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

Welcome Bud,

I too am like you Highest 295 5'8". I postponed surgery until Aug 8th in order to get the new AP band. Nutritionist and Psychologist think I can make the 155 mark. Personally If I get under 200, I'll be stoked. Exercising will be much easier under 225. I have heard that motivated men can lose a good 80-90 lbs the first 6 months with moderate exercise and following the rules. I am like you, my body reacts well to a modified Atkins. I just need that band there to help keep me from the occasional rebound in order to get the motivation back on track. I am ready to get this journey going, because my current weight is controlling me. It sucks. Time to start living. I was always into atheletics, but have weighed more then 220 since I was 18, so anything in the <199 range is gravy in my book. Let's keep in touch. Get 'er done!

Welcome to the thread. I will say one thing about that 80-90 lb loss thing. I think its very plausible ! I have lost almost 70 lbs since 4/27 and am just about to hit my two moth band anniversary on the 9th. I will say I walk by but off though I do between 2.5 - 5 miles a day. I get pissed at myself if I miss my walk. Its crazy ! lol

How did it go for you? I had my band done in TJ at Bajanor and have had a whole bunch of trouble ever since. Even been hospitalized for a week due to complications.

Hi all, WOW two days in a row for posting..:clap2:

Last week I think I was a bit of a PIG:eek:..I was told by my wife that I was really eating way to much food for my meals. The food tasted soooo goood that I did have too much, and I'm not even hungry.

We went to an Asian store on Friday to shop, and I bought a very small bowl to use as my plate for my meals.. I started using it Friday night and today I weighed my self and I lost 5lbs, I haven't lost a pound in over a month..Piggy Piggy..:rolleyes So now I'm a happy camper !!! There is no excuse for me not to eat so much for I'm never hungry...I hope this will kick start my weight loss, and I'll start losing again..

DKGINGRAS, I have not heard of that let us all know if it works:).

Have a great reast of the weekend and a good week !!! Ted

Hey All:

Great weekend. I have been on the July Challenge and it has really been the kick start I need. 20 days of exercise (plus 64 oz of water a day which in NBD 2 me) during the month of July. I only missed one day so far. Weight is finally moving.

I go for second fill on Tuesday. It will be 2 1/2 weeks since first fill. Although it seems I can still eat almost as much as before, (had a few outings where I really loaded up) I do not get hungry as fast. Probably lost about 10 pounds during that time so not sure if Dr. will be too aggressive with fill. Other then being able to eat a lot I have no complaints.

Hope all is well with everyone.

Pronetus....nice to meet you. Yeah...sounds like we're about in the same boat. I will keep in touch...as it's good to have someone to bounce this stuff off of. I didn't know abou the AP band until I read that you were waiting for it...so I did a little digging...and have called my surgeon's office to see if this is the band they will be using. I hope it is.

I just completed the pre-op testing. You gotta love barium at nine in the morning! But...it was all pretty painless...so I think I'm pretty much done w/everything (tests..visits..etc) until my surgery date.

Maybe I'm naieve...but I just do not see how this will not work for me...as long as I get off my backside and walk...and stick to (as closely as possible) the eating plan. I just have to make sure all ice cream is out of the house! :-)

Anyway...I hope things continue to go smoothly for you (or start to go smoothly if they haven't already) and I'll let you know how things go for me.

Take care.

Bud

Here's a snippet from the UC Berkely Wellness newsletter:

(UC Berkeley Wellness Guide to Dietary Supplements: Chromium)

"Bottom line: So far the most carefully conducted studies on chromium have shown no benefits for weight loss. One large clinical trial conducted in China found that chromium was helpful for those with diabetes—but the Chinese, including those with diabetes, are less likely to be obese than Americans, and their chromium levels were not evaluated at the start of the study. Clinical trials in the U.S. have so far produced no clear evidence of benefits from chromium supplements. Low levels of chromium are characteristic of diabetes, but there’s no evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship, or any reason to think Americans are deficient in chromium.

Laboratory studies have found that chromium picolinate (the most popular form of the supplement) could damage genetic material in animal cells, which suggests it might cause cancer. This is only preliminary evidence, but nobody knows whether chromium picolinate, particularly in large doses over the long term, is safe. There are more reliable ways to prevent and treat diabetes. There is no good evidence backing chromium picolinate for weight loss, building muscles, or reducing blood cholesterol. Nobody should take chromium picolinate, especially not young people."

There really isn't any 'shortcut'...all the research I've done online shows that none of the OTC weight loss stuff (fat burners, etc.) really make a difference. Getting healthy requires self control, and the band is just an assist to your self control. It is easy to 'eat around' the band, whether your addiction is ice cream (that's mine...), milkshakes, chocolate, potato chips, beer...whatever...none of those will stay in your pouch and make you feel satisfied, but will add plenty of calories.

The simple math: 12 x (your body weight) = the approximate number of daily calories to maintain that body weight.

If the total number of calories/day (what you ate - what you exercised) is 500 less than what you need to maintain, you'll lose about a pound a week.

For me, 12 x 290 = 3480. If I reduce my intake/increase my exercise so that my daily total is 2480, I'll lose about 2 pounds per week. If I get to 1480, it will be about 4/week.

Just a thumb rule, and it isn't exact for anyone, but it gives us a sense of what kind of target we need. I don't follow any particular diet, I just don't eat much of whatever I'm eating, and I avoid the foods I mentioned above.

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well lots happened in the last two weeks ... I moved had to go without internet for about two weeks phone guy is working as we speak. Just got back from Hospital with my band in place like I said lots happened in the last two weeks. definetly diffrent not hungry still sore but no real PAIN. just mild discomfort and lots of gas

Hey Guys,

I have tried to bring up the idea in the past but I think that it got lost in the shuffle.

I think that there are enough men here to warrant our own section not just our own thread.

Here is the link to my request to do so. Post up in there if you think it is a good idea.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f5/mens-section-pretty-please-37859/

It would be nice to have a section where us guy's could post about our unique journeys with our bands as well as other guy stuff. I am not talking about making it exclusive to guys, and the ladies are welcome to post too.

Andrew

Hey Gaffer - $16,000 man - love it - ain't it the truth

Andrew(aka $16,000 man)- I think it's a great idea! My only concern is we need more guys to post more often. BTW, your doing great! You have an excellent chance to meet your July goal. I want to be below 200 by September (6 weeks to lose 12 lbs).

Dakota- Congratulations! Let us know how you are doing...

DBA- I agree, the only way to lose is eating better (less) and getting sweaty regularly.

Bruce

Hey guys,

I need a little reassurance. I got my band on 5/1 and have lost about 30lbs post op. I went for my first fill 2 weeks ago and I have been eating more then every. I have stopped losing weight and have actually gained about 5lbs back. At what point will I start losing weight consitently? I am realistic and now to only expect 2-3 pounds per week max. but right now it is going in the other direction. Any suggestions would be great.

Hey guys,

I need a little reassurance. I got my band on 5/1 and have lost about 30lbs post op. I went for my first fill 2 weeks ago and I have been eating more then every. I have stopped losing weight and have actually gained about 5lbs back. At what point will I start losing weight consitently? I am realistic and now to only expect 2-3 pounds per week max. but right now it is going in the other direction. Any suggestions would be great.

I was banded about a week after you were so I am at about the same point you are. You really need to watch what you eat until you get a good restriction. You need lots of will power. I am going for my third fill on Friday and going to get another 2cc's put in. I have 4 now and barely have any at all. What kind of exercise are you doing? I would recommend walking and more walking lol. Heck I just walked in from doing 5 more miles.

Hey Guys...quick question. I've been doing a little reading on this AP band that is supposed to be the latest and greatest...and I'm trying to see if it is being widely used here in the US yet? I've seen references that it is approved....and reference to only a handful of surgeons in the US using it so far...but I do not know how outdated that info is. I have a call into my surgeon's office to see if she used the AP band...as I get band on the 24th...and would like the newest one if available. Does anyone know anything add'l?

Also...I found an article talking about the AP band...probably already been posted somewhere...but I thought I'd add it in case some have not seen it. According to it..the APS band seems to be the band of choice.

http://bariatrictimes.com/2007/06/02/the-lap-band-ap%e2%84%a2-system-the-platform-advances/

Any insights are appreciated. Thanks...and have a good day.

Bud

Hey fellas! I am a recent bander and I am loving it! I am really starting to get into exercising and I am glad that I am making this lifestyle change. I see there is a gentleman from Fairfax? I am a senior at Mason. Is there a men's support group up in Nova? Just wondering! Congrats to all of us for taking this step. Through brotherhood, we can all be the men we want to be!

Hey Gaffer - $16,000 man - love it - ain't it the truth

I try not to make the Steve Austin Noise at the gym.

Andrew(aka $16,000 man)- I think it's a great idea! My only concern is we need more guys to post more often. BTW, your doing great! You have an excellent chance to meet your July goal. I want to be below 200 by September (6 weeks to lose 12 lbs)..

I am hoping that with a dedicated mens section (which we now have, big thumbs up to Alexandra) that more guys will post regulary. My weight loss seems to go in fits & spurts so I can never really tell if I will meet it, but I am pretty well on my way to it. I would like to get below 258 which will make me officially obese on the BMI. "Horray, I'm Obese":confused:

Hey Guys...quick question. I've been doing a little reading on this AP band that is supposed to be the latest and greatest...and I'm trying to see if it is being widely used here in the US yet? I've seen references that it is approved....and reference to only a handful of surgeons in the US using it so far...but I do not know how outdated that info is. I have a call into my surgeon's office to see if she used the AP band...as I get band on the 24th...and would like the newest one if available. Does anyone know anything add'l?

Also...I found an article talking about the AP band...probably already been posted somewhere...but I thought I'd add it in case some have not seen it. According to it..the APS band seems to be the band of choice.

http://bariatrictimes.com/2007/06/02/the-lap-band-ap%e2%84%a2-system-the-platform-advances/

Any insights are appreciated. Thanks...and have a good day.

Bud

Thanks for the article on the AP band. I have had one since February. My surgeon here in Canada has been using them exclusively since Nov. 2006. They come in APL (large) and APS (small). I have the APL and it hold 14CC total. Currently I am at 5.3cc, after a defill from 6cc and them 5.5cc.

I dont have much to compare with because this is my first band but here is my take on it.

I personally think, and my surgeon confirmed this thought when I talked to him, that the AP band is pretty forgiving interms of sticking. I also like the fact that I have more "space" in my band to fine tune the fills and acheive that optimum level of fill. I am very happy with my band, no matter what brand type, or size it is. It is the first thing that really works for me.

I do think that the AP bands are a good thing, but really no matter what band your Dr. puts in there it is a move for the better.

Andrew