AgentSmith

Sorry to hear that some of you aren't experiencing rapid results... I guess its different for us all... I don't know if this can be helpful, but I'll share what has been working for me. I was banded on September 16th 2010 and I have lost 95 lbs so far. Initially I was doing 30 mins of cardio per day (bike, treadmill, elliptical in rotation) and 50 push ups and 100 sit ups in the morning and evening every day. My doc made me stop the cardio because I was losing weight too fast. So I only do the sit ups and push ups. I take 20Gs of Protein (70 cals) via a Protein shake, a chewable multi Vitamin, a Calcium supplement and fibre supplement with a Fibre1 bar (140 cals) and a 35 calorie yogout every morning for bfast. Then I drink 500-750 mls of Water through the morning. lunch I have fish or chicken with a little vegs. I try to aim for 400 cals MAX at lunch. Then I drink another 500-750 mls of water through the afternoon dinner I have fish, chicken or beef with vegetables and maybe some whole grain Pasta. I try to aim for 500 cals MAX at dinner. Then I have an orange or some other fruit for a snack with some fibre1 Cereal (dry) for about 150-200 cals MAX. This has been working really well for me... If I notice that the weight loss slows a little, I'll cheat and do some cardio for two or three days and it'll start moving again. I think people are right when they say that the activity is key when the loss slows down. You have to ratchet it up a little to get things moving again. I've recently started playing sports again and generally it is way easier to be active. Its like you get into a groove and it all goes together. I don't know if any of this will be useful but I hope so. GOOD LUCK and I hope the weight starts to move for you all.... AS

Here's my 2 cents... I am about 5 months out of surgery and 94 lbs down. The main differences for me are that I have way more energy and everything is easier... As for nutrition, I have been stuck a few times (5-7 times). Every time it is one of the following things: 1. I eat too fast 2. I drank when I eat 3. I eat bread That's it for me. Other than that its pretty great and easy to live with. GOOD LUCK and I wish you all the best in your weight loss! AS

This message is to all those who are contemplating lap-band surgery. I will preface this by saying that this is MY experience and I know full well that its different for everyone... In August 2010 I decided that I was no longer able to ignore how fat I was and the risk I was taking with my life. The potential health impacts were great but I was ignoring them. I didn't 'feel' bad, so in my mind there was no major problem. I had always been a big person, and had grown to accept it. My fater in law was diagnosed with cancer and that for some reason prompted me to make some changes. I had a consultation with a lap-band surgeon in my area and made the decision the next evening with my wife. My stats at consultation were as follows: 36 years old 5'9" tall 330 lbs 3-4XL shirt 50 pants 20.5" collar 10.5EEE shoes 60 suit jacket I am a self-pay client therefore the process was rather quick. I had lap-band surgery on September 16th 2010. Then my life changed forever. The pre-op diet was 4 boost diabetic per day with 1 cup of vegetables only. It honestly was not THAT bad... You get through it and it goes by fast. The surgery was a breeze. The two days post-op were a little tough. A little incision pain and A LOT of gas! Other than that NO problem. I was on the treadmill 4 days after surgery NO problem. All in all a very easy process all things considered. One week after surgery I was back to solids and although I didn't have restriction right away, I started my new life. I started with 100 push-ups and 50 sit-ups in the morning, 30 minutes of cardio (bike, tread or elliptical rotating) and 100 push-ups and 50 sit-ups in the evening every day... I started to lose right away. I got a fill on November 4th to 4 CCs. My doctor advised me that I need to stop the cardio because I was losing weight too fast... Good problem to have I suppose! So I did... So, as of today (Feb 8th) I am at the following stats: Stil 36 years old Still 5'9" tall 236 lbs (-94) L-XL shirt 36 pants 17.5" collar 10 shoes 46 suit jacket I have maintained the push-ups and sit-ups, and have started playing hockey with my kids at the local arena twice per week. I cheat and do a little cardio but no more than 2 times a week for 30 minutes. When my weight loss trend slows, I will re-integrate cardio because I felt even better when I was doing it. I'll offset by eating a little more calories if needed to balance things out. I aim for 1500 calories per day (2000 on more activity days) and try to keep things simple. Protein first (80 grams), Fibre (30 grams) then vegetables, then whatever else. NO bread, 1-2 deserts per week MAX. Chewable multi, fibre and Calcium supp every morning. Those are my only rules. I have NEVER felt this good. I feel healthy and I feel like I can keep this up NO problem now. If ANYONE out there is wondering if changing their life is possible IT IS. Is the lap-band right for you? I don't know... But I can say that for me it was definetly what I needed. and IT WORKS if you use it as a tool in your overall plan and start to think of food as fuel as opposed to a reward (probably the best lesson I took from my nutritionist...). GOOD LUCK to you all and hopefully this story helps one person out there change their life for the better. Either with the band or some other way. AS

YES you are

My exercise is pretty simple. I do one hundred sit ups when I wake up. I do one hundred sit ups when I go to bed. I do thirty minutes of cardio (either elliptical, bike or run/walk on treadmill). I do this routine everyday. I may have to get more aggressive when I get further down in weight but it is doing the job for now and i don't want to take anything on that i won't be able to do forever. I have treated the exercise like the menu, its not a diet ,its the new normal... First fill today so here we go! Good luck everyone!

I was banded on the 16th of September. Surgery went great and I couldn't be happier. I had lost 15lbs leading up to surgery and have lost a total of 60lbs so far. I have been eating well and really exercising hard. I have lost 10 pants sizes and gone from a 4X shirt to an XL. I have my first fill on wednesday and I only have one question... Why did I wait until 36 years old to do this?????? If anyone out there is waiting or wondering if they should go for it, GO FOR IT!!!