mrboswell

Hi guys,

Sorry it's been a while since I checked in! Awesome job Mike- Your still my hero! Harold, when's that dang foot of yours going to heal? I'm down to 279 and still dropping. Still on my 2nd fill, but I can tell things are loosening up a bit. If I stop losing I'll go get another one but as long as I losing I'm happy! Keep up the good work men!

Hello,

We are accepting new members in our little lap band group. Members are expected to participate by sharing their success or troubles, keeping records of their food and exercise and weighing in weekly. We do this so that when things go wrong we can look at what you are doing and give you advice. This is a small group but there is great diversity here, young, old and middle age, from those who haven't been banded yet to those who are living at goal weight. We share recipes, and advice and all kids of things. It's a very fun group. If you would like to join please send me an email, telling me a little about yourself @ mrboswell@msn.com.

Thanks and Good Luck!!

Nice Job Mike! You are the man! I hope I am as successful my first year. Could you take a minute and tell me about your rough Patches. I know you hit some times where you were stuck for a while. When did that happen, how often and how did you get things moving again? I keep waiting for it to happen to me, but it hasn't yet. Thanks so much and keep up the great work!!

P.S. Down 3 lbs this week!

Wow, what a topic! I guess us guys just aren't as open as you crazy girls in the powder room! I've only been with one woman my entire life and that's my lovely wife. At one point I showed a little curiosity in that area but my wife made it more than clear she wasn't going there. She felt it was demoralizing to her I agreed. So although still somewhat curious, I guess I'll never know......

This is a well discussed topic, do a search on it and you'll find tons of info. Good Luck!

Nice Job Harold....you Rock!

I don't know if any of you watch the biggest loser or not, but last night the Brown team had been on the chopping block 2 weeks in a row. After reviewing their exercise and food logs the trainer determined that they were not eating enough calories! They increased their calorie intake and the kid lost 13 pounds that week! I work with a personal trainer and I know this to be true. My calories have gone up as my workout routine increases. That is why a food and exercise journal is so important! I have a website with a group of people on it and we track our food intake, keep exercise journals, share success and motivate each other. We also have contests and challenges to keep it fun. If anybody wants to join our little group just let me know. As of Monday I'm down 3 more lbs. Let's keep up the good work Men!

It's weigh in day! I'm down 2 more this week! Where you at Mike? It's almost happy banniversary for you!

I had this great plan to quit smoking, it was called "Nicorette Gum". 5 years later I'm still chewing that stupid gum! Costs me 3 times more than smoking ever did. Guess it's a little more healthy though.(I hope) Anyway, I am never without a piece of gum in my mouth and it hasn't caused me any problems. (yet- I probably die from mouth cancer some day)

Monday Weigh-In! I'm absolutely amazed that the weight keeps coming off! I've never been on a diet where I've drop so much weight so rapidly! It's crazy. Anyway- down 3 more this week. Thought I'd do a recap just to put this whole thing in perspective.

11/3/08-335

11/10/08-330

11/17/08-325

11/24/08-320

12/01/08-315

12/08/0/-313

12/15/08-318

12/18/08-1st fill 3cc

12/22/08-315

12/29/08-306

01/05/09-304

01/12/09-300

01/14/08-2nd fill 1cc

01/19/09-298

01/26/09-295

Nice work Dave and Harold. I'm hoping to see the 240's this week...

Thanks Mike!!

I know you want to be in the 240's by your year mark so I'm cheering for you! You are one of my hero's on this site....I know you can do it. Good Luck.

Hey Guys,

It's Monday and that means weigh-in day! I'm down 2 more pounds. Broke 300 finally!

Hi,

I am looking for a couple of people who would like to join my little support group. So far our group consists of :

Me- I was banded in November and have lost 35lbs.

My Sister- She had the by-pass surgery 2 weeks ago.

My Mom- She is scheduled for the Lap-band.

A couple of our kids who are over weight and we're taking them on this journey with us!

I have created a website where I post a suggested menu for the week. We do weekly weigh ins, post food and exercise journals, share recipes and NSV's with each other. Basically it's a very family oriented support group/website. If you would like to join, let me know and I'll send you a link to join our group. Good Luck to all.....We can do this!!

Hey Rick,

First of all, congratulations! I eat 5-6 small meals a day also. I work with one of those personal fitness guru's and that's the diet he's got me on. Seems to be working great, I'm down 6 more lbs. this week!

Well I weighed in at 253 again - no change. I guess I'm happy as I managed not to gain anything over the holidays, although I'm starting to think that my scale is busted because I have been in this range for over a month now ! I want to get into the 240's before my one year anniversary, so I will continue on. Maybe get a little fill next week when I see my doctor..

Hey Mike-

Here's an article I came across that might help.

Guys who try to shed fat often encounter a "plateau" period during which the weight loss slows or stops entirely. Here's how to get past it without giving up.

1. Be patient. One of the ironic quirks of the human body is that weight loss slows your metabolism all by itself. As a result, the more you lose, the slower you will continue to lose. If you lost, say, six pounds last month and four pounds this month, it doesn't mean you're failing--it means you're normal.

2. Be sure you're actually still on your program. It's easy to fool yourself into thinking you're eating less, and exercising more, than you really are. To keep yourself in line, record everything you eat and all your exercise in a notebook--or, better yet, in a computer program that can calculate the number of calories you're taking in with food and burning off with exercise. This will let you know if you stopped following your plan without even realizing it.

3. Boost your metabolism. There are several ways to encourage your body to burn fat faster. First, eat several small meals a day. If your body thinks it isn't getting enough food, it will go into "starvation mode" and hold on to every bit of fat that it can. Next, change your exercise program to keep yourself revving on "high." When you lift weights, don't allow yourself more than 60 seconds between sets. When you're doing an aerobic workout, go full-out for a couple of minutes every 10 minutes or so, then return to your normal speed.

4. Give yourself a break. If you worry too much about how well you're succeeding, you're just going to derail your progress. Look at how far you've come, and congratulate yourself for changing the way you eat. Remember that the weight will come off eventually, but you're already living a better life.

Ok- I'm jumping in on the challenge! Harold seems to be the man to beat! At 70 your an incredible inspiration! I usually weigh on Mondays. This week I was at 306, down 2 lbs from the previous week.

i have a nice stomach now .....

You look great! Congratulations! How much weight have you lost and how long did it take you?

Hey Elsid!

Your still down 36 pounds! That's awesome! You just need to figure out what's going wrong and fix it. Don't give any more back, you fought to hard to lose it. Sounds like your adjustment is about right, so it must be to many calories or not enough exercise. I also believe the right balance of carbs, fat and Protein can have a lot to do with it. Anyway, you can do this- you just hit a slump. Evaluate your situation, make some adjustments and get back on track! Good Luck!

I am a convert to the church and a recovering Alcoholic. For years I felt uncomfortable in church, rarely speaking to anyone, always the first out the door. I felt like I didn't fit in and that no one made an effort to get to know me. I always had the feeling that I wasn't good enough to belong to this organization. Well somewhere along the way I made the decision to try the opposite, to put my self out there, to seek out friends, and it worked! I move around a lot too, and I have found that there is always at least someone who you can identify and become friends with. I also enjoy church so much more now. I found I wasn't being judged nearly as much as I thought I was. I know how you feel about the the people who try to appear to be the perfect mormon, but they are struggling through life just as we are, and I think it's all just the way we look at things. Anyway, that's my experience.

I was very satisfied with Dr. Muse. He spent a lot of time with me and seemed genuinely concerned about me as a patient. He also is quite experienced with fills. I will agree the price is hard to swallow (no pun intended!) But I spent hours upon hours researching this and could only find 2 other places here in Utah that would do it and they were both more expensive.

Well, let me back up a little bit.

My lap-band experience has been nothing like I expected it to be. I had spent a month on this forum prior to being banded and so I had heard a lot of thing like what you are saying. No bread, meat would be very hard to eat, chew every bite an hour before swallowing! ect. What I've learned most is that no 2 people seem to have the same experience. I saw the results many have had in this "Men's Room" and wanted the same. Their success seems to boil down to 2 things....diet and exercise. So that's what I have focused on. After being banded I did the 2 weeks on liquid and then mostly Soup, yogurt and soft stuff the next 2 weeks. After that I realized I had absolutly no restriction, I could eat whatever I wanted, so I put myself on a 1700 calorie diet. After my 1st fill on 12/18 I felt a little tight for a couple of days but then I was back to pretty much normal. The couple of times food came back up was because I ate to fast and tried to wash it down with Water. However, it does feel like my appitite has deminished a little bit. So I may be the wrong person to ask. I hired one of those personal fitness consultants and they map everything out for me. What exactly to eat, when and how much to exercise, what suppliments to take, ect. So anyway- don't know if any of that helps but that's what my experience has been so far. Good Luck!!

Okay - so now I understand the difficulty with finding the sweet spot. Can someone offer a description of what "restriction" actually feels like? I am assuming it is just a tightness in the upper abdomen. Also - I have been told that I will absolutely throw up if I over eat. The nutritionist told me that it would be sort of like how a baby chucks up - not alot of drama - just food coming right back up unexpectedly. This is causing me a little nervousness about business meetings and dinners ). I am just a few days post-op, still dealing with gas and not eating mushies yet. Any insight would be appreciated.

Hey Jed-

That sounds like a pretty accurate description- at least for me. I just had my first fill about a week ago. I start feeling full at about a 1/2 a sandwich. If I eat more than that it could come back up. If I drink Water with it it comes back up, kindof just like you said- suddenly and with little drama.

Hey Guys!

I finally get my first fill today! I am so ready. It's been a real struggle to maintain my weight loss through the holiday season with no restriction. I hope they give me a good tight fill and it doesn't take me 2 or 3 fills like it did for some of you to get restriction. I'll let you know how it goes!

It may be just a number, but it's a BIG number, keep up the great work!!

Wow Chris,

You really have changed your life! I would be very interested in your charts and anything else you would like to share. I'm struggling a little bit because I feel like I have no help from my band yet. I have no restriction what so ever. However, I have stuck to a 1700 calorie high Protein diet that has worked so far, but it's hard. I remember that quote from President Monson and it is indeed a great one. One last obstacle I am trying to over come is getting off pain pills. I have arthritis and back problems but I know losing the weight will help with this, and I know I can do this with out the pills. So thanks so much for your encouragement, I look forward to your advice and your continued success.

My e-mail is mrboswell@msn.com

Thanks Ceredad,

The first week went great! I got really sore but I love that. If i remember correctly it doesn't take long before you can't get really sore anymore and you kind of miss it! So I'll enjoy it while I can!!