Jim1967

Sorry, I missed the fact that you're not banded yet. I would say go for it and have a goodbye soda. I had a terrible diet pepsi addiction for a very long time. I haven't had any soda or beer since April. Surprisingly I am not missing it either. Good Luck on you surgery tomorrow!!

It may not have any carbs bit it is certainly carbonated. Carbonation can lead to stretching of the pouch and cause discomfort...

I ran into a similar problem with broccoli. I think I was eating to quickly and didn't chew enough...not pleasant!!

This is true on some levels but it goes both ways. My Wife has made the comment "You better not lose all the weight and start looking elsewhere for love". She said it was a joke but she has made the same joke a few times now since I started this. Been a long time since she said so I think she is OK. I talked to her and tell her this is about me having a longer life and better health to spend with her. On top of that I remind her I am 10 years older than her so it's about life longevity both happiness and health. We're already behind the 8 ball because of the age difference and my family history. My Father is from a family of 14 and so far he has outlived his older siblings and he is only 72. They all passed in their 60's with exception to an Uncle who I never met. He didn't come home from Vietnam. It is quite possible your man is concerned you lose a lot of weight he could end up losing you....I could be way off but it is a possibility to consider.

See if you can get him to go to that seminar with you. It could be an eye opening experience for him. My Wife and I both attended and her wanting to have a baby decided to wait and not have the surgery. I contemplated for a long time between Band or Bypass and we jointly decided that even though I was very big I had no health issues to warrant having my plumbing re-routed. I was banded in April and feel great. Have you made attempts to lose on your own? For a lot of people losing is not the problem it is keeping off. While I understand you want to press on with or without you're husbands blessing it truly believe you will have a higher chance of success having him in your corner and cheering you on and providing the support.. I love this site and everyone on it but I think I would be struggling a lot if weren't for the support and encouragement from my Wife. Just a male's opinion.....good luck!!

With drive and motivation I am sure you can do it. Just remember the first month after surgery is for healing. Don't be surprised if the scale goes up or down during this time. You're body has to heal and it also has to adjust to the new band. A lot of banders said even though they researched a long time before having the surgery they wish they were more prepared with the slow start. I am not trying to discourage you by any means here. I went through a couple of weeks of anger, depression and at times felt like I made the wrong surgical choice. We all work so hard with preop diets, all the random tests they want us to do and then sit through the ever waiting period of insurance approval (assuming you're not a self pay) and then when surgery day comes and goes we immediately expect to see the results of all that hard, long preparation. In most cases it is not immediate. It will take time and continued patience but if you work at it the scale movement will come. Tracking food was huge for me when I got back on solids because I was so focused on eating the right things I didn't monitor the quantity very well. For a lot of people eating after surgery is almost the same as eating before surgery because most Doctors do not put any saline in the band until 4-6 weeks after surgery. Hope that helps. Like I said I am not trying to discourage at all. I was banded 4/16/12 and I would do it again tomorrow if I had to. Band does work if you work with it and remain patient. Good luck and let us know how you're progressing... Jim

Hi Kekebefree,,, I have been and still am on clomiphene 3 days a week and I take Arimidex once a day. My Urologist found my estrogen level was a little high and was interfering with my testosterone. His hope was correcting this issue would increase my count and it did but very very little. For 7 months we monitored and I had analysis done. Doctor informed me after 7 months we did all we could with medicine and that Surgery was the next step to see if there is a blockage and see if he could extract specimen to use for IVF. On March 28, 2012 I had the surgery and no blockage was found but they managed to extract a little viable sperm. Doctor said it was very little and it would be wise for a back up plan for donor sperm just in case. My Wife and I are still on the fence on that one but a decision needs to be made soon as the IVF is going to start on her next cycle. As you can see I am pretty open guy and perhaps I over shared here but you're husband has nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. Sexual dysfunction comes in a variety of ways and it is a serious health issue for men and women. It can play havoc both mentally and physically. Here is a link that has an overview of the procedure: http://malereproduct...erm-aspiration/ I can go into more detail on the surgical procedure and recovery if your interested. We can even have a private conversation if you like. Either through here or I can message you my email address. Also, I still continue to take the meds listed above and will continue to do so. Without getting too much more into TMI I take those meds because of the increased drive and performance and on the non-sexual front I have increased motivation. I have blood tests and see my Urologist every 6 months to ensure all is well. All the best,,,Jim

Obviously its a case by case situation however if he is like me he just isn't producing viable sperm. Like I said I had to have surgery to have the sperm aspirated and what they got was not that strong. They suggested we have back up donor sperm just in case. He could also have a blockage and the only way to tell that is with surgery. I wish it was a blockage for me but that's not the case.

You're doing awesome!! You'll find the scale may not move for a bit but then one day bang a few pounds will be gone. I am only 2 months in and I got a little discouraged for a bit but it starts to move.

Awesome progress Johnny!! Good to see a fellow male bandmate doing so well. As much as enjoy all the ladies on here and they've taught me a lot, it's nice to see guys post once in a while and share their experiences.

Hi Kekebefree, I cannot answer your questions directly but I am interested in the responses you get. My Wife and I are in a similar situation as you and your husband. My wife wanted to do the lapband but avoided it because the seminar we attended they told us if you were planning to have a baby you should wait until after a year of being banded or have the baby first. My Wife has gone through all the testing and she only has one working tube. I also have low sperm count so it really is in the hand of science for us. I had to have surgery in March for sperm aspiration and even though they got some viable sperm they're not sure it's enough. Surgery was not pleasant but the opportunity of becoming a Father was worth it. We are going to be starting the IVF on her next cycle which is coming up soon. I wish you much luck and like I said I look forward to the responses you get. Jim

So true....I dropped 170 over the course of 19 months. Yea, I gained all of it back over the years plus another 89. Not fun and at times downright depressing... My concern isn't losing weight with the band..it's keeping off which is going to take a lot of commitment.

Almost everybody knows and I wish I handled it a bit differently. Now I am constantly fielding questions such as "how much are you down", "How much do you want to lose?". I actually had someone ask me what I am going to do about the excess skin when I reach goal...rude!! And I don't easily get offended. Wish I handled differently. I told my parents about it and then a few weeks after surgery I am getting get well card and proud of you cards in the mail from Aunts and Cousins... I got nothing to hide but I wish I thought it through....

Thank you!! As for the surgery itself it isn't much different then say...having a gallbladder removed. Hard part is learning to work and live with your band...again with any surgery it has its risks. Also, when is comes to us larger folks it isn't really the procedure so much that they worry about. It's the anesthesia that's the concern.

I would like to chime in here if I may. Being a man and starting this journey at 486 pounds I have to say I think your brother's doctor is not doing him any favors. All he is doing is putting fear into him and probably making him even more discouraged as losing weight without surgical help at 400+ pounds is a tremendous mountain to climb. It can be done as I have done it alone but I gained it all back and then some. Now, I don't know your bother's medical history but for me it was a no brainer decision. Only medical issues I have/had is sleep apnea, and arthritis in my knees. I agree with the rest that the Doctor is off base. I would recommend taking him to a seminar if he is open to it and possibly get his questions and concerns addressed by professionals who work with obesity on a daily basis. If you're brother has any questions at all don't hesitate to ask me or anyone else. I am just three days past my two month anniversary and I have lost 44 pounds and a total of 80 if counting pre-op diet. I would do this again in a heartbeat and I wish I had done it years ago. Edit: By the way there is always risks with any surgery but I was at a point when I asked myself what is more risky? Living like this waiting for a heart attack, stroke or diabetes or taking a chance on getting rid of the weight. It's a very personal decision but he shouldn't be discouraged by the opinion of one Doctor. Maybe that Doctor had a singular bad experience and because of it he will not recommend it.

I would be afraid they would get stuck but I have thought of them. Much in the way of hamburger rolls, bagels. I just avoid them and convinced myself they will get stuck and not worth the pain.

I got my 2nd fill of 1cc this past Tuesday. I now have a total of 6cc in a 11cc band. I can definitely feel the difference now. Last night I only managed 4oz boneless pork chop and 1/2cup of of broccoli and 1/2 cup of stuffing. Well I managed to eat all of the meat and veggie but after one scoop of stuffing I was done. I had I eaten any more I would have had an episode......I think I am close maybe another small fill or two. Scale finally moved some as well.

Hi Carolinagirl, Check page 1 of this thread. I put a link to a page that shows a side by side comparison of the two. Jim

Hi There,, I said this to another poster a day or two ago and it might be something to think about. If you're doing only 800 calories a day there is probably a good chance that's your cause of the slow weight loss. If you're putting your body into starvation mode it goes on the defensive and tries to fight back. The main way it does this is to protect its fat stores. What ends up happening is the body will use lean tissue or muscle to provide it with some of the calories it needs to keep functioning. This directly leads to a loss of muscle, which in turn lowers your metabolism so that the body needs fewer calories to keep going and and then the weight loss slows down.... Are you currently tracking your food intake? I definitely recommend it. Myfitnesspal is a great and easy to use tool. Best of luck!!

Indeed, very strange. Good luck!!

Well the good thing is they didn't say NO. Actually, they said sure at the end of October. I would still press for more answers and policy in writing.

I agree this is rather odd. I am wondering if they want you to do a supervised diet or prove you've made attempts previously to lose it on your own. My insurance company required a 6 month supervised diet and fitness plan from my doctor and nutritionist. I have never heard of such thing as obesity being pre-existing!! That is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. I would definitely call the insurance company and press for clarification and asked for their written policy on bariatric surgery. Remember you are the customer....you have rights to the information. Good Luck