IAmJacksLapBand

I will be leaving my CF Box in a few weeks for monetary reasons. I just had $2000 in dental work done and need to pay off the credit card. But... I have some equipment at home so I can keep up my WODs. CF has been the most amazing thing for me. Myself and a gastric sleeve patient are the two largest people in the box in terms of extra fat/skin. In the 10 months I have been there I have improved alot. I can do things I never thought possible. I ran a 5k a few weeks ago and kept up with others in the box. I snowboard and mountain bike. Both things made possible by the gains in aerobic exercise and coordination that I developed with CF. I have never had a problem after my last post in terms of hurting my port. Just had a fill in April and the doc said everything was great. When I am commited and do CF workouts combined with a good paleo-zone diet, balanced with about 3 blocks per meal and 1-2 blocks per snack I lose weight quickly. My blocks are adjusted for a carbophile so I eat half the carbs of most other people. Most surgeons will reccomend staying away from CF for several months after surgery. Let your surgeon know exactly what CF is and show him a video of how hard you push yourself. Doing this while your band and port are healing can cause some major problems. The movements we do are natural but rarely done with such intensity. You do not want to rip anything. Your box should be able to give you some less intense and modified programming during the healing process. Maybe some shorter runs, rings dips, ring rows, jump ropes, and basic low-weight lifting. I would refrain from any situps and heavy lifts during your recovery. Remember that even though you feel you can handle it, by increasing your heart rate you increase your blood flow and could rupture something you don't want to rupture. Welcome to the band family! Its really nice on the other side.

Finally someone that is headed the same direction as me. I am a CrossFitter but still am having trouble given I have a few more things working against me. Our group leans heavily towards Paleo or Zone diet. I have difficulty with Zone because of the need to be really precise on preparing meals and the fact that I can only eat small zone meals. I am also a vegetarian and am working now to cut out any dairy products. I will eventually be pescatarian (only fish on occasion). Can you point me in the direction of your paleo resources or any meals/shopping guidelines you follow? I am really happy to see another Bandster on this path and enjoying success. I mentioned it to my doctor and was told that vegetarian and anything that does not follow the band nutrition plan is doomed to fail. Not what I wanted to hear.

Just under 200 lbs to lose when I started. 412 lbs in April 2010. I arrived in Twoderville last week at 299. Now at 298. The final goal doesn't seem so far away. i did have a few months at 306 lbs. Then I changed my diet and began a new exercise routine and it just started falling away again. I bought an XL men's shirt at Kohls and it fits. Now I just have to face this coach airplane seat in 2 weeks and I am very scared.

I had been at the same weight, 306 for almost 3.5 months. Started CrossFit and immediately started dropping. I hit twoderville this week at 299.6. I am now concerned about the threads I saw on abdominal exercises and port injuries. My port is right on my front side in a crease in my fat. My core workouts frequently give me a dull achy pain around the port. It could just be the pinch that's causing the irritation.

At the suggestion of a friend who heard my rant about crappy gyms full of mirrors where you go and zone out on treadmills and move a few weights, he recommended I look into CrossFit. This week I joined and really enjoyed the workouts, the varied activities, and the people. No mirrors... just people at different levels of experience working on the same goal... to be the most fit they can be in every area possible. I ran and didn't run out of breath. I did pullups and pushups for the first time EVER. I learned how to jumprope at the age of 27. I am very excited for this journey and the friends I will make here. Its not for everyone but is great for those who want a place to exercise with no judgement and that demands alot of effort. The trainer and I came to an agreement. I will not obsess over the scale anymore. I will focus on the body fat percentage as a measure of my progress. Any other bandsters who are Crossfitters as well?

I prefer the ready to drink drinks. EAS Myoplex Advantage have about 17g of Protein per 8 oz shake with only 110 calories and about 3g of fat. I also like MuscleMilk light. I tried Isopure for a fruit flavor instead of the regular chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla. IsoPure tasted like candy chalk and I went back to my old two. The others in the MuscleMilk and Myoplex line are good, but my goal was to get the most protein with least number of calories. 18 months later and i have 1 Myoplex a day. Still love them after all this time.

I went from round to a pear. I am holding the majority of the excess in the lower abdomen. Shoulders, face, and upper chest look great. Its the middle that really looks haunting. I am on my way to wide cylinder... meaning still a bigger guy, just all symetrical.

My insurance did not pay for the band. I got a great deal in the US and paid only $10,700 for my band...TOTAL. Not to mention the care has been more than I ever expected in terms of service. I have about $12k saved for what I thought would be a tummy tuck, arm lift, and back lift. Looks like I might need to keep on saving!

I know we have thrown around the topic of what men thought of plastic surgery after weight loss. I want to know if you have had or thought of having a precedure: What did you have done and how much were the expenses? I am about to schedule a consultation to find a surgeon and hope to have it completed by the end of the year.