I started April 12 at 409 lbs. with my highest at 412 lbs. Today I am 379 lbs. I feel wonderful and have not been at this weight since 2005. I am excited to keep seeing the scale drop.

When I was that lower weight I was wearing 3X size shirts and 48 inch waist pants. Today my sizes have not changed at all despite the loss. I am still in 4X to 5X shirts and 54 inch waist pants.

I have seen slight changes in my chin and fat around my neck. My shoe size has changed and I am not uncomfortable in a non-wide shoe.

When did other men start to see the more apparent physical changes?

Awesome comments and storied from everyone. I take my 60 day post of pictures today. I am down about 10 more from last month. Last week was great at 5 lbs and then nothing the current week. Just gotta keep plugging along!

Other people seemed to notice first. I am down 25 from 305, but I am a tall guy.

I can tell you where I feel it. My energy, stamina, lack of horrible heartburn and my belt.

I have learned to buy the cheapest belt I can find. I used to always have a couple nice brown and black belts. I bought one that was reversible, hoping that I would not need it long.

My feet! I never thought my feet were chubby, but all of the sudden my shoes were loose across the tops of my feet. I thought someone was playing a joke on me at first.

I hit my first "runner's high" last night (while walking, lol!) but I will take it.

I just wish more would leave my stomach area, my Butt has disappeared, and it wasn't too big a problem to start with.

What does NSV stand for? Thanks!

NSV is exactly what I need. Thanks!

I'm due for surgery in sept but I can relate with you guys. When I was 23 (32 now) I joined the Army and I was 236lb and all through out basic training I felt like that fat boy that I grew up being called throughout life. 6 months later I come home and I'm down to 194 but I still feel fat until my friends and family start the OMG you look great... It's an awesome feeling. Right now I was at 325 and dropped down to 291 and can't wait to get back into the 190 range : 0) so keep your head up your on the right track

I'm due for surgery in sept but I can relate with you guys. When I was 23 (32 now) I joined the Army and I was 236lb and all through out basic training I felt like that fat boy that I grew up being called throughout life. 6 months later I come home and I'm down to 194 but I still feel fat until my friends and family start the OMG you look great... It's an awesome feeling. Right now I was at 325 and dropped down to 291 and can't wait to get back into the 190 range : 0) so keep your head up your on the right track

Been there, done that.

I joined the army at 17 at about 200 pounds. After 16 weeks of basic training and schooling I was at about 165. Everyone saw the difference and commended me but inside I was still the fat kid.

Five years later at 23 years old, I was discharged weighing in at a svelt 178. I was still rebellious. I ate and drank to my hearts desire because nobody could tell me not to. Exercise? Screw that! I don't have to any more.

Twenty-one years later, I was 365 pounds and laying in a hospital bed having just undergone stent placement because I had 2 blocked coronary arteries that caused a heart attack.

Best damned thing that ever happened to me!!

Ten months later, I am 220 pounds and in better shape than I can recall. That fat kid finally grew up. I'm a new man at 45.

That being said, if I can do it anybody can.

Look hard and find the difference in yourself. It helps when others mention it but in the end, you are the only one that matters and if you don't feel the difference it won't matter.

Go grab a camera; strip down to you shorts and take a picture of yourself. Nobody ever has to see this picture but you. As your weight loss progresses, keep taking pictures and compare them to that picture.

Awesome pics Bob! You are looking great!

Brad

Got my second Fill Today, I am almost 2 months post Op. I have been getting lots of exercise and activities. Dusted off my Bike, etc.

I have only lost 2 pounds the last 2 weeks. I started at 305 and I am hanging out at 280. My first fill was only .5 CC, got a 1.5 CC today for a total of 2 CC.

I feel and look like I have lost more weight than the scale says, but it definately has me bummed out a bit. I do crave Sugar. I am hoping that I put on muscle.

I'm wondering if more people know there Body Fat Percentage. I wonder if this is a good and accurate "NSV". I am down from a whopping 41% of 305 which is 125 Pounds of Fat to 35% of 280 (which is 98 pounds).

Wondering if anyone else thinks about it in this way?

Hi Guys,

Thought I'd check in here. I'm two years and nine months and 150lbs out from LAP-BAND®®®® surgery, maintaining at or below goal weight for about a year and a half. I weigh 137 pounds, about 13 lbs. below my goal weight of 150. I like the idea of having some elbow room between me and that number. It gives me some pounds to play with, and enough room to put on the brakes If I see my weight rising.

I had an unfill of .5 cc two weeks ago, from 6.5 cc to 6. It was my first trip to my surgeon in 16 months. What a difference half a cubic centimeter makes: I'm able to eat foods I wasn't able to keep down before (like fish, fruit and fresh vegetables), and food goes down easier and stays down more overall. I feel ready to take more responsibility over my food, and not let the band do most of the work for me. I'm keeping track of calories, weighing and measuring, but trying not to be obsessive about it.

A normal day starts with 1 cup of espresso, about a quarter cup, which is all I can keep down at that time of the day. At 10:00am I start to drink water, and put down anywhere between half a liter and a liter between then and lunch, at about 1:00pm. Lunch is my main meal of the day: red meat, chicken or fish with vegetables, and a grain. I drink about half a liter of water while I eat – I know this is unorthodox, but it works for me. I have some fruit in the afternoon and early evening, and try to have dinner (grain, vegetables and dairy along with another half liter of H20) no later than 9:00 pm.

Food is still an issue. There are still urges to binge, and sometimes I give in. But no doubt about it: it's a whole new ballgame when you're playing at 137 pounds and not at 286. I can use the tool I've been given and the tools I've learned, and reach out for help.

Where do I go from here? I'd like to maintain the weight I'm at. I want to become more comfortable eating around other people, which means concentrating on cutting my food, eating slowly and chewing more. There are significantly less PB's since the unfill. Could this be the sweet spot? Only time will tell. Eating with others will also mean giving up on cooking for myself so often, although I am my own favorite chef. Finally, I've got to do something about exercize. Can you believe I've managed to lose 149 pounds without hardly lifting a finger? Crazy. There are self worth – self esteem issues that have always stopped me from investing in myself this way. I've never been able to make it part of my life. Any feedback will be much appreciated.

My monthly support group here has pretty much dried up – here's hoping for new voices, insights and friendships.

- Bandpal

P.S. Pictures: One week post surgery (Early December 2007) and earlier this summer, minus ~ 150 lbs

Edited August 11, 201015 yr by bandpal

Got my second Fill Today, I am almost 2 months post Op. I have been getting lots of exercise and activities. Dusted off my Bike, etc.

I have only lost 2 pounds the last 2 weeks. I started at 305 and I am hanging out at 280. My first fill was only .5 CC, got a 1.5 CC today for a total of 2 CC.

I feel and look like I have lost more weight than the scale says, but it definately has me bummed out a bit. I do crave Sugar. I am hoping that I put on muscle.

I'm wondering if more people know there Body Fat Percentage. I wonder if this is a good and accurate "NSV". I am down from a whopping 41% of 305 which is 125 Pounds of Fat to 35% of 280 (which is 98 pounds).

Wondering if anyone else thinks about it in this way?

Body fat percentage is probably the best measure of progress - it's far superior to the scale alone. I wouldn't get hung up on exact numbers, rather, look at trends using the same measurement method. Also you'll want to take these measurements under the same conditions (such as first thing after getting out of bed in the morning).

The gold standard of body composition measurement is hydrostatic testing. This is impractical for nearly all of us. You can also use calipers to measure skinfolds. Some bathroom scales also bio-electric impedance analysis to measure body fat. Personally, I think calipers are the best compromise of practicality, cost, and accuracy. I've not found the scales to be consistent, but perhaps some are better than others.

If your measurement started at 41% at 305 pounds and is now 35% at 280, that would equal a larger fat loss than your total loss, which obviously isn't possible. Not only that, it's impossible for every pound lost on the scale to be 100% fat. A percentage of every pound lost will be a combination of fat, fluids, and lean muscle tissue. You just want to keep the ratio pointed toward as much fat loss as possible.

Keep up the hard work!

FWIW... I started out at approx. 43% and am so far down around 13% and dropping.

Brad

Edited August 11, 201015 yr by bambam31

I did a double take on that too. I asked my doctor how my pounds of fat loss exceeded my total weight loss.

He explained that I had gained a few pounds of muscle. He illustrated it using my Fat Percentage. So more than just losing weight, my body was changing in composition. My lean body mass had increased very slightly and my fat percentage had dropped quite a bit.

I did a double take on that too. I asked my doctor how my pounds of fat loss exceeded my total weight loss.

He explained that I had gained a few pounds of muscle.

Ha ha ha... :thumbup: That's a good one... With all due respect to your doc, did he say this with a straight face???

A calorie deficit large enough to create this much weight loss has a ZERO chance of building two whole pounds of lean muscle tissue.

They would have reserved credibility by just admitting that one or both of the body fat percentage measurements were skewed.

Don't fret over that - you're doing great! Keep up the hard work but do your homework so you understand the journey your body is going through.

Good luck!

Brad

Why would it not be possible to simultaneously add muscle and lose body fat at the same time? It would actually seem like the natural thing that would happen on a lower calorie, high Protein diet with regular exercise.

My food logs have me averaging about 1700 calories a day of mostly protein. This is over my ideal calorie intake, one reason why I got another 1.5cc fill. I have been doing a signifigant amount of hiking and mountain biking along with walking.

My body measurements are down signifigantly everywhere except my calves and for some reason my shoulders. My calves are up a half inch.

I saw your pictures, congratulations you look great. It is hard for me to believe that you did not increase your muscle mass, even as you lost weight?

One more thing from your post before, you mentioned that a weight loss as "large" as mine in this time frame would make it impossible to add muscle.

That was sort of the point, I only lost 1.75 pounds in 3 weeks net. I could measure it with a tape and see it in the mirror and my clothes. I can't think of anything within the rules of physiology that would make this impossible.

I believe it is possible to lose fat and gain some lean muscle tissue in a time period (say 8 weeks). But they are opposite processes so "at the same time" so to speak is not physiologically possible. You have to create periods devoted to each.

losing 8 pounds, for sake of argument, in a four week period between fills - while gaining two solid pounds of muscle in the same period - is just not going to happen, regardless of your exercise. In fact, exercise creates oxidative stress, which is a catabolic component. Beyond a certain tipping point, more exercise can actually make it harder to gain muscle.

Building muscle requires an anabolic environment. A large active man, eating even 1700 calories a day, is not going to create an anabolic environment - regardless of the macronutrient breakdown of the 1700 calories.

One of the sources (Will Brink) that I have applied to my journey states, "Total calories dictate HOW MUCH you gain or lose - and macronutrient types and ratios dictate WHAT you gain or lose."

I have likely added lean muscle tissue through my journey because I cycle my calories - and have done so now for almost 2 years. But I have paid great attention to detail in order to create periods favorable to an anabolic environment.

Most of us already have muscle more beautiful than we realize - they're just covered by a thick layer of fat so you can't see them.

Good luck!

Brad