Brewa2000

I think the BMI chart is going to be close for me, but then again I'm probably not normal. LOL! Ten or twenty years ago, I could have easily carried more weight than I can now. Right now at 189 and around a 29 BMI, I still have love handles and guy boobs. I'm at a 36" waiste and 30" inseam. If I reach 170, I'll be real close to the "normal" catagory. Now, I believe losing ANY weight is good. I would not be unhappy if my weight loss stopped and I stayed where I'm at and work off some more of the fat and replace it with muscle through resistance excersizing. My point I guess is that your goal needn't be gettting in the "normal" or even the "overweight" range. If you go from "morbidly obese" two catagories down to "obese", you have done yourself a huge favor Healthwise. Just my two cents.... Bruce

I've got 1 more pound to go to reach 100! I'd like to do it in the next week because I started my preop a year ago Jan 15th. It gets tougher as the body gets smaller. I'm now the "runt" of the guys in our family. Hee hee! Pizzaman- Good luck tomorrow. We're all pulling for a speedy recovery. enzochiefs- You're doing super! John- Getting through the first few days helps alot. Bruce

John- Good luck with your resart. You can do it! Steve- It really is no big deal for most. I was sore and gassy for a couple days. Walking around really helped. I take Benefiber daily and it seems to work. Good luck... Bruce

Your second thoughts are normal. You'll probably have them right up until surgery. This is a life changing event. It's been a great ride! Good luck and keep us posted! Bruce

Got my fill on Wednesday. I now have 10.25 in my 10cc. I got my usual bump from getting a fill. I hope to keep it going for awhile as I have 20 lbs. more to go to reach my goal. Glad my doc is OK with "overfilling" my band. Whos-Wow! That's a lot of weight to lose in 5 months. John- Welcome and good luck on your restart. Checking in here helps to keep me motivated. Tim- I think keeping myself very busy helped me make it through that stage. If I'm not busy, I head toward the fridge or pantry. Damn old habits! Hang in there! Have a great '08! Bruce

CT-good luck with insurance covering. Skip- You're on your way! Yes, if you took a poll, I'm sure most feel they COULD eat more than the doc says. I find I'm most successful when I put my meal on a plate and slowly eat it. Then get busy doing something else. Usually, it's more of a "not hungry" feeling vs "full". Things will get better after a few fills. I'm getting my seventh fill on Wednesday. Bruce

I thought I'd start a thread to share the special times of our journey. I invite everyone to participate. I think it helps to "feed" on others success. You might help make a difference in someone else's life. I've received a lot of my motivation from guys like ousooner and Jack. I'll start it off by saying that today is my 6 month mark of being banded and I haven't regretted one minute of it. After a fast start, my weight loss has slowed down, but I'm very happy to be 2/3 of the way to my goal. I go in for a fill on Thursday. I have always had a nice weight loss following fills, so maybe I'll be under 200 in the next couple weeks. I tend to lose in bunches and I am due. I'd like to be at my goal (170# or a 25 BMI) by year's end. I've been able to up my exercise lately because my RA has been much better, so that helps. Anyway, enough of my rambling; let's hear from others who are at a special point or passing a benchmark. Stand strong brothers! Bruce

I have been checking in from time to time just haven't posted for awhile, but wanted to let you guys know I'm alive and kicking. I've been at a plateau for the past 2 months. I've been doing some traveling and had a bunch of meetings. Not real conducive to weight loss. We're headed to Puerto Vallarta tomorrow for a week's R & R. I have a fill scheduled for Jan 2. I'm at 9.85 in my 10 cc band, so I know the doc will have some questions. Any of you guys go over the "limit" for fills? I've heard of it, but know it's rare. The reason I posted under this thread is I've been thinking about where I was a year ago (288 lbs. and 43.8 BMI) and where I'm at today. A year ago I was Morbidly Obese, today I'm 96 lbs lighter and feel like I got my life back. I've checked out pretty thoroughly (prostate, colonoscopy, blood work, etc) and have a clean bill of health with the exception of my battle with arthritis. It's been a GREAT year! It's great to see many of the other approach your goals. Hopefully we can inspire some newbies like Neal, Jack and others have inspired us. Have a Merry Christmas and a Great '08!! Bruce

I hope that's one day and not one meal. Just kidding.... I set out only what I'm going to eat like Monica does. For me, the full feeling doesn't hit me over the head and say stop. I try not to have more food in front of me than I should eat, cause I probably would. I've got 9.85 in mine. They said they would go over 10 if needed. Guess we've got tough tummies... Good luck Bruce

What a nice compliment! You are doing fabulous Eric! You are a great expample for your boys. It will be much easier to keep your calories in that range very soon. Good luck on your upcoming surgery! Bruce

Go back to the site and click on edit. You will need your password. I have the site in my "Favorites".

Welcome back! You can do it. We're all in this together. Get the crap out of the house and stock up on good foods. Bruce

Longhorn- When is your surgery?

I had a little a few months back. I won't even try now. The seaweed and sticky rice would be a problem. I did eat a little (couple tablespoons) of fried rice earlier this week. I just had another fill (my 6th) yesterday so I'm pretty tight right now. Bruce

My Doc says wait one hour. I've found that about a half hour works for me. I don't watch the clock so many times it's probably 1-2 hours. 2 hours seems excessive but he's your doc....

I'm on a high today! I had my biggest scale victory so far this morning. My BMI is now below 30. I'm no longer Obese! I'm now just Overweight. This to me, was bigger than being back in the 100's. Can't stop grinning! The pounds have been tougher to shed the past few weeks, but had a fill this morning and I usually get a nice loss afterward. I now have 9.85 cc in my 10 cc band. Hope it does the trick for most of the rest of the journey! Stand strong Brothers of the Band! Bruce

Welcome Mike, good luck on your quest! lsvadala- I do like Ozzy and drink just before eating , only I drink water. I don't keep a drink near me while eating. Then wait about 30 minutes after to resume. Do you mean the weight ticker? To get one, just click on my ticker and set one up. It was easy, I'm no computer expert but managed to do it. Bruce

Hope your surgery went well! Bruce

I actually enjoyed the walking. For the first few days, I'd sleep a few hours, then walk a little, even at night. Had a lot of gas to get rid of.... My better half is also a teacher. She had a Thursday surgery and taught a half day Saturday class. I was on call in case of problems, but there were none. She's a tough cookie, but you should be OK. Good luck! Bruce

Whatever activity you do, remember that you are doing something to help you enjoy a few extra birthdays! Bruce

I remember about 4-5 nights sleeping in my chair. I'd get up about every 2-3 hours and walk around. It should get better soon. My wife only slept in the chair one night after her surgery. Go figure... Bruce

Hi Jaeric! I was never a big sweet tooth person myself. I think those that are will have to take care of that issue before they will be successful at weightloss banded or not. My issue was not knowing when to stop. I was one of those who had two full plates at Thanksgiving (or any other "special" day which seem to come weekly). The band has been great for me, but it does take work. Good luck to you! Bruce

Wow Bob! You've done great! Bruce

I agree. Where you want to end up is entirely up to you.

Both my DW and I are self payers banded last winter. Money well spent! Bruce