On Sunday we tackled what will be the first of many Lake District walks this year. We climbed the summits of five Wainwright peaks - Grisedale Pike (791m), Crag Hill (839m), Sail (773m), Outerside (568m) and Barrow (455m). It took us 6.5 hours and included about 1150m of ascent in total, over about 9 miles. The Lake District, like much of the country now, was covered in deep snow, making some parts of the route very hard-going and we wore crampons most of the day. There were lots of other like-minded people out on the fells and the views were breathtakingly beautiful.We completed the route in semi-darkness and wound our weary way home. Too tired to cook, we defeated some of the calorie-burning achieved by opting for a Chinese takeaway!! I think I have a beter idea now, of the enormity of the challenges I have set myself this year. In addition to completing this 214 challenge, it is also my intention to reach my goal weight - some 22 pounds from my current weight. Although this may seem small amount compared to what I have already lost, it is turning out to be SOooo much harder to shift. Just to make things even more difficult for myself, I also hope, by the end of the year, to have begun the process of removing some of my excess skin - as time goes on I am more convinced of the need for at least two lots of surgery to correct this.
So here we go, hold on for the roller coaster ride that is sure to be 2010!!
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Hello dear , I hope this comment finds you well :)
ReplyDeleteI've had the surgery for 15 days ..yes it's new hehe
I'm 22 years old and I'm 260 pounds and my name is Natasha
I'm really concerned about something I've heard about before having the surgery and it's got me worried all the time and every time I drink something
I've heard that if I ate or drunk more than the portion I'm allowed then the upper stomach will grow and enlarges !!! Is that true ? like you're having 2 stomaches with a band that separates them ??? I'm also worried about the after the liquids phase
I mean if I get real hungry or real thirsty ... some of the people I've been reading about said that they've used Reducteel so they could lose the feeling of hunger ...do you think this is proper ? do you think this will happen to me as well ??
did it happen to you ?? was there a time were you got real hungry that you've eaten more than what the Doctor has given you ???
Thank you in advance and I'm sorry for all these questions :)
Happy new year and merry x-mas :)
wowwwww !!that sound amazing!!wish u luck in u'r new challenge(i think lapband was the first one)!:D
ReplyDeleteDear (first) anonymous,
ReplyDeleteWell done for taking this big step in your life and getting banded! I will try to asnwer your queries:
If you eat very slowly, which is what we are advised to do, then food will gradually pass from the upper pouch into the lower, main stomach. However, if you eat too quickly, or eat too much in one go, there is a small danger of stretching the pouch. This is usually temporary but if serious this can lead to band slippage. However, long before you get to the point of stretching your pouch it is likely that you would experience pain (often referred to by bandits as 'iron fist') behind the breastbone - this is your body's way of warning you that you should slow down when eating!
The whole point of the band is that by retaining food in the upper pouch, you 'trick' your brain into thinking that you are full, and so don't feel hungry. Therefore, if you work with the band, you shouldn't feel hungry and there should be no need to use additional drugs or supplements to reduce hunger. Personally, I would never use Reducteel or anything similar - I have paid a lot of money to have gastric band surgery and am determined to work with it.
The band does not restrict liquids at all and we are always encouraged to drink plenty - therefore you should never experience thirst with the band - you can drink as much as you want (however, try to drink calorie-free drinks).
I can honestly say that I have rarely experienced real hnger in my entire life. However, the biggest difficulty that many obese people experience is not real hunger, but what we often refer to as 'head hunger'. In other words - emotional hunger. This is something that the band cannot deal with. As a result of my emotional craving for food, yes, I have eaten loads on occasions, including binge-eating of chocolate. However, most of the foods we eat when over-eating and binging are fods that slip through the band easily anyway (e.g. chocolate, cakes, biscuits, crisps, fast food etc). Therefore, these foods generally don't increase the risk of pouch stretching - but of course they increase all sorts of other health risks.
I think the important thing for a newly-banded person is to find out as much as you can about the band and how it is supposed to work - ideally from medically-trained people. The band will only do 30% of the work in weight loss - we have to work with the band to achieve the other 70% of effort necessary. This is far from easy and requires a considerable effort and commitment on our part. I've fallen flat on my face many times in my band journey because of my own weakness and lack of self-control, but at the same time I know that my band is my friend and if I work with it, it is a friend indeed.
I hope that helps. Good luck in your band journey.
Trees x