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

I was banded 5/21/07...weighed 354 when I went in to qualify for surgery, now weigh 305.

I think bigdaddynomo hit the proverbial nail on the head...we need to re-learn how we eat. I went through a whole program (still going) before surgery to teach me how to eat after lap-band. They really pushed the fact that the lap-band isn't a 'fix-it-all' solution...just having it there won't make you lose weight...you can graze, eat high calorie liquid/slurry foods that go right through, overeat and stretch the pouch, etc. Lots of ways to sidetrack the program, and we all need to be aware of them.

Hi all, just stopped by to say hi !! It's been a long time since I posted and it's good to see my thread doing so well.. So many new guy and you are all doing great too.. I'm doing good a little slow but that's still OK.. I'll try to do better and stop buy more often and chat.. C-YA Ted..

That is right DBAguy....the lapband is just a tool. You really have to exercise and eat correctly. I was banded Aug 27th 2006 and was 347 lbs and now am weighing 256 lbs. But I have seen more of the inside of a gym than i have in my entire lifetime....hehehe....but it is all good.

i don't know if i need the band but can't control the hunger i don't know if anyone here has felt this way before or if i'n alone on the fat guy island by myself i often feel that way any one else ???

Bender

congradulation on chosing this site. look in the mirror !! look at your stomac and then turn a round and look at your back side. that is why you are here . We are all here together and of course we are all hungry. The band will not stop the hunger it will just help control your eating portions. Your food choices have to change also. I am hungry 24 hours a day so you are not alone in that aspect.

I will be banded on the 20th in six days from now, so I am now on the liquide diet part and I don't know if it is hunger I feel or just chewing withdraw. I miss food already but I am looking forward to the future,

I am going to have a real hard time this weekend my son has a soccer tournament out of state and I will be away from home for three days and I have to pack a cooler for all my liquides. while ever body else is out eating I will have a protien shake and take a walk.

So good luck with you quest for the thin man !!

NjwhitetaIL

The way it was explained to me (not saying this is a universal truth, just saying this is what I was told by my surgeon):

There are broadly two types of overweight folks:

- The grazer, who eats pretty much all day long...snacking constantly between meals and in the evening before bedtime.

- The portion control problem, who doesn't snack much between meals, but eats too much during a meal.

They aren't clear cut, well-defined differences...they tend to blend together, but I was told that if your primary problem was portion control, then banding was the best approach. If you can't control the snacking or 'grazing', then banding may not be the best approach...bypass may be a better option.

Hunger (for me) is both physical and mental. Part of re-training yourself is recognizing the difference, and working to overcome the mental hunger...the habit of eating. One thing I've seen someone recommend if you're hungry before meal time is to drink 8 oz. of water and see if you still feel hungry.

Of course, the whole idea behind banding is that, once the band is in place and filled, if you eat slowly and eat the right kind of food, you'll feel full after eating much less food than before...that's why banding is great for portion control problem folks.

I am most definitely a portion control problem person. I would stop at the drive-through after leaving work and get a grilled stuft burrito and two chalupas, then stop at the next drivethrough and get a quarter pounder and a fish sandwich, then eat it all on my way home (my commute is about an hour each way).

I'd stop at the chinese buffet and eat two full plates of food.

At home, I'd buy a medium pizza and eat the entire thing for a meal, or stop at KFC and get a four-piece and eat all of that for a meal, with an appetizer of boneless chicken wings.

when you consider that a standard single serving of meat is only 3 ounces, you can see that my portion control setting was way off.

Sorry if I'm rambling - cutting down on what you eat will cause both mental and physical hunger - both can be the downfall of a diet.

I look at banding as more of a lifestyle change than a diet, and it helps with the physical hunger directly. I also think that, knowing I've made the commitment to get the surgery and follow the program, it helps with the mental hunger, also.

dbaGUY

HOW MUCH DID YOU LOSE SO FAR

I'm still in the 'mush' food stage - haven't had my first fill. When I went in to qualify for the surgery, I weighed 354. I currently weigh 305.

BDAGUY

hOW MUCH DID YOU LOSE BEFORE SURGERY ? I am on the liquide stage now and lost ten lbs in 6 days how much more should I lose before i get banded.

How are you feeling now are you still in discomfort? can you walk around with now problem ?

My doctor wanted me to lose 25 lbs before surgery - I lost 23. While they were banding me, they also fixed a hiatal hernia, so I have an extra incision. I was off the prescription pain medicine within two days after surgery, and was moving with very little pain by 5 days after. The doctor let me get back on the treadmill on day 10. I'm feeling great, and have started hitting balls at the driving range again.

How much you should lose before banding varies by doctor. It was explained to me that losing weight ahead of time shrinks your liver (which stores fat) so that it isn't as much in the way of where the band needs to go. My doctor would have cancelled my surgery if I hadn't lost at least 20 lbs, but not all doctors have that approach.

DBAGuy - Congrats - 50 lbs in a month,that is incredible. You are well on your way to being a slimmer trimmer you. Keep up the good work.

Just something interesting. I flew yesterday, and the port set off the metal detector. I had to have a personal visit from the special screener, and that hand wand was beeping every time it crossed the port scar.

So, either the ports DO set off the scanners, despite what the doc said, or they left a screwdriver in me

i don't know if i need the band but can't control the hunger i don't know if anyone here has felt this way before or if i'n alone on the fat guy island by myself i often feel that way any one else ???

You have found the right place. Hunger and eating are still issues, the band is a tool, not a magic potion. I have reach goal and still struggle to make good choices and stop when I am full. It does get much easier with the band, but its still there

I'm still in the 'mush' food stage - haven't had my first fill. When I went in to qualify for the surgery, I weighed 354. I currently weigh 305.

Awesome start, congrats

Just something interesting. I flew yesterday, and the port set off the metal detector. I had to have a personal visit from the special screener, and that hand wand was beeping every time it crossed the port scar.

So, either the ports DO set off the scanners, despite what the doc said, or they left a screwdriver in me

Thats interesting, I have always heard that it didn't and heard bandsters who fly say it didn't, Maybe their setting were set too sensative or something. When I was younger, my peircings set it off, hard to explain nipple rings to security!

ousooner

if its that bad how do you wake up every mornig and make it till night i mean with out just shouting in to the wind .... it sounds like no matter what way i turn my life is going to just suck .........so today i put all the junk food that my skinny kids eat and i put it into a place and i made my wife go buy a lock and put it onto the doors so i woun't beable to eat the bad food because as far a my day goes i'm fine but at night after work is when it gets to me sittin in front of that damn t.v. sorry for the rant but i need to i think it might help out as well a little .

Hi:

Banded in March 07. Weight at first consultation 312. Weight now 270. 6 foot 3 inches. Feel great. Going in for the first fill Monday. Have experienced less restriction over the past several weeks and hope the fill helps. Now for my question. I have just recently started losing gobs of hair. I am eating in excess of 100 grams of protein daily. What is causing this and has it happened to others and if so what can be done about it.