The Guys’ Room

1,612 topics in this forum

I have a March 16th 9:30am date with the Band, started the protein meal replacements today.:thumbup:

I'm getting alittle sick of being the lone band guy at my local support group. I just don't wanna drive 20 times as far to find people with my issues. tired of hearing about their dumps' I'm scheduled to get banded on Nov. 10th, I guess I'm lucky there's forums like these to find out issues.

Since my surgery when me and my wife do anything I have have lil to no baby batter anyone else

Okay, so I'll admit it: I'm deathly afraid of getting man-boobs as I trim down in fat. I've always had a fairly solid set of chest muscles, but I've gotten flabby and I don't want to have a great set of honkers when all is said and done. Anyone got any tips on workouts to avoid the man-boobage? Just the general pec workout (incline/decline/flat press, flies, etc.)? Or is there some magic method? I'd also like to avoid saggy arms if possible, but I'm more scared of the man-boobs.

Any of you guys had any problems with peeing after surgery? It's been a little painful there ever since they took the cathater out. I went in to test for infection, and they gave me antibiotics. but the tests were negative. It's been six weeks now, which seems a long time for that to heal.

Hello, My name is Bryan P Townley and I am morbidly obese! I was an athlete in school, football, basketball and track. When I got married in 1989 i weighed 140lbs with a 26" waist. I could eat anything I wanted and never gain an ounce. After I got married and was not as actived, and a smoker, I went up to 175lbs, which for my hieght was the perfect weight. Then I quit a 10year smoking habit! I jumped 100lbs in a little over a year and 17 years after that I hit my highest weight of 346lbs. I tried it all to lose weight and in 2007 did all the steps to have the gastric bypass done to be shot down by my insurance. Now three years later it was approved no questi…

I thought this was an interesting article. If he can get the surgery and take the beating he does week in and week out regular guys and gals should be able to do anything they want with the lap band. Eagles Notebook: Eagles' Jean-Gilles has lap-band surgery to lose weight | Philadelphia Daily News | 05/01/2010

Ok guys, I figure this is the place for this question. Any recommendations for underwear specifically for working out? I just started exercising again, and I'm sweating like a hog. I really like the dri-fit t-shirts I have, and I'm thinking I could benefit from some more high-tech underwear as well. That's right, I just typed "high tech underwear".... Before I go and spend too much money on some really expensive Under Armour or another space age dry-fit product, I'd like to gather some intel: Is this stuff worth it? Is there a cheaper brand that's like Under Armour? What do you wear for underwear when working out?

Is there anyone out there that has Joined the military after the lap band , I have heard that it is disqualifying to have anykind of bariatric surgery. Just curious is anyone has had sucess joining after the band was removed?

One concern I have about VSG is being able to do weightlifting again. I know that I can't lift more than, what, 15 pounds for six weeks? But after that -- after I'm *structurally* healed, will I have enough energy on a restricted diet to actually build up my muscles? I'll be turning 40 this year, and along with VSG as a birthday present, I'd like to start hitting the gym and building back the muscles I was so proud of in my 20's. Is that going to be out of the question on a 500-600 calorie/day diet? As we get older, we tend to lose muscle. I don't want to accelerate that process with severe protein deficiency; I want to reverse it! Anyone (even the ladies) got …

I am 4 days into my pre-op diet and doing well. My surgery is scheduled for the 14th of April. I am looking forward to feeling better and loosing weight. But we just found out my wife is pregnant! Now I feel guilty about having the surgery because I am paying for it and loosing weight while she is gaining seems kind of mean. I wanted some advice from some dads to tell me if what they think.

My date is set for February 26th. I cannot wait to get started on the road to thin. My goal is to go from 295 to 160. Note going to be easy, but I will follow the plan and exercise everyday. :biggrin:

I'm concerned about the location of my port. Most people I have talked to have theirs off to the side or further down their abdomen near their belly button. Mine is right in the middle of my gut about 6 inches down from the center of my sternum. Does that sound weird to you? Where is yours?

I am getting banded next week. My job requires me to work outside most of the time and it's going to be hot soon. I was wondering how the heat effects the band? And if so does anybody have any advice on how to deal with it? I always have plenty of water with me but I have heard it is hard to drink a lot of water at one time.

What's your goal weight ? - I don't know how many times I've been asked this since my surgery in December 2009. I feel like saying "What do you think ? , I want to be thin again" . But instead I just keep saying .. 10 more pounds ... each time they ask, just 10 more pounds ! Because it's true .. Right now I've lost 74 lbs.. great... but I still need to lose another 140 for heavens sake ! so I can't look at that.. I just focus on the next 10 pounds ! Anyone else feel like this ?

Hi, well I am still a bit confused, scale stable with 50/lb loss in 9 months. My Family Dr. is pleased now off all BP Meds etc. went to my Surgen and found out I was overfilled for the last 6 months so they took a bit out and I feel better. Working out 3 to 5 times a week with trainer and nutrionist. the Nutrionist keeps increasing my cals and says not to worry about the scale. Actually the Surgen said not to worry about the scale too! But I am so into the scale. well this is what I ate today. It still seems like a lot more than others, I have been overweight and YO YO Dieted my whole life. Breakfast: Protien shake, with Skim milk, banana Snack. 5 appricots,…

Breakfast I can eat Cream of Wheat no problem, if I try eggs or something more solid I can usually eat about 4-5 bites comfortably. lunch, Im not sure how much I can eat, I usually have something small and its hit or miss. dinner, I can eat what seems like a good bit more, I dont keep a food journal so Im not sure of amount. I know its not nearly what I ate before but it seems like it might be too much. I try to have something small for snack before bed if Im hungry but last night I ate a whole 1# container of strawberries with no problem. I wanted to stop (not because I was full)but It was hard to leave the last 5-6 in the container, and I convinced myself It was…

Well this is my first post. I go into surgery tomorrow. Sure am nervous but want to get the weight off. Right now I am at 320lbs. Any advice out there?

:thumbup:hi everyone, have not been around lately so have not posted. hope all is well with everyone..... i got my first fill last friday from tthe nurse in regina. wow is she good. maples checked her out and gave us the thumbs up to use her here. now if i can only get maples to throw in the price for the fills. HA HA HA good luck to me but i knew that when i started this thing. i lost 30 pounds before the fill and five so far since. would like to know how everyone else is doing with their weight loss. how's it going? is everyone exercising? i can't seem to get my ass going. I thought the band was supposed to make you want to work out. My band must be broken then…

I am 18 months post op. I have lost 140 pounds so far . I have 4ccs in my 14cc band. I have always been able to eat or drink most everything since my banding. (Just very small portions and MUCH chewing) However, since my last fill in November, I have been VERY restricted. Many times I can not eat solid food at all without it coming back up. When I DO eat solid food, I can not get water to go down even 8 hours after I eat . Milk on the other hand will go down at any time before or after I eat. Same thing with cheese. It has come to the point where I am baisically living on milk and cheese alone. Problem is, even though I am only eating like 3 slices of cheese per day, I am…

So I'm totally going backward on my journey to health and I need some help/encouragement/motivation. I was banded in March of 2008 and at that time I weighed 296. By the end of June 2008 I was down to about 230-235. I got stuck at that weight until June of 2009 when my surgeon's dietitian put me on the Optifast mostly-liquid diet to help me get down to my goal weight of 210ish. I did good on the Optifast plan for about two months and then I started cheating. I found foods that slide right through the band and I'm still cheating on a very regular basis! I got off the Optifast plan in December 2009 and I've been back to normal post-surgery eating since then. The proble…

This is a dumb question, but has anyone heard of any success stories or information on if it's possible (and if anyone on here has done it) to go from being obese, to having a six pack. I realize it's a big dream to have, but if someone has done it, it would be interesting to me.

I have to say i was banded on 2/17/10 I've been sticking to my diet. I'm down 36 lbs and feel great I'm working on my man cave. I live on the great south bay on long island NY. I make my own fishing lures and play guitar on top of my garage. It was flooding out so I raised it 3 ft and can't wait to finish it I will post picks after it's done. I see there's guy's from all over the world lets see some of your man caves. I also was to fat to fish but thats changed now. I'm gonna walk the beach for hours in search of fish. Talk later Jimmy:thumbup:

Hey guys, I'm trying to decide if I want to get the surgery or not. I guess my biggest concern is life after the surgery, specifically the diet. Maybe it just a mind-set that I have to get over, so maybe you can help me. Will you ever be able eat a "normal" meal? Everything I've read here is "I take 2 bites of this or 2 bites of that and I'm full". It makes it sound like if you make a pot of spaghetti you will be eating on it for a month or two! I enjoy food (obviously too much or I wouldn't be thinking of the surgery) and I guess I'm just unsure of what to do and concerned that if I do the surgery I'll regret it later on. Any advice?

I can't believe it .. I had surgery Dec 11 ... and had my first fill last week.. and just in the past 7 days I lost 7 pounds ! That 's a total of 70 pounds so far ! I still have a long way to go .. but at least I can see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel now

Hi all, Im AJ, 29 Australia, Im getting my sleeving done 1 week from today, have to say Im getting nervous, Im excited and positive I have made the right decision, just more of the unknown. Reading all your stories has been great, hope to see you all on the flip side :001_tongue:

This may be a dumb question but here goes : I just had my first fill 3 months post surgery and was wondering if it's ok to go swimming tomorrow ?

so here I am, 1.5 years post surgery and for the past 6 months, I have plateaued (sp?) and even worse, gained a little. Nothing major, I am still lighter than i was when i was 16 years old (and I am on the last stretch to 40 now) but I am starting to find ways to eat around the band. I am as filled as I need to me (already have some restriction with certain foods) so I am not going to rely on filling more. Anyway... I am looking for some support I guess. The first thing I am doing is getting back on this board. Second, journaling everything that goes in my mouth (good, bad, etc.) and third.... will start (slowly) to get into the gym. Anyone else go through this? Any adv…

so I just came across a post of mine from a year ago where I was disappointed with my stalled weight loss. When I posted a year ago, I was at 335. Today, I am at 230... which means over the past year, I have flucctuated around but am only 5 lbs light then I was a year ago and I am not eating that much.... at least that is what I thought. I think the culprits for me are alchohol for sure (I drink Margaritas) = high in sugar The other is that even though I am eating small amounts, I am eating the wroang things... it is still possible to wayy overeat (calories wise) in a small amount of food intake. I am going to talk to my doc this week to see what he thinks about ti…

:thumbup:I was banded yesterday 2/19. Got to the hospital at 8am and went in at 1030. Came out and was given 3 shots of morphine, When I got back to my room they hooked me up with Demerol. I was in and out of consciousness all night and into the morning. My wife stayed with me all night. She had the surgery almost 3 years ago and is down 110lbs. I was still pretty sore this morning so they gave me liquid vicodin which is very nice, I have 2 weeks off to recover and am looking forward to healing up and losing the weight which had me up to 345, diabetes, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and high blood pressure.

I have always had a very active life, with many interest. I ride motocross, play football with my boys, basket ball, lots of camping and general rough housing with the kids all of this has been dramatically effected by my weight in the last year which is one of the main reasons I am getting banded. So the question band vets are there concerns with these types of activities? Mainly I worry about the port and the possibility of impact in that area BTW I'm scheduled for oct. 1

I am little over 2 years post op. I started at 336 and made it down to 222. I had a slight complication where I got stuck so bad, it took days to be able to eat again. I went to the Doc and he took out 2.5cc's and warned me that I would gain weight. Of course at this time I was convinced of my ability to keep the weight off without the band helping out and insisted to the doc that would not happen to me. (what a dumb-ass) Yeah right. So here I am three months later having gained 20 pounds back. Now whats interesting is I am exercising more now than ever. I spend 1.5 hours at the gym three nights a week, and at least 30 minutes at home on non gym nights. I am a…

Hey Guys, My opinion is that men have been under-served by the Banded community (I don't mean on this board, I mean in general - like you guys have to listen to women's issues at support groups..). That's the feedback I get from guys I've helped mentor. I need your help. I am in my fourth year since getting my band; been at goal for over 2 years, and my mentor and I want to share what we've learned. I'm doing a retrospective blog, beginning with when I first started explroing surgery. Here is the link to my blog Gloria's Banded Living — My Lapband Weight Loss Success Story This is what I need a guys perspective on: 1. Is this site useful to you? 2. How can I mak…

just wanted to do an initial post and to say hello to all the guys out there that are on here.... I'm in the initial stages and being self-pay I'm hoping for late Feb - early March on surgery. The surgery will be performed dy Dr. Rapp at Self Memorial Hospital in GreenWood, SC. I just hope my bad eating habits like volume and speed don't come back to haunt me... being a career FF I've always eaten fast and on the go. Always like that FULL feeling... read alot about stretching the "new stomach"... oh yea and the cold beer... I'm 41 5' 11 330# / was 218# 4 1/2 years ago goal I'm thinking 200...

I have been having this hiccups spells that happen most of the times that I begin drinking or trying to take on liquids...Is this normal?? because they are uncomfortable to say the least. I am trying to drink all liquids at room temperature or warm to see if that helps but wonder if anyone else had them and if you can suggest anything?

:mellow:Hey everyone - I am on my second week post op and I was just wondering what everyone else did to get enough calories. My surgeon suggests that I have "thicker liqids" and can have things like S.F. Jello pudding, S.F. popcycles, vegtable soup w/o Pasta or rice, low sodium tomato soup...currently I am only taking in about 700-800 calories per day and burning about 1700 calories (per polar exercise meter) and wonder if any of you remember how many calories you were taking in. I am not sure whether or not I am taking in enough calories or am I doing good for being week two...Thanks for your help

Hi, Hope someone can offer some help. And sorry so long. I was banded May 1st 300/lbs. Have been overweight my whole life and yo/yo diet for last 45 years. I am 52 I have lost 50/lbs which seems slow. My weight has been virtually the same for last 2 months. I started a workout diet program in Sept, nutritionist once a week, daily log. started working out 3x a week now upto 5x weekly. burn off 400 to 500 calories at the gym so 2000+ Cal a week. My nutritionist has me on 1500 to 1600 cal a day. She has been increasing this every few weeks started around 1000 cal. Weight loss has been slow and she says we are working on fixing my slow metabolism. I have told her in the pa…

So this is my first post, I am very pre op. I had my first consultation with my surgeon today... and I am still working on my insurance approval, hopefuly they will only require 3 months of DR. dieting.... instead of 6. I am wanting to do this to change my life.. I am 25 yrs old and feel like I am 35. I am at 349 as of today... and only 5'10 to boot. I have never lost more than 20lbs in my life and that was when I was 18 and in the gym for 4hrs a day. I have this heavy nagging feeling that this is the easy way out and I am dedicated enough just to suck it up?? I am single and succesful and have always made leeps and bonds considering my age and what I have accomplished,…

anyone loss weight and drive truck?

Hello all. I have been eyeing the band for over a year trying to decide what to do. I live the typical american life. To much food not enough time for my self and exercise. I am a low BMI individual today but see myself doing nothing but continueing to diet and yo yo up and down. Thus the band has been my thought. As for exercise, I would love to pick up running and or biking but at my current weight and place in life I can't do much. Please give me your opinion as users of the band. Don't just say each person is different. I will take each response with a grain of salt knowing that no two peoples situations or reasons are the same. Bottom line, please resp…

I am 26 years old and looking to lose 140 lbs. I have a wedding coming up in october and would like to lose as much as possible before then(realize it will be far less than full 140). My question is to those who have been doing this a) how often do you need to exercise and what is a typical meal that you eat? c) is 2.5 lbs a week with at least 3 days of exercising and eating right a realistic goal? I appreciate any information you can share. Getting banded on Jan 13th.

I am new to the group and have been thinking about the Band for quite awhile. I realize at this point in my life I'm not able to lose the weight like I used to. I have had two major knee reconstrcuts and I can't exercise like I used to, hence lot's of weight gain. My brother has had the surgery and I see the good as well as some of the bad with his experience. I'm sure like most of you I'm having thoughts about failure (If I have to resort to something this drastic then I must be a failure), how this will effect my life (both good and bad). So lot's going on inside my head. But I also know that if I don't get this weight off I will be much worse off. So My questi…

Wow this band thing rocks! Im down 106 and looking at about 20 more and I will be at my goal. Wish I had gotten the band years ago lol

Well my journey has begun. I was banded on 12/18/09! I am a 33year old male. With 2 postponements because the Dr’s office did not inform me of their weight limit (300lbs). Yes, they have their own surgical suite in their building but you must weigh 300 lbs or less to have it done there. (That’s why it only cost $12,000, (I had to pay out of pocket) I lost 27lbs in 25 days. The worst part of all was I called a week after I made the surgery date to ask if I needed to diet prior to surgery. I was told no, just no big meals 3 days before surgery and eat lite the days leading up to the surgery date. So I said good-bye to all my favorite restaurants and my huge portions. T…

Hi, I've been reading posts on here for the past couple of months, as I have prepared for my own banding surgery... just decided to register today, so I could post. My wife and I are getting banded on the same day (Dec. 19th), and are currently on the pre-op diet. Learning how to eat all over again. We have already attended an information seminar and a nutrition class, so a lot of my questions have been answered. But, I always seem to come up with more... lol. Just waiting now... nervous and excited... never had any kind of surgery before, so that part is a little scary. Doodle :thumbup:

Hi all, I'm Dusty from Mt. Washington, Kentucky - just outside of Louisville. I'm so excited to be getting my band on Dec. 22. :ohmy::thumbup: My Surgeon is Bryce Schuster. I can't wait to get the weight off and begin a healthier lifestyle. I have a goal to learn to play ice hockey in an adult league when the wieght comes off. Just something I've always wanted to do but never was able to. Now I have a chance. I hope to meet a lot of fellow bandsters and get advise and support. Pre-op Pic

Well it has been a while since I was on here. Banded July of 08. Lately though I have begun to gain weight again and need to remotivate myself so thought I would drop in for a visit and get back on track. Always found good motivation here on this forum, TIA!

Today, I received the call that I had been approved by my insurance for the LB procedure. I am so happy that it wasn't a battle with my insurance company (Cigna) but now I am a little nervous about the change that is coming. I know that I can make the necessary changes in my personal life to make this a success and I guess it is just pre-op nerves but it is still difficult to think how big of a change this is in my life. I guess my biggest challenges are going to be learning to chew my food completely and learning how to eat without drinking fluids...If anyone could give me some pre-op suggestions and experiences...I sure would appreciate it. My surgery is scheduled for J…

What is the best exercise to start your first workout?

I have a lot of questions..I am 6'2" 360lbs..I've gotten approved for Insurance to pay for the lap band...I go on Dec. 15th to see the surgeon( I cancelled the 1st time because i was afraid) what should I expect.I am 39 yrs old and I'm struggling with getting my mindset right to get the proceedure? I guess my struggle is the fact that I use to be fit, I always thought I can still get back in shape...somehow I fooled myself to thinking I'm better off than i am....I did an inventory of my health and it doesn't look good... High blood pressure, sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, and depression have all taken a toll on me, plus I'm turning 40:scared2: in a few weeks.....I know…