Australian Bandsters Chat Thread

[susannah]

Hi Everyone,
Rava and Lisa, The liquid stage can be hard in terms of being hungry. I stuck with pure liquids, but I have heard people say that they liquidized spaghettii bolognaise etc for more substance. I tried to drink water also and keep myself busy. It will not be long until you can go for a fill. Hang in there.

Blythe, 29 days!:clap2: Yay! You will be joining us all soon in these shananingans.:biggrin1:

Anna, What job are you going for? Don't worry about the weight gain, just get them to give you a small fill and you will be back on track again.

Everybody else I hope you are all well. I am feeling really well and happy these days.:clap2: A friend of mine has been asking me to think about going to Israel for a holiday to see if I would like to live there for a while. I think it could be good, although my Hebrew is very limited, and I would have to learn the language completely.
Another consideration is the fact that my surgeon is here, and my follow up care is here. I am sure they have the medical staff over there to treat me, but I feel very happy with my care here. Maybe I will consider it in a few years time when I have lost all my weight and I only have to have follow ups every six months etc.
Hugs to all
Susannah

[blytheswideshut]

Susannah - A friend of mine recently relocated to Israel, and she's loving it. I am seriously considering visiting her in the next year or so. Living overseas always seems so exotic, so sophisticated (no matter what the country is) I've longed to do it myself - but find that I just couldn't even begin to imagine where to start! anyhoo OT!!

Next week is my last week of pre-band food eating. I've decided to start Dr Mccleod's (similar to Tony Ferguson) three weeks before surgery instead of two - because it's not quite as "severe" as Optifast. So I'm taking it easy next week...b u t...I want to eat a little of all the foods I'm saying goodbye to...a ritual so to speak. I'm sure many people will say this is crazy, not what the band is for etc...but there are many foods I WANT to leave behind.

Of course there are some foods I want to eat just in case I can't eat them any more - steak, bread, creamy pasta, raw carrots, apple with the skin on - that sort of stuff.

I don't see it as a last supper type of thing, more of a ritual to take me forward into a new phase of my life.

* sorry for the long post about...well nothing really!*

[Rava]

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I didnt give more info in my previous post! With my surgeon it wasnt required to see a dietician, however I had been seeing one three months prior to surgery to see if we could work out a weightloss program for me. I havent seen her since getting the band, but I think I will make another appt very soon!

I actually saw my surgeon today, for my first post op appt, and spoke to him about the food information. Apparently I should have been given a booklet and recipe sheets before leaving the hospital to help me on my way, so he wasnt a happy camper!

Weightloss to date is 7kg, and I was in shock when I also received my first fill from him as well!!

I had 5mls put in, (that stayed in) but he did say that my band was tight as it started pushing saline back up into the syringe! Has this happened to anyone else?

Healing wise he said Im a champion and that he has never seen scars look so good.

I was advised to stick to liquids for the next 2 days, whilst allowing my tummy time to adjust to the fill, and then I can do mushies for 2 - 5 days if needed, and then back to solids. Again advised to stay away from bread and red meat for now (first week) and then see how I go.

So thats me in a nutshell for today :)

Lisa - thanks so much for your offer *hugs*

[susannah]

Hey,
Blythe, Go ahead and have a few naughty things before you get banded.;)
I found Optifast ok. maybe I am a freak!:biggrin1:
Rava, Well done on the 7kg weight loss. Be careful when you go back on to solids with 5mls in your band. I had 4.5 mls and had vomitting and pain and had to get unfilled to 2mls.
Susannah

[Jachut]

Wow, its been a while since I checked in. I've been so so busy with uni, two big assignments due. I had to do a "multimodal artifact" for language and literacy and its taken a long time. I did a big powerpoint presentation, basically a digital storybook, 100 photos, all narrated telling the story about the cultural and socioeconomic influences on children's developing literacy - basically how a child like my daughter Eliza has it all on a platter (white middle class home, educated parents etc) whereas some children really really struggle and may not even speak English at home. I'm so proud of it, I put my heart and soul into it and its a technological masterpiece, all my hyperlinks work! I even printed a label for the CD so its got a gorgeous pic of Lizey on it. Its something we're going to work on in 3rd and 4th years and add to and then will form a part of our teaching portfolio, so a very important project. And its FINISHED!!!!

Next week I start teaching rounds, so will be busy for a while yet.

I really really want to try not to disappear now I'm at goal weight. Although wouldnt you know it, the minute I decide I'm done I lost another kg, lol.

I got so much support and help from here I want to make sure I give some back.

Hope you're all well, I had my 2nd ever PB the other night on takaway Nasi Goreng. But it was worth it, lol.

[She Smiles]

Wow Jacqui your project sounds great!! Congrats on getting it done!

I booked in today to get another fill next Wednesday. I'm going to ask my fill Dr to take all my fill out and see whats in there. I've been eating like a horse, and that means one of two things, I need more fill, or my pouch is stretched. I'm praying that its the first!!

[Clairekitten]

Hi Everyone :)

I have just joined LBT and wanted to say to you all. I live in Melbourne and have not so long ago begun my lap banding journey.
My doctor is Dr Nottle in Williamstown and I have completed all the pre op tests and am booked in for the op on May 22nd :D My BMI is 44, so I have alot of work to do, and so will my poor band.

Thanks to the help from the ladies on the yahoo forums, I took the option of paying for it with my super fund, as I couldn't physically handle the really long wait.

It's great there are sites like this to chat to other people who are going through or have been through the same things.

Good luck to anyone who has an op date soon :clap2:

Claire

[tarajane]

Hi Girls, wouldnt it be nice to have some fellow posting??
You are all doing so well, it is lovely to hear what is going on in everyones world too.
Goanna - it's nice to be missed, that speaker sounded fantastic, would have loved to have been there along with vicki who was on the girls getaway with me, but friends mum died couple of weeks ago so felt I needed to be with her. You will have to fill me in on it all when we next meet. Shame about the clothes still being around, I am sure someone would fit them perfectly. I am between a 14 - 16 now so feeling great. There is talk of a get together down Frankston/ Mornington way mid May so if it happens maybe you can bring them along there.
How is the new job application going?
Susannah - how envious of you I am. having the chance to go over to live in Israel. Dont worry you wont be lonely, i am sure you will have a lot of visitors coming to visit you over there.

Claire kitten - welcome, you will be on your road to the new you before you know it. Do you live down williamstown way? My daughter in law is on Mr Nottle's waiting list to be bandend at willy.

Jacqui - your assigment sounds amazing, well done. I know a few adults who went to uni post children and they all absolutely love their teaching careers.

Rava, Blyswideshut and She smiles and Lisa, i love reading your posts congrats with your success and good wishes for the rest of your journey.

[bronnie70]

Did you all forget someone!!!!???? ME :think
There i was checking into the Melbourne Thread every couple of days and thinking you were all a boring mob as no-one was posting anymore. I didnt realize you'd all disappeared to another thread. Anyway ' she smiles' let me know and here i am....
no body luvs me , every body hates me, think i'll eat some worms.....mmmmm.... better not they probably will just come back up...
Now that im back..... Hello!!!
all is going well. the weight loss is going a bit slow but hopefully that will change after my 2nd fill on the 4th may.

[Clairekitten]

Hi Tarajane,
I live in West Footscray which isn't too far from Williamstown :)

Bronnie your doing great 9kg so far is really good, just think your nearly a third of the way there already :)

[tarajane]

Bronnie - of course I still olve you, just thought you didn't love me cos you werent joining us here.:)

[She Smiles]

Yeah Bronnie, I'd wondered where you'd gotten too aswell stranger! Glad that you're back!! Hope that your fill next week makes some difference for you!

Meredith

[Jachut]

Originally Posted by Chickie

Ok, I had a long heart-on-my-sleeve type post written out, but I prefer this;

I too feel ignored at times. But I am sorry if I have ignored you Fee. I get a bit wrapped up in myself at times... I didn't post on the other tread, mostly because I felt I had little to add.

I actually feel like that a lot here at LBT. Although I have been there and done that, and am now at a point where I am maintaining, people prefer to get their advice from someone who knows / has experienced as little as they have.

I don't feel offended by this, I just wonder why sometimes.

Couldnt agree more. Just try telling people that its not imperative to eat 700 grams of protein a day round here or that you can actually eat more than 800 calories a day and lose weight and see what sort of response you get. F... off would be probably the most apt way to sum it up.

I always love to see you around Fee, having seen your name pop up in ages. Dont stew on things, just come back and join in.

[Chickie]

Originally Posted by Jachut

Couldnt agree more. Just try telling people that its not imperative to eat 700 grams of protein a day round here or that you can actually eat more than 800 calories a day and lose weight and see what sort of response you get. F... off would be probably the most apt way to sum it up.

Yeah, I saw that... I am often amused by the people who take in so much protein because they don't want their hair to fall out. I have never really kept track of protein, and I still have a thicker than thick head of hair. Wouldn't 70 odd grams of protein a day be hard on the kidneys?

And 800 calories a day? How the hell are these people going to survive long term? The idea of the band is to restrict, not starve.

But yeah, you are dead on. We would be told to get f%@#$d.

[Jelewis56]

Hello, I live in northern Victoria and I am being banded in 17 days. I am currently on day 11 of the Optifast diet. Weight loss is good to date but am finding it quite tough to stay focussed when the tummy is saying "give me proper food!" Hope it is okay to join the thread.