Hello from Canada..

[civildefense1970 0]

Hello everyone..

My wife is CanadianChubling here.. time to make my introduction..

I am 39 years old male.. originally an american moved to canada about four years ago (grimsby ontario area).

I have always been fat.. since my first computer at age 13.. Apple IIe.. It was love at first site, i went from a hyperactive pre pubescent to a huge bulgy man. I am 6'4' everything about me is big, I need XXXL gloves, Must wear custom watches, have a size 8 1/2 head, can pick up a basketball with one hand. I have always been heavy, just how heavy always been hidden by my extreme size. If i asked people how much they thought I was about 50 lbs ligther than i always was. I am 6'4" but have always had a 31" inseam, I am not sure if this is why, but this high centre of gravity i think always made me very, unathletic. This coupled with absolutely no desire to compete with others in my age, i think put me on the slippery slope.

I have lost 60lbs on weight watchers, when i was divorced. Its easy for a man to go home to all the salad you can eat, grilled chicken breast and a diet coke 7 days a week. I liked the way it felt, I liked that i was more able to work ( i can work 12 hours a day, but i feel wiped out when i am done now) sex was better. I liked the way it made me feel.

My wife and i were married about three years ago, and have lived together for about 5+ years. Unfortunately like a certain canadian band (the bare naked ladies) song goes, Im like a baby, shes like a cat, when we are happy we both get fat. I have put all the weight back on.

A few days before our first wedding anniversary, my wife was sitting in front of her computer, adjusted her bra strap, and found a lump, which turned out to be cancer. It was quite a roller coaster, that completely changed everything. She spent a year on super strong steriods, gained weight very quickly. We sort of adopted a "if it feels good, do it" lifestyle. Not reckless living mind you, but sort of a .. Fuck it, I will have another piece of cake, indulgence, because, to be honest life is too short.

She has been two years cancer free, and we have spent our second christmas in florida (3 weeks) I work all the time, she has semi-retired and we both have put on weight, due to me being an overnight chair jockey, and her a full time World of warcraft player. (i bet there are a few of those on here). In this time we have spent here, we pretty much decided to have this done, I am rapidly approaching 40, and i CAN NOT continue this lifestyle. I see these old folks down here, riding around in scooters, very obviously put there do to weight related issues. I can see her or me being there when we approach that age. It has been proven to me that life is too short. I know this system works. I know this will most likely be the answer i am looking for. I figure if it helps me lose 100 lbs, in ten years we might have a better answer, and this system is (relatively) easily removed. I have had friends who have lost 200+ lbs. and it completely changed their lifestyle. One in particular has gained alot back (gastric bypass and stomach stapling) i asked him if it was worth it even for ten years thinness, and he definately said yes.

Now, its really not a vanity thing for me. I am completely comfortable with who i am. I just would like to lose 125 lbs, so i can be more fit. I plan on doing excersize as well, I have a treadmill that i plan on setting up, so that I can do that hiking and walking i have always wanted to do. In country backpacking, canoeing, kayaking.. all those things i cant do now.

The hardest thing i am facing is losing one of my lovers.

I Love food.

It makes me sad that there is the possibility i wont enjoy pizza again, Ceviche. A really good mole', Home made beef Jerky. I can tell you this is certainly a hard decision. I am really a foody, i make my own bread by hand. I LOVE to cook. I came to the realization that, i just have to give it up, its an unhealthy relationship. I need to change my life.. We had a good 40 year run, but I just need to let it go, I cant continue like this.

I do realize that i will possibly be able to eat alot of these things.. but will 3 bites of a nice piece of aged strip steak satiate me? I hope so. Id like to hear from some of you that how well you did after your surgery with the things you just loved, that you just cant eat anymore (make you ill)..

I know i will be ok giving these things up, i have decent willpower, and i know with my wife and I being buddies in this thing, I think we will do ok.

Can a nice long bikeride by the lake replace a nice warm baguette? I dunno, I hope so..

[CanadianChubbling 0]

ok, wait... what was that you called me? A full-time World of Warcraft player.... roflmao

/me bops the noob on the head with a 42 pound grouper

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Guess what? Follow the rules, do what your doc says, and odds are good you'll be able to eat a variety of that food you love...you'll just be satisfied with way less of it. Mole, Ceviche, etc. This isn't a "salad chicken and diet coke" kind of a lifestyle. The band is a tool and you will learn to use it in a way that works best for you. Some still weigh and measure every bite, some do WW, some get so much restriction they PB every other bite...and some just go out there and live their lives. (As one poster put it...I didn't go through all this to eat cardboard the rest of my life"

So welcome and good luck. I think you'll both be pleasantly surprised. My doc does stress exercise but that's ok. They've found 30 minutes a day of exercise can help keep alzheimer's at bay. So more good brain time in front of the computer. A small investment of time now for a longer future full.

[SandyC 0]

Hi, I read your post and was wondering how far along in the process you are. I am from Canada - Brantford actually, have a sister in Grimsby and parents in Beamsville - and I am trying to get the ball rolling. I was told that I could go to the U.S. and get the surgery done covered because it is quite an expense. Do you have any information at all that you would be willing to share? Thank you, SandyC.

[civildefense1970 0]

From what i have read, Canadians cant get lap band on ohip only gastric bypass. My wife got an official letter from OHIP stating this.

[civildefense1970 0]

Are you really not allowed to drink coffee or tea with the lap band?

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Are you really not allowed to drink coffee or tea with the lap band?

It depends on the surgeon and nutritionist; they all have different rules. Our nutritionist bans it and being the curious sort I asked "WHY?" She said "It makes some people hungry". It does NOT make me hungry, I have unsweetened iced tea, and am doing fine!

[civildefense1970 0]

ooh thats scarier than the surgery, i wonder if they make a caffeine patch?

[RestlessMonkey 7]

I wouldn't borrow trouble, as my granny used to say. Your surgeon may not restrict caffeine and if s/he does, ask why. If it's just "makes some people hungry" and doesn't impact you that way, then you can decide. I do NOT support the "ignore your doctor what does HE know" mindset, but as I said, I've had coffee and tea without ill effect since about 1 month post op. (I wanted time to heal just in case there was something odd about caffeine and healing)