I've been spending a lot of time in Rants & Raves since I joined LBT, partly because it's fun, but also because for the most part it's very GLBT friendly. Unless I haven't looked in the right place, I don't think there's a support thread for us, so I decided to start one!

A little about me. I'm Eddie & I'm a 42-year-old Gay man. I have a partner of just over nine years (henceforth referred to as DH), a 17-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter. DH and I are stupid. Don't believe me, just ask our kids. DH has hypothyroidism and had not been able to lose any weight after his thyroid "went nuts" several years ago. I've just been overweight all my life. He was banded on 2/21/07 and I'm getting mine next Wednesday (5/16). I can't wait!

Anyway, I would love to hear from all the GLBT folks out there. Hopefully this can be a place for us to freely discuss our unique issues and get support we may not be able to get elsewhere.

Welcome back Dorr, and welcome to band land. Hope all goes well with you. Keep us posted on your progress. And if there is anything we can help you with let us know, I am sure one of us may have gone through it.

I have had my band for over two years. I recently reached my goal, I am so happy. I look back at old pictures and wonder who is that? It is so hard to believe that it was me. Speaking of pictures I need to post my before and after. ok some day,

Everyone, Have a safe weekend.

Hi!

I have been banded since 12/6 and also thought that I was able to eat a lot. I saw my surgeon the other day and I'm down 8 lbs in the last 4 weeks, so it is working. His nurse asked me to compare what I eat now to what I ate before surgery, I realized that what I eat now, even on a day where I feel as though I'm eating a lot, is no where near what I used to be able to eat in a day. I agree with other posters - I started keeping a journal for a few days, tracking protein grams, calories, etc. just to have a visual way of seeing what I was eating. I was staying under 1000 calories. I still felt as though I was getting a lot of food - it's amazing how quickly I became accustomed to smaller portions and less snacking.

I want to offer my support - I am certainly in the baby stages of learning to understand what my feelings of hunger are really all about. Most times I'm wanting to stuff a feeling or I'm anxious. It's a learing experience and a journey that is exciting one day and frustrating the next. Take care!

Welcome back Dorr, and welcome to band land. Hope all goes well with you. Keep us posted on your progress. And if there is anything we can help you with let us know, I am sure one of us may have gone through it.

I have had my band for over two years. I recently reached my goal, I am so happy. I look back at old pictures and wonder who is that? It is so hard to believe that it was me. Speaking of pictures I need to post my before and after. ok some day,

Everyone, Have a safe weekend.

Yes you do ! waiting to get to inspired!!! (pictures?)

Howdy!

I thought I would pop in to see how everyone is doing and say “welcome” to everyone I missed. I have been busy trying to get things back to normal for myself. I fell off the boat and got depressed and feeling alone. I guess I ate a wee to much because when I went to see the doctor for my second fill on the 16th I gained 6lbs…ouch! He was not happy and gave me the band is only a tool lecture. I fully understand and only blame myself and I need to step up and open up. He gave me a fill, but overfilled it and I ended up going to the ER, where he took some out. I have had a lot of bad moments since then with the band (including losing 8 lbs in three days, some of which I think was from dehydration). Things are finally getting back to normal, but there are some things I can’t eat anymore that I used to even with more fill. Have ya’ll ever heard of this happening before? I have since corrected my eating habits. I am also getting out and walking. I go back to the doctor this Wednesday and I sure hope things go better this time. Anyways, just thought I would give an update.

For the heck of it, I went to "search" and typed in gay bandsters and lo and behold, there is a group! How cool? Well, me, soon to join the "Band Wagon". My surgery date is March 18th. I'm thrilled, but, in the meantime, eating like its going out of style! My 2 week preop diet starts early March and seems I'm trying to get in every bit of food I can before the "DIE - IT"! Me, originally from Boston, but, now living in beautiful Seattle. My husband (yup. we got married in Provinctown, MA) have been together for nearly 8 years. He is from Mazatlan, Mexico. Gosh, I am going to miss all that wonderful Mexican food. We have a 2 1/2 year old male Golden Retriever. After lapband, our dog is going to be worn out with all the walking I plan to do. Today, 330 lbs, 6'4", 50 in waist - ugh!!! Goal, to lose 100lb - no more, no less!!! Looking foward to hearing from all you LGBT Bandsters!!!

TKT-

Welcome!

Listen to you, going through the last meal syndrome again and again. We all do it.

But the good news is you'll still eat nearly everything you eat now, just WAY WAY less of it. So don't think you won't be enjoying the flavors of Mexican cooking, you will! And you'll still lose weight.

Come and post here often. We all were starting out once, just like you.

Wow, we got moved, hope everyone will find us.

Welcome TKT, Yeap we all go through the last meal syndrome. my official last meal was not what I wanted, a 1/4 lber w/ chesse. I was wanting prime rib. But it is ok, I have a bit or two of prime rib everynow and then.

Well everyone have a great week.

Keep it Safe.

Thanks for the welcome all! Its exciting to be here. I'm not one to wish my life away, but wish March 18th was here today!!!

TKT

You know you can start doing things that will have you in the best possible place for your surgery in March. I'm a Marchie too, had my surgery in 2007. I spent January and February making baby steps...It didn't get my surgery to me any quicker but I felt like I was doing something toward my goal.

Just a thought. We're glad to have you.

Thanks for your kind welcome! I'm one day closer to March 18th! Today, I cleaned out my refrigerator of anything I didn't think would be healthy to eat. Creating the mindset that I need to change my "evil ways" and eat healthy.

Hello all;

I am getting evaluated on Wednesday and hoping for a March Banding. - My partner will be getting banded also.

I told her we both had to do it. I didn't want to be thin without her. She is having some serious medical problems which is what got me investigating this procedure to start with. And the more i read the more I realized I needed it too.

I am busy saving the $$ for 2 (count 'em 2) surgeries. We are self pay because the insurance procedure is endless for Kaiser.

So hello to all from Boulder CO and good luck on your weight loss.

Sadie

Hi Sadie.

Good luck with everything.

Check back often. We'll be here for you and the GF.

Howdy!

I thought I would pop in to see how everyone is doing and say “welcome” to everyone I missed. I have been busy trying to get things back to normal for myself. I fell off the boat and got depressed and feeling alone.

There is a physical reason for the depression, in addition to all of the emotional changes that losing weight, losing favorite foods, and sometimes friends (eating buddies) brings about. Our bodies store hormones (and lots of other nasty things) in our fat tissue and as we start to lose weight that all gets released. If there is enough junk or you lose fast enough, your mind and body get flooded with chemical rushes it doesn't know what to do with. Then the tide may suddenly shift and the levels may fall dramatically, it's like being pregnant or menopausal (regardless of you sex).

Don't blame yourself or beat yourself up for getting down, it's part of the process that most of us have or will experience. I had a period of depression about 6 months (60 lbs) after my surgery and I had to take Wellbutrin because it got so bad. Then I learned, about two months later, that the hormone surge had actually caused changes in my breasts when I found a lump which had to be removed. It all turned out ok, but I have some permanent changes in the breast tissue that now have to be watched carefully.

Maybe they would have occurred regardless of my weight, but the doc said that they were certainly accelerated by the sudden release of many years of stored up hormones in a matter of months. So ladies and gents, please, get your checkups and mammograms as recommended!

That's so interesting!!!

I got a mammogram about 5 months ago because my breast tissue was hurting. (I had a reduction years ago and the change in carrying my weight differently, due to weight loss caused some odd new tugging on a scar.) But I was so happy to have the mammogram done, just to be sure things were good.

I'll track my moods with my weight loss...very interesting.

Good for you and I am glad everything is good.

That's how my excursion started, I was having a lot of tenderness and some outright pain. At first I thought I pulled something at the gym, but it didn't go away so I went to the doctor. He was unsure of what the problem was so he ordered a mamo and sono. There was such a change from last year's mamo that the radiologist could not use the films for a comparison so he looked very carefully at the mamo and sono and found the lump. It was partially cystic (fluid) and partially solid and it was vascularized (had blood flow to it). That scared me! I had already had a hysterectomy years before, so I was not taking hormones and I don't drink caffeine at all, so I couldn't figure out why my breasts were hurting so badly. The doc said the soreness was likely from the flood of hormones from the weight loss.

Fortunately, it was only atypical hyperplasia (malformed cells in the ducts). They do have to watch this closely, but in all it was good news.

Good luck to everyone when you get your exams. Don't wait, call now and make the appointment.