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Blog 61341

A blog by Cingulus in General

  • Entries

    58

  • Comments

    157

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    1,177

About this blog

A weight loss surgery blog by Cingulus on BariatricPal. 58 entries on surgery, recovery and progress.

Entries in this blog

The Season is Over?Get Ready for the Playoffs

As I think about my banding experience it reminds me of a football season. You have training camp where you get your head right, study the play book and get your body ready for the season. Obviously, I correlate this to the pre-op phase of the LapBand. We all find teams (Doctors), get focused (shrinks, blood work etc.) and get our bodies ready (per-op diet) for the season opener. During this time we go through a roller coaster of thoughts, experiments, doubts and moments of conviction…but we

Living Life 10 Pounds at a Time

OK, I know it is a cheesy line, but in the first “The Fast and the Furious” Vin Diesel says “…I live my life 10 seconds at a time and for those ten seconds nothing else exists…” That is kind of how I feel about my life with the LapBand right now. I am staying focused on going from 290 to 280 to 270 and so on. I am also letting many other things go. I am focused on my food log, keeping my macro nutrients in the proper balance and making sure that I getting to the gym everyday possible. I h

Righteous Restriction

Finally…fill number 4 seems to have done the trick. I have been working closely with one PA at my doctors to find restriction. Each week I have been providing them a detailed food and exercise log. We reviewed my food log and how long 8 oz. meals were lasting (2-3 hours) and agreed that another fill was appropriate. However, they took a very different approach this time. Instead of picking a fill amount and then seeing how it went over the next few weeks. They drained the entire band and t

Half Way There - 88 Down?88 To Go

I weighted in this morning at 285 pounds, otherwise known as the half way point…88 pounds down and 88 to go. Not to say that the next 88 will be easy, but finally being able to see the downhill side of this is program is an amazing feeling and very motivational. I could not have done this without the help and support of many people, my wife in particular. The funny thing is I have not really even hit restriction. I am at 7CCs in a 14CC band and just beginning to find the edges of restriction

Burning the Ships for a New World?Saying Goodbye to the Big Clothes

Like Cortez who burned his ships upon reaching the new world, today I clean out the closet of my fattest clothes. I had shirts in 3X and 4X, pants in 56, 54, 52, 50 and 48 waist sizes and suit coats in 60, 58 & 56. I did a quick calc and my best guess is that this represents at least $20K in clothing purchases. With the exception of my biggest suit, more on this later, I am sending this all to Goodwill this week. I have read a few threads about people having a tough time letting go of th

Slipping into Shoes

One small NSV for me is my feet have shrunk. I bought some new shoes a while back and had to set them aside and buy wider ones because they did not fit well and were too tight. I tried them on for the hell of it yesterday and they fit great and I wore them the whole day with no problems. I never would have never thought of my feet shrinking…probably a guy thing.

2nd Fill Tomorrow?Finding ?The Green Zone??

“The Green Zone,” Matt Damon’s new movie opens tomorrow. Not a big surprise…it is about the green zone in Iraq and our intrepid hero is entering the fray to unlock CIA conspiracy, kick some ass and otherwise fight the good fight…did Jason Bourne ever go to Iraq?     Anyway, I will be taking in the movie over the weekend. However, the green zone that I am really interested in is the lap band green zone.   Tomorrow is the day for my second fill. I sit at 5.5 ccs and I would guess that

Picking Your Moments for LapBand Success

One of my favorite book series is from a husband and wife team, David and Leigh Eddings. There are 12 books in the series and throughout these books there a two “primal forces” in their universe that meet for battles and events. Often in these books the battles are very small, at other times these are cataclysmic, however in every one of these events the winners is ultimately decided by an individual choice between stasis and progress. A single person has to decide the fate of the universe.

The LapBand?Is it the Easy Way Out?Who Cares if it Works

I can’t believe how much this topic comes up on the forum…”is the LAP-BAND® the easy way out…”   http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f15/banded-living-ez-way-out-111243/   I am sure like most things there are as many opinions as there are people. I guess the net-net of my thoughts is who cares if it works. I love the help I am getting with the band and I don’t really care that I got help…I am getting the results I and looking for. Yes, I still have a long way to go, but I am half way there. I

Drinking?Not the Hooch?Real Water

One thing I still have not completely mastered is not drinking during meals. I don’t guzzle stuff, but I do still drink a bit after I am done. Even if it is soup or stew or chili, typically it is water or iced tea. I just feel the need to have few decent sips of something to drink. Since I have not reached full restriction I have been able to get away with it, but I am sure it will catch up to me. Like most of the rules or guidelines related to the band I understand the reasons and implic

The Best Scale in the House

One of the most difficult things for me as part of the band was finding the right portion sizes. As a newbie reading about sliming and PBing, it gave me significant reasons to pause and question if the band was the right choice for me. Obviously I got over the concerns and got the band, but in the spirit of optimizing this process, I still wanted to minimize the risk of ever having to go through the sliming experience. Veterans of the band would probably tell me the answer was simple…don’t eat

Been There, Done That?And Got the T-Shirt to Fit

I mentioned in one of my recent blogs that I went a Bon Jovi concert last week. The show was great and it was amazing watching women from 8-80 drool and swoon over Jon Bon. One of the rituals of going to almost any concert is getting the concert t-shirt. In the past, every time I pick a shirt I like, it is never available in my size 3XL or 4XL, which usually meant, I bought a baseball hat with the band logo instead. However, this time was different. Obviously, with the LapBand, I am losing w

My Menu Blog

Menu Blog I do push the limits of the food budget 1300-1500 calories per day vs. the typical 800-1200 quoted by most doctors. I do this for 4 reasons:   1) I think that they (the doctors) under estimate the amount of protein people need. The higher I keep my protein the better weight comes off.   2) I lift weights and feel I need the extra protein   3) I want to keep my metabolism in as high a gear as I can   4) based on my target weight 190 lbs. I won’t have to make many changes

It?s Not Bandster Hell?It?s the Waiting Room of Band Opportunity

I read few blogs today of folks that are in the proverbial Bandster Hell. Some are eating and frustrated, some are using Weight Watchers to fill the void and others are just hungry. I do think that LapBand medical community needs to be a little more effective in helping people through this phase of the process. My take on things is they do a great job upfront with the sales pitch and the pre-op prep. I think most doctors do a good job with the operation day and the basic post-op recovery. Ho

The Middle Seat...No Kevin Smith Was Not on The Plane

No one likes the middle seat on airlines. However, for years I have watched people eye me with disdain for fear that I will be the person in the middle seat next to them. In many ways I do feel for them, when a guy pushing 400 lbs, looks at them and says, sorry dude, that seat is me. They know this is going to be an uncomfortable flight for everyone. I remember so many times walking down the isle of coach seating seeing people praying that I walked past them, I could hear the expulsion of th

Tray Table Down?Really the Tray Table Went Down

As I type this blog, I am sitting in a coach seat with my tray table down and it is flat. My stomach is not in the way, I did not need a seat belt extension and my laptop is open. This is the first time in the past decade I have been able to do this. I always used to cringe when my boss would say…”Oh you have a 6 hour flight you can work on this on the plane…” this usually meant performing some form of cramp induced typing contortions and annoying the person next to me. Today, it is differen

I Have a Lap for the Laptop?

I had a shocking revelation today. I was able to use my lap for a laptop. I have never done this before. Then it dawned on me, I have been fat since before there were laptops…ouch. I really should not be surprised, but I am. I believe this qualifies as one of those NSVs, but it was still somewhat disturbing that I have been fat longer than laptops have existed. I do travel almost every week for my job and I have over 3,000,000 miles on American Airlines alone, and about that many on United

Intimate Insecurities

The past week has been a bit trying for my wife and myself. We are both big people and as it turns out she has many medical issues that might preclude her from having the band. However, she did not want me to skip it the opportunity to be banded. I very grateful for this, however, as we were in bed a few nights ago, she seemed distant and distracted. I asked her what was wrong she said nothing. I did not believe her, but I let it lie (no pun intended). I have read many threads about coupl

First Fill Freedom

I have been anxiously waiting for my first fill, which I got today. I went from 3.5 CCs to 5.5 CCs. We will see how that feels. I am glad to report the first fill was simple and uneventful. However, the real reason I am excited is I been cleared to start lifting weights and pushing the exercise limits beyond the elliptical or stationary bike. I know the 4-6 weeks after surgery is the norm, 4 weeks in my case, but I really feel like I have been missing something in band journey without the a

So About That Tiger Woods Apology?

I wish they would take it off the air and just let him talk to his wife (assuming she is still talking to him)…I could not resist the head line. But…it did get me to thinking…that I do owe a great of thanks to my wife and sons who have been very supportive of my LapBand process. I have read so many posts of people who are ostracized or belittled for seeking or having the LapBand done. It continues to amaze me how much grief others have to go through just to help themselves. Undoubtedly, ther

299?When One Pound Makes a Difference

I stepped on the scale today and for the first time since 1992, I saw a “2” in the first digit. Yes, it was only 299, but it started with a 2! If anyone is on the fence about getting the LapBand…let this blog be the reason you go forward with the process. Intellectually, I knew if I got the band, followed the rules this should happen. Hell we all know that, but experiencing it is just a tremendous relief… I did not do all of this for nothing. It is also a motivational driver for me. Emotion

Eat This, Not That?

Now that I can start to eat again, one of the biggest challenges is eating out or getting out and finding yourself getting hungry. I think the best tool I have found is an iphone app from Men’s Health called Eat This, Not That $4.99. The key thing I like it is provides an encyclopedia of hundreds of restaurants and thousands of grocery store items. It will allow you to look up a specific eatery and it will show you the best food items on the menu. It will also allow you to select multiple fo

They Say Old Lovers Can be Good Friends?

I was reading a thread today by Arnaz…asking if we missed food. One of the responders made a great point about the answer will probably vary a great deal based on where you are in the Lapband journey. As many of you will note most of my blogs reference books, movies and songs. Earlier last year, I wrote a blog entitled, “Food…I Want a Divorce!” I was angry at myself and food. As I read the thread I was reminded of an old song from the 70’s by a guy named Paul Davis, I Go Crazy… that had the

Orville Redenbacher is Satin?s Messenger

Saturday was day 10 post-op and was a day filled with some errands and we went to see the new Travolta flick “From Paris with Love.” Which was OK, but I would save the movie until it comes out on NetFlix. However, the point to this little epistle is…Popcorn. I walked into the movie theater and was assaulted by the smells of Popcorn. It was like listening to Satin whisper in your ear…it’s OK…a few bites won’t hurt…you have been good… you deserve it…it will be fine. It was so overwhelming I al

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