Hi Everyone, This site has been really useful to me but I would really like to communicate with any men out there, who, like myself are getting ready for a band this month. I live in Scotland and I start my pre op diet this Wednesday 15th with my op set for the 29th. I am both looking forward to it but not maybe the diet I need to follow for the next 2 weeks. I can see a few bad moods coming on!

Good luck, guys. I'm here to tell you this is totally worth the effort. Work your plan, work your band, and stay with it. The results are SO worth it. Check the numbers on my ticker - this can be any one of you in a few months' time. I'm nothing special, and this has been a fantastic journey!

Dave

Hi Dave, 119lbs in 8 months is hugely impressive, you must be over the moon. For us new bandees, what would be your top 3 pieces of advice? I'd love to hear that. Gary

I can't wait to have a ticker that looks like yours!!!! This is going to be one of the best things to ever happen to me!

Yes, I agree looking forward to a new lease of life. BTW, I have spent about 4 hours trying to work out how to get my ticker to show on my posts and still it elludes me. Is there an idiots guide?

I thought about going crazy on my last day before the pre-op diet... but decided that I was in this to change my life forever... So, my 'last supper' was a salad with a chicken breast.

Why not start the life change now? Why wait until the doc says you have to?

Yeah, yeah... I know... It's easier said than done. But if you can do it starting today, why not give it a shot?

You are quite right, I'm in the zone so let the fun begin!

Fantastic, I hope it goes well and I'll look forward to hearing how it goes.

Eric, I assume you are now a banded-bloke. Hope it went well and looking forward to hearing you are fit and well and how it went. Gary

Hi Everyone, This site has been really useful to me but I would really like to communicate with any men out there, who, like myself are getting ready for a band this month. I live in Scotland and I start my pre op diet this Wednesday 15th with my op set for the 29th. I am both looking forward to it but not maybe the diet I need to follow for the next 2 weeks. I can see a few bad moods coming on!

I just got mine yesterday. I couldn't have had a better experience.

I just got mine yesterday. I couldn't have had a better experience.

Glad to hear it went well for you. Hope we can keep in touch and pass on any advice. All the best, Gary

Eric, I assume you are now a banded-bloke. Hope it went well and looking forward to hearing you are fit and well and how it went. Gary

I am officially a bandster!

Doc said surgery went perfect. Looks like I'll be headed home in about 2 hours

Pain isn't to bad at all... No pain from the incisions. Just the expected gas pains making their way up from my tummy towards my shoulders

Hi Dave, 119lbs in 8 months is hugely impressive, you must be over the moon. For us new bandees, what would be your top 3 pieces of advice? I'd love to hear that. Gary

Gary, I'm beyond happy with my results so far. Things thin people take for granted - fitting in a restaurant booth, buckling the airline seat belt without an extension, buying clothes off the rack in a "normal" clothing store - those are the things I missed being able to do, and I've rediscovered them, one at a time. It's an amazing feeling.

Top 3 pieces of advice? Hmm...

1. Learn ALL you can about the band, and how it works. Your success will be based on what YOU do to work the band, not what anyone else does, or what someone else says you need to do. Take ownership of your band, and responsibility for your weight loss. Educating yourself in how it works will help you more than anything. Read this page: http://drsimpson.net...estriction.html

2. Know that your band is not a magic bullet. It is a tool, and nothing more. Use it like one. It will NOT stop you from overeating, or from making bad food choices. But once adjusted properly, it will give you the ability to use your common sense and will power to control your eating, and result in weight loss. This is a program, not a permanent fix. You have to manage how it works, and accept that weight loss happens when (and only when) your metabolism adjusts to a new lower weight, and lets go of the excess pounds.

3. Get out of your chair, and move. The band works best when combined with exercise and a proper diet. If you're eating right, adding in movement - be it walking, running, swimming, working out, whatever you can do - will result in weight loss. The combination works great when you do it all every day. If you sit on your butt and do nothing, you may lose SOME weight, but not nearly enough to satisfy yourself. (I work out four or five days a week for about an hour at a time, and I walk throughout the day as much as I reasonably can. Everything helps.)

4. Bonus tip: You did not gain your excess weight overnight, and no matter what you do, you won't lose it overnight. You have to develop a sense of patience with the band. Evaluate your current status, introduce new things as you go along, and re-evaluate your situation. Work your plan, make adjustments as you go along to get maximum performance, and learn how best to work your band.

Weight loss is rarely linear or consistent. It happens in fits and starts. So if you picture a side view of a loading ramp, with a steady downward angle, know and accept that your weight loss will NOT be that smooth and easy. Weight loss looks more like the side view of a staircase - you'll be on a step at a certain weight for a time, then you'll lose a pound or two and drop down to the next step. You'll go along on that step for awhile, then drop more pounds and be on the next lower step. The length of time you're on a given step (at a given weght) will vary as you go along. I've had periods as long as 18 days without losing a pound, then I've had periods where I lose a pound a day for five or six days in a row. The trick is not to get discouraged, and to keep working your plan. If your daily intake and output are consistent, when your metabolism adjusts to itself, you'll drop the excess pounds. It's all about day to day behavior, patience, and following your own road on this journey.

Good luck with all of it. It's worth every bit of sweat to become the guy you know is waiting inside of you.

Dave

Gary, I'm beyond happy with my results so far. Things thin people take for granted - fitting in a restaurant booth, buckling the airline seat belt without an extension, buying clothes off the rack in a "normal" clothing store - those are the things I missed being able to do, and I've rediscovered them, one at a time. It's an amazing feeling.

Top 3 pieces of advice? Hmm...

1. Learn ALL you can about the band, and how it works. Your success will be based on what YOU do to work the band, not what anyone else does, or what someone else says you need to do. Take ownership of your band, and responsibility for your weight loss. Educating yourself in how it works will help you more than anything. Read this page: http://drsimpson.net...estriction.html

2. Know that your band is not a magic bullet. It is a tool, and nothing more. Use it like one. It will NOT stop you from overeating, or from making bad food choices. But once adjusted properly, it will give you the ability to use your common sense and will power to control your eating, and result in weight loss. This is a program, not a permanent fix. You have to manage how it works, and accept that weight loss happens when (and only when) your metabolism adjusts to a new lower weight, and lets go of the excess pounds.

3. Get out of your chair, and move. The band works best when combined with exercise and a proper diet. If you're eating right, adding in movement - be it walking, running, swimming, working out, whatever you can do - will result in weight loss. The combination works great when you do it all every day. If you sit on your butt and do nothing, you may lose SOME weight, but not nearly enough to satisfy yourself. (I work out four or five days a week for about an hour at a time, and I walk throughout the day as much as I reasonably can. Everything helps.)

4. Bonus tip: You did not gain your excess weight overnight, and no matter what you do, you won't lose it overnight. You have to develop a sense of patience with the band. Evaluate your current status, introduce new things as you go along, and re-evaluate your situation. Work your plan, make adjustments as you go along to get maximum performance, and learn how best to work your band.

Weight loss is rarely linear or consistent. It happens in fits and starts. So if you picture a side view of a loading ramp, with a steady downward angle, know and accept that your weight loss will NOT be that smooth and easy. Weight loss looks more like the side view of a staircase - you'll be on a step at a certain weight for a time, then you'll lose a pound or two and drop down to the next step. You'll go along on that step for awhile, then drop more pounds and be on the next lower step. The length of time you're on a given step (at a given weght) will vary as you go along. I've had periods as long as 18 days without losing a pound, then I've had periods where I lose a pound a day for five or six days in a row. The trick is not to get discouraged, and to keep working your plan. If your daily intake and output are consistent, when your metabolism adjusts to itself, you'll drop the excess pounds. It's all about day to day behavior, patience, and following your own road on this journey.

Good luck with all of it. It's worth every bit of sweat to become the guy you know is waiting inside of you.

Dave

Hey Dave, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to write such a detailed note, it is very much appreciated and I will follow your instructions as you clearly have made this work. Won't be long and you will be at your target so I take my hat off to you. All the best, Gary

I would also like to thank you Dave. I hope one day I can share a succesful experience as you have. I tell you these first few days of pre-op diet have been really hard! Congratulations on your succes!

Orlando

Hey Dave, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to write such a detailed note, it is very much appreciated and I will follow your instructions as you clearly have made this work. Won't be long and you will be at your target so I take my hat off to you. All the best, Gary

I would also like to thank you Dave. I hope one day I can share a succesful experience as you have. I tell you these first few days of pre-op diet have been really hard! Congratulations on your succes!

Orlando

You are not kidding Orlando, I am 8 hours into day 1 and I am STARVING!!!!! All in a good cause :-)

I started my Pre-op diet on 9/7/11 and am scheduled for my banding on 9/21/11. I am so excited to get it done and begin this new phase of my life

I started my Pre-op diet on 9/7/11 and am scheduled for my banding on 9/21/11. I am so excited to get it done and begin this new phase of my life

Hi Eric, I'm just at the end of day one on the liquid diet and realised I wasn't supposed to start it until tomorrow! I'm hoping the first few days are the worst as I have been pretty hungry today. You'll get your band in a week before me so if you are feeling well enough, let us know how it goes. All the very best! Gary

Wow.... Yesterday evening/night wasn't what I would consider a good one for me. Last night (about 30-36 hours post surgery) I started experiencing some pretty severe abdominal pain & cramping. I felt like I had diarrhea, but nothing would 'move'. I figured it was just some gas in my intestines wanting to get out because I hadn't passed gas even once since the surgery. I was suffering for a good 2-3 hours before I finally was able to pass gas - OH MY GOODNESS - it felt SO GOOD!!!! I have been a farting machine even since then... I feel like almost all of the air that was pumped into me is basically gone. I finally feel so much closer to normal. Still not hungry, but able to finally drink enough fluids! Only consumed about 500 calories yesterday, only about 200 so far today.

Ok, maybe some of that was a little TMI...

Hi Guys,

I am enjoying following all your progress as I hope to some day be banded myself. My first appointment is Oct 12 so I am just starting this journey. One of the tips I have picked up along the way is to have some Gas-X and a heating pad at home and ready to go after surgery. Gas pains are apparentley quite the norm after surgery.

All the best,

- Jim