i haven't read all the responses but am confused...
if you are able to lose 5kg on a diet before surgery (my cousin did this also, and it also confused me) then doesn't that prove that you CAN lose weight without the surgery...?
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i haven't read all the responses but am confused...
if you are able to lose 5kg on a diet before surgery (my cousin did this also, and it also confused me) then doesn't that prove that you CAN lose weight without the surgery...?
Sush,
Good luck hun, I have had my pre appointment with the nurse to take down my detailed history and a very comprehensive history on my eating habits. My next appointment is in 2 weeks with the surgeon. I need a tool to help me manage my weight for the rest of my life.
Good luck again, I will be waiting to read your blog to see how what recovery is like. (the only thing that is really scaring me atm)
Bec
ETA: What was your BMI like I am just on the edge of the critera ..its like I am too fat for life but not fat enough for banding, I have spoke to another surgon who will do it but it is another hr away rather be near home
I dunno if I've already posted in here, but my DF had the lap band surgery exactly a year to the day today. He has been disappointed that he's not lost as much as he was hoping, but his doctor said that it'll be like that at first, and then the weight drops off afterwards provided you excerise and eat right. To this day, he's lost a grand total of 55kgs from before and after the surgery. I'm very proud of him.
Good luck with everything - I'll keep you in my prayers :pray:
Emma,
losing weight can be easy. Keeping it off is the hard part.
I lost 5kgs on a pre-operation diet by replacing 2 of my three daily meals with Optifast. I think if you can manage to do that for the rest of your life, you're a better person than I am. I have never been so hungry as I have been this last 3 weeks, and I was lucky in that because I has a 'borderline' BMI of 35, it was on a less strict diet. There are those who are only allowed to have 3 serves of Optifast (less than a cup full) and a cup of veg all day for their pre-op diet. And that, I imagine is really hard. And yet I expect, like me, the only thing that keeps them on the pre-op diet is knowing they won't have to do it forever, just until their operation date.
(By the way, it is not recommended that anyone stay on Optifast for more than 12 weeks because it starts to lose it's effectiveness. It says so on the box.)
So I do see people who show commitment and willpower. They just know that if they need commitment and willpower for the rest of their lives, they will likely fail. There will also always be those who believe getting a band means they can eat what they like, but many successful banders go about their business quietly losing the weight and changing their lives.
And just to point out, since I admitted in this thread that I am having lapband surgery, I've had msgs from members who have either had lapband surgery or know of people who have successfully had lapband surgery, who have lost and kept the weight off - some for many years. Yet even now most won't tell people about it because of the stigma involved.
Minky, my BMI when I started out was around 37 but it's now 35. But my surgeon will band anyone down to a BMI of 31. Studies are showing that it is actually far more effective for those who have 20-30kgs to lose than for those who have more than that to lose. There is also a shift in the culture of it, where Drs are starting to believe that if it looks like you've struggled with weight all your life, better to band you now at a BMI of around 35 than to wait until your weight is so out of control you have more than 50kgs to lose. Good luck with your appointment.
LizJessie, 55kgs is a phenomenal amount! Send my congrats to your DH. I know it's frustrating when the weight loss is slow, but if he's still losing and not gaining, then he's going great guns!
Sounds like a few people are coming out the woodwork in this thread too. :)
WOW it has been very interesting reading everyones experiences. I would just like to throuw in that I found a great bok titles The Lap Band Solution by Paul O'Brien. He is one of the MD's who created the Lap Band and placed the first Lap Band in Australia. Full of info on working out if this is for you and info on the procedure.
BearJust wanted to say that I think your doing great with your whole food approach, Im glad that it has really worked for you and Pixie, best of luck with your new bub.
SusheeJust wanted to wish you all the best for your procedure. I'm looking forward to reading about how it all goes.
Macca, LOL! I was just coming back to edit my post because I forgot to tell you to try to get your hands on that book!
I don't have any experience of this. Thebear, you and i have a somewhat similar approach to life i think, though i simply cannot afford to go as wholefoods as you are (financially, i'm on welfare) i do try to focus on eating simple unprocessed foods and exercise is the ABSOLUTE key for me. At this point in time i have accepted that my body has not read the government guidelines on how much exercise "should" help me stay in shape. I begin to gain if i do less than at LEAST 4 gruelling-sweating-really-pushing-it exercise a week. That is on top of my average walking mileage of about 25miles, 20 of which with DD (15kg) in the meitai on my back + shopping etc. and all the normal park/running about/housework involved in being a SAHM. When i do the daily plate or king calorie trials it looks like i have to run a 200/kcal DEFICIT to MAINTAIN weight. I love food, so i do it with exercise. I also have a thyroid problem which is medicated. Getting on meds for the condition was the biggest factor in losing my excess 20kg. My BMI is about 24-25 just now, which is pretty normal for me, though i'd like to be about 7kg lighter, they are "vanity" kg - the only "health" aspect is that i have heavily muscled thighs and any excess fat on them makes them rub together at the top which is uncomfortable when i run in short shorts. I'm living with that though! LOL. I'm also aware that probably 3kg of the 7kg i feel is excess is muscle so perhaps i should think more of 4kg of fat needing to go?
But since i am already, at a normal weight, in a place where i accept that intense cardio work and resistance training is going to have to be a DAILY part of my life, i can well imagine that if i was overweight enough that doing that exercise was impossible or difficult, i would certainly consider ALL my options, including surgical ones.
Anyway, this has been a big ramble, but what i mainly wanted to do was post a cordial invitation for ANYONE on a weightloss or weight maintenance journey to pop over to the exercise routines, tips and chatter thread for some great advice and stonking support. Some days it's all that gets me moving :D
Sush - you have to wait a few weeks until your doc gives you the ok, sorry! :D
Bx
Bx,
I've told DH I want to try the couch to 5km challenge once I've lost my first 10kgs (not including the 5 I've already lost), so I will be in like flynn once I get my Dr's all clear to exercise. Will need all the motivation I can get!
Also registered for the City To Surf, but only the 4km walk, because it's 4 weeks out from surgery. Should be easy enough, DH and I walk a lot anyway. Already decided that we've got to start training for the 12km leg next year.
So true! Take McDonalds for example. The chips and softdrink do nothing but make you hungry, the burger buns have 8 teaspoons of sugar (and therefore make you hungry), the meat is fatty, and most importantly (I think) - you barely have to chew. Chewing sends a message to your brain that you're becoming full, but with fast food, you hardly have to chew it and so that message isn't reached. Also, your body doesn't have to work hard at all to extract the energy (and, theoretically, nutrients) which means you get hungry faster. The whole fast food thing is designed to make you eat more, and the more you eat, the hungrier you get. When you are full, because the food is so easily digested, you're hungry again soon after anyway. It's a total scam!:
I think it runs much deeper than that - sure, there are some well documented chemical feedback mechanisms - sugar enhancing appetite, fat making you feel full, etc - but I think there is a more fundamental issue, food has become too convenient.
Food should not be convenient, it reduces the psychological value of the food. This is a difficult thing to explain, try this as a simple test:
Buy a bag of frozen peas (I think frozen peas are really good for you as a food item, this test is all about convenience)
Set out what you think is a reasonable portion for you, weigh the portion, then cook them simply.
I tend to steam them over some boiling water, then add a little salt, pepper and butter before serving.
Now try buying some fresh peas, still in their pods from your grocer (supermarkets rarely carry them)
Sit down and shell the peas into a bowl by hand, until you think you have a reasonable portion. Don't throw away the pods, they can be used to make a soup.
Weigh the peas and then cook the peas the same way as you did before.
You should discover two things:-
1. That there may not be any difference in the portion sizes - chances are you will make more effort to accurately judge the amount you require if there is more work involved.
2. You should feel satisfied more quickly when you eat the second dish, and probably feel the need to eat less of them as a result.
Scientifically there is nothing to choose between the two plates of food - frozen peas are arguably more nutritious than all but the freshest of fresh peas. The only difference is in your head.
One of the key things with lap banding, is that it makes all food less convenient - you can work around it by 'grazing' on lots of small meals, or by doing stupid things like blending mars bars - but it is a lot, less convenient than it was before.
But you do need to ask yourself if the right way to deal with the modern diet is to artificially cripple yourself.
Hoobley - it's much harder in the UK as the supermarkets do have much more of a strangle-hold on the food supply and have discovered that if they process and package everything then they massively increase their margins - so they actively make it difficult for you to buy unprocessed food from them by charging a huge premium for it.
You might want to investigate other sources of produce - most councils still have allotment schemes running, even if you can't spare the time to grow your own, there is often surplus produce that cannot legally be sold - many growers are happy to give it away if you make it easy for them. It's also well worth finding out about local farmer's markets when you can buy directly from the growers - nobody wants to take unsold food home with them at the end of the day, so go at the end of the market and haggle...it will be better and cheaper than the supermarket.
Morning folks, great to see a lively conversation going here! I just wanted to say Hoobley you're doing such a great job with all that exercise, especially when you've got a thyroid condition.... don't forget that the BMI is a pathetically blunt instrument, not a worthwhile measure of health, and takes no account of weight from muscle so I wouldn't use it as a yardstick of your health. Sounds like you're doing a fantastic job taking care of yourself so keep up the good work.
Look forward to hearing others' thoughts and experiences....
My mum had to do this. Most miserable three weeks of her life!! However, she did lose 8 kgs pre-op because of this.:
There are those who are only allowed to have 3 serves of Optifast (less than a cup full) and a cup of veg all day for their pre-op diet. And that, I imagine is really hard.
Sushee - I shall do. My DF wouldn't shut up when I was posting my piece in your blog and on here and I kept telling him to shut up so I can leave the message! He's slowly losing 2kgs every month, and he's not happy with it, but I'm estatic because it's something he *should* be proud of. We get out and excerise whenever we see each other (he's a school teacher and I'm a shift worker) for motivation. The doctor also did tell him that it's ok to still gain a kilo or so because it'll happen, but the overall loss he's had has been remarkable. He went from being 195kgs to 140kgs (though he doesn't think anyone can see that!)
amysarah - I know the suffering your mum went through. My DF was so so so depressed and down that he could only have the Opti-fast before the surgery and it got so bad to the point that he actually cried.. Poor thing!
Liz my mum is also slowly losing weight. She has lost 15kg in 3 months but that includes her 8kgs lost pre-op while on optifast.
I think the idea is that the weight comes off slowly. There are many problems associated with massive amounts of weight lost in a short period of time (including saggy skin) which is why the doctors prefer for patients to lose the weight in small amounts over time. I guess it also means people have time to adjust to the new lifestyle and eating habits as well.
Your DF has done an AMAZING job!!! Please tell him congrats from me.
Prior to the op my mum had severe sleep apnea (sp?) and was required to sleep with an oxygen mask. At the sleep lab she had nearly 400 apnea's in one night which is so incredibly scary. It is now three months since her op and she no longer needs to sleep with oxygen :dance:
AmySarah - Yeah, that's the same with DF. He lost 45kgs before the Op with the (the pre-op diet) Opti-Fast diet (which he hated, but still has the milkshakes cause he really enjoys them) and has lost 10kgs in a year, which he's pi$$ed about, but I'm always trying to tell him that the doctor DID say he'd lose the weight slowly. Yesterday was a year to the day that he had the surgery (he proposed to me the day before the surgery because he wanted me to know how important I was to him in case anything happened to him in the operating theatre - his words, not mine!) and he's still happy that he's losing it, he's just annoyed that it's slowly.
I will definitely pass on my congrats to him for you as well :) Pass on my congrats to your mum not needing to sleep with oxygen! That's a big achievement especially in three months!
One of the things I did realise about myself when I lost 10 kgs last year was that when I spent a lot of time looking for healthy foods and a lot of time preparing my meals, I became a little bit obsessed with food - finding it, preparing it, eating it. It took a lot of time out of my day. Which was fine back then when I was on maternity leave, but now I work 7.30am to 4.30pm, get home at around 6pm, cook, clean, put my baby to bed, then study from 8.30pm to 10.30pm. Then I flake out to start it all again the next day. In between that somewhere I also try to exercise 3 times a week, even if it's only a 30 min walk.
What makes me eat atm is hunger, otherwise I reckon I'd forget to eat. And the lapband controls hunger - so to me, that's perfect! Only eat as much as you need to feel full, except with the band it's 1/2 cup instead of a big plate.
The thing is, TheBear, I think you're doing a marvellous thing. And it's not like I haven't BTDT. But here I am back in the start. There is something very disheartening about falling off the wagon over and over again. I don't need to hear that eating better and moving more will solve my problem. I've tried that all my life. I have never been on a 'fad' diet ever. I've always tried to lose weight sensibly, but it doesn't stay off permanently.
So please don't doubt that it took me a lot of research and some real balancing of the pros and cons to have made the decision I have. If crippling my hunger is what is going to happen, then I'm ready for that.
And don't get me wrong, I think everyone should use the band as a last resort. It's MY last resort.
Hi Sushee
I completely understand that you feel this is something that you need to do. In the Bear's case, we looked at this procedure and decided it wasn't for him. What he's doing now is working for him and for us. He is extremely healthy and doesn't have a family background of heart disease or diabetes to be concerned about. He had to see a cardiologist to get his pilot's licence (purely on the basis of his weight) and the cardiologist couldn't believe how strong his heart was and wanted to show his ECGs to students!
In your case you have done a lot of research and satisfied yourself this is for you. What I get worried about is people who see this as a quick fix, a magic bullet like you said before and are tempted to rush into it without looking at all the consequences, especially people who don't have any existing health problems other than being a bit overweight. Our society is obsessed with weight and IMO promotes a body shape which is unhealthy for probably 90% of the female population at least. Health is more important than being skinny but our society does not see it that way and for some people that pressure can be hard to resist when they don't fit the image.
I wish you all the best with it and I hope you will let us know how it goes for you.
Pixie,
I think discussion is healthy, and it's been great seeing the many sides of the issue.
When I first saw this thread, I jumped in because I've done a lot of research, and already knew that this was not going to be some quick fix. I think there is a perception sometimes that this is an easy way to lose weight, but it's not.
I agree with you that bariatric surgery should be used to treat obesity-related health problems, and not for cosmetic purposes. And if anyone seriously believes they will wake from the operation as a thin person, they need to do more research. There are loads of cosmetic surgeons who can reduce your fat, but a lapband will never be a cosmetic procedure. Obesity is a real health issue, and for every one person who does it thinking it will magically make them skinny, there will be 49 others who are doing it for all the right reasons. There is so much prep involved, that if you go into it believing it is a magic bullet after all the counselling and Dr's appts, then you're deluded and no one can help you with that anyway. :)
I guess what I'm saying is that while I don't consider myself an advocate of the lapband, I do believe it is a viable tool to assist in treating obesity, and have heard so many people tell me that all I have to do is eat less/move more to lose weight that I feel sometimes there is no empathy for those who've tried it all and have now taken this big decision to seek medical intervention for their problem.
So if someone is looking at all their available choices, because they've come to the point where they know they can't do it on their own anymore, then I do believe they should hear the pros and cons of all their choices, even if it's lapband surgery.
Good luck to you and TheBear too. It sounds like you've found a happy balance in your lives. :)