kagoscuba

Perhaps Bush isn't smart enough to know where his heart is?

LOL...look online and you can find pictures of your beloved comrade, I mean President Bush not saluting the flag durnig pledges as well. Being a patriot has nothing to do with making a pledge; it has to do with taking approriate actions

midline, approximately 2.5 inches below my xyphoid process.

this actually happened yesteday. I told him how much I have lost, and I also told him the band wasn't "working" yet, as I have been filled, but I have not been eating solid food. However, the process of having the band and knowing what would happen if I did pig out accounted for a lot of the weight loss. He says something along the lines of, "So you are saying you have just dieted and exercised, and you paid for this? (I'm a self-pay) You are such a dumb-a$$: see, you could have done this on your own." I seriously wanted to stomp a mud-hole in his a$$ after that little gem of a comment. Instead, I got down to his level, and said "If it is so easy, then why do you look like a pregnant marsupial with that stomach pouch you've got going on?" Ahhh, we men are so not nice sometimes.

Today is my one month anniversary of being banded, and I have lost 37 pounds so far. Although I will admit my results are vastly different than others I have seen (partly because I've heard the Basal Metabolic Rate of being male is higher), I'm hoping others will have similar results as well. It CAN be done!! Here is what I've done in a nutshell: 1. Followed 95% of the diet requirements (I ignored not drinking caffeinated coffee...need my go-go juice) 2. Pack all three meals every morning before I go to work, and eat only what I packed...nothing else. 3. Do 30 minutes of cardio 6 days a week, and 4 days a week do strength training (I just started the strength training this week) 4. Because I don't mind it, I stay pretty much on a full liquid diet during the week, with the exceptions being 1 hard-boiled egg and 1 hard-boiled egg white in the morning and tuna at night. On the weekends I expand my menu a little. :whoo:

Thank you everyone for your support!!

I feel ya'! My best friend and best man insulted me today. After I told him I had lost 37 pounds in a month, he said, and I quote, "You told me the band wasn't really working for you yet (true), so you've lost all of this weight through diet and exercise, and you paid for this surgery? You are such a dumba$$." If he wasn't in a different state, I might have had to go throw down with him. It'd be time for an a$$-kicking and bubble-gum chewing contest, and I'm all out of bubble-gum. What an a-hole thing to say.

I had a fill on 10/15, but it hasn't "kicked-in" yet, as I am still on mushy food. My doc said not to expect any restriction until I start eating "real" food (this weekend). The 37 pounds is all post-op. I weighed 265, when they weighed me at discharge. That's pretty consistent with my weight for the last year or so. My wife, who sees me every day, has noticed quite a difference already. I can't wait to see the reaction of some people I haven't seen in awhile.

I'm not sure what you mean by tricks and gimmicks. Today is my one month anniversary of being banded, and I have lost 37 pounds so far. What I've done so far is not tricky at all, although I will admit my results are vastly different than others I have seen (partly because I've heard the Basal Metabolic Rate of being male is higher). Here is what I've done in a nutshell: 1. Followed 95% of the diet requirements (I ignored not drinking caffeinated coffee...need my go-go juice) 2. Pack all three meals every morning before I go to work, and eat only what I packed...nothing else. 3. Do 30 minutes of cardio 6 days a week, and 4 days a week do strength training (I just started the strength training this week) 4. Because I don't mind it, I stay pretty much on a full liquid diet during the week, with the exceptions being 1 hard-boiled egg and 1 hard-boiled egg white in the morning and tuna at night. On the weekends I expand my menu a little.

Have you thought about a second opinion? My doctor has done over 1500 lap-band surgeries. 5 is a spooky number. I know he is not in Colorado, but he or his staff may be able to point you in the right direction, or you could go to him, if the situation is that desperate. Perhaps your doctor is not experienced enough? Dr. Michael Nusbaum Gastric Bypass and Gastric Banding Weigh Loss Surgery - West Orange, NJ

"Prepare for the worst and hope for the best." I was prepared for some pretty intense pain, and that never happened. My average pain was a 2 (for about 5 days, then nothing) on a 1-10 scale, and it got as high as a 4 when the gas pain hit my left shoulder. It was nothing a little Liquid Roxicet couldn't handle...I love PERCOCET!! The incisions never hurt, I was sleeping on my side in 1 day and on my stomach with 4 days. I even went back to exercising (cardio, no weights) 10 days post op. On the other hand, I've heard of people on this board laid up for a couple of weeks.

This doctor is definitely not from the conservative school of thought. My doctor recommends for ALL patients, after a fill: 3 days Clear Liquids 1 week full liquids 1 week soft foods Go to solid food as tolerated.

Force yourself to weigh yourself only once a week. That may help some. Don't obsess over the scale. If hungry, pop in a Viactiv calcium chew. It works for me. If not, then I go to stage two...a cup of coffee...if it's DEFCON 4 hunger, then I eat a Muscle Milk pudding.

Pre-Packing all of my daily meals during the week and exercise. I sometimes stray on weekends but not by much, and at least 5 days a week are strictly controlled. The weekends are tougher as the days are a lot more hectic than at work. I never thought I'd say that until I had three kids ages 5 and under.

Life Fitness machines know your weight, because you input your weight while you are working out. Even if the machine was off by 25%+-, it'd be better than not having any idea at all. The machine calculates by weight, level you put the machine at, exertion, and time you spend on it. It's probably a lot more accurate than static exercise calorie tables I've seen.

I was banded 9/27 and have been able to lost 30 pounds so far. I had my first fill on 10/19, and it made a difference last night, which was the first time I tried anything I couldn't drink or spoon out of a yogurt cup. I had a can of tuna for dinner and that filled me up perfectly. Of course that 30 pounds had nothing to do with the band other than the fact I did not want to get sick eating the wrong things. Here are the things I've done since surgery: 1. Followed doctor food instructions 95% to the letter. 2. Pack my Breakfast, lunch, and Dinner and take it to work with me, eating when desired. 3. Exercise at local gym 5 days a week and either work out on home on Saturday or make a point to get the family outside for some type of extended physical activity. Sundays I take off. 4. Drink lots of coffee, drink lots of Protein shakes, eat Muscle Milk pudding, drinking a fair amount of Crystal Light...the on the go packets are awesome! Just those four items have made a world of difference for me. I was even in Chili's on Saturday with friends and did not feel deprived. A typical meal a month ago would have been Boneless Buffalo Wings, a bowl of Soup, and an "Oldtimer" hamburger with fries and a couple of beers or sodas. On Saturday I was satisfied with soup.

The only issue I've heard of with protein is eating it exclusively can lead to death. In extreme survival conditions eating nothing but lean protein and not getting any fats in your diet can slowly lead to death. However, for most humans, this is about as likely, as well, getting stranded in the woods for 6 months eating nothing but rabbits

Different doctors give different advice. I was diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea, and the diagnosis didn't slow down anything. It did help with giving me two-morbidities along with my 39.1 BMI. BCBS still figured out a way not to pay though, as they said I could not prove 5 years of being overweight. I've been overweight for 15, but I don't have medical paperwork saying so.

The restaurants could care less about you ordering from the children's menu or not, and if you complained to the manager of any halfway decent restaurant, most would let you get away with it. For those that don't and the wait-staff that puts up a blocker, the reason is obvious: money. 15%-20% of a $20+ meal is a lot better than 15-20% of an $8 meal. Of course, when I've run into the same situation, I usually explain if I am "forced" to order something I truly do not desire, then the amount of my tip ($0.00) will reflect my displeasure, and if it is the manager, then I will explain not only will the tip be zero but my future patronage will equal that amount. Of course I am the same way with car dealers too. When they ask me to name a starting price, I always use my staple line, "I don't want to pay anything for this car; let's start from there." :mad:

My goal weight is 180, and when I make it to that, I will be about 15 pounds over my "ideal" weight for my height. However, as a man, that weight will make me have about 12% bodyfat, which will be very healthy. Considering I LOVE strength conditioning, I'll never make my ideal weight until I am unable to work out anymore. To me, that's a good problem to have! My wife sometimes says she's going to miss her Teddy-Bear, but I tell her it's about time she cuddled up next to a panther.

<p>You are kidding, right? how many Canadians cross the border to get health-care each year because they have to wait too long in Canada? Tens of thousands. </p> <p> </p> <p>When I lived in Germany I found out about "Universal" health care. For the poor, it is a boon. Why should they work harder to be able to afford something that is given to them for free? For everyone else, it was crap. If you wanted a particular doctor or the ability to not be 6 to a room in a hospital, you had to buy supplemental private insurance. Considering the income tax rate was 47%, buying more insurance is a tad tough on the wallet. </p> <p> </p> <p>Socialism benefits the lazy, while frustrating the driven. Social Darwinism is not an affront; it is a reality, once all the facades are proven false.</p>

I didn't puree anything. I couldn't think of anything grosser. I've stuck with foods close to puree: protein drinks, yogurt, fortified pudding, ect. Once I got to other foods, I just took very small bites and chewed really well. That included scrambled eggs. Personally, I'd rather chew to pureed consistency, rather than drinking a "food shake." My gag reflex would take over otherwise. That's just my opinion though, so that and $5 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

I hear you there...on the elliptical machine, it tells me to stay around 117 beats per minute for fat-burning and 144 for cardio. Well, I put the elliptical at a relatively low Level 5 setting and push past 117 like it's no problem, go for 30 minutes, and I usually end up around 155 beats per minute, having burned 410 calories and a little over three miles in distance. The calorie number is the one I care about. I also "listen" to my body, and even at 155 beats per minute I am not "killing myself" in exertion.

$6000 for doctor surgical fee; $13000 for hospital surgical fee; $2430 for anesthesiologist's fee; $278 per fill From what I've seen, my doctor must charge the most in the country, because I haven't seen anything else here even close. So you can use my number as a statistical upper limit.

My thin brother-in-law put it perfectly. "You can eat nothing but chocolate cake every day, as long as the amount you eat contains fewer calories than your body requires, and you WILL lose weight. However, you'll probably die shortly of malnutrition." He has made fun of my weight in the past, but suprisingly, other than my wife, he is the one person most happy about me getting the lap-band. He's even better about it than my own mother...but that's a story for another day.