19 days post op - Just got back from 50 mile bike ride from Leeds to Burnsall just past Bolton Abbey- Great
I went to WW meeting on sat and have lost 4.5lbs this week - Thats 3 stone 2 lbs in total and thats 20kg which is airline luggage limit know wonder it used to hurt cyling up hills at 19 stone
I feel great have loads of energy which is amazing as all I eat is a slimfast for breakfast, small soup for lunch and half peice of fresh fish for tea with bit of garliv mayo, mango chutney and some cracked pepper - I threw out the salt grinder and the sugar
Looking forward to my firstofficial meeting with Wendy on Tue although I dont get my first fill until 28 April _ I hope to be 15.5 stone by then. Im amazed that having already shed 3 stone I am looking forward to shifting that spare tyre round my waist another 2 stone off and it will be gone.
My clothes are falling off me jeans that I couldnt wear for party at xmas as were unfastanable are now flapping in the wind well I have lost 6 inches from my waist
The cycling going really well and am up to 725 road miles ytd. Tommorrow I pick up new new secret weapon another bike this time a pimped out carbon fibre beast thats means I can still go cycling twice a week evan if raining as will just go round woods where its partly sheltered.

I now dont eat until im hungry I have bought a juicer off ebay and have a blender so will start doing healthy juices as getting that down will be no problem and will be good for vitamins and energy.

As McDonalds say - I'm Lovin It
Cant tell you how good I feel all my clothes are starting to fall off me and beer belly is all but gone
On Sun I went to the WLS group conf in Blackpool and it was a great day
I really understand more now about the procedure and how I can make it work for me
What did shock me was a plastic scale model replica of stomach with band fitted - I thought it went half way down like an egg timer to give restriction but no way it sits right near the top and the pouch above is only the size of a golf ball - Now how am I gonna fit a fully loaded large pizza in there - Im not
New revelation - In now officially on the mushy stage of the diet thank god I was bored with fluids.
Well basically I now have fish every night for tea - I but fresh daily from asda in one of those cook in bage 2 filletts my son Lewis 14 and daughter Holly has 3/4 and guess what I have a 1/4 so am saving amazing amount of money on food because I just buy food for my kids and I have a tiny bit
Whats amazing is a dont feel hungry - I now learnt from the conf dif between head hunger and physical hunger - When my stomach growls I eat but only small portion naturally and then feel contented
I am booked in for my first fill with the lovely Wendy on 28 April and hop eto be down to 15st 7lbs by then so will only be 1.5 st off target
I actually starting to think about what happens when I get to goal - I'll have to have some fluid taken out
I'm back 2 work today and have been doing loads of cycling - 200 miles since surgery
I've lots of energy and am not on a DIET - I think carefully about what i'm gonna eat as because the portion size is so small I want it toi be nourishing and very tasty
This programm works for me and is far easier way of losing weight than anything else I have evr tried in my life
For anyone thinking of Weight Loss Surgery I highly recommend WLS Group - Their customer care and committment to client is exceptional and all their surgeries come with 2 years aftercare

Tuesday 17 March 2009 - 16 stone 10lbs - 34lbs off since New Year

Monday 16 March 2009 - 6 days post op

My shoulder pain has gone, I did not need painkillers on Sunday so that is a relief to get rid of it. I used stick on heat pads, gripe water, peppermint tea to try and get rid of it. I feel absolutely great my stomach is only a tiny bit tender and have slept like a baby the last 2 nights. On sunday I went to Weight Watchers and was 16stone 10.5 lbs so thats 13.5lbs in 2 weeks loss. The group leader was delighted and whilst I did not tell her about the band it has not started working yet as I have no restriction. I am going to continue with weight watchers until such a time that I have adequate restriction. I am on a liquids only diet which I'm bored with already however must follow for 2 weeks. I am desperate to get back to the gym and more importantly out on my bike. The weather has been good today and I would love to be out riding.

Measurements
9 Jan v 16 Mar
Chest 52 47
Waist ( Navel ) 50 46
Hips ( Widest ) 48 44
Neck 18 16.5.
Leg ( Widest ) 27 25
Arm ( Widest ) 15 14

I am delighted at how I a m feeling in fact I barely recognise the thinner person looking back at me in the mirror. My clothes are starting to drop off me and clothes I bought previously that were too small or tight now fit great. Can't imagine how I will look or feel when I get to target. Yes i said WHEN and not IF

• Target
  
  14 stone
  196lbs
  89KG
  
  Mountain Bike
  
  I am in the process of building up a mountain bike. I have sourced all the parts from e-bay and am just awaiting the wheels and tyres then she's ready to roll. The idea is that I can then go out every weekend biking irrespective of weather. If the weather is good its a 50 mile road bike if weather is poor its a couple of hours in the woods / local trails.

Sexy compression tights

Day 3 - Thu 12 Mar 2009 - Feelling a lot better today, shoulder pain has eased off a lot, keeping up with my painkillers, had my stomach injection and just pottering about the house. Stomach is still swollen so no desire to eat anything - I will clarify that im on a liquid only diet now post op for 2 to 3 weeks and then mushy food for 2 weeks after that. I have had a few coffees but will try some soup later. I think the key to success is to follow the advise given by the professionals 100%. I did this on the pre op diet and intend to continue this now. In addition I will not have my first fill until 6 weeks which is 21 April so I will not have any restriction until then and it may take several fills and a few months before I hit the sweet spot of correct restriction. I will therfore be very careful to follow advise given as I am 100% committed to making sure that this is a success. I will monitor evrything I have to eat and drink in my daily journal and complete the online journal on foodfocus. I am booke din as a day delagte at the WLS conf in Blackppol next weekend and will be attend the Weight Loss Surgery monthly support group in Leeds starting on 13 April.

Band surgery - Tue 10 Mar 2009

My gastric band surgery was booked for Tuesday 10 Mar 2009 at the First Trust hospital in Preston. I travelled over by train on Monday and went to the hospital to have my bllod done. The hospital is a small private facility with 22 rooms a few miles out of Preston. The Ibis hotel is only a 10 min walk away although you have to drag your case under the motorway subway.

I went to the hospital on Tuesday morning for 8am and was escoted to my private room with en suite. I changed into my paper pj's and waited to see the surgeon, 5 people were being banded that day and I was number 3 however I did have a delay as due to problems with my blood samples a further sample was taken and sent off to Blackpool hospital for analysis . My blood platelets were down which is what makes your blood clot, a further discussion with the surgeon and we wre ready to go. The staff nurses at the hospital were lovely, I eventually was taken down to theatre about 3pm and the op went well and was straight forward. When I came round I was monitored by one of the nurses before being taken back to my room. The tube that is put down your throat during surgery makes your voice a bit rough for a while after and I was not uncomfortable as given painkillers. The aneatatist came to see me and advised me that I suffered from sleep apnea where I stopped breathing whilst sleeping so hopefully with continued sustained weight loss this will be another ailment that is cured.

The only real pain I got was with the trapped wind. We stayed in hospital overnight and due to my sleep apnea I was checked regularly through the night. The following day the only problem was the trapped wind which gave me acute pain in my shoulder. It was a releif to return home on Wednesday. My stomach is swollen following surgery but my shoulder hurts that much i'm not really aware of any pain in my tummy area. I went to bed at approx 1.30am thinking I was going to be in for a long night,I propped myself up in bed and felt the strain on my stomach wounds as I lay down and my shoulder began to hurt. Anyway I had a heqted whey bean bag so tried to get in a comfy position and amazingly fell almost straight to sleep and awoke at 6.50am on Thursday - Great

Day 7 of Pre Op Diet - 8 Mar 2009

Heres a picture of me taken tonight by my son Lewis - 17 stone exactly

Its the end of day 7 on the pre op diet and i'm all packed and ready to go to Preston tomorrow

Im staying overnight in a hotel and then getting the band fitted on Tue
I must say that this is the best i've felt for a while - I'm down 30lbs from New Years Eve and really enjoying getting some road miles in on my bicycle.
This morning I did Leeds to Burnsall in the wind and then sleat on the way back 50 miles in 4 hrs - 3200 cals

Not bad on fuel of Slimfast and a peice of fruit - My friends did not question why I was not having anything to eat at the cafe
Im very confident that if I can work hard to follow the plan and get the weight off the band will assist me in keeping it off

Tip - Have got a journal that I log everything I eat and drink plus exercise and then do net cals at end of each day
Will add steps from pedometer also when I get it working - Also then load it all onto Food Focus so can see breakdown of not only calories but % Protein, Fat and Fibre - Super detailed - Not for everyone but if you can be bothered its well worth it