IneedMajorHelp

maybe get some bar ends - they attach on the ends of your handlebar - here's a link to a picture - [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Pro-Alloy-Mountain-Black/dp/B000ESNHR6/ref=sr_1_24/102-3129109-7481725?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1183933103&sr=1-24]Amazon.com: Pyramid Pro Alloy ATB Mountain Bike "Ski Bend" Bar Ends: Sports & Outdoors[/ame]

I say go for it - I'm already down at least a size and have started putting notches on my belt. I'm into a whole cache of clothes that I haven't worn for years + I've got dozens of concert shirts and a Paul McCartney Levi jacket that I've never been able to wear because they usually only carry up to XL

Amen to the being healthier part - IMO the recovery time alone is worth being banded vs. GB + it's reversable (if you want). I think it's better if it comes off a little slower, it's teaching you healthy habits by reducing your portions, chewing your food, laying off the carbs, and getting off your butt and excercising.

that first week post-op was brutal - being on the liquid diet - I was ornery as catshit that week

still no fill for me - 2nd follow up - doc says everything still A-Ok - month # 2 - maybe next time

I'm gonna have to pimp Dr. McKeen too - very good - I was a self pay but I think Blue Cross should cover it - you just have to jump through alot of hoops to get them to pay for it - you have to be on a Dr. supervised diet for a year, see the head shrinker, nutritionist etc etc etc yada yada yada . . . good luck out

yes Isagenix is MLM - which I hate (I've had friends try to sell me Amway/Qwikstar etc etc etc for years and it drives me crazy) - but the products do work - my neighbor got me onto it after she lost over 100 LBS and has kept it off - then my wife started on it and has lost 50 since january - so it's in the house and I need the Protein so now I'm on it - they really do have the best shakes from all the ones I've tasted - they stay with you all morning - it is a little pricey compared to the others - EAS you get way more bang for your buck, like twice as much for the same price - and Sam's Club has a liquid Vitamin that is very good - Liqui-Max I think is what it's called - out

I know that Sam's Club and costco have the EAS Protein shake mixes for about $23 or so for a big bag - chocolate and vanilla - also I've been doing the Isagenix system - they have very good shakes and they also have a unflavored whey powder that has 20 grams per scoop that you can add to the shakes or really almost anything - I usually mix a scoop of the Isagenix with a scoop of the EAS for Breakfast. out

just from what my doctor told me about people and weight loss is that as a species we're not designed to LOSE the weight - the survival mode kicks in and holds on to that heap'o'calories - I notice during the week when I'm at my desk the loss slows down - the days I come home and get on the treadmill or jump on my bike are the days that the loss speeds up, but maybe that's just me - I've been the same weight for a week now - it's getting a little frustrating - happened right around memorial day too "hmmmmmm the scale must need new batteries" hopefully after the 1st fill on tuesday it will start coming off a little quicker again.

being a big beatles fan I've always wanted to go to england - that is my ancestry too - one of the reasons to drop some weight so that it will be easier to travel without having to bring a shoehorn or grease to wedge my butt into an airplane seat - don't worry about the weight coming off it will - sometimes slower than others but it will - you just have to work with it - it's a tool - I find that when I don't walk or get on my bike my weight loss slows down no matter what I'm eating - but I haven't been filled yet either - tuesday 1st fill - we'll see how it goes - good luck

almost too many to mention - but buying a "fat" scale ranks in the top 10

fielding eh? - up there by logan - ever head over to bear lake? where in the UK? don't be nervous, lapband was my last option but it's been the best thing - I'm 2 months into it and its the best I've felt in at least 7-8 years - energy level is going up - weight is coming down - I'm into a whole cache of clothes I forgot about - hopefully I'll be able to wear all the concert t-shirts I've been buying for years before the year is out. good luck to you.

give it 2 more weeks - get past the liquid/mushie stage - the soreness goes away - you just wait till the LB's start coming off it's the best feeling, the first mini-goals takes your mind off any discomfort or soreness - that first week is kind of a pain - the all liquid diet (don't care if I ever have jello again) - congrats and good luck!

I agree about the low/non fat - so far it hasn't been a problem and I haven't really paid attention to if a certain food is lowfat or not as long as it has the protein then go for it

don't get down that you've hit a wall just look at how much you've already lost - almost 30 pounds is nothing to sneeze at - get 30 lbs of dumbells and carry them around with you - good job! good luck to you

took my nephew to shrek3 last week and got us both the kids pak size popcorn - went down just fine - one piece at a time and chewchewchew

that was just me personally - figured if I was giving up the soda might as well go all the way - I still have a small cup of decaf here and there and nurse it all morning

I did that too - doc didn't have me do a pre-op diet though - the last week before I had all of my favorites and the saturday before I had my last Mt. Dew - almost 2 months in I don't miss the sodapop or the caffeine - had a birthday bbq last weekend had a brat and a burger patty no bun no problems, no cake either - eat slow, small bites chew chew chew

I finally found a good bike - it's an Electa - e l e c t r a - last fall when I was at my heaviest (445) is when I bought it - I use it mostly on road and haven't had any trouble with it - or maybe a recumbant - I'd like to try one of those out

I had that too about 3-4 weeks into it - just hit a wall at about 25 lbs then it finally started coming off again

Banded 4/30 by Dr. Robert McKeen in Provo, Utah - good recovery, down 40 lbs - went in for a fill in June - no hunger and still losing so doc said wait and fill on 7/03 - energy way up, sleeping way better well worth it

Amen to the band being a tool - still have cravings though not nearly as bad as I thought they were going to be - I definately don't miss pop or caffiene - first few weeks I wanted a steak too - and since then I've had a bite or two (small bites and chew chew chew) no problems - enough to tame the beast. But at least I've lost enough weight so far that I've got some energy to get up off my duff and hit the treadmill after work or go for a bike ride with my missus and my nephew which is really one of the biggest reasons I did it in the first place.

all the doc told me to take was advil liqui-gels - which did fine - as far as diet - lots of water, sugar free popsicles, sugar free jell-o - being on my back was a big problem for me too - I was on my feet almost as soon as they got me out of recovery - they put me in some kind of recliner and I had to get up and lean on it instead of laying in it, no shoulder pain though - congrats on the band hope you recover well

I thought those were the voices too - those have gotten quieter - but they still whisper every now and then - definatly easier to ignore now

it sure ISN'T the easy way out - I've been heavy all of my life and I've always been fairly active - baseball when I was a kid, bike riding, I swim almost everyday and still I would gain little by little year after year - My doctor explained it to me like this - "humans aren't MEANT to lose weight" - it's the survival mode in your body - it wants to hold on to it - he also told me that "it's just another tool" in the arsenal in the battle of the bulge, you wouldn't think twice about buying a treadmill if you wanted to lose some weight - why the hell wouldn't you want to do this?- you still have to do the work - it's not just like turning on a light switch - you have to watch what you eat and exercise just like you would if you didn't have it done - I fought the surgery a long time - "I can do it by myself" was my mantra, until a friend had it done a year ago, still I thought that - until April and then I had an epiphany - it all just clicked - the only people that know I've had it are my wife and parents - my mom is the best she paid for it no questions at all when I asked her - and I told my friend who had it done - but only after the first month - I wasn't sure how he'd take it - if he'd think I was just trying to compete, or what - but he was really cool about it - I think it gave him somebody to talk to that could relate to the experience of it - no one has really said much to me at all - I'm down at least 50 from the first of the year - I think most people are really insecure, but I've got to agree with general concensus of this thread - I did this for ME I don't need validation from anyone - I feel better, I sleep better, I've got more energy - and it's only been 6 weeks - I can't imagine how much better life will be a year from now. thanks all - keep up the good work