Compliments

Compliments!.. Don't they just get you even more hyped up and enthusiastic on your weightloss?

There are some people in my extended family or my mum's friends who expect you to be literally "skinny" in 3-4 weeks. OR, before they can "SEE" any progress you need to be able to fit into a size 12-14. They make me so mad! They struggle to lose 1-2 kg in a year since they are close to their ideal weight, but they expect the next person to lose 70 or so kilos in around 4-5 weeks. So they wont even compliment you and refuse to see that you are changing.

Then there are those who will compliment your progress and tell you how great you look every week when they see you.

I have a friend who has been telling me she can notice me changing every week. We see each other once a week. There is also someone else who is the same. These people seriously make my day. I mean I really don't want anyone telling me there is any difference when there isn't. However, when I notice the change, and someone else compliments around the same time, this just confirms to me that I am not imagining things or seeing things the way I want them to be.

I really don't have anything to compare to in measurements, but I can definitely see change in my arms, legs, and face even though it has only been 4 weeks and a little over 8 kg down post-op.

I can't wait until the end of next month to take photos and weigh-in. :) Oh, and I am really going to try hard not to weigh myself for at least another two weeks. I will die from curiosity as I will wonder if I have gained/lost or have made no change at all. :) I promise, I will not do it two times every day like I used to. :)

Cheers :)

Progress Photos - February 2010

Okay I know I should actually wait until Saturday to photograph for the actual 4 week progress or even until Monday the 22nd of February to have a full 1 month cycle, BUT I couldn't wait, and most importantly I don't really have the time after today. I didn't want to let it pass. I really want to monitor my own progress on a regular basis. So I will try to stick to dates.

I have not decided whether I will do the next photo/progress post at 8 weeks or full 2 months (22nd of March 2010). We'll see. There is still time for that.

I will need to put the measurements up within the next couple of days. Can't find the measuring tape, argh!

I can't really tell if I have progressed in terms of looks, because I do have photos in one of my previous posts from 2008 where I weighed around 135 kg. So I don't think I look too different compared to that. I wish I had taken full body photos before the operation. Damn!

Anyways, I guess I will have to wait until the next progress photo to see if there is any difference. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and need to keep my body busy busy busy. :)

Scale Hopper

I would like to believe that I am not the only scale jumper. :)

Interesting how we like to keep away from the scales when we know we must be gaining weight, and how we can't keep our hands off it once we put the effort into weight loss.

I for one could not step off the scales in the first 2 weeks! Especially since I almost lost 1 kg per day in the first week. Week 2 was agonising as I probably only lost around 200 grams. It was after the 2nd week that I decided I will not weigh myself before the end of week 3. I also weighed myself yesterday (as noted in previous post) since my doctor did not weigh me.

I am going to weigh myself once more this week (on Friday), then measure myself (I haven't done this at all - the only measurements are the ones the nurse has from my initial weigh-in at my first appointment with my doctor, and I don't have those), and take photos.

I may not be successful at doing this only once every month, but I will try hard not to weigh myself more than two times in a month... except for this month! Remember, I didn't get my fill yet? I will weigh myself at my fill within 1-2 weeks, but I might not record it here. :)

Hmm, I think that will work well. Weigh, measure, and photograph once per month around the 20th-23rd of each month! Yep, I like the idea. I have to work on my will power, because weighing myself so frequently and not seeing any results on the scales is messing up with my mind.

Okay, that's all I have to say for now. Current photos coming soon! :)

First Post-Op Appointment

I was supposed to have my first fill today, but it didn't work. Not happy Jan!!!

After driving up for over an hour to my doctor's clinic, it just didn't happen. At first my doc said it might be too early and tender for my first fill, but he gave it a try. After twisting and turning the syringe in my tummy to find the port, unfortunately he was unsuccessful. He gave me another doctor's name and number for my first fill. Apparently she is the best at fills. I actually thought wtf?! However, I need to make an appointment to get my first fill within 1-2 weeks. I will be making the call tomorrow morning and hopefully I can get an appointment for next week.

I am a little disappointed as I was looking forward to feeling some restriction. Even though it felt disgusting and I was about to chuck up into my doctor's lap while I could feel the syringe jabbing into my band, it would have been worth it if I had gotten my fill. Anyhow, I guess everything happens for a reason. So another week or two... Patience!

He didn't weigh me, but I weighed myself just minutes ago. I now weigh 134.5 kg. That is a weight loss of 8.3 kg in 3.5 weeks. I think that's great, but I feel a little discouraged when I think about my sister's weight loss of 20 kg per month for two months in a row. She lost 40 kg in 2 months. Amazing ha? Apparently her case is a record. She was banded in October 2009. She has a lot more to lose than me, and her band was filled a little during operation. Although, I am aware that 8 kg in just a little over 3 weeks is a good result. But you know how it is, you want that extra boost in the first month. I was hoping to be able to lose approx. 15 kg in the first month (after seeng my sister's results). I have been working out so much over the last 2.5 weeks. I guess I will see the results in the near future. As long as it's all weightloss from here onwards.... That is the most important thing. I am very happy to know that I will not go on the scales the next month wondering how much weight I gained!

I'm still new, but I already heart my lap-band!

Before Photos

I have always loved making memories with my camera. Although, never happy with the resulting photo! I have torn and thrown out most of my full-body photos, but I have kept some in the last couple of years thinking I would like a record of what I looked like before the lapand. Yep, fingers crossed and hopeful to succeed... I am working hard at the moment and it hasn't even been a month yet, so I'm scared that I won't succeed. If I fail this, then there really is no other option.. This is why I am scared.

Anyhow... I have travelled a lot in Turkey, and I was there again just late November in 2009. So almost all of the photos you see below are taken in Turkey. I hope to be able to make prettier memories out of photos including me in them in the not so distant future.

Looking at the photos it seems that my weight has been fluctuating between approximately 135 kg - 149 kg. Now my height is only around 163-164 cm. I had my first lapband appointment at 148+ kg, and went into surgery at 143 kg.

I will have my weigh-in and my first fill tomorrow.. well, technically today! :)

Anywho, the photos! Please note: I don't wear black for religious or cultural reasons. I love colours, but I believe that they don't suit me. It's something to do with my weight. I feel as though when I wear colourful clothing, I will be more visible, weight and all! FYI :)

Here goes...

Ewww... That's the first thing that comes to my mind when I see this photo of myself. I was very tempted to delete this from my hardware, but wanted to save it just so I could look back and see the difference.. I hope! This photo was taken back in 2008 in my Istanbul home, and I weighed approximately 138 kg.

Again, taken in 2008. Galippoli/Turkey. This was taken at the Troy site.

Weight approximately 135 kg.

2008, Troy, Galippoli/Turkey. Picturing hubby and I. 

Weight approximately 135 kg.

2008, Galippoli/Turkey. Weight approximately 135 kg.
You can just imagine how much I hate this photo. It disgusts me.

2008, The Bosphorus, Istanbul/Turkey.

Weight approximately 135 kg.

Early 2009, Melbourne/Australia. Weight approximately 149 kg. 

I had a stall at a festival. I can't imagine why I would pose with an ice-cream in my hand? I would not have done it if I was conscious about the fact that I was getting a photo taken. :) I normally do not do that!

November 2009, Istanbul/Turkey. You can see the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii) and the Bosphorus in the background.

Weight approximately 148 kg

November 2009, Istanbul/Turkey. You can see the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii) in the background.

Weight approximately 148 kg

November 2009, Istanbul/Turkey. By the way, my friend is 5 months pregnant!!!

Weight approximately 148 kg

December 2009, Melbourne/Australia. At a friend's wedding.

Weight approximately 146 kg.

I'm back and banded! :)

Yup! 22 January 2010.... After waiting 12 months for my health insurance to kick in, then another month for Xmas and New Years holidays to be over... Then it arrived... :)

I am now happily banded for a little over three weeks. Rapid weightloss recorded in the first week, but nothing else in the last two weeks despite sweating it off on the treadmill and trying not to eat more than 500 calories a day. Although I cannot say that I am managing too well in the last two days. Lucky for me I will be going for my first post-op appointment on Wednesday this week, and as far as I know I will be getting my first fill. Yippee! :)

This is me about 9 hours after the operation. Mum had come to visit me and she was quite upset to see me so pale and drowsy. Ahhh, mums... I love her!