kagoscuba

different stories for different people. I was on the elliptical 4 days post-op, lifting limited to 20 pounds or less, and was cleared for "unlimited" (heavy lifting) exercise at 4 weeks. My doc doesn't believe the body should be pampered after this surgery, but he does say "follow your body; if it hurts adjust your routine."

"What a fantastic ethos! I may have found a branch of Christianity that I agree with! Thanks Kago :)" You are most welcome, Nina! :tongue:

"However I am not going to push my beliefs on you or "make" you believe what I do. What I am going to do is thank God whenever and however I feel to. Thank God it is still a free country!" Jaymie, you'd make a quality Unitarian. I usually am succinct on this whole subject, so I'll try to be again: Religion is not the truth, God is. Live well, respect well, and leave this earth at least as good of a place as you entered it. Do these things and any God I'd be proud to be a part of will accept you into his good graces. If believing in one particular doctrine is the only way to enter Heaven, then I eagerly await Hell.

"And pregnancy is a gift!" Pregnancy is objectively biological, not a gift. Subjectively, however, it may be a gift or a treasure, based on personal beliefs. I know plenty of women who abhor the idea of ever having a baby. I also know plenty of others who had babies because it was the "family thing to do," (nothing to do with the abortion argument) and they are miserable mothers because they truly never wanted kids in the first place.

My doc had me doing exercise, including light weight lifting and ab work at two weeks, and he had me on the elliptical four days post-op. As he stated, "I do this procedure for police who come in for surgery on Thursday and are back to full active-duty the next Monday; the elliptical isn't going to hurt you. Don't lift anything over 20 pounds for a month, but everything else is open."

I'm actually a little shocked by the shallowness of my answer: If the procedure was fully insured, I'd probably take the chance, as everyone started out somewhere. However, since I am a self-pay, I would not have the surgery done by this doctor, as I'd need a longer track-record before putting down my money. Sad, but true that money would be the highest priority, every thing else being equal. Oc course, a doctor with one procedure under his belt could be better than one with 2000 too.

"Mayans did seem to have some fairly distressing practices but these slaughters involved adult men who failed at the local sport." Perhaps Columbians have some Mayan roots then...they killed a player for making an "own goal" in soccer against the USA.

"Why would people think $16,000 was a lot? " I would have to agree with the question. My costs: Doctor's Fee: $6000 Anesthesiolgist's Fee: $2400 Hospital's Fee: $13000 First two fills free - rest are $200 each All pre-surgery work was covered by insurance, as well as meds.

It sounds like a crock to me, but they have lots of "evidence" that says otherwise. Here is the website: Full Body Fitness | Health and Wellness | Vibration Technology & Acceleration Training | Low-Stress Exercise Equipment | Power Plate

"When did this guy get castrated?" He was castrated in the 90's. It is still unclear whether it was self-inflicted or if vigilantes did it to him.

I have lost 47 pounds in a little over 3 months. However, whether it is purely coincidence or not, males seem to lose faster than females. The lab-band has been a godsend for me.

The main reason I hate the BMI chart is it makes no distinction for sex. At 5'9" and 164, I'd be considered one pound short of overweight, but in reality I'd be pretty scrawny. I know, I've been that height and weight before. A woman at that height and weight would most likely be very healthy looking and could possibly be carrying a small amount of excess weight (most likely not). I use athletes for reference for what I should weigh. If Ray Rice (running back for Rutgers) is 5'9" and weighs 200 pounds (he is and does), then I'd better weigh less than him, at my ideal weight, because he is a freak of muscular nature, and I am not. I work out a decent bit, so I know 165 is not going to happen, which is how I go to my stretch goal of 180.

I'm 5'9", and my BMI says I need to weigh a max of 164lbs. When I was in high school, playing football every day, I weighed 165 lbs with a 28 inch waist, so I was already overweight. For my lapband journey I have three goal weights, from my top weight of 265. The first goal I have met, which was to be below 225 (my lowest weight in the last 5 years). My second goal is 199, and my stretch goal is 180 and a 32 inch waist. At 180 and 32 inch waist, I'll look pretty darn good, and I won't care what the BMI charts say.

"Starvation Mode" is a nice concept to delude us into thinking that's why we are not losing weight, much like thinking the uptick in weight must be associated with lean muscle gain. In the very short-term (two weeks or less) these two factors might come into play, but scientific evidence proves that lower metabolic rates and balances of fat to lean muscle gains balance out fairly quickly. Consider the following: Metabolism Slows During Calorie Restriction Restricting calories during weight loss lowers metabolism1 because the body becomes more efficient, requiring fewer calories to perform the necessary daily functions for survival. Consequently, this can slow (but not stop) the anticipated rate of weight loss. For example, if an individual needs 2,000 calories per day to maintain weight, reducing intake to 1,500 calories, assuming exercise stays the same, should provide a 1 pound per week weight loss (Note: 1 pound of weight is equivalent to about 3,500 calories). Furthermore, reducing to 1,000 calories should result in a weight loss of 2 pounds per week and going down to 500 calories a day should result in a weight loss of 3 pounds per week. However, if an individual actually reduces their intake to 500 calories, the weight loss would not likely be a steady 3 pounds per week because of the reduced metabolic rate. It would likely be around 2¼ to 2½ pounds. This "lower than expected" rate of weight loss is a lot different than "no" weight loss as the "starvation mode" notion proposes. It is unclear as to whether the relationship between reduced caloric intake and a lower metabolism follows a straight path or becomes more pronounced the greater the caloric reduction. Some studies have found no significant reduction in metabolism until the caloric restriction is quite large (e.g. 800 calories or less per day).2 Others suggest a linear relationship with small reductions in metabolism accompanying small reductions in caloric restriction, with the gap increasing as the caloric deficit is enlarged. While there is no biologic evidence to support the "starvation mode" myth, there may be behavioral reasons why weight loss stops when calories are severely reduced. Over-restriction of calorie intake, known as high dietary restraint is linked to periods of overeating, hindering successful weight loss.3 (For more information on dietary restraint, read the Science Center article, The Skill of Flexible Restraint). Metabolism after Weight Loss The good news is that after the weight-loss goal is achieved and weight has stabilized, it does not appear that the dip in metabolism is permanent. Several rigorous studies done at the University of Alabama in Birmingham showed that metabolism goes back to expected levels with sustained weight loss,4 discounting the theory that a lowered metabolism helps to explain the common phenomenon of weight regain following weight loss.

"Permanent removal of the testes would solve the repeat offender problem too! No testes, no drive right?" Not always the case. The rapist that Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee pardoned, on the basis of repeated calls for leniancy from the religious right, raped a woman and killed her, after he was physically castrated.

You should ask your nutritionist what the Basal Metabolic Rate means in your particular situation. Remember, absent exercise, 1800 calories a day means you will not lose weight (nor gain). I believe it is something like cutting out 500 calories a day by either exercise or diet means you should "average" 2 pounds a week weight loss. Some weeks you'll plateau, but over an extended period of time, the losses should compensate for even or gains in weight. My rule is "never get addicted to the scale." I never weigh myself more than once a week, and I never get concerned until a second weigh-in gives me similar results I may not like. My nutritionist said to strictly follow the doctor's guidelines, until on solids. Once there, she suggested finding a web journal for calorie and nutrition logging. I use http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/Journal.asp I log every meal, and it not only give me calories, but it tells me sodium, fat, saturated fat, sugar, protein, carbs, and sodium. Using that tool I can pretty much custom create my meal plans. I rotate through four weekly plans I made up to "keep my body guessing."

use this BMR site as a starting point, rather than the "global guess" most nutritionists give: BMR Calculator According to the site, I should eat 2,057 calories to maintain my weight, not counting for exercise. So, I could easily eat 2500 calories a day and not gain/lose. However, I average 2,000 calories a day, and with the exercise I get (very rigid about my schedule) I continue to lose 2-3 pounds a week on average.

Tae Kwon Do will help immensely with toning, flexibility, and mental focus. Due to my wee-ones (three ages 5 and under) I no longer have the time for TKD, but when was able to attend regularly, it was definitely a wonderful way to get a good workout.

I went from 4000+ calories a day to between 1200 to 2000 a day now, and I have seen a HUGE change. I was banded 9/29/07 and so far I have lost almost 50 pounds and six inches off of my waist (from size 42 to 36). I feel better and I definitely look better. I constantly change my diet around, and I do not get down by gobbling down the worst food sometimes (ate a pint of Cookie Dough ice cream in one sitting last weekend). That was an aberration. My typical diet is vastly different than the one I had before, and I get to see the benefits every day. Results will come, whether you are eating 1000 calories or almost 2000 a day. Find your Basal Metabolic Rate, eat below that, and ensure you are exercising, and you can't help but lose weight.

luluc....LMAO....I have been accused of not allowing my Georgia roots to leave me while here in NJ. My NJ born wife just calls it my "Redneck Side" and lets it go at that. Besides, she has learned she can't argue with what works. She admits the mailbox may be ugly as hell, but we haven't had to replace it (or even pick it up off the ground) in 5 years either. It's a very Eastern philosophy..."let mailbox flow like water, not be stout like oak tree; when the wind blows the mighty oak will fall, while the mailbox will find it's own path." See, crap like that last sentence drives her nuts, but that's my job, right?

For those who decide to have steel pipes or brick mailboxes, they may be liable for a lawsuit for someone who hits those mailboxes in a pure accident and are hurt. If burglers can successfully sue for getting hurt while committing a crime, then anything is possible. I use a much more low-tech method. I bought a durable plastic mailbox and attached it by using two bungie cords (one in front and one towards the back) wrapped around the mailbox and supporting post. Here in NJ the snow-plows get going about 40mph down my street and when wet snow and/or pure ice gets propelled at 40mph, not much stands in it's way. This winter both of my neighbors' mailboxes have been blasted off and were laying in the lawn. Mine was just cock-eyed on the post, and a simple readjusment did the trick.

I'm always a little shocked to see people say it takes, 3, 4, or even more fills before they feel proper restriction. For those of you who it took that many times, were you filled under flouro or "blind filled?" My experiece, succinctly, has been this: 1st fill was October 26th, under flouro, and I saw the opening to my stomach go from wide open to about 10% of it's previous side. I felt some restriction, but I lost a lot of weight during this time, so my port opened back up. 2nd fill was also under flouro, the port was wide open (doctor explained this was weight-loss related), and I saw him reduce the port size to what looked like a trickle. I REALLY have restriction now and have to be careful with anything I eat other than liquids. I can get down just about anything, but not if I'm forgetful and swallow too big of a poorly chewed bite. I don't even bother with rice, grits, bread, or Pasta anymore though. The only way I see me getting filled a third time is when I lose more weight the band adjusts on it's own again. How about your experiences?

"Do you have have do just liquids after you get your first fill?" Like others have said, every doctor is different. My doc says three days of clear liquids, one week of full liquids, one week of mushies, then back to regular food. It is overkill, but it does help to curb hunger by the mental game of "well, my doctor said I had to." This band is 80% mental and 20% physical.<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

The minimum stay for me was 24 hours (that's how they got me to pay so much), but I walked out 12 hours after I walked in. If you are ok and want to leave, all you need is a release to do so. There is no reason they can make you stay, unless they think there is a risk.

Depending on the doctor, I would say about 8 weeks. It took me (I am a self-pay) a month to get all of my pre-surgical tests/tasks done, and once those are done my doctor can usually schedule within 2 - 4 weeks, with 2 weeks being the norm.