This is a two parter so bare with me....I have a girlfriend who is beautiful, and i mean a bombshell...aspiring actress blah blah blah...not to mention pencil thin (the relationship is just like the show "king of queens" lol) she supports me with this, but thinks i dont need it...as still an athlete etc...its easy for her to saw shes gawked at and visually undressed everywhere we go lol...and for me, im just a big football player...is anyone in this situation with me?

Secondly, I have to go on a two week fast before my surgury...is there anything you guys recommend to take my mind off eating or something to drink to feel full? I mean a few days wont be tough but my day 10 it might....do i just suck it up?

thanks,

Guy

Sorry about the pre-op diet, but almost all of us had to go through it. I was scheduled for 17 days of pre-op diet before surgery but was lucky enough they had an opening for surgery after nine.

I'm also sorry to tell you that the last days are not the hardest--because by then you are losing weight and used to the routine--the hardest part at least for me was the first four days!

Here's my suggestions: Drink a Protein shake at least once a day (powder if you can, low carb) and if you are currently working out, continue but maybe more often! Working out takes time and afterwards you really don't feel much hunger! And then at the end of the day--go to bed early!! Hey, it's just an answer!

Whenever I see someone your age ( 19 right?) post with these kind of questions, I cringe. I have to ask, in your short years, is it really possible that you've given other methods of weight loss a SERIOUS try?

Surgery is a BIG step and shouldn't be taken lightly. Have you tried weight watchers or Atkins or South Beach type diets? I mean REALLY tried, not like one week.

Now I'm not saying I'm against WLS surgery in young adults, but I think it is truly important that they understand the lifestyle changes necessary for the band to be successful. You also do not mention how many pounds you need to lose. With a serious weight loss attempt, most young men lose weight very well.

Will it bother you if you can never eat a steak again? Or a piece of white bread? Some banders can, some can't and it's hard to know in advance which one you'll be.

While you're reading all about the lapband, why not try to follow a banders normal diet for a few weeks, so you can kind of "try it on".

Keep your portions smaller than usual, always eat Protein first, then veggies, then small amount of carbs. Also try not eating white bread, because after banding you might not tolerate it well. Also, don't drink liquids with your meal and then after the hour wait, hydrate well. Last give up carbonated drinks.

Follow this for one or two weeks and ask yourself if you want this long term, because at 19, it will be long term.

Gastric banding can be a great tool, but it should not be considered an "easy, quick, fix".

Please learn all you can before making your decision.

I had to explain to my dw that I had to lose one of her to just get w/i my "ideal" weight according to the experts. She fought me tooth and nail up to that point. She thought I could just drink the liquids and watch what I ate that we were told to do post op. I had to explain to her that if you put 1 c. of food in a pouch, you are full/satisfied. If you put 1 c. of food in a large stomach, you are still hungry and will snack. These finally helped her to understand.

As for the diet, I had to go through 10 of liquids only pre op. I simply bought ALOT of sugar free Carnation Instant Breakfast and had about 6-8 of those a day. As Make33 says, the last few days are easier than the first. With the exception that I got dizzy quite a bit from day 5 on. Sounds cruel, but you just have to suck it up. As someone stated in another thread, 10 days are nothing compared to the rest of your life.

XFBALLPLAYER72, on the topic of being only 19, I commend you for taking steps to take control of your body, and your life. I am 30 years old and have been over weight my whole life. I wish every day that I had the oppurnunity to have the lap band when I was your age, if you are doing it for health reasons and have tried to lose weight on your own in the past than please feel good about your decision to have lap band, it will probably be the best thing you've ever done for yourself, you will be able to live a happier healthier life from a younger age.

I'm sorry, but I have to interject about the "too young" talk. So many people who have this surgery, or gastric bypass, are so happy after and say "I only wish I'd done it sooner". Like those years spent heavy were lost or something. We know ourselves and know our bodies. We know if we have a problem with food and weight. These things happen as kids. I am young too, and one doctor told me I was a little young for such a drastic decision. I feel the opposite. Life is short - if you can do something in your power that you feel will make your life better, why wait? Especially when your health is at stake.

Congrats on your decision football player. Obviously your girl loves you and it does not matter to her or she would not be there. You are lucky. I feel the same support from my hubby and its SO important.

Good luck

I look at someone at 19 and think that it is so young but it's true that most of us have had our weight issues since our childhood or teens. I have been a yo yo dieter since my early teens and even though I stopped the fad dieting as I got older, I still had the problem of losing and putting on the same 20 - 30 lbs for many years. I know a girl who was banded at 21 (fat child) and has lost all her weight. She is 23 now and is engaged to be married... she said she is so happy and has never regretted her decision. I too wish I had done it sooner and say go ahead but be sure that you know what you are getting yourself in to. Good luck.

Hey guy,

I'm with Sades! I'm 32 and have been overweight for 16 years - half of my life! My life would be completely different if I hadn't been overweight - I guess I would be more outgoing, would have had greater self esteem and all the other things that go with being healthy weight. I commend you for taking charge of your life - just do a lot of research before you make a lifetime commitment to banding.

Good luck,

Jen

i'm turning 28 in a week... i wish i'd done this sooner... i've been on EVERY diet my whole life - i should have shares in WW. but cause i never got any results i never stuck to it. I need that physical reminder not too overeat.. as do many! I wish i'd done this younger, at 19 or 20.. when i had less to lose and could have maintained easier.

There is a furore at the moment because the AMA wants to support WLS for MORBIDLY OBESE teens in AUSTRALIA. i think its a great idea (apart from the fact that the waiting list will be ridiculous).. these kids need a hand taking charge - its not a quick fix, you still need to control what goes in your mouth!!!

I do understand part of what you feel. Except the opposite. My husband is in great shape and gorgeous..yes to me and others think so to. But I am the one who is and always has been fat. So that part I understand. He has totally supported me through this.

I did not have to go on a liquid diet beforehand. I could not give you any suggestions there. I know I honestly had difficulty with the fedays after surgery. I just got sick of some of the drinks. I did not want to taste chocolate again. (LOL)

However, I did find what helped was making sure that I had a variety of different kinds of drinks and was also able to make them into shakes in the blender or bullet. This helped a lot with change of pace and consistency. I think that you will be hungry prior to surgery, but be sure you have Protein powder in the drinks and that will help keep you feeling full much longer.

Best of luck.

Peg

i agree with sades and greeneyez... i'm 47... i wish i'd done this sooner. i hope it goes well and remember you are doing the liquid diet for your own health and wellbeing... that's what kept me motivated. to make recovery from surgery as easy as possible.

good luck

t

im 25 in april a nd wish id of done the banding when i was 17.. iALOT of my life today would be different.. and some better choices would of been made.. if u wana do it do it.. its ur choice for happiness...

good luck

To me, the issue isn't if this is the best way to lose weight. The issue is, once you lose weight, how are you going to keep it off? I think a lot of people think the reason they regained the weight is because they failed. But my belief is that we are fighting biology once we lose weight. How many people do any of us know that lost a significant amount of weight (not just 20 pounds) and were able to keep it off? Do we really believe that 95 percent of overweight people have no willpower or have extreme food issues? I sure don't! Some of us, yes, but not everyone stays overweight for dozens of years because they didn't honestly try to lose.

How many times does a young person have to "prove" what we and countless others have proven over and over? If you've never seriously tried to lose weight, then perhaps you should and maybe you'll be one of the five percent who keeps it off. Otherwise, I'd say consider it!

And speaking of "The King of Queens," Kevin James, the actor who played Doug, did lose weight a couple of years ago and spoke about it on talk shows, etc. And then he gained it back, too, even though he certainly has access to a personal chef, trainer, etc., AND is in the public eye. I suggest you read Khaliah Ali's book, "Fighting Weight." It's very good and co-written with her doctors, one of whom has been banded.

Good luck!

Well I've went to all the doctors they said it was a good idea for multiple of reasons....A) at an active age at 19 (with sleep apnea and what not) the band will be a perfect fit due to the option of filling the band or leaving it a little unfull in the future when reaching my goal weight...

And its hard to explain what its like being on the offensive and defensive line for a major football program, they want you big all the time all year...and for a few years it was fine i was starting and winning games...but when you are done it is impossible to take off the pounds put on...i've talk to many pro OLine men in the NFL whom have come to the same idea as me for lap-band.

Sorry for length lol....but if the doctors say its a good idea im on board...and ive been on every WW diet and South beach and its good to loose 20 pounds but it always comes back...I feel like im a skinny guy trapped in a fat guys body...

Getting my date son thanks for your support!!

You go for it, and you stay strong, Your young and maybe you can stop the progression of health issues early by loosing this weight for good..

Being big for your entire life damages you forever, so good luck, and stay strong this is the hardest game of your life and you will win it!!!!

Thanks...I'm a lifer on this board now! lol

PS....GO GIANTS