Fenton

Y'know, I'm beginning to believe that the big difference between losing quickly and losing slowly is exercise. I know that various studies have shown that exercise is more effective for weight loss than just dieting. And, since exercise builds muscle, it has an even greater effect on continued weight loss...

Me again: and I'm a bit sorry to be posting this to anyone who's feeling stuck at the moment, but your being stuck is temporary, and my SV is permanent! Today, I weighed in, and for the first time in years, I'm under 400 pounds. 400's, goodbye FOREVER!!! Only 7 1/2 more pounds, and I'll be Super Obese no more! HELLO MORBID OBESITY!

It all depends on how big you are (which determines how fast you'll burn fat), what your intake is, and how much exercise you're doing. I've lost at a bit more than 4 pounds a week since my surgery. On THE BIGGEST LOSER, where they exercise all the time, a 4 pound loss would be considered unimpressive. So it's really up to you.

Hey, how come Bergdorf gets to compare guys to dogs, but if *I* try that, I get called a bastard!!! Although I can see no possible comparison ever between dudes and dogs, I thought that was a great post. Hey! I live in NYC! Take me to your hairstylist! I think I'd look great with trampy highlights!

Don't sweat it, man. I mean, it's natural to be nervous before any surgery - particularly if, like me, you weight 473 pounds at the start of this - but it's a piece of cake. The surgery is a minor procedure, done usually by specialists who do almost nothing but lap surgery. Honestly, I walked into the OR, lay down, the put in an IV and then I woke up banded. It was just that simple. And recovery seems to be a lot easier on the dudes than on the chicks. As far as websites go, you've come to the best place - you're surrounded by experts, and between us we have an extraordinary amount of experience and opinion. Ask your questions, and you'll get straight answers here. Welcome aboard!

It's because the gas is pressing on your diaphgragm, the sheet of muscle that separates your lungs from your guts. Walking jiggles the gas and the organs around and relieves the pressure.

Amanda! Classy, centered post! My arms are a little sore - I did my dumbell workout while watching THE Soup.

Ack! I have to work Sunday and Monday! Christine, that's EXACTLY the degree of restriction I want. I have yet to have a fill, and am doing well with my band empty. I think I have a degree of restriction - I rarely feel hungry, and am taking in about 1500 or so calories a day - but I can eat anything I want. Steak, lobster etc. Last night, I skimped during the day so I could have my favourite dish in the world right now: five-spiced duck breast with basmati rice and roasted plum and a hoisin sauce, at a fancy restaurant. I worked hard this week, and I deserved it. And I LOVED it. And, like Shoop, I love my lapband too. Although I don't know how I'll feel about it when I'm gagging on carrots like Harley. That's actually a REAL incentive for me to hold off on a fill for as long as possible. Still, with another 200 pounds to go, I'd say there'll be a fill in my future...

Hey, congrats, buxndux! You're bloated because, at the time of surgery, they fill your belly with gas so it lifts up like a circus tent and they can move around in there without the skin and fat squashing down on them. It'll take a day or two for that to ease up, and you might get the occasional twinge, most commonly in your left shoulder or back. Just keep walking! It'll ease the gas pain, and help with everything else.

Thanks, but, in all honesty, it's really been pretty easy. I feel like I'm in some kind of "zone" where I don't want to eat and I do want to exercise - I'm sure a few of the lads around here are in the same mode. And then, when you start to see the numbers drop, it kind of locks you into position, and you just want to keep going. I'm determined to hit 100 by 6 months from my first consult on 1/28/08. That gives me a couple of months to lose 30 lbs, but I think I can do it...

Everyone! Stop posting about your Wii Fit boards until *I* have one! Or else!

Good Lord! I can't believe that Rick STILL isn't banded! It feels like he's been working on this for FOREVER! Three more weeks. There will be dancing in the streets when it happens!

KatW, a great post... This nails it: "Fat is one way of telling people to stay away, but it is not the only one."

I should admit that I haven't actually BEEN on one his restaurant outings! I'm just posting it to emphasize that there are few restaurants you can't eat in as a bandster. And hope's experience just goes to show that. I particularly like that she had a bite of dessert: this way of life ISN'T about privation, it's about eating right. And a bite of sherbet with a little white chocolate sounds like a mighty right finish to a healthy meal!

Well, Sugr, it's not the fact that many gyms, particularly in NYC, are filled with people with great bodies that I find concerning, but that there are so many gyms nowadays that personal trainers grow like mushrooms. There are so many of them, and I don't believe they're all well-trained and intelligent individuals. When inexperienced or incompetent trainers are working with young, fit bodies, they're far less likely to do harm than when dealing with someone older, a bit crumblier, with weight and health issues.

I'm a real believer in Isopure premade Zero Carb Protein drink. 40 grams of protein in 20 ounces of Fluid, about 160 cals, I think. Get a couple six packs of that, and you're good for a fortnight. Post-op you'll be a bit out of it for a day or two, but the pain will be a lot less than you think. Still, take it easy - take your time getting up and sitting or lying down. Keep your fluids up as best you can - Water and Protein drinks. You don't want to get dehydrated, which is all too easy at that stage. Finally, best advice of all: WALK! Walk as soon as you can - at NYU they have people up and walking in the recovery room. Big people lying around in bed getting dehydrated is a great way to develop a thrombosis in the legs. Walking gets you used to your new body, it uses energy, and, best of all, it annihilates the gas discomfort you'll get (pain or pressure in your left shoulder tip or back). Seriously: GET WALKING! And come back here and tell us how you're doing...

Congrats on the date! Don't sweat it - it's a piece of cake. Seriously, I know you're going to worry, but it'll be fine. I went in, they put the mask on my face, an IV in my arm, and then I woke up and it was finished. I think that, by and large (or, formerly large), we're doing great! I'm down 47 pounds since surgery 10 weeks ago, 70 pounds total. And I FEEL great.

It sounds like you've found a trainer who really understands and works with your limitations, Penny. I'm almost at the weight where the gym is a more realistic proposition, but all of the trainers are these muscle-y young dudes or hardbodied chicks - I'm a bit wary of their aptitude for dealing with me.

Sue, I worship any 56 year old woman who knows what "DDR" is! Heck, I'd worship 40 year olds who knew it! I'm extremely jealous of your Wii Fit. I hope to get one, but so far I haven't even been able to find a Wii! Also, the boards have a weight limit of 330 lbs, which excludes me - for the time being. I hope you enjoy the book - I should warn you it's pretty intense. Or maybe I already did... Glad to hear you're losing, hope and Mari. And hope, in NYC, my surgeon (who's banded, himself) leads expeditions to area restaurants every few months, to teach bandsters how to order. Last month: an Italian restaurant.

Gosh! Some days it just sucks to be a diva! Sorry to hear about your accident; I think it's extremely unlikely that it affected your band. Which, after all, in addition to being fairly solidly built, is pretty well-insulated right now! But it won't be for long, given what sounds like a very high level of restriction. It does sound like a bit much, doesn't it? I hope you can get it sorted out pronto, because that doesn't sound at all fun.

Awww... We seem to have a lot of blue shamrocks! I'm sorry you guys aren't nailing the progress at the rate you were hoping, but give it time! We're still only a couple of months out; the band is a tool, not a magic cure. We have to understand it, and listen to it, and eventually it will give us what we all need. We didn't get this fat overnight, and we're not going to get skinny overnight. I think all of us who've thought long and hard about the band understand that it's a tool that will help us make adjustments that we'll be managing for the rest of our lives. And it's simple: weight loss = calories eaten minus the calories we burn. The band WILL eventually help us control our intake, but in the meantime, willpower is still key - reliance on one's self, one's desire to be all that we can be, that's what has to come first in our minds when we're thinking of what we're going to eat next. And if you're having difficulty controlling your intake, then think about ways to increase how much you're burning. Actually START to exercise - hard if you can, or gently and gradually if you're just starting out. Another thing worth doing is to consult your food diary, and see how you're doing in terms of your nutrition. Are you getting enough Protein? What's your calorie intake like - is it REALLY as low as you're letting yourself believe? At the end of the day, it's a simple impossibility to have a band with restriction, to obey the guidelines for eating with a band, to do a moderate amount of exercise, and then to NOT lose weight. Hang in there, you'll get there in the end... You'll get restriction, you'll control your intake, you'll lose weight. Just hang in there!

Yikes, Diva! That sounds terrible! And gross, too!

The New York Times had two fitness professionals (a yoga teacher and a personal trainer), a working mother and a schlubby video game journalist try out the Wii Fit: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/15/fashion/15fitness.html Reviews were generally positive. There's also a video segment of the testers using it.

I began this process at 473 pounds - way too high for the 375 pound limit of most gym machines. I know of a number of people who've dropped dead while/after exercising, and as a result I've been very careful in my approach. I'm trying to be graduated, to build up my exercise tolerance and stamina over time. I've started simply, by walking as much as I can; I have a pedometer, and now a Bodybugg. Whereas before I could get winded if I walked a few city blocks, now I walk for thirty or forty blocks at a time without problem. I've begun to add yoga back into the mix. I love Rodney Yee's 20 minute yoga session in AM/PM YOGA FOR BEGINNERS, which I used to do a lot before losing control of my size. Obviously, at 20 minutes, it's not demanding, and will contribute little to my overall fitness, but it's a key start: when I'm comfortable doing these particular poses, I'll move on to longer, more demanding programs. I am gaining in cardiovascular health, and my joints are grateful for the gentle stretch. I bought a set of dumbells; I tried using them last month, but was a bit wary of the pulling sensation and subsequent burning I felt around my port, and shelved them for a bit after I learned that some doctors recommend no heavy lifting for 3 months post-banding. Next month, though, I'll phase them back in. And I have a balance ball and a few DVDs, although I'm a bit wary of that thing! When I hit the 100 lb lost mark (I'm down about 70 now), I'll hit the gym. I'll start off doing cardio very gently, then add in strength training with a personal trainer, and gradually ramp up both. And I'll go from there.

Suzy - my Protein intake recommendation from the independent site was lower too! By 1 gram... It does seem to be a better system though, since it takes into account frame size, activity level and age. Mike, you're a great example. You'll make me feel guilty tomorrow morning when I wake up at 7:30AM in my cozy bed. But not TOO guilty...