bassriley

Haven't lost it all since September. My weight at surgery was 275, so I've lost 75 pounds since September. The other weight I lost getting ready for surgery. Basically, though, I weight all of my food to make sure I never eat more than 4 ounces at a time and always have lean proteins, whole grains, etc. No desserts at all since August except for 1/2 cup of sugar free pudding every day. Basically, I'm pretty maniacal about following the rules. But 84 pounds is phenomenal no matter how long it's taken! You don't have to race anybody but yourself!

Fortunately, we have Rockbandster to tell us the facts so we don't have to trust our docs. Where would we be without him?

It's good of Rocky to help us all to understand that we lack intelligence because we don't appreciate his/her diatribes. I'm pretty happy with my 104 pound loss so far with Realize, but I also understand that any band can fail. Rockbandster-you keep posting the same stuff over and over and over. Do you really think it becomes more persuasive with repetition?

No way around it-the two week liquid pre-op diet sucks. Are you on Optifast? I hated Optifast. But it was worth it. I lost almost 20 pounds during those two weeks which put me well on my way to being successful. At 5 months post op now I'm down 102 pounds from my highest weight and 73 pounds from my pre-op weight. Just keep in mind that it will be worth it. It's only two weeks of your life, and what you will get out of it is totally worthwhile. Good luck!:confused:

True stuff. My wife has commented on this!!! Congrats on the belly button. Keep up the good work!

Welcome! I'm in South Jersey-actually just across the river from the Philly Airport. I work in Wilmington. Fly Eagles fly!

I was a home brewer. Now learning to make wine instead.

But you know what they say, "Beer then liquor. . ." On vacation last week I tried a beer-made me feel very bloated from the carbonation. But it is true that Guiness isn't all that carbonated-will have to try Guiness. It's my favorite beer anyway.:wink_smile:

Just got back from my first vacation since going to Bandland. Although my portions were still the same, I ate foods that I don't normally eat and had lots more booze than I normally drink, so I was very happy to get home and weigh myself this morning and see that I am the same weight that I was before I left-probably the first time I've ever gone on vacation and not gained weight. A small victory!

DBK, I am 6'0" and now at 212 and wear a 36 inch, so I think based on what's happened to me that this should be possible for you. Good luck! Bryan

Beer was a hard thing for me. I actually brewed my own beer before surgery. Right now I'm sipping some Kentucky bourbon on the rocks. Sousa make a really nice sipping tequilla-much better than Cuervo for drinking straight up. Bajabob.com makes sugar free, zero calorie mixers that are pretty good. Let's you have a 90 calorie margarita. Then there's always wine, which at least in my mind isn't foo foo. Good luck.

What's sad here is that somewhere in the midst of all this we lost the original question, which was that Allicat was looking for some support. Alli-I had my Realize band 3.5 months ago. I now have 4 cc's of fill and have great restriction, although I definitely had some restriction immediately after surgery also even with the band empty. The good news-I've lost a total of 61 pounds since my surgery! I am thrilled with my Realize Band. Everyone's different, and everyone can point to this study or that study, but the bottom line question you need to ask is, do you trust your doctor? Good luck! Keep us posted. Bryan

I really don't care if it's a friggin octogon when full. What matters to me is that my restriction with my Realize Band is fantastic and that I've lost 61 pounds in the 3.5 months since my surgery. Each person has to figure out what band is best for them in conjunction with their doctor, and each person may need something different. My doctor and I decided on the Realize Band, but he told me that when he got inside my stomach he might need to decide at the last minute on a different band because each individual stomach is unique. Work with your doc to figure out what's best for YOU and don't let people on LBT scare you.

For what it's worth. . .I'm now 3.5 months post up from the Realize Band and am doing amazing. 61 pounds lost since surgery, which is about 50% of excess body weight. I have great restriction and could not be happier. I also couldn't imagine how a different band could be better for me. But the for me part is important-this is an individual decision that each person must make on their own in conjunction with their docs. Lots of opinions on here and lots of battling studies. If you trust your doc, work with him/her to make the best decision for you. If you don't trust your doc, find another doc. Good luck everybody! Bryan

Hi everyone, just a little bragging here. This morning, my weight hit 214. At 5'11", that takes me officially from the obese category to the merely overweight category (BMI today-29.8). I know that it's only a number, but to me it feels like a major accomplishment that I wanted to share. At now 90 pounds I've lost 8 inches from my waist and gone from a size 19 dress shirt to a size 17 dress shirt. Wow-I feel amazing! Bryan

Good job Dennis. Wendy's chili is my favorite fast foods options. Very good and also healthy. Sometimes still miss the baconator, but not enough to go back to the 44 inch pants.

It's easy to get discouraged with one pound a week. In the first couple of weeks after being banded, I was losing two or three pounds a day, and I loved it. After a couple of weeks it slowed down and now I'm losing between one and two pounds a week. I remember one of the times that I was on Weight Watchers in the past that someone recommended that to get a sense of what losing a pound of fat means you should melt a pound of butter and then look at all the fat that is in that melted pound of butter. Or get a pound of Crisco-same thing. That's an image I keep in my head-it really helps put in perspective what it means to lose a pound of fat. Good luck with the fill. I'm two fills in now, and the second fill really has got me right at the sweet spot. It makes a big differrence when you get there. Bryan

I've lost (now-haven't updated in a little bit) 60 pounds since my surgery, but I've lost 85 pounds since my highest weight earlier in the summer (including 20 pounds in the two weeks prior to surgery that I was on Optifast). Bryan

Hi everyone. Had my second fill today. Only 1cc as the previous fill was 4 cc's and I'm "almost" there. However, I was surprised after the fill when the doc told me to go back to full liquids and then to puree's for a couple of days. When I had my first fill he didn't tell me anything like this, and I just kept right on with my solid foods. Anybody encounter this before? Any thoughts as to why the rules would be different for the second fill? I gotta say, going back to mushies doesn't feel that appealing. I've done full liquids today as ordered, but I'm really thinking of just going back to solids tomorrow. Bryan

I definitely agree with Plain that you're kicking ass-and are an inspiration to me as someone who's earlier in the process. The job situation has got to be frustrating, but (not to be too flip about it) at least you are still working. Nothing to take for granted in this economy. I hope this group is able to be a help to you in your journey. Welcome back! Bryan

Be prepared. Even with good restriction it's still a battle. Passing on sweet potatoes and pecan pie wasn't easy. Yes, the band does limit quantity, but it doesn't make the tough choices for you. Good luck!

Good idea. Optifast sucks, doesn't it. Good luck with your surgery.

I work in healthcare, and most hospitals have rules forbidding employees from taking any gifts from patients with anything other than a nominal value. Receiving gifts from patients creates the appearance of conflict of interest. I agree that he is by no means owed a gift. He provided a service that you (presumably) paid for. The transaction is over. But if you are definitely planning to buy a gift, I would at the very least make sure from his office that there aren't any gift policies governing what he can receive. Bryan

I was actually surprised at how easy Thanksgiving was for me. A little turkey, some mashed potatoes, and a few green beans. One splurge-a spoonful of my wife's stuffing. While everyone was doing pie, I had some sugar free pudding. A great day!

No catheter here either. I was walking around the hospital unit the evening after surgery, and I went home the day after. The first couple of weeks I walked as much as I could because I knew that once I went back to work it would be harder to walk as much as I wanted to, so I took advantage of not having to work. Walking definitely helps with the gas, which is pretty bad the first few days. Good luck, Bryan