Terry Poperszky

The band affects each of us differently as well as the relationships we are in. Aside from my wife being a titch over protective after the surgery, I couldn't ask for it being any better on our relationship.

We are all different, give your body time to heal and I wouldn't plan on being too active until you are back on regular foods. Even then remember you are running a severe calorie deficit and this will definitely affect your endurance.

If it is any encouragement, I loose faster weight when I exercise the least and concentrate on my intake. I know that this isn't how it works for everyone, but I tend to be an all or nothing exerciser and I fight increased hunger. Now exercise will make you healthier, and you might want to consider something like Water aerobics

Will the Corps take you with a band? Be careful with the supplements, if you work your band properly you are going to be eating at extremely low calories, some supplements may make you loose weight quicker, but what shape will your body be in when you get down to where you want to be. Personally, I had to scale back my biking and increase my calories because I felt like **** after a couple of hours on the road, in talking to some friends who are avid cyclists they suggested that it was because I wasn't getting enough (i.e. proper) nutrition to support the level of exercise.

Way to go! Don't fret over eating something, but make sure you are eating something healthy and remain aware and not just munching mindlessly.

Education does not always erase ignorance.

I personally think this is cultural, when I used to watch TV, I would get in shouting matches with the weight loss gimmicks that were being advertised. I couldn't believe that people were stupid enough to believe that if I take this pill I really will "LOSE WEIGHT WHILE I SLEEP"! But based on the annual spend in this country, they not only were that stupid, but still are. We live in an instant culture, where the idea of sacrifice has been lost. A pill for everything.

Yup, the killer for me is when a food goes down just fine one time and later on that same day gets stuck.

The real NSV for me is this as I was trying on clothes and asking my wife's opinion, a couple of times she asked me if I was sucking my gut in, and I kept saying no. I finally had to suck it in to show her, and her eyes got really wide

And having been away from my bike all week long while I traveled, this brings this month to a close, thanks for all the great posts.

Haven't had the reflux issue due to spiciness, and I even have cholula's on my popcorn. Personally, I always figured the stuff my stomach produced to digest the foods was worse than what I was putting down there. One of the mysteries of the band how it treats each of us differently.

I had Thai tonight for the first time since being banded, a nice red chicken curry, and the waitress asked the normal question 1-5 (level of spiciness) and I automatically told her 5. Not being able to drink while eating was quite a challenge, but man was it good (and hot).

For those of you not following the biking banders thread. Ok, perfect day for a ride and a NSV, last year I struggled to maintain 15 MPH average for 10 miles and never made it, 14.9 was the closest I came. Since being banded in January I was able to break that goal early this year, and on today's ride I maintained 17.1 MPH average for 26.29 miles. Time: 1:32, avg. speed 17.1, distance 26.29, calories 1334

I'm right with you, every time I start to fret that the scale isn't moving, I stop and remember where I was 6 months ago.

Ok, perfect day for a ride and a NSV, last year I struggled to maintain 15 MPH average for 10 miles and never made it, 14.9 was the closest I came. Since being banded in January I was able to break that goal early this year, and on today's ride I maintained 17.1 MPH average for 26.29 miles. Time: 1:32, avg. speed 17.1, distance 26.29, calories 1334 Now I have just enough time to shower and pack for a business trip, that and a mini-vacation for the family will keep me off of my bike until next week.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/education/summer-camp-tells-mother-her-5-year-old-will-have-see-nurse-if-she-wants-healthy

It has been a bad day, a really bad day as I deal with a family member that has severe emotional/psychological problems. As I drove away from their home my mind kept ticking through the things that would dull some of the pain I was feeling, and everyone of them revolved around food. Hell, I have a bottle of good Irish Whiskey downstairs in my office, and while I will probably pour myself a stiff drink after the kids are down for the evening, it isn't nearly as attractive in my mind as taking the family out for BBQ and eating until I am so full that it hurts. Is it any wonder diets don't work for us, when food has become a drug that we use to dull the pain that comes with living? Well, the good news is, as my mind ticked through my options I knew that those that dealt with food really weren't an option. After getting stuck last night, I am not willing to piss off Mistress Band two days in a row, and to tell the truth since being banded, I know that using food as a drug will only make me feel worse and I will still have the family matter to deal with with the guilt of having indulged in emotional eating added to it. So, here I sit with my glass of crystal light lemonade, writing a blog entry for those who have helped me on this forum. Thanks for listening.

"my self imposed pre-op diet" There might be your problem. Why are you limiting yourself to only protein shakes?

My daily meds are small and I have no problems with them, on the other hand I have a couple of nutritional supplements I use when exercising that I do crush. Nasty? Mildly, but it is a fact of life for me, so I don't stress, I just do it. The other day at work, a co-worker watched on in amazement as I crushed a couple of ibuprofen and just popped it into my mouth and washed it down with Water.

My post was an attempt to control what you say??? WOW. BTW, wasn't I exercising "free speech" when I made my post? Or is the only free speech you are concerned about your own? And who the hell is Chris Matthews? Ok, I Googled him, and he has a show on the Liberal version of Fox News, MSNBC. Sorry, never watched it.

http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2013/06/21/eight_toxic_foods_a_little_chemical_education.php

When I was trying to decide, I checked a Dr. who advertised a good price on the band in another state, when I couldn't find a local Dr. who would do a fill, I called the out of state Dr. back and they tried to switch me to the sleeve to keep my business. That was when I figured out that some surgeons didn't really care about me or what was best for me, all they cared about was my money. I found a local Dr., had my band and couldn't be happier.

Personally after yesterday morning, I think I will wait until it warms up a bit before I ride. Great job CF

My Surgeon had absolutely no problem with Coffee, or caffeine. I drink coffee throughout the day, and I have been known to toss a couple of crushed caffeine tabs into my protein smoothie if I have a particularly hard bike ride ahead of me. This is based on biking studies that show caffeine has an effect in reducing muscle fatigue during strenuous exercise.