OK guy's,:clap2: lets have our Own thread and take about our bands and stuff..My name is Ted and I live in Oregon . I'm going to get my band Jan. 31st in TJ. Mexico with Doc. Kuri and his team..I was on the Jan. bandsters thread but I think I was the only guy there and felt left out.. A bit back, there was a few guy's that thought our Own thread would be fun, so here it is lets get started..Ted

well i'm back on the horse. started excercising again and watching my intake. i've dropped 3lbs this week so far. wanna be looking good for when i make the final table of the WSOP this summer.

Hey sorry. Been in hell the past few weeks. I trade mortgage derivatives and mortgage bonds. In case you haven't heard my whole market is going to hell right now. losing weight though. Was down to 221 in my hotel room scale the other night. how's it going with you

OK guys I need a male point of view. I am ten days from being banded. So far everything is going well. I am tired of the clear diet, but I'll make it. I have lost 25lbs and I haven't had a fill. Here is my question: Last night my 16 son decided it was time to take me down. Teenage hormones and obeying the rules. He was physically on me before I knew it. Trying to use my youth and old age ability to cheat, the whole thing was over in a couple of seconds. My athletic ability kicked in and I do not think I strained my self too much. Now by doctors orders we are to avoid any strenuous activity so we will not pull the stitches holding the band in place. So far physically I feel fine. I did not hurt anything and do not fell I hurt my stitches. Could I have pulled the stitches and not know it?

Oh the joys of fatherhood.

Hello Everyone.

Tomorrow is my 90 day mark. I have lost 85lbs as of last Saturday. I have went from a 58-60 pant to a 46-48. I cant believe how easy this has been so far. I have not yet had a fill. I can eat more than when I first had the surgery but I just dont. I make sure I eat normal portions and eat healthy foods. Im not saying that I dont have that occasional slice of pizza, hamburger, or pasta.(with the band I can only do 1 slice of pizza or half a burger anyway) I just don't do it everyday. I do believe that the decision to have the band has been the best I have ever made. I have to tell you that Neal's website has been a great motivational tool.

Joe

That's super Joe! Yes, Neal is a folk hero around here.

Bruce

It is http://nealslapband.com/

He is a member on the boards who has had very successful weight loss. He is basically an inspiration to a lot of people. I know for me anyways.

You guys are too kind. Glad I can inspire others like others inspired me around here. Wish I had more time to hang around here. You guys are doing great and inspire me in my maintanace stage. Thanks for your kind words

Rep- Sorry to hear about your job. That is kind of a volitile market. 221 sounds good!

Neal- We appreciate your comments whenever you can contribute. Just looking at your avatar keeps me going. I CAN do this!

Phil- I'd tell your son to lay off for a couple more weeks. Things are still kind of tender in there. You can open a can of Woopass then... BTW Congrats on being banded.

Cory- Yes we want you looking good at the poker tourney. I would have trouble (gas wise) sitting that long at a table full of people. I guess that's another story...

Chris- Good luck on getting your ducks lined up for surgery. You might post in the General Discussion Area for info about your Dr. There aren't near as many guys here as gals (Oh REALLY). FYI I'd do it over in a minute...

Have a GREAT weekend Guys!

Bruce

Hey boys

I'm writing from my hotel room in tj I got banded 2days ago I flew in on wed the 25th once I arived at dr.ortiz office they gave me my blood test ekg and breath test then I hit the OR my total time I was there was about 10min before i had the surgery (they moved me up a day because somebody had a emergency so I switched days which was better for me no waiting around thinking about it) anyway I guess i'm a bit different from most of you as I have had no real pain after my surgery the only time i took one of the pain pills is after I had the zoom teeth whitening at dr.ortiz has at his office.

I can sleep on my side or tummy with no problem and I have had no trouble sitting down or getting up just a little bloating/gas pain maybe being 30 helps a little.

If anybody is nervous about going to Mexico to get the surgery don't be it was so easy they picked me up at the airport drove me right to the clinic and took great care of me the hotel room is also very nice my total for dr.ortiz was $8500 http://www.obesitycontrolcenter.com/index.html

also while you are there try the zoom teeth whitening just because the girls who do it are beautiful and they sang led zeppelin songs while they worked on my teeth it was pretty sweet it does hurt like hell if you have sensetive teeth tho but the next day I feel fine it cost $299

also the good thing about mexico is I did not do the pre-op diet I just lied about my weight on the medical forms I faxed in... and one other thing dr.ortiz told me about is a UFC fighter he did the surgery on the guy lost 54pounds in 30days and fought a match 30 days after his surgery

Hello everyone,

First time posting here but have been reading for a few weeks.

I'm scheduled for LapBand on May 8th in Vancouver WA. It's been a quick process, unlike some unlucky folks - I first went to a seminar on March 7th and received approval on Monday. I'm was borderline on BMI (36) but have apnea, high cholesterol and GERD. Also have a large hiatal hernia that will get fixed at the same time. Starting weight of 260, I'm down about 10 lbs today (mostly Water I imagine) Plan to get below 175.

It's been helpful reading all of your experiences. Great inspiration. Thanks

Hi everyone. It's been awhile since I've visited this board, so here's a quick reintro:

I got banded with a VG band on 9/4/06 with Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana. Surgery couldn't have gone better. I did my pre-surgery weight loss as was requested, and had nearly no discomfort post-surgery. I didn't eat or drink anything I wasn't supposed to during the weeks after recovery.

That is the good news. Now the bad...

Because it had been stressed not to worry too much about weight loss post surgery, I didn't worry too much about what I ate prior to my first fill. I ate what I could tolerate, and I could tolerate everything. EVERYTHING. I didn't go on a binge or anything, but I wasn't on any strict diet, either. Having said that, it was time to kick the band in

, and at week 6 post-surgery, I got my first fill.

And my 2nd fill.

And my 3rd fill.

ONLY at my 3rd fill did I notice even the most slight difference with food. If I tried to eat something VERY doughy (think blueberry muffin), I ran the risk of bringing it back up. Other than that, I could eat everything.

Now ever since surgery, I hadn't had anything carbonated, and for the most part, I waited an hour to having any liquids. I wasn't stupid-- even though TJ was cheaper than the States, I didn't want to piss away my health or surgery money.

After doing my little whatever lap band spirits there might be that this next one did something. I just had my 4th fill last Tuesday. I now have 7.1cc flowing through my VG band. The evening of my fill, I couldn't get ANYTHING down except MAYBE for a small sip of Water. I finally figured I was too swollen from earlier to get anything more down, so I gave up for the night.

Since then, I've had a few more episodes, but only today do I feel that picking the right food, and being over sensitive to signs that I've had enough is working. I definitely have trouble drinking cold liquids (room temp is fine, and coffee is heaven!). Today I got down two eggs (pan scrambled) for Breakfast, and a small pizza slice (I mean small--4 inches long, 2 inches wide) for lunch. It's the first day I don't feel light headed or lethargic from lack of energy, and I don't feel like my body is in starvation mode. I'm still fighting the MENTAL hunger, but I imagine I'll be fighting that for a helluva long time.

I haven't updated my tracker below at the time of this posting. I don't recall how much I weighed at time of surgery, but I'll track it down and update it soon. Until then, I appreciate any feedback or comments you have to give.

Hi JamesA, it sounds like we are on similar paths. I lost some weight pre-surgery by means of a virus and the diet. I then had a rough week after surgery so I am sure I lost a little more then. After about ten days though I could eat just about anything I wanted as long as I chewed it very well. Since then I have been eating pretty much what I use to while i wait for a fill. My firstfill is not scheduled until May 25th, another 4 weeks away.

I just hope that i will feel some restriction from my first fill but it does not sound like I will. Oh well, this is a long journey not an instant fix, I look forward to getting on with the next stage.

ok well now im really nervous..got my date it will be on the 23rd of this month....,but i have one serious question to ask you guys...Did anyone try to hide the fact that they got the lap band procedure? I really dont want anyone at work knowing i got it done. Ive been watching what i eat for the last few weeks,but nothing serious..do you think i should go on a crash diet for a few weeks before surgery? OK and one more question...Does anyone feel guilty about getting this procedure done? I ask you this,because my friend at work has lost 50lbs by running and not eating to much..(hes getting married in june) i just feel a lil guilty because i cant loose the weight like he did.....I dont want him to know im getting this done...

I get mine in less then 2 weeks and I have told everybody and there mother. I figure now I have no choice but to bust my but and make it work.

hey chris where u getting it done at? what doc?

Hey BigJake, no one at work knows anything about my band, in fact only my wife and daughter know and only because they live here. Everyone is different but fo me after the first 7 to 10 days I was eating again pretty much whatever I wanted as long as I chewed well.

The band is a tool, it will help you reduce the amount of food you eat, if you use it well thaen you will lose weight. If you abuse it then you will not.

You will be asked to go on a pre-op diet and the first week is rough so you will lose weight then. You will then have to wait until you can get a fill in order to start the long road to permanent weight loss.

I would like to talk to you again in 5 years about if you feel guilty. I will wager your friend will put the 50 pounds back on and more and you will be telling him how you have lost weight and kept it off.

Good Luck

I didn't tell anyone at work or my family when I got banded. There were litterally 3 people that were not medical professionals that knew.

Since I have lost 50 pounds now, when someone asks I sometimes just say I got banded. I don't really care who knows anymore. It is something I did for me.

I can't see how anyone can judge me any worse for doing the lap band than for being super morbidly obesee. Most of the folks I have told have been jumping up and down excited for me and asked if they can qualify for it.

Hey Guys!

Hellvez- Congrats on joining us. Glad it went well. Good luck on your journey.

Woodguy- Hope all goes well. Keep us posted.

JamesA- Glad to hear you're turning it around. I fight head hunger at night. I think staying busy really helps.

Dave- Hang in there buddy. Most of us went throught the time when we could eat anything. The first fill helped me, the second has been good so far. I could probably use a tiny bit more but will wait a couple more weeks.

Jake- I started with a hand full of people knowing. Now, almost everyone knows. No big deal and frankly, I don't give a rat's behind what they think. I've done the diets to lose weight. I've done the heavy workouts (ok, in my twenties) to lose weight. Still, five months ago I was "Morbidly Obese". I'm hoping that staying active (light exercise) and eating reasonable and with a little help from the band, I can get to and maintain a healthy weight.

Stand Strong Brothers of the Band!

Bruce