I want to change my hair. :)

stuck you say??

2010-01-25T08:20:00.003+08:00

This first fill is taking some getting used to. I think because right off the bat I’m really tight is making my adjustment a bit more hardcore than if I had to have 2 or 3 fills before I got the level of restriction I’m at now.

Friday and Saturday I struggled, not just with food, but with the time it takes to eat the food. Half way through my already small portion, I get so sick of eating I start getting frustrated and started giving food to the dog lol. Most of Friday and Saturday things were getting stuck. Sunday morning my toast got stuck, but the rest of the day I coped fine (besides the time thing). Had a sausage some onion and a piece of rye bread for lunch and dinner was a small portion of roast lamb and some veggies.

So far this morning I’ve had a piece of toast and a smoothie which I shared with Aaron. Should be right from now on I hope.

Once I know I'm good with most foods, I'll be easing into TF again most likely. I've always done better with low carby stuff :)

So damn tight..

2010-01-22T10:28:00.002+08:00

Yesterday was a struggle.

I knew I was pretty damn tight, but I didn’t realise how tight I was.

My lunch went down okay… chewed really well and it was a weight watchers cottage pie meal anyway, so just mince, veg and potato + saucyness.

Started to swell up later in the afternoon, water was still going down, just sitting for a bit before going down.

About 4.30 I had a corn thing with vegemite and it got a lil stuck, but went through.

Dinner was a disaster. We were out for a little after work so on the way home we got pasta, I changed my order to spaghetti from fettuccini because it would be easier to chew. First bite got stuck and I paid hell for it. PB’d to no end, sliming like a mad woman, eventually had to go a bit deeper and a stupid piece of spaghetti about 1cm long and 2mm thick had gotten stuck. ALL THAT PAIN FOR THAT STUPID LITTLE PIECE?? D:

Water struggled to get down so I tried a bit of ice cream. That just sat there and wouldn’t go down either so that came up. Frustrated as all hell by this point I cracked the shits and went to bed.

Today is OK though. Rice bubbles went down this morning and just had a coffee which went down a treat. Now.. to try this pasta for lunch again ._.

to fill or not to fill....

2010-01-21T10:58:00.004+08:00

Good news is that about a week before I went on holidays, the infection cleared up and the wound closed up. Since then I haven’t had any problems regarding the infection.

Since the first night I got out of hospital the second time around after the 4 days of IV anti biotics, I’ve been getting pains after eating (not every meal, but majority). I need to have tests, but I’m 99% certain that I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) which has been linked to long periods of anti biotic or steroid use. Also the fact bowel disease and IBS runs in my family, means that I had a higher chance than most of getting it. Obviously I’m not 100% sure yet, but the symptoms are there, the area of pain is the same as my Mum’s (she’s had Crohn’s coupled with IBS for 30-40 years now so as soon as I pointed where the pain is she’s like “oh no….that’s the what-you-ma-call-it where I get my pain!”.

Anyway, that aside, I went for my first test/checkup/(fill) this morning, and although it would take a while for erosion of the band to happen (I thought this morning was going to be a ‘either it works or it doesn’t’ moment) this morning went well and I got 7ml out of 12ml put in. I have the gargle sound back lol.

Haven’t tried a meal yet, but water and coffee is going down OK, after the gurgle that is… so the next test is solids. Wish me luck anyway :) GOOD LUCK!!!!

Band news

2009-12-08T11:10:00.004+08:00

Nothing much happening lately... Wound is still open, but seems to be healing up. Only thing is I'm feeling some irritation inside, so I'm hoping that it hasn't moved to the band. If it by any chance it DID get to the band, the wound can still heal up apparently, but will open up again down the track -- Then we will know for sure (which means I'll still have to have the take-out operation). Another clue to whether the infection got to the band is if when I (finally) get a fill, the band doesn't work. Means the infection has eroded the band and it will not work. (Again this means take-out operation).

I guess time will tell.

More delays

2009-11-30T11:50:00.004+08:00

Things aren't travelling too bad lately. The nurses from the hospital have been coming out once a day to re-dress the wound. As of Friday they are every second day. Pleased to say the wound is almost healed, but currently over healing. I have what they call 'over granulation'... basically the tissue inside doesn't recognise that its reached the top of the wound and keeps growing. It's only small, but hopefully it will go back down with the inodine dressings the nurses have started putting on. This is probably happening because I'm prone to keloidal scarring and have been since I was a kid, nothing major... will just leave a tiny lump of skin once healed if it doesn't go down which I could have cut off later down the track if I wanted too. Wound is likely to dry up in about 2 or so weeks. I'm on my 4th week of antibiotics and am looking at 6 weeks in total. Down to 250mg as of the most recent bottle, so I really hope everything gets out and buggers off before the wound closes altogether.

Was due for a fill last week, but the doctor delayed that by 2 weeks. She said she may give me a fill next week when I have my appointment with her.... soooo cross fingers all is well by then and she is happy enough to do so.

In other news, I have been having some odd pains about 20-30 minutes after eating around my belly button area... At first I thought it was constipation kind of pain, but I haven't been constipated at all... gets quite bad sometimes, not sure what it is.... Just hoping it's not problems with my bowels that has just decided to pop out around the same time as this has happened. My Mum has Crohn's disease and IBS, so it's quite possible that I may get it (or at least have the symptoms at some stage in my life) seeing as it's hereditary... My half brother has it, so it's unlikely that I do have it... but you never know.

I really need to start drinking more water. Pre-Op I was getting 2Lt a day... but I've slacked off back to the way I was before my pre-op diet. :\

I feel prettyyyyyyyy oh so prettyyyyyyyy

2009-11-20T12:43:00.005+08:00

I feel prettyyyyyyyy and wittyyyyyyyyyy and.....happpyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy lol

Just having a feel good day today.

Thanking my blessings. Seems like my bottom-of-the-pit was the IV in hospital... Hoping that everything from now on will just be uphill instead of downhill.

There are now 2 people in the world who know how much I weigh. The one person following this blog (if she happened to read back in my history -waves- Hi Bec!) and my Mum.

I'm dreading the day I pause from losing. It has definitely slowed down, but that's because I'm back to eating normal foods. Hopefully it won't take too much to kick my body back into gear. I have some good methods of getting out of the plateau books - learnt from the many many years of dieting I've been on. The best one I can advise anyone is the 3 day protein kick which should do the trick. 6 small 'meals' a day consisting of only protein. Females are 100gm protein per meal and males are 200gm protein per meal. It sucks to only eat meat and eggs for 3 days, but you definitely lose weight in that short amount of time and then your body stops being a stubborn ass and lets you keep losing after you put yourself back on normal food. Thumbs up :)

Anyways... leaving it here... here's to getting better... and thanks for the well wishes Bec :) so nice of you!

Stupid hospital... stupid infection

2009-11-19T09:06:00.004+08:00

I had my last IV antibiotics at 6pm on Sunday night and went off home. Back on oral tablets now, just hope they are finishing off the job that the IV AB's started.

I have had a nurse come see me at work every day since I left SCG (Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital) to change the wound dressing and generally just check up on how it's healing. So far, seems to be going OK.

The other day the nurse stuck a cotton bud in there to see how deep the wound was. In the process she popped a pocket of fluid which has been draining for the last couple of days... now I'm paranoid that there might be another one and if it heals up without it draining then that could be a bad thing??? They don't seem worried about it at all, but I am!!!!!!

Anyway... I'm due for a fill next Tuesday, so I'm looking forward to that :) Can't wait to feel more restriced. Makes life so much easier when your brain just tells you to stop when you need to stop...

Not liking the amount of time off I've had to have so far.. but should be over soon enough I hope.

finally some good news

2009-11-13T10:33:00.002+08:00

I went into the ED last night and after a 4 hour wait they put me into a temporary bed where i stayed the night. The hospital staff hooked me up with antibiotics through a drip and said i'd have surgery early the next morning.

Got moved to the short stay unit at about 5.30am and was expected to go in about 9am or 10am. The surgeon came through to see me and it turns out the IV antibiotics seem to be doing what the tablets weren't and the infection is looking a bit better.

They came to the conclusion that they could probably save the port... Thus avoiding surgery Yay! They gave me a local and opened the wound the whole way up. Put somethig in to avoid it closing and chucked a dressing on it. They want me to stay here for a couple of days on the IV so i'm looking at leaving some time on Sunday. :)

2009-11-12T16:54:00.002+08:00

have to go back to hospital tonight. ED. :(

infectiony stuff

2009-11-12T14:13:00.002+08:00

Back to the hospital this afternoon.

Redness has moved up about 5-6cm and the lump seems to be joining it.

Called and was told to come in because they may need to drain it surgically.

When does it get better?

Scared...

2009-11-12T08:54:00.002+08:00

I just received this message from someone on LiveJournal, as I posted about whats happening on their wls community.

Hi there
just read your post in the WLS forum and believe me I can comiserate. I was originally banded June 08. About a month later I developed an infection at the site of my port. My GP prescribed anitbiotics. This past July I noticed that I could SEE the edge of my port. ooo bad news. I went to my surgeon and they gave me their prognosis. The band had to come out. After a year (and 110 lbs) I thought I might be ok. I was wrong. Emotionally I was a wreck and physically I followed suit. I was rebanded Sept this year and have just had my first fill. They relocated the port.

So what's my advise to you? Make sure that you get a broad antibiotic. I was on Keflex (sp?) but a nurse friend advised I might be better off on a broader one. Also the fact that you have a gapping hole leads me to believe they're gonna remove it. Seems that infection will travel along the tubing so that they have to remove it. But ymmv

Cheers and best of luck with it
Brent

...I don't know what to think... If I had to have the band taken out I would be absolutely shattered... heartbroken... broke for no reason... my god.. just thinking about has me in tears :( I would have no way to pay for this again.. I've just forked out 15,000 dollars for fucks sake.. WHAT THE FUCK. WHY IS ALL THIS SHIT HAPPENING TO ME????

I already just want to crawl into a hole and fucking die...

In all seriousness

2009-11-11T08:33:00.003+08:00

"It's serious".

When a doctor says it's serious, then it's pretty serious... right?

"We want to try and avoid the infection either moving to the band or to the port".

Right...

"I'll take a swap and send it away for testing so we can find out what kind of bug got in there"

To which he pushed the fuckin thing in so far it hurt like a bitch. At the same time he opened the hole more so it could drain better.

Drain better it did.

By the time I got home, I had to change it.

By the time I left for work this morning I had used 5 dressings and had to go buy another 6 from the chemist (at $14.95 for a 5 pack) to get me through the day.

I also got "the strongest prescription antibiotics" they had until they can figure out what exactly it is causing the infection.

The tablets are like fricken horse pills... but they are going down, so that's ok.

I'm in a hell of a lot more pain today... pressure pain mostly... I can feel the lump has gone upwards though, about half way to the port, so I hope that's not the actual infection moving up.. :(

If I start running a fever or get really bad pain or start bleeding, I need to call them straight away.

Wicked... and the bad luck continues... *roll eyes*

um...help

2009-11-10T15:43:00.000+08:00

Well.. it's now about 7 hours since I last updated and my infected incision has opened up about half a centimetre. and there is a big ass hole... I can see the whole 'incision line' because it's yellow, so I'm guessing the skin is VERY thin and its infected and yukky in there so it would continue to open up if I didn't see someone about it.

I called my surgeons rooms and they gave me the surgeons mobile number because she's not in and shes going to meet me there in about half an hour to see whats going on...

It's been oozing some major yukky stuff today.... GROSS!!!!

weeping on the inside...

2009-11-10T08:27:00.003+08:00

So yeah... I *KNEW* from the get go that something wasn't quite right with one of my incisions... After the first day or so I noticed a big lump under it... both my surgeon and a different doctor said its normal, especially on that one as that's the biggest hole in the muscle as the band goes through there....

But still.... it feels like the size of a golf ball... and you're telling me that's normal?

Woke up this morning.. it's red as shit and weeping hardcore... I think I used about 20 tissues... It's only weeping in one little section, but it's just constant... it's not really pus either, it's more a yellowy coloured clear kind of discharge... (isn't discharge just the worst word in the dictionary? Sounds so rank... discharge lol)

So I've booked an appointment with a doctor this afternoon at my local to get some antibiotics... looks like I'm going to have to try and get down a tablet somehow... crushing it is going to be severely disgusting, but I probably don't have any other choice... unless they can give me capsules with some form of powder that I can put with something. *sigh*

No wonder it's been sore for weeks... no wonder I still can't bend over without it hurting or sleep on my side without it hurting... I just KNEW it. bah humbug...

hip hip hooray

2009-11-09T15:10:00.001+08:00

Happy Birthday to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee =D

hell weird pains....

2009-11-05T13:47:00.003+08:00

I'm having some hell weird back pains today. I feel like the muscles in my back on the left side are cramped. No amount of stretching is making it feel better and painkillers aren't relaxing the muscles either...

Besides that, I'm feeling pretty darn good. I've had a dramatic improvement in what I can get down and am actually introducing a few things that are a bit more bulky in terms of food - obviously still taking it very safe, but I've already progressed from really mushy soggy foods to more wholesome but saucy foods or really dry crisp bread type foods (e.g. a Salada which goes mushy in your mouth anyway - hell yeah baby Vegemite finally comes back into the equation) I tell you what... I feel better now that I can actually chew properly.

I'm not even going to try with meat and all that until I have been approved to do so.. but things like angel hair pasta al dente is awesome as well as rice that isn't overcooked (with some type of sauce) -- I guess the best way to describe that is like... if I can chew it and it separates nicely in my mouth then it's OK. If it's in my mouth and when chewed it clumps together, then it's not worth trying to swallow because it's going to be a problem. So far, using that rule has worked for me. And so far, fizzy drink has also been fine (I gave a swig of coke zero a go and it was fine). Try everything once they say... find your limitations... if you have a problem with something, try again in a few months time.

In 2 and a half weeks I will be approved to eat solids, But at the same time I have an appointment for a fill... so the likeliness of me starting solids when I'm approved to do so is slim. I wouldn't want to risk it straight away for starters! I would rather get used to the level of restriction I have after the fill and then slowly build up to the solids and see what I'm comfortable with.

It's my Birthday next Monday and my Boyfriend is taking me on a river cruise with a 5 course meal and wine tasting - should be awesome. My 5 course meal won't be a 5 course meal, but that's OK. It's a lovely thought and should be lots of fun. :)

First Post-Op Apt!

2009-11-02T12:55:00.005+08:00

Had my first post-op appointment today and I'm happy to report I have lost 11.3kg :)

I've officially started mushies as of the weekend just gone, so it should be a fairly easy transition from now on.

I have my first fill in 3 weeks with Dr Taylor, so hopefully by then I will have some more good news! :)

Feeling about 85% normal. Turning point was Saturday. Wasn't able to do much up until then, but I managed to get a fair bit done Saturday and Sunday with barely any hassles.

Wondering whether I should name my band...lots of people seem to.. but I think it's a tad lame haha... but then again, I can be super lame at times... so maybe it could work out for me :P

Rest......ahhhhh

2009-10-27T20:51:00.002+08:00

Not much to say tonight. Stomach pain is less, but the pain and nauseous feeling from the dragging is still being a big problem. Not back to work yet, just trying to take it easy for now. :)

owieness

2009-10-24T15:20:00.002+08:00

Last night I had a REALLY bad night... I was up until about midnight because Aaron and his bro were 'hanging out' = meaning lots of booze and stupid computer games all night... yayyyyy lol

Anyways, being the one not drinking I was designated driver to maccas for a mighty angus meal at 11.30pm at night for the both of them. Got home after the boys were talking about cochroaches in the car (dont ask how they got onto that topic) and all of a sudden I had the urge to be sick... TMI but I even started the whole sliming process and knew if I didn't lay down straight away I would be dry heaving in no time and at risk of slipping the band...

Luckily the moment I laid on my back the pain and feeling went away... then I stood up again and it was back again... I'm wondering whether it could be because I had a big day and maybe the drag on my skin/stomach from the port cord could have been a bit much??? Any ideas?

This morning I have a very sensetive incision in one spot.. i feel a bit bruised up and when I stand I can feel a bit of a drag.. probably normal as everything else so far has been...but you know the story.. waiting for my bad luck to return lol

gone with the wind

2009-10-23T12:09:00.004+08:00

Couldn't resist the title. lol

I have been having a horrid time with wind the last few days. I always feel like there is a balloon stuck in my belly trying to escape through my chest. Fkn hurts i tell you what. As soon as i can get air out it comes straight back again and when i breathe in it's a sharp pain in my chest. Bah. Hate it.

That's just the UPside... The DOWNside is double trouble. I would have never believed in my entire life that i could play an entire song on the trumpet through my butt without taking a break. Not sure if it's a talent i want to keep, though. Might pass on the encore.

I'm counting down the days until i can get some solids into me. The liquids phase has it's downfalls which i don't want to get into too much detail about. Not pleasant.

I'll soldier on. :)

2 days post!

2009-10-22T08:18:00.002+08:00

Surgery went really well apparently. I was told that i got a perfect band placement, which is a great relief :)

I had a fair bit of pain when i got out and had several pain reliefs and none of them worked so had to go morphine - although it didn't work straight away, about half an hour later the pain was getting less and less.

I'm home now, day 2 post op. Feeling a bit sore still around my incision sites, mostly when i start moving around, but moving around also stops that from hurting as much as well. The one thing that is getting to me the most is when i'm standing or sitting or moving around i have the feeling like i want to burp and i can't - it's actually very painful. When i'm laying down, or at least sitting on an angle i can get the air out of my gut, but when i'm sitting up straight, it hurts a lot. :( i'm hoping that goes away soon.

I haven't had any problems with getting down liquids at all, so my stomach musn't be swollen much. Did find that jelly felt a bit weird and i didn't even want to risk that just yet, even though it basically melts down to a liquid so i left that for now.

Cant think of anything else for the time being so i'll leave it here :)

Lap Band Surgery Today!

2009-10-20T08:27:00.002+08:00

Today is the day... :\ See ya on the other side!

delayyyyyyyyyyyssssssssssssssssss

2009-10-15T12:56:00.003+08:00

I got the call back I was waiting for and now some things have changed.

I'm lucky in that my surgery didn't get delayed another week, but it still did get delayed a day. That's fine. A week I was a bit pissed about... but one day I can deal with. (Besides the fact I have to go into work on the Monday... boohiss)

The compromise was the hospital change as well as a surgeon change. I'm now going to the quoted hospital and I'm being operated on by a dude... but I realise that I don't mind as much as I did when I first enquired about it.

I've had continued bad luck with this whole thing... and I'm still feeling a bit uneasy about the anaesthetist being paid... First person told me I need to get someone to call up and pay... they then said I need to call back and get a quote so they can pay it... then I call back and the person says I don't need to do anything because COC takes care of it... but I will need to go to medicare and do this and that and then do that and this and....WTF. I'm just concerned now that something will go wrong and I'll get there and it won't be covered.

Sigh.

Post-Op Gastric Banding Eating Plan

2009-10-13T14:55:00.003+08:00

I also found this very interesting. I have one the doctor gave me, but this is a bit more descriptive so gives me a better idea of what I can have and shouldn't have.

Gastric band post-op eating plan

Immediately after your band has been placed, it is important to let it sit there quietly so that scar tissue can form around it, crucial to helping it fix in the correct position. If you were to eat a solid diet in the immediate post–op period, you stomach muscles squeeze and churn to break down the food and put stress and pressure on the band and any stitches holding it in position.

The band will limit how much food your stomach pouch can contain, but you are still 100% in control of what you put in your mouth, so you need to get to grips with a healthy eating plan if you are going to get the best results from your surgery. You can out–eat a band but this does seem pointless when you have put yourself through the major step of having surgery to control your obesity. Liquid calories (e.g. sugary drinks, alcohol) and melting foods such as chocolate and ice–cream are easy to eat with a band but over indulge in them and you will still be piling in the calories and you won't lose weight.

Whilst individual surgery centres do vary in their specific eating plan advice, here is general information and guidance for band patients.

The first four weeks

You will start taking sips of water the day of your operation and the following day will probably be able to take free fluids. Once you are taking fluids easily, you can progress to puree.

The most important aspect of your eating plan for the first four weeks after band insertion is to make sure all your food is pureed and that you eat it in small quantities (4–5 small meals per day). To start with, you probably won't even feel very hungry.

The texture should be like smooth baby food (a good test is that it should pour off a spoon) and this is most easily achieved by using a food processor or hand–held blender. You can also use a potato masher for soft vegetables and potatoes and a sieve and spoon is also useful to remove lumps and pips. When you puree food, extra fluid may need to be added to get the smooth consistency. For savoury foods you might like to use packet or cook–in sauce mixes, gravy or the cooking water from your vegetables. For fruit and desserts, fruit juice will loosen the consistency.
The size of your meals – about 100g, or 5–6 tablespoons is the correct amount. Ensure you eat this slowly and take small mouthfuls. For the main meal of the day, you might find it easier to purchase and puree a ready meal such as a Shepherds Pie or Fish Pie (potato top) and a one–person serving will usually be sufficient for two meals for you at this stage.
Stop eating as soon as you start to feel full. Because your pouch is at the top of your stomach, the feeling of fullness you will get is different to what you are used to – it is felt more in your chest than in your stomach. Some people describe it as a tightness, some as a heaviness.
Drink 1.5 litres of water (2 1/2 pints) every day. Take it in 100–200ml glassfuls between meals, not with your meals.

Example meals during this stage:

Breakfast	One Weetabix with milk or A tub of yoghurt or fromage frais or Three tablespoons of porridge or Ready Brek made up
Lunch	Smooth soup (about a cupful)or Scrambled egg
Dinner	Shepherd's pie or Fish pie or Chicken in white sauce or Mashed potato and cheese or Pureed vegetables and mashed potato
Between meal snacks (once per day)	Custard with stewed apple or mashed banana or Milk pudding (e.g. rice or sago) or Yoghurt or fromage frais
Fluids	Water (not fizzy) or Tea, coffee or skimmed milk or Fruit juice or Diet squash

Weeks four to six

Continue eating the same sort of food you were for the first four weeks, but it does not need to be pureed – mashing will make it the consistency of “toddler food”. It should be still fairly soft though and keep to the same small quantities and eating 4–5 times per day. Make sure you chew each small mouthful well.

After the first six weeks

You are now ready to continue on your long term eating plan. At six weeks your first band fill is usually done and you will start to feel the restriction your band is making around the top of your stomach. Remember, you are not just eating small amounts to reduce your calorie intake and lose weight, but you are aiming for a healthy nutritious eating plan as well. Each individual differs in the foods they can eat, but there are six golden eating plan rules to follow if you are dedicated to obtaining the greatest benefit from your gastric band:

Eat three meals per day – your new pouch at the top of your stomach empties slowly throughout the day and you should be satisfied eating three meals a day without getting hungry in between meals. Beware of developing 'grazing' eating patterns of small snacks throughout the day.
Eat healthy, solid food – soft food slips down easily and whilst this has the benefit of being less likely to block your stoma, you will likely end up eating more over the course of the day. Many soft foods are also higher in fat or carbohydrates and as a consequence you may be taking more calories than you should and your weight loss will slow down or stop. Choose solid foods without lots of sauce (e.g. small meal of chicken and vegetables) and you will eat less overall and stay full for longer.
Eat slowly and stop as soon as you feel full – Most obese people are used to rushing their meals and as there is a time lag from stretching the wall of your stomach and telling your brain you are full, you need to be careful with this one or risk blockage, pain or vomiting. Take tiny bites (cut meat up to the size of a pencil–top rubber) and chew each piece 10–25 times. At some point you will start to feel a tightness in your chest. Stop eating and if you are hungry again a few minutes later, have a little more.
Do not eat between meals – you should not need to eat between meals because of hunger if you are eating three sensible meals per day.
Do not drink at meal times – Liquids speed up the passage of food through the stoma and ruin the beneficial effect of slow emptying of food from your new stomach pouch. If you have a drink immediately before your meal you may also find that your stomach is still full and you can't eat your meal. So avoid fluids half an hour before your meals, and for one hour afterwards.
All drinks should be zero calories – As liquids do pass through your stoma so easily, calorie laden drinks, including alcohol, will simply add calories to your daily intake. Women need calcium, and this can be obtained from skimmed milk, but avoid juice, fizzy drinks (the gas can also cause considerable pain), squashes and milkshakes.

A healthy diet

There are five main food groups and a healthy diet comprises a mix of them:

Protein foods – such as meat, fish, eggs, beans – include 2–3 60–90g (2–3oz) portions per day. You will have to particularly careful to chew meat, chicken and fish up thoroughly before you swallow – the recommended bite size is the size of a pencil–tip eraser.
Milk and dairy – choose low–fat cheese and limit amount to 30–60g (1–2 oz). Choose skimmed milk and low fat yogurt varieties.
Fruit and vegetables – try to have 4–5 portions per day. A small glassful of unsweetened fruit juice counts as one portion. Salads tend to be easily digested by most people with bands, and vegetables are good and filling as well as nutritious.
Carbohydrates – bread, potatoes and cereals. For most people with properly restricted bands, this group is somewhat harder to digest so you develop an in–built mechanism to reducing your carbohydrate intake! Replace soft bread in your diet with granary or wholemeal, or crisp breads which are more easily digestible. One small portion of 60–90g (2–3oz) at each meal will be fine.
Fats and sugary foods – use a small amount of olive oil for cooking and replace puddings with a low fat yogurt. As mentioned before, beware of the soft calorie–laden foods such as chocolate, sweets or ice cream.

Problem foods

Some foods are not tolerated very well after band placement, or may block the stoma and cause you to vomit. This again is very individual and some foods cause a problem for one band patient, but not the next. Vegetables and fruits that contain stringy fibres are particularly prone to be problematic.

Asparagus – cut up very small or blend into soup
Pineapple – juice is ok, fruit may be difficult to digest
Rhubarb – cut up very small or puree
Broccoli – the stalks may be problematic
Dried fruits – will swell inside you and should be avoided
Oranges – juice ok, flesh may be problematic
Meat – needs to chopped very small and chewed thoroughly

Foods such as coconut, crisps and soft white bread are sticky and difficult to digest.

Nuts (such as peanuts, almonds, walnuts) and popcorn may also cause obstruction unless they are well chewed to a paste, and are probably best avoided.

For best weight loss

Limit the following foods:

High calorie drinks (full milk, milkshakes, alcohol, fruit squashes, juice
Cakes, biscuits and desserts
Cereals with added sugar
Fats and fatty foods – butter, oils, snacks foods (crisps, peanuts), chips
Creamy soups

Multivitamins after a gastric band

You do not have altered absorption of nutrients so if you are following a healthy diet, you should not become deficient in any vitamins or minerals. You will get most of your calcium requirements if you have three portions of dairy food in your diet each day (one portion = 1/3 pt milk, a matchbox-size piece of cheese or 1 pot yogurt).

In addition, whilst you are losing weight, you might like to take one multivitamin tablet daily – choose one that can be broken up into smaller pieces to swallow so that it does not become stuck in your band stoma. Most major multivitamin brands are suitable but avoid the capsule formulations. Suggestions are: Centrum Complete A-Z (still available in the non-chewable tablet format), Sanatogen Gold A to Z, Seven Seas Multibionta and Boots Adult Multi-vitamins.

Stuck in your stomach

If you have not followed your eating plan rules, you may get a piece of food stuck in your stoma which can be quite uncomfortable. The first advice is not to panic about it, as most times it will eventually dislodge again on its own accord. To help move the food item on, try taking tiny sips of a hot drink over a period of an hour. Some people recommend that this is the one occasion that coke is good to drink as the bubbles encourage your stomach to distend and dislodge the blockage. If 24hrs has gone by and you still have something stuck and nothing else is going down (or its coming straight back up) you need to attend your hospital for a temporary de-fill of your band to ease the problem.

Pre-Op Liver Reduction Plan

2009-10-13T14:44:00.008+08:00

I found this liver reduction plan on a website about obesity surgery. What a relief I can have /some/ solids during this pre-op eating plan.

I am basically having shakes & greens at the moment, besides some nights having a piece of fish or meat. Now I don't feel so bad about having the meat, as it turns out sugar and carbs are the main things that keep your liver at a larger size.

So for anyone else that may be on a liquid diet... I suggest that if you are desperate to eat something, then look at this list and choose wisely. I don't know whether I would follow the whole solid plan as I also want to gear myself up for the liquid weeks after surgery.

Pre-op liver reduction plan

Just because you are awaiting a surgical treatment for your morbid obesity, this is not an excuse to sit back and gorge out on as much food as you can! Any weight you can lose through dieting before your surgery is an advantage - it will make the surgery easier and will reduce the risks associated with it.

Some surgeons mandate a very restricted diet - one that is low in fat, sugar and carbohydrates - for one week prior to surgery and even if your surgeon doesn't ask you to follow this diet, doing so will increase your chances of your operation being completed laparoscopically because it will shrink your liver down in size. By following a strict diet, your body reduces its glycogen stores (glycogen is a form of sugar stored in the liver and muscles for energy). With each ounce of glycogen, the body stores 3–4 ounces of water, so when you follow a very strict diet, especially one that is low in starch and sugar, your body loses its glycogen stores and some water. The liver shrinks as it has less glycogen and water in it. This diet is only recommended for one week before surgery and is not to be followed post–operatively. It is quite possible you lose a lot of weight that week, but it will be mainly be water loss. Please ensure you continue to drink throughout the day.

Here are some menu suggestions:

Breakfast	Small bowl of cereal, or 1 slice of toast with a scraping of low fat spread
Lunch	1 slice bread or 2 crispbreads Small portion lean meat or fish, or Small portion cheese, or 2 eggs (not fried) Green salad (no dressing) or tomatoes
Dinner	Small portion lean meat or fish, or Small portion low fat cheese, or 2 eggs, or Tofu or Quorn based dish 1 small potato or 2 tablespoonfuls pasta or rice Vegetables (as many as you like except for root vegetables)
Daily	1/3 pint milk for use in drinks and on cereal 2 portions of fruit (e.g. apple, orange, banana, pear) Free water, tea, coffee, low calorie squash or fizzy drinks 1 low fat, low sugar yogurt or fromage frais

It's ok. Just calm down.

2009-10-12T15:40:00.003+08:00

I had to calm down a little before writing this..

I called around this morning trying to find out whether everything had been paid or not before going in next Monday.. I ended up having to call COC because no one knew anything. Turns out I was given the wrong quote, and by that I mean, they quoted me for the wrong hospital, and asked if I could delay my surgery AGAIN... another week...and pay an extra couple of grand. WHAT????

I told them that I would prefer not to change it since it's already been changed once because they gave me incorrect information in the first place, and I would prefer to stay at the same hospital and pay the money and have it done on the same day.

She said she would get back to me and let me know what they could do.

They said I could still go into the quoted hospital, with a different surgeon, and have it delayed one day instead of one week. And although that means I now have a male surgeon instead of a female surgeon, I just don't want to wait any longer. If it keeps being delayed a week here and a week there, I will end up still end up being on liquids during christmas... fuck that! I'm already giving away my Birthday celebrations for this damn thing... I don't want it to ruin my christmas as well :(

So i'm going in this afternoon to get my final appointments, to sign some stuff and from there it should be OK. Talk about getting a bucket full of bad luck for this whole thing. Next thing I'll be in recovery being told that they couldnt put the band on or something :(

Pre-Op diet news

2009-10-06T14:35:00.001+08:00

Still finding this "optifast" plan hard to follow. Not as much as originally, but i'm dying to chew. That's all I want to do... chew... That being said, I could chew on green vegetables... but i'd rather chew on my sock than green vegetables... So the blended soup is coming in handy - it's actually delicious!

I have been thinking that today I could have been at home resting, recovering, after my surgery yesterday. I wish I had the correct information to begin with.. But I suppose it's a good thing... work has been really hectic the last week or so... They are launching the new brand next Monday, so I've been so busy getting things organised.

Will leave it at that for now. Work calls. :(

D:

2009-10-01T13:34:00.002+08:00

I've hit 2pm and haven't had my lunch shake yet... I'm actually not hungry at all right now (just wait, 2min after I type this I will be lol... it's all physchological I swear >.<) ...so I might not even have to eat the apple like I anticipated. I know it's because the coffee and muffin - but that being said, when I was eating normally and having the coffee and muffin I was still hungry at lunch time. I'm going to count it as a good thing, because if I can get through the next 3 weeks feeling like this then I will be happy. I'm not /too/ fussed about losing the actual 10kg number... I just want my liver size to be smaller so they are ok to do the surgery.

Day 2 of the Shake diet... ARGGGHHHH!!!!

2009-10-01T08:07:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I struggled big time... I had 3 shakes, 1 apple, three sugar free lollies and a bowl of Zucchini, Broccoli, Leek and Potato soup.... Mild on the Potato obviously... I put it in more for consistancy... Then snuck a few more spoonfuls of soup about half an hour later... and then a couple more before putting the rest in the fridge... can't hurt that much right? It's vegetables... :\

I wasn't supposed to have the apple, but I was ravishing... I needed SOMETHING to get me through the afternoon. I had my brekky shake about 7am, lunch shake about 12.30 and by 2.30 I was dying...

Today I had my first shake when I got to work... still sipping actually... 10 past 8 at the moment - half way through. Will try and push my lunch time shake out until about 1pm. I brought my third shake with me today, so if I'm dying in the afternoon I will have it before 5pm and then have my soup when I get home... Hopefully then I can cut out the apple - but I do have it with me just in case... I feel really sick and nauseous when I have nothing in my stomach and the acid goes crazy... Producting too much acid in the stomach runs in my family. Thank god for Zantac tablets!

Soup soup....I have enough soup to get me through until hmm.. Sunday? I'll whip up another batch and maybe just put in 1 Potato instead of 2. I had a whole head of broccoli, 3 Zucchini's and one massive Leek though so the greens definitely take over... Gotta say though, yum yum! Couldn't eat them whole... taste so much different when blended with a little vegetable stock!

Don't know if anyone else will read this, but here's the recipe I used - you can add half a head of cauliflower if you like, but not sure if that follows the 'greens' thing?

3 decent sized Zucchini's
1 large Leek
1 head of Broccoli
2 small Potatoes
2 Litres of water
2 heaped teaspoons of vegetable stock (Vegeta is the best!)
1 chicken stock cube (I used an OXO cube)

Boil all for about half hour to 40min until everything is soft...

Blend the shit out of it until its smooth and there you go! :) Green soup! Very tasty...

2 days down... 19 to go.

Apparently after the 2nd or 3rd day you stop feeling hungry because you go into starvation mode... um... that can't be a GOOD thing can it? hello eating disorder! I swapped the 'optislim / optifast' shakes with Tony Ferguson ones because I know they have some extra good things in them (nutrients etc) to keep you going.

Speaking of TF, I have decided that I will do TF after my lap band surgery - perhaps not hardcore, because with the band you lose weight anyway by eating normally.. but more to keep me on track... so I still have a lifestyle change instead of just losing because I'm putting less in my body. This being said, my weekends I will relax and just have whatever is going - within reason. The band will stop me from overeating whatever it is I'm faced with... and during the week while I'm at work, I will be a good girl :)

Honesty

2009-09-30T12:54:00.000+08:00

I had an appointment with my Surgeon yesterday. This ended in bad news which later turned out to not be so bad.

Basically my surgery has been delayed for 2 weeks extra. I've gone up in weight to 159.7 so they can't go ahead with it until I do a few weeks of a shake diet so my liver is smaller. I know that's not a massive deal, but it was a big enough deal for me to have a bit of a cry. I've been living it up a bit...so I know why I've put in a bit of weight... "Last Supper" so to speak.. but I didn't expect the delay. Bummer..

I was told the wrong information in regards to a pre-op diet. I was told that I needed to go on a shake diet for a week before my surgery. Turns out it has to be about 2 - 3 weeks! So they couldnt keep me booked in for the 5th have have now rescheduled to the 19th.

I started my pre-op shake fest today and I tell you now I'm HATING it. It's 1pm, people have been heating up their lunches, and OMG it smells so so good and all I have is a stinking shake!

It's going to be so hard, but it's only 3 weeks, then I get the band and it will be easier from there.

On a positive note - I've almost gone through 1.5 litres of water and its only early afternoon. Only another 500 or so mils to go :)

*tummy grumbles*

Last weekend was a long weekend and we went down to see Aaron's Dad in Albany.. we had dinner out a few times and partied it up a bit because of the AFL grand final. Wouldn't have been able to do that if I was on a pre-op diet, now would I?

So that's my positive out of the negative.

I need to do more of this kind of thinking in the future... Get a positive out of a negative and it won't seem so bad!

3381kj intake for today. (805 Calories.)

Nervous..

2009-09-23T02:17:00.000+08:00

I'm starting to feel very nervous about the surgery now. It's two weeks away and being the negative thinker I am, I'm worrying about whether it will work for me or not. It has a very high success rate, but there are people that have failed because they don't follow the rules and stretch their pouch or just eat crap. I know that I won't ruin this for myself in THAT way, but I guess the thing that worries me the most is if I get a blockage and vomit and move the band and then its worthless :( (TMI sorry lol)

Emotionally and mentally I think I might struggle a bit. Learning a new way of thinking after being so negative all my life is going to be extremely difficult. I have very low self worth, confidence and esteem. My friend Karl has suggested that I have some hypnotherapy... to target some problem areas and perhaps get that controlled. I've always been a bit partial to believing that sort of thing works, but I guess it's worth a try, so I may look into that a little later down the track.

Dietitian appointment went well. Got my information about how to eat after the surgery. 6 weeks basically on fluids/mush... I'm going to go bonkers! I should hopefully lose a decent amount of weight in that time though. :)

Ugh

2009-09-23T00:46:00.000+08:00

Three weeks before surgery.

Eep

2009-09-22T02:05:00.000+08:00

2 weeks to go.... eep.

Dietitian appointment this afternoon. Surgeons appointment next Tuesday. Surgery following Monday.

:\

Pre-Op Stuff

2009-09-17T00:23:00.000+08:00

I had my physician appointment yesterday morning - went well. Nothing wrong with me except I'm a fatty and my liver enzymes are up a bit (whatever that means)- apparently it's 'common' for overweight people though, so she wasn't too worried... blood pressure, thyroid, cholesterol etc is all normal... as were the other blood tests I had done.

I have my psychologist appointment today at 4. I suppose this is going to be the brain side of it all - can expect a few tears probably... pretty sensitive when it comes to my weight. Suck it up princess :)

I just CANNOT believe how quickly this is going.... It's phenomenal. I first enquired mid August. It's now mid September and I have my surgery in UNDER 3 weeks. So all up, the whole process for me pre-op will have been just over 2 months... It still hasn't quite sunk in yet. It's taken so much longer for others I have spoken to, but I am thrilled to pieces and can't wait to go in :)

All this being said, I am paying for it at full cost (between 17 and 18 thousand dollars - on finance at $140 a week repayments). I have health cover, but I don't want to wait until mid next year for my surgery. I know that's probably a stupid idea, but at the end of the day, I have waited all my life for this and 8 months is a long time.... I can lose a decent amount of weight in that time... that is what is important to me.

My Mum will shoot me in the knees when she finds out about how much it costs. But out of everyone, she wants this for me the most, and she has wanted this for me since my doctor first told me about it years and years ago - I have struggled with my weight my whole life - I cant remember a time in my life when I was a healthy weight range. I was always fed proper meals with good nutrition while growing up; but for some reason, I just kept ballooning. Anyways... we just never had the money to go through with it. At the end of the day I know I have her full support and that's all that matters.

My boyfriend is extremely supportive, and I love him for this but I am a bit worried how my moods will fluctuate after the surgery - i have read a lot of things from people who have had WLS about their hormones being all fucked up for a while afterward....great.... I thought I was a bitch when PMS'ing... I hope he can deal with it and stick by me. But he's pretty easy going so I'm sure he will be fine... he has put up with me so far... and it hasn't been an easy road...

My employer is also extremely supportive... I've only been at APC for about 2 months and they have no problem with me taking time off for my appointments. I really appreciate their support and appreciate them not being nosey about it and wanting to know all the details. I know there are a lot of employers out there who are extremely retarded when it comes to people taking time off... regardless of the reasons.. and always want to know the ins and outs of everything.

Anywhoo :) I'll leave it at that for now. :)

It's started!

2009-09-09T23:30:00.000+08:00

I have been enquiring about a lap-band over the last few weeks. I have had one surgeons appointment already and I applied for medical finance through Circle of Care as the bank wouldn't lend me the extra 10k on top of my car loan. Turns out I am just under 160kgs :(

Sigh.. Anyway, today my finance got approved.

it's like... $15,600 :\ So its a lot of money... pay back $140 a week.... Not bad I suppose :\ Thats big news. Means I'm going ahead with it now. It still needs to sink in.