stormbrewing

Hi Everyone, Sherry, I emailed you back but haven't heard from you. Did you get it? I'm not sure with this site... As far as getting together, I'm totally game. I've been stressed lately and haven't been hitting the gym. I'm at 6.5cc's in a 10cc band though, and I'm definitely restricted, however I"m drinking too much. I think I'm going to go back to my spartan lifestyle. It seems to work better for me. On the good side, I'm rapidly getting too small for my clothes. My work pants, for example, are size 48 waist, and I used to wear them under my belly. Now, I wear them over my belly, and they're far too loose there. Nice. Hope all you guys are well, talk to you soon. John

It's like the saying goes, a rabbit can get fat eating lettuce... I take what I consider to be the best Protein shake on the market, Myoplex. www.eas.com. Not only does it pack a whopping 48grams of protein, and a ton of Calcium and other Vitamins. The downside to protein shakes is that they do not make you feel full for very long. I use them primarily as my small meal supplements. I try to eat 6 protein-based meals per day, three of them being small meals between Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also...working out is key. The Proteins that you take in WILL metabolize directly into muscle, provided you work out. If you have no idea how to work out, buy a book that has good reviews on Amazon.com. The knowledge is out there.

I had my first fill on the 12th. She gave me 4cc's in a 10cc VG band, but I couldn't hold down Water, so she backed out .5cc's, to 3.5cc, and I'm good. This morning, I woke up and very slowly had a Myoplex supplement shake, and a banana. Went to the gym, came home pretty hungry around 11, and warmed up a Lean Cuisine salmon and risotto. 250 Calories. Now mind you, prior to the fill and prior to the band, I could almost snort one of those things through a nostril. They were lik a half an appetizer to me. I'd inhale them, and immediately eat something else. They were like a snack. So I start in on my salmon, and find that I'm eating it too fast because I started to get a little stuck, nothing major, so I took a break. A little less than 3/4 the way through the tray, I stopped, full. This, to me, is incredible.

Aww, Hell Kay, you should have said Hi! I've been looking for you at Planet Fitness too, but haven't seen you. We're probably on different schedules. How are you doing with everything? I actually feel a little looser as I write this. The first 3 days after my first fill were nice and tight, but now I'm slowly starting to be more hungry. Still nowhere near my intake before, but I'm stuck as far as weight loss goes.

SherryW, and the rest, I think I read somewhere on this board, or somewhere...doesn't really matter, but I've started taking it like this: I think about every single thing I put in my mouth, and every decision I make regarding my physical activity, and decide whether it will bring me closer to, or farther away from, my goal. It's a tough miserable thing to do, but it's saved me a few times. Yesterday, I let myself get too hungry, forgot to bring lunch to work, and I wound up at the pub around 1pm, and was THIS CLOSE to hitting the beer and shepherd's pie, but I didn't. My mouth was watering, every fiber of my being was screaming to eat, but I got some crappy soup and salad instead with some more crappy low-fat dressing. That night, I almost made the decision to lay on the couch, and watch TV that I'm not even into. I dragged my ass off the couch, however, and went to the gym. Once I was there, there was lots of eye candy, and I started imagining (like I usually do) what I'll look like out at a nightclub or in the sparring ring minus a hundred pounds. Like they say in AA, which I've never been to but the rest of my social circle has, "One Day at a Time". It works. It's hard, harder than anything you'll ever do, I think, to keep it up, but do it. And, if you fail, get back up, dust yourself off, and START AGAIN. Good luck, John

I got about 10 high-horsepower sleeping pills called temazepam, about 3 days after surgery. I had a hell of a time sleeping, and they knocked me down almost immediately. You may not have a problem, but they're nice to have at 2am when you're looking at that little red light on the smoke detector for a few hours.

Berry, Myoplex (www.eas.com) has a whopping 48 grams of Protein per serving. Buy the RTD (ready to drink) stuff, as the powdered form of it mixes up really thick and will be a challenge to drink for you. They come in three flavors, and I've been drinking them for a long time as a meal supplement for my workout programs. The Deluxe, if you want to push it a bit further, has 68 grams of protein, I think. It's also loaded with dozens of other Vitamins and minerals. Pound for pound the most potent supplement around. I got it far cheaper than at www.eas.com on www.supplementwarehouse.com. They ship it right to your door and have a pricematch guarantee.

Sherry, Quite honestly, no I didn't. I started screwing around eating bananas and whatnot, and I confessed to the dietician and was duly scolded, but nothing else. No PB'ing, no gagging, not to say I'm advocating it. I'm still technically on mushies, and I'm sticking to that, although it's my own version of mushies altogether. (read, no sirloin steaks and hard chicken). I don't mind the shakes so much because I've been drinking them for so long, but man do they get old quick. I have a VG band, which from what I understand is the big one, so I'm hoping for a 4-5 cc fill, and I hope I gag on it, because I'm feeling a bit nervous as I'm sticking to the diet via sheer willpower only right now, and it's really tough. I was away on business last week in Minnesota at this conference center in the middle of nowhere, and all there was was FOOD FOOD FOOD. I ate poorly (although not much) and I paid for it by packing on two pounds. So, back to the drawing board for now. Good luck and keep grinding away no matter what!

You gotta be kidding me. I feel like I've lost my lover. Furthermore, I'm all healed up now, and I could chew the rump off a goat. I'm serious...this is way harder than the preop liquid diet because at least with that, there was an end in sight. Anyhow, my first fill is scheduled for the 12th of April. Hopefully that will bring me some peace, and I won't wake up chewing on my sheets or pillow like I have been. John:hungry:

You gotta be kidding me. I feel like I've lost my lover. Furthermore, I'm all healed up now, and I could chew the rump off a goat. I'm serious...this is way harder than the preop liquid diet because at least with that, there was an end in sight. Anyhow, my first fill is scheduled for the 12th of April. Hopefully that will bring me some peace, and I won't wake up chewing on my sheets or pillow like I have been. John:hungry:

Hi Everyone, Quick question for you. I have a pain in my left side underneath the band incision. Dr. Schneider put the port right above my belly button, so it's not the port. I've seen Dr. Schneider several times (like a big sissy) worrying that I'd torn something inside. He says not to worry and I trust him. My question is, for those of you that have the band in, how long was it before you could bend over and tie your shoes, or sleep on your stomach? I'm eager for this pain to go away. It's fairly sharp and pronounced, and really irritating. Thanks, John

I'm two weeks out now, and most of the pain is gone except for where the lap band is in my left side. I can't bend down to tie my shoes, and sometimes getting in and out of the car hurts. Talked to the doc, and he said not to worry so I'm not. Just curious when you guys were completely pain free. Thanks, John

Yeah it could absolutely be scar tissue. What I feel is definitely below the fat tissue, because I can stick my finger into the pudge about an inch or so, and I can feel a mass beneath that. My doctor told me on big guys like me, he usually puts the port at the navel for whatever reason. Go figure.

You're right. I'm being a bit of a sissy about it, I'm just super-nervous that if I move the wrong way, I'm going to tear something. I'll give it a few more weeks and see what's up. Thanks for all the answers. John

Yeah, I specifically asked him if that's where the port was because I've been reading this board for a while now and everyone seems to have their port in that location. He said no, it's above my navel beneath the largest incision, and I can actually feel a hard lump there if I press. The port area is painful but dull, not sharp. Where my band sits is where I have the most pain, usually when I twist left to right the wrong way or when I bend over. I can bend over while sitting to tie my right shoe, but not my left, for example.

Nope....my doc specifically said my port is above the navel and slightly to the left for whatever reason. This area is where the band sits beneath the diaphragm. At least that's what he said.

It's right under the left side of my ribcage where the band sits. It's extremely sensitive inside...the incision itself is actually completely healed, so it's not that.

Any pain at your band though? My port is fine. It's the band that's causing me problems.

Hi Everyone. I was banded on the 28th as well with a VG Band. My appetite fluctuates from hungry to not hungry. I haven't been starving yet, and I've basically been keeping to my diet prescribed by my surgeon. I'm down rougly 15 pounds since my surgery date. I wish it was more, but I'm limited in my activity because of continuing pain at my band, not the port, oddly enough.

Actually, my port is placed above my belly button and slightly to the left. It's the largest incision, and doesn't bother me at all. What bothers me is internally, near the band. My doctor told me that it's just the inflammation and will eventually die down. It's frustrating because I want to return to my athletics but it basically hurts to do so. I've worked through the pain, but like I said, I can't tie my shoes and can't bend over at the waist, for the most part. A good example is taking a drink of Water from the water fountain--I have to put my left leg way behind me like I'm getting in the position for a 20 yard dash.

How about Saturday April 28th? We met at Joe's American Grille in Braintree last time because it seemed convenient for everyone. I'm open to other places as well, but you guys let me know what you think. John

I dunno ladies....Texas? I've never given any thought to it. Whenever I go south of the border my Boston accent gives me away instantly. No hope of fitting in. Thanks for the compliments though...hopefully I'll be much better after I drop a c-note off my gut and start working on the guns again. I just hope this pain disappears soon. It's a real pain in the ass.

Oh no, not two weeks. I've lost about 10 in two weeks. The rest was pre-surgery, but thanks!

Would you guys be interested in getting together again? Perhaps some of the new people could join us as well? Last time we did it in Braintree at Joe's American Grille. Let me know what you think, perhaps sometime in April? John

Hi Everyone- I'm very interested in getting together again. Same place perhaps? Some time in April? I'm doing well, and thanks for asking. I'm sick of trying to sleep on my back because of the incisions and I'm having a hard time getting to sleep. I'm sure as soon as they fully hyeal I'll be able to sleep like I normally do. I hope everyone is doing well, and let me know about getting back together. John