I know there's similar threads elsewhere, but I was curious about the male perspective.

For me: I didn't realize the social impact of not being able to drink beer. Somehow grabbing a mixed drink or tea doesn't quite work the same when everyone else is downing suds.

You could drink wine.

The biggest thing I underestimated is the food intolerances. You really have to pay attention to the moisture content in the meat. You have to chew really well, and sometimes, what is no problem today, will give you a fit the next.

It can be really really annoying, but in balance it is still worth it to lose the weight.

I wish that I'd known many of the things that I've had to learn through experience. Steve mentioned the moisture content of food, which is dead on! I wish that I'd known about how impossible it is to eat bread. I also wish that I had known how hard losing weight still is, even with the band. I heard the "it's only a tool" banter a million times, but it's absolutely true. The band doesn't make food choices for you or make you go to the gym.

Bryan

I wish i knew that i nasty "pbing" feeling, i would get with certain foods, or that everyday would be different as far as eating, 1 day i can eat anything and the next day...everything gets stuck... Don't get me wrong though - i sit back now-100 lbs and i would still have chosen the band! I love my band !!

My experience with the band has been awful. I chose a great surgeon who is terrible at aftercare, so I've been basically on my on since surgery. Then I also never realized weight loss would still be as difficult as it is. I was under the impression that this weight loss "tool" would do more than make me throw up unless I ate just the right amount of the right food.

I have fought food addiction all my life, so I spent 16K of my own money for this band that is just a pain.

Hammer

My experience with the band has been awful. I chose a great surgeon who is terrible at aftercare, so I've been basically on my on since surgery.

That's unfortunate. The bariatric program I'm working through requires a self-pay enrollment into both pre-op and post-op support before they'll even schedule for surgery, and your performance (including attendence) is reported to the surgeon before he'll give the final confirmation.

I have been at goal for 9 months now and here are my list of surprises.

Eat Protein first is a great saying but didnt know that meat was so hard to get down and keep down.

Didnt know pizza and hamburgers would iniate the launch sequence regardless of how carefull I chewed.

Didnt know that one really bad experience would affect my desire to ever eat it again. Both bad and good I guess

Assumed that my skin would bounce back but never really did.

You have to retrain the brain so you dont over order on portions.

your friends take a long time to adjust to you going from 44 waist to 34 waist. Are you sick? :thumbup:

Didnt know I would drop one shoe size

You lost a shoe size??!! That's a first I've heard. Very interesting. I've not been banded yet. I have my first appointment with the doc Thursday and feel I've done so much research online and through here I am info overload.

I know it sounds crazy. I lost 100 pounds in less than a year. I have always loved to play sports so when the band stopped my 5000 calorie a day I was still burning 35-4500 calories a day in sports. One day I looked down to tie my shoes and I could not get them tight enough. The eyelets were touching each other. I bought these shoes about 30 days before my surgery in Dec 07.

I enjoy the social impact of being thinner than I have ever been, which has made me much more outgoing. I don't have any problems drinking burbon or wine while everyone else is drinking beer. There are so many different cocktails out there that you should be able to find an alternative drink that you enjoy. Good luck!

I'm with you Pushin10, I like the social impact of being a more normal size. When I was at my largest, I seemed to be most invisible in a room (weird, huh?) people would just ignore me. I also gave up the booze a year ago along with the band and everyone has been great about it. They can see that I am lighter, more energetic and a lot happier. They like that and therefore don't care what I drink.

Must admit though, a cold beer on a hot afternoon is something I do yearn for occaisionally...

MC

One thing that surprised me was that it is now much harder to swimm without my built-in boyancy compensation. I sink instead of float!

One thing that surprised me was that it is now much harder to swimm without my built-in boyancy compensation. I sink instead of float!

Consider it an automatic exercise coach? :rolleyes2:

That, or motivation to take up SCUBA.

Seriously, though... I wish they could have told me more than the day before that I had to check in at 5-fricken-20-A-M. Let's be realistic: I will be out of surgery and awake, awaiting discharge by the time I normally awaken.

Guess it's an early night for me. 2 hours of liquid diet to go.

I know there's similar threads elsewhere, but I was curious about the male perspective.

For me: I didn't realize the social impact of not being able to drink beer. Somehow grabbing a mixed drink or tea doesn't quite work the same when everyone else is downing suds.

I did have one MGD64 that I drank slowly.

Well reading this thread makes you think twice, but it still feels like the right thing to do in my mind. I suppose we should all hope for the best.

Interesting read though.

Jason

FYI, those are things I wish I knew but still no doubt would have had the surgery. I love the fact that I can sit in my sports car and not be crammed in like tuna, love the fact that my chest is not sitting on my stomach. Love the fact that I can run with little to no stress on my joints since I went from 290 to 200 in 6 months. Love it.