captain danbo

I also have an appointment for another fill on the 18th of March. I think I am going to ask him to make it a double shot and no messing around. I really want to feel some kind of restriction this time.

Thank all of you for the girl advice. The only thing on my mind is going to be timing. I am going to see her on the 13th of March (I don’t get home till the 12th) and I plan on asking her out for lunch but there is always a bunch of people around. Do you guys think it might be a little rude of me to ask her out when all her co-workers are walking around? Do you guys think I should attempt do get her phone number first then ask her out? I am pretty sure she is available. I have a pretty close family friend that works there and she tells me how the girl I kind of have a crush on is always making commits about me. My friend told me she was single but that was a month ago and I won’t even be home for another 3 ½ weeks. So I guess I will just have to wait and see when I get home.

I had UHC and I got approved with a BMI of 44. They have been very good with taking care of me. All I can say is make sure your doc is in network and always resubmit your claim. They denied almost everything the first time and approved everything the second time around. I think my hospital and surgeon bill was a little over 90 grand and I only had to pay $208. Good luck.

It has been a while since my last post and it’s because I have been kind of having a hard time with my band. It’s all the same old thing, I can eat as much as the bad stuff as I could possibly want and could only eat small portions of the healthy stuff. I know I have put some weight back on. I don’t know how much because I am so freaked out of what the scale reads, so I just won’t even get on that thing. My pants sizes are staying the same and I still feel good, but I can see some more belly fat around the love handle area. I am pretty sure I need another fill but I am kind of embarrassed to go in there because of the weight gain. I guess I need to get over all that and just go in there.

On another note I have a girl question for you all. I have always been kind of a shy guy and the when I meet girls it always been when a friend introduces me or I meet them at a party or something along those lines. As far as seeing a girl at the store or doc office and going up to them and asking them out, I have never really done that. My problem is I really want to take this girl out at my orthodontist office (yes I am 26 years old with braces) and I don’t really know the best approach to ask her. She is pretty out going, friendly, funny, smart, and it seems like we have some stuff in common. It kind of sucks, all the qualities I see in her that I like, is the same reasons why I am intimated by her. I know I am not all that bad looking and I like to think of myself as a fun person to be around, I just still lack the confidence even after losing 120lbs. Anyhow I just kind of wanted to get everyone’s take on this. Any good tips on how to raise the confidence level?

song: I live in banning just a few miles north of you. If you even want to try to get a local support group going let me know becasue for some reason I am always out of town every time my doc has one and when I am able to make one of his it's mostly bypass people and maybe if I am luckly 1 or 2 lapband people.

Anyone alse in the IE want to get something going?

Gly: I live in the I.E. I live in cherry valley but spend most my time is Redlands. Were do you live?

I had my insurance pay for mine. When I was not sure if UHC would pay for it so I was asking how much so I could find another way to get the money they told me it would be 15-18 grand for everything. Now I know what they charged the UHC and it was a lot more than what it would have been if I was cash pay.

Surgeon $8,900

PA $1,600

Anesthesia $1,260

Hospital $59,685

It’s no wonder our premiums are so high.

I was banded June 28th 2007 by Dr. Krahn in Rancho but he does most his work in riverside or san bernardino. I am doing well just having a hard time staying away from the sweet stuff. All in all my whole way of life has changed for the better. I feel better, look better, more confident, off all meds and just over all doing great. Glad to see other people form CA on here.

Stef, I do plan on getting out of the offshore industry, I just got to find something better. I have been doing this for 8 years now and it’s all I really know. I just am having a real hard time controlling the snacking, I will be up on watch with nothing really going on and just think about all the fresh homemade Cookies and cake downstairs. And it’s so easy for me to grab a few and I don’t want to gain any weight back. Also this Christmas kind of messed with my head a little, The last time I was home for Christmas was the year a graduated from high school (2000) so I think if I want to change my career I better do it while I am still kind of young. I am looking at becoming a Lineman for a power company. But it might take a while for me to get in so I sure I will be offshore for a while longer.

I also have been doing really bad since thanksgiving. I have been keeping up with the exercise (I run 20-25miles a week) and keeping my meals small but it’s between meals where I am have a hard time. It’s really weird; I have never been in to the sweet stuff. I am fat because I would eat a 5 lbs piece of lasagna or a 5lbs egg and sausage burrito. Now that I don’t eat any of that stuff I started to eat sweets. I eat mostly Cookies and cake; I’ve been eating them pretty much everyday for the last few weeks. I tell myself I will only eat one cookie then I eat that one cookie and it’s on. I figure I messed up buy eating that one cookie and I say the hell with it and I eat more. (A lot more) Anyone else have the same problem? I think I will do much better once I find that new job I have been talking about. A job that doesn’t give me free cookies anytime I want.

So from this point on I am swearing off all sweets. I need to get back on track before I start to gain my weight back.

I hear some of you talking about getting the band removed. Would you have it removed and get another surgery? Or just get it removed not to have it anymore? Has anyone tried weight watchers or Jenny in addition to the band?

I am still not convinced with the band. I am sure I just need more fills. Sure I have lost weight with the band but only because I made the changes my doc told me to. I only eat 1-2cups of food per meal I always make sure I get all my Protein in and I exercise regular. I am still very hungry after only 2 cups of food but it’s getting easier not because of the band but because I have been doing it for 6 months now and eating right and exercise is becoming part of my life. I am leaving a great job and taking a giant pay cut just because I am having a hard time with my self control with food. (I slip sometimes) we have to be willing make the changes necessary to improve our health. We all knew this was not going to be easy.

Hang in there everyone.

It seems to me if food goes down fine then your ok. I have not had that problem myself. I would still call your doc just to be on the safe side. Hope you feel better.

I spent xmas on the boat this year once again. I think this is number 8 in a row, but anyway. The cook on here baked so much stuff and I think I ate just about 2or3 of everything he made. I am having a hard time keeping my weight down because of my line of work. I am currently looking for another job but it's going to be hard because all I have done since high school has been on boats. Anyhow I guess that’s my problem but I also think it contributing to me eating too much. Eating too much because of stress from eating too much. That kind of sucks!

I see a real big difference. Your face is a whole lot smaller. And you could see it in the neck alot too. You have lost 80lbs!! Thats a ton a weight. Even if you don't feel like you look all that diff the fact remains that you are 80 LBS lighter. Keep it up, YOur looking great!!!!!!

I have to get back on the ball. I kind of forgot I had lapband the last week or so.

I would take it as a compliment.

It’s funny that you guys are talking about how work sucks. I was just thinking the samething. I like the work that I do and I like the people I work with. It's really hard being gone for a whole month 6 months a year. But it's like every job it has it's ups and downs. I take 6 months off a year and I make ok money. However the skills and licenses I hold are only good on the Water. On the water I might be the next best thing but on land I would be lucky to get a job flipping burgers. It’s also hard to get in to a workout program when you are stuck on a 200’ boat for 28days.

thew only day in may that I can't make it is may19th but thats a monday so I don't think it matters.

may sounds fine to me.

I can go 3/14-4/6 or 5/9-5/31 or 7/4-7/26. I can go and of these dates.

you know even if it's justa few of us, I still think it would be fun. I would like to see all of us go but I don't think it's going to happen. Anyway anytime in those date is just fine by me. I think july might be alittle to hot but I would still go.

did we ever get a for sure date yet? are we alll goingto try to stay at the same place, do the same things? I have not heard anyone talk about it a while I was wondering what was going on.

BB, I have been good I just have not been on the PC that much. I have just been enjoying my time off from work, mostly going to the gym hanging with family and snowboarding other than that it’s just same old thing. The last few time I got on the scale it’s been between 173-178lbs and it really has not moved all that much the last 6 weeks but I have not really been trying to lose anymore. I feel really good right now and I am kind of happy with the way I look. I could eat just about what ever I want just not a lot.

*In the morning around 7:30 I eat 1/3 cup non fat cottage cheese with about a cup of fruit and sometimes I will have a small piece of a bran muffin but not all the time.

*Around 2:00 or 3:00 I will make a Protein fruit smoothie or I will eat a small lunch (fish or chic w/a veggie.

*7:00 Or 8:00 I will have a piece of fish or some other lean meat plus a veggie

*9:00-11:00 I will have a low cal ice crew bar or sugar free Jello with FF whip cream.

Now I don’t always eat all the same stuff pretty close to this.

Thank you all for all the nice compliments. It’s a great feeling to hear people call me a hottie and say I am smokin. let me tell you it’s been hard. I never thought I would turn in to a gym rat, I think I spend more time at the gym then I do at my house. Anyhow everyone is looking good , I can’t wait to see more pics. My 6 month is not till the 28th but I am leaving in a few days to go back to work and I won’t be able to post pics once I get there.

this is like the only before pic I could find, I think you all have seen it before. The other pics are from today.

lo2us, I have had beers, hard stuff, Jello shots, just about what ever I want. The only thing I have to say is to take it slow because I have felt some gas pains becasue of the drinking. you know what gives me the most gas pains is sugar free little hard candys and sugar free gum. I wont even eat them anymore becasue it gets so bad. I used to only have like one or two candys a day but not no more.

Bigbaby: Good job with the weight loss and all the cardio. IT's hard for me to stay on cardio because I get so board. But I still force myself to do it.

Farmer: Thats one hell of a story. I have gotten tanked a few time after being banded and I just notice I get drunk alot quicker. Witch is nice because I don't have to spent a bunch of money anymore. I think maybe you drank to fast and did not give the rum time to kick in so maybe it hit you all at once. anyhow glad to see your doing better today.

wombat I have PB a few times and I wait till my next meal 5-6 hours most the time. I tend to wait longer if I PB for a long time. I have had them last for 15mins and up to 3hours. It's funny the days I slime are the days I eat well because I am freaked out it will happen more.