Back to Work

Went back to work today. Wasn't too bad but I felt great but felt more tired than usual towards 3 pm. The burping and "other" was a little difficult to manage in interview with clients. Everyone commented on how much weight I've lost but the reality is I've only lost about 3 kilos since they last saw me. In any case it is nice to see that people are noticing the physical change in me. They were so nice they presented me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers pictured , I have the best work colleagues.

Diet - 7.30 am - I had a banana smoothie made with liquid yoghurt and 1 medium banana...YUM...I felt full until almost 12 pm.

12.30pm - Opti fast Mixed Vegetable Soup - BORING. . . and didn't keep me very full. I was hungry by 3 pmish and starving by 4 pm.

4.30 pm - YUMMIEST - cheated again, and had the rest of that liver with 5 pellets of mashed potatoe. This equals 1/2 a cup of food. I put a little more than 1/2 a cup but looks like 1/2 cup is the upper limit, given I had to leave some as I was too full. I ate very slowly it took me about 25 minutes to eat 1/2 cup - seems like a joke but it isn't . . . . .

I know I shouldn't be cheating but I am being very careful. I water down each morsel of pureed food with lots of saliva - YUK??? actually no - I have never tasted food so well as I am doing now. In fact I am enjoyinng the taste of the food alot better. The tongue is a wonderful tool for tasting - we should use it more often instead of just gulping it down.

Optical Illusion

I suppose this is the best before shot for the lapband procedure. I am 107 kilos here and I was 110 kilos when operated so very little difference. Taken today. I went to the specialist for unrelated issue. All is well. I am 100% recovered now. Went shopping too without a problem. The boots mum gave me finally fit me, albeit they are a little tight at the top. Isn't it funny when you look in the mirror you think you look fine.....then you see the picture. Is this an optical illusion. I think so. . . believe me I spent some time today when I got home comparing my photo with the real life mirror image and for the life of me I cannot explain the difference. Very WEIRD. I don't remember being skinny but does this happen to skinny people too...???? If they are already skinny then imagine how good they THINK they look when they look in the mirror!!!! I think this explains some attitudes on people I know........eheheheheh Personally I can't wait to find out...

Do Not Feed the Lapband Patients

This is me today - 107 kilos. I've lost 3 kilos since being banded. 7 kilos since liquid pre-op diet and 23 kilos from the start weight of 130 kilos.

Today I feel great. Still not sleeping very well - but have got some advice to try Tylenol at night and I will be trying it tonight. I went out shopping with mum and felt great not very tired at all. It is a shame though that my incisions are right on the waist line, which makes it hard to wear anything on your waist and the repeatitive folding appear to aggravate the incisions slightly. Definately not a problem though.

The gas is gone I think - still wake up with a little but not much. I think this may persist. Perhaps from now on I will be passing wind (in both directions) more regularly and with more vigour than previously. I can live with that !!!

Still very hungry. I wake up hungry and I go to bed hungry. I am getting hungry approximately every 2 - 3 hours - but sometimes less. The advantage is that I get full very quickly thankfully but I haven't had a problem keeping anything down at all. i have had the runs though daily.

Today I am definately moving to second stage liquids - specifically this includes thickier and fuller liquids such as pureed soups, creamy soups, milkshakes and smoothies, real yoghurt (mind you the liquid one is yummy so I may decide to stick with that) and I have even had a 10 cent coin amount of soft ricotta cheese today. YUM.................................... gee i miss food. I dream nightly about food and about what foods I will be ale to eat. Admittedly this is one of the areas that held me back from doing the lapband. I don't mind not eating much of anything but I love my food and would love to be able to eat whatever I like.

I went on You tube last night. Couldn't believe the trouble some people are having with the lapband. I guess my turn will come when I start on solids but why can't we eat raw carrots. It doesn't make logical sense but there is definately a consensus on no raw (even if it is grated) CARROT. I am sure there will be plenty of surprises for me. It seems anything white is out also - white bread, pasta and rice.................... my favourites and I am sure what got me into this trouble to start with.

Horror stories on You tube are plentiful - there is some doctor that is posting all these videos about failed lap band patients. They tell their stories and it is quite concerning. This doctor is promoting his weight loss surgery of choice - the Mini Gastric Bypass. If you want to have a look for yourself search for failed lapband and all the videos will come up. Not sure exactly what this is yet but I will endeavour to find out. He reckons that it is normal for lap band patients to feel hungrier post operation when compared to before undertaking the operation. I am going to research this further and will keep you posted. In the meantime I am not going to let it get me down. There are plenty of success stories also and if they can do it then so can I........ Anyway I will just try to remember that if lap band doesn't work for me there is still one other option out there. That's somewhat comforting.

Almost All Better

This photo was taken of me following my waking up from the lap band procedure on Tuesday 22nd April. I don't look too pleased, but actually I was doing very well.

Today I feel great. Getting hungry regularly at meal times. I have commenced today having 2 protein drinks daily instead of just the one. Haven't lost anymore weight since those 2 kilos overnight from Wednesday to Thursday. I have to stop weighing myself. It is going to drive me nuts if I keep doing it daily. I will try to stretch these weigh ins to weekly and hopefully one day to monthly. I guess it is just because I am so excited. Not in pain at all anymore. Still a little gas but very little in fact. Almost back to normal. Last night I thought that I would for the first night sleep completely horizontal. Didn't work. Restless night and woke up somewhere in the middle of the night with a massive back pain and ended up semi upright on the couch again. Won't be making that mistake tonight that's for sure. I made a list today of what foods I am going to allow myself next week commencing tomorrow. Mostly have to remember to keep things very lliquidy - doctor described that it would need to be able to be taken through a straw. Nice and smooth too, no lumps. Includes smoothies and shakes, pureed soups, diluted yoghurt or continue with my liquid yoghurt, creamy soups, soft cremes, jelly, up and go, very soft weatbix, and of course the ever present opti fast range of soups, creme and shakes. Don't forget to follow the link to my diet ticker for latest weight loss results.

First day out of the House

I actually get hungry now. The healing is going really well and the gas is almost completely gone and not very uncomfortable anymore. The cuts are still a little sore but nothing to complain too much about. I managed the optifast shake yesterday by drinking it in 3 goes. I will probably manage better today as I am actually feeling hunger pangs. Today I actually left the house. Went shopping, and I got tired very easily and couldn’t wait to get home. The look on the Chinese lady’s face at the Chinese take away in the food court, when I asked her for a clear broth only wonton soup was funny and she even made it slightly cheaper for me. But I surprised myself by how much I could have. I must have had the whole liquid (approx. 500ml) in about 15 minutes. It does keep you full for some time though.

My breathing is almost 100% - with only the deepest of breaths causing discomfort. I can do all three balls on the respiratory thingy, as I did yesterday. Lots of wind both up and down albeit not as much as yesterday. It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten real food and I find myself thinking about it a lot, but it feels like I am doing so, more objectively as I am not tempted in the least to eat. Even made dinner for my husband yesterday and it did not phase me in the least. I was worried though about not trying it for flavour but nothing I can do. I know I need to do this to heal properly and I know I am not fully healing as sneezing this morning reminded me beyond question.

25th April 2008

Day 3 of recovery. Feeling much better and sleeping just fine. Still not hungry at all but I am increasingly missing eating fullstop. My abdomen is not very sore at all and the gas has thank goodness subsided. Still around though. Having gone for my 15 minute walk helped though. I have been doing my physiotherapy exercises and breathing exercises and I am doing quite well. I have not taken any pain killers today. I don't think I will either. I don't seem to need it.

I wish this liquid phase did not have to be for 2 whole weeks. Just being able to have something more substantive than clear liquids will help though towards the end of the two weeks. Can’t WAIT. I think I am on the road to full recovery by the time I need to go back to work on Wednesday. Thank goodness – I would hate to go back feeling like I do at the moment. I have already lost 2 kilos. Not surprising since I only lost 3 kilos on the optifast despite not eating for 2 whole weeks – that was HELL…. So I guess it is just catching up now, given I am eating even less calories now. I have to make sure I have at least one protein shake today. I didn’t yesterday and I am starting to feel a little weak. I will have it for dinner if I can manage it. I am even getting full on just liquids. Lets hope this restriction continues. Thank goodness mum is here to help me. My husband of course is not complaining about being able to eat take away at practically all meals – NAG FREE.

Second Day at Home

24th April 2008

Wow the pain is a little more today. The incisions and abdomen hurt a bit more today and the gas is also worst and more difficult in coming out. Almost a constant pain to my chest between my breasts which is really what is making me feel full. But I am struggling to even have the water I am supposed to as I am so full all the time. I have gone for a walk today 20 minutes each way it would normally take me half the time at my normal pace but not today – I felt like I was doing a real workout. Sweaty, hot and completely out of breath but one good thing came out of it. I coughed up some phlegm which I believe was stuck there for a while. I slept alright though. No pain during the night – perhaps I actually can sleep through it because as soon as I woke up I felt the pain. I have been tempted to use the pain killers that I picked up today but so far have only used the anti-inflammatories. I will probably use the celebrex later on tonight. Well tonight it will be 48 hrs and according to hospital the pain should be diminishing after this – so fingers crossed for tomorrow. I lost half a kilo since yesterday morning. I am not getting enough calories or nutrition at this stage but just can’t think about that now. Too full and too uncomfortable to eat – even if it is only liquids. Might leave that optifast shake for tomorrow it will be too filling for me today. Started with supradyn liquid multivitamins and benefibre today.

The Day After

23 April 2008


Left the hospital today . . operated yesterday 22nd April. so far so good .... the operation went really well. it was alot less stress and pain free then gall bladder operation I had a few years ago. Almost no discomfort in abdomin area except for slight tenderness. there is though some pain on my shoulder with the build up of gas. I didnt even need any strong pain killers which I was told was best to avoid as it can make somem people nauseous. not even panadol required. I started walking a few hours post surgery as advised. although this hurts more (gas) it helps get rid of the gas eventually so you just have to do it. walked again this morning and tonight. physiotherapist showed me some exercised that I have to do twice daily and a breathing exercise. actually that was probabl the hardest thing when I woke up from surgery. It was hard to take deep breaths. ok now though. feeling quite full today of course and on liquids only - but I don't miss food at all. the gas build up is the worst of it all.

Opti Fast pre-op Diet

I hate it.............arghhhhhhhh...........very difficult to do without cheating. I went well for the first few days but by the end of the last week I was dying to eat. It was definately psychological as the opti fast if taken every four hours keeps you full.

cheated a few times. That's for sure but made sure not to go overboard and remained 90% within the diet. The doctor says my liver looked really small - so I must have done something right.

Starting Off

Well I finally decided to do something about my weight when I saw how my face had exploded in a picture I took with my husband at a friend's wedding in October 2007. I have included the offending pictures above. I was even afraid to weigh myself at that time but after losing some weight I weighed 125kg. This leads me to assume that I was at my peak at least 130kgs. My hair though is really good not bad for a do it yourself job.

My journey began very slowly and gradually I made very small changes. By the end of the year I was 125 kgs. I would describe February 08 as the month where I really began making real changes and I have since then lost weight more regularly (approx 1 kg per week). It was at this time that I commenced exercising also. Very Very slowly at first. I was considering lap band surgery some time before really committed to doing it during this time. This actually motivated me more - which was interesting and I lost some more weight and was 114 kilos by the time I had to start the pre-op optifast diet.