AirKuhl

I love cheese but have to be careful because cheese is extremely calorie dense. One of my tricks is to use a very strongly flavored cheese, like Roquefort, and 3 crackers. I break each cracker in half and spread a very thin layer of the cheese on each piece. Those 6 bite sized pieces are very satisfying flavor-wise and the crackers will stay in the pouch giving me the full feeling so that I don't overeat. Another neat cheese trick is to buy a bag of shredded reduced fat cheese. Get a small non-stick frying pan hot and put a little bit of oil in there. Sprinkle a little bit of shredded cheese in the pan. Just a tiny bit, about 1oz. or a quarter cup not packed down. It should look like a lace doily, not a solid cheese frisbee. Let it brown, flip it once and drain on paper towels. Once cooled you basically have a thin, brown and extremely crispy dinner plate sized chunk of cheese that is just ridiculously good, tastes like the browned cheese on a pizza. A very satisfying snack with 8g of Protein for only 80 calories.

Gotcha, thanks. I'm not a soda fan so I didn't really drink much before banding and none afterwards. I do drink beer however and don't seem to have any problems with hurting or stretching, seems to go right through. I guess my leash is not as tight as some. I also try to avoid artificial sweeteners as I try to avoid artificial foods in general when I can. Also, we share a favorite drink, I'll take a glass of ice Water with a lemon wedge over pretty much anything. :thumbup:

I disagree. Lean meats are excellent sources of many vital nutrients. My father is 88yo and in perfect health other than a bad hip. He hates chicken and seafood, so he eats pork or beef 3 meals a day his entire life. He has always eaten reasonable quantities and never overeats. Of course I'm not saying that everyone should eat this stuff 3 meals a day. The foods you mention CAN be downright deadly if overindulged over a long period of time. It's all about balance and moderation, something the band makes a lot easier for many of us. I'm in the best health of my adult life right now, judging by my overall feeling and also my bloodwork. I happily eat beef or pork, in small quantities, 7 days a week and I've never felt better. I do however avoid sugar and refined flour as much as possible.

IMO it's none of their business and it doesn't matter. I worked with a trainer to set up an exercise plan, I told him my specific goals, he developed a plan. He asked if I was interested in nutrition, I told him that I had been losing a lot of weight and have already consulted a nutritionist, he said "great! make sure they know you are working out in case they want to make any adjustments" and that was that.

+1 The first few trips you run off of stored energy. After that, you need to make sure that you eat at least a small amount of balanced nutrients up to an hour before a workout that contains a decent amount of protein and carbs. You must have the carbs for the energy. Even just a Zone bar or similar are fine, just watch out for excessive sugar in some of those bars. I have these bars called Detour, they taste like crap but are good energy with lower sugar than most. Some of the Protein shakes are a decent mix as well. I had the exact same problem, talked to a nutritionist, and have had no issue with workout energy since.

My go-to foods for Protein are 0% fat Fage Greek yogurt, various hard and soft reduced fat cheeses, almonds, lean pork, beef, fish and shellfish, chili made with ground turkey or lean beef chili with Beans. No food is automatically bad for you. Any food is bad for you in excess.

Just curious, what's the problem with soda? Aside from the empty calories of the sugared ones.

It seems to me that there is a sweet spot where you lose weight. If the band is too loose, food slips through and if you have no self control you will eat too much. If it's too tight, you will shy away from healthier foods and resort to easier foods that are less good for you and likely more fattening. Finding that sweet spot is tough because it will change as you lose weight.

I'm also a guy, needed to lose around 100 lbs. I have about 25 to go at 9 months out. My waist started at a tight 46 and is now a comfy 34. My hemochromatosis, high blood sugar and low energy issues are all gone. I eat anything I want, just less. I didn't exercise, but as I lost weight I got a lot more energy and now I even jog a mile or so at a time and look forward to working out for the first time in my life. My experience has been 100% positive. This forum will show people that had dreadful experiences and people that have had wonderful experiences. My personal belief is that NO surgery is always superior to any other. One of my best friends had a bypass and had 10 years of pain, problems, dumping problems, blood sugar issues and additional surgeries. IMO, the trick is to research mercilessly and find the best doctor, regardless of cost or hassle. Bands are relatively easy to place and have a very high profit margin, so there are doctors out there making a quick buck on them. Find the best possible doctor and regardless of the type of surgery you will most likely have a positive experience. My doc has banded 3 Oakland Raiders and 2 pro MMA (mixed martial arts) fighters. These guys put more physical stress on their bands than anyone and are in fine condition even years later. Best of luck!

Seems shady to me. My surgeon just said clear liquids the day before surgery and nothing at all day of surgery, he didn't care what I ate before that.

You don't need to be defensive, he wasn't calling you out, he's just saying that motives and priorities change with age. You said, for example, that "there is no such thing as harmless flirting". That might be a true statement at your age. But I can guarantee you that I flirt all time and it's 100% harmless. It's just fun, I have no agenda. I have a happy marriage of 20 years and if Megan Fox walked into my bedroom naked while my wife is out of town and said "no one needs to ever know". I would laugh, thank her, and politely show her out. Then I'd go rub one out the shower. I may be faithful, but I'm not dead. :thumbdown:

Brush your teeth. Works wonders for me. Take a short walk around the neighborhood. DVR TV shows so that you can skip food commercials. Do something that requires the use of your hands. Guitar, knitting, video game, gardening, whatever. Drink more, water is filling too. Add some zero cal flavoring like Propel if you are craving flavor. Don't eat if you are not hungry, even if it's dinner time. This one was hard for me. I'd sit down and eat dinner early with my family, pick a bit, then eat again 3 hours later. Just wait until later and have the one meal.

Large fluctuations are almost always water weight. Too much salt and you can gain 10 lbs. Look at pro fighters, they commonly gain 10+ lbs in one day between the official weigh in and the fight.

I don't really disagree, but it seems like he "cheated" when they first started dating. Some people view the commitment level differently during that dating phase than they do during marriage.

I texted a cute younger girl for a few weeks not long ago. It was funny because she worked tech support, I had to call for a problem, and while she was helping me out we were both harmlessly flirting while waiting for the computer to reboot and so on. Ended up talking for quite a while and since she had my info in her system she texted me a few times and I texted her back. She even sent me a few pictures, that's how I know she was cute. :sad: In my case it was harmless flirting. I'm a friendly guy with a huge sense of humor and some women find that attractive even back when I was a fat ass. Sometimes I go out to clubs with my friends and dance with other women, sometimes we go to Vegas for the weekend and maybe hit a few strip clubs. I am also very happily married to a cute and wonderful woman who I wouldn't trade for anyone. She knows I'm a flirter, it's how I got her. :cursing: I never tried to hide it from her, because I don't need to. We trust each other. Heck, she renews my Playboy subscription for me, and she enjoys the articles. Just saying, give him the benefit of a doubt, he might just be getting an ego rush getting attention from a cute younger woman. Ultimately it's all about trust. If he starts hiding and denying things you know are true, well, sorry but that's when I would get concerned.

Those are common quotes against the band. Here are some common quotes against the sleeve I found in a few minutes with Google: The stomach remaining after your sleeve gastrectomy WILL gradually stretch and permit larger meals. VSG is not reversible, and quite often, additional weight loss surgery is performed some time later after gastric sleeve. One study comparing gastric sleeve to gastric banding that shows the gastric sleeve to be about as effective as the lap band at 1 and 3 years following surgery. Less than 1000 patients with VSG have been studied and we really don't know what happens beyond 3 years! A portion of your stomach is cut out using a stapling device and then the surgeon sews over the staple line to try to prevent leaks. However, this is not fool proof. If your stomach leaks or there is a small perforation, it could cause a condition called peritonitis, which is life threatening. These metal staples stay in your body forever, much like the silicon lap band. Although thought to be safer than gastric bypass, truth be known, the safety of this procedure has NOT YET been established because it is very new. Of concern is the amount of stomach removed. Most surgeons are now removing and throwing out, 90-95 percent of the stomach and since the stomach is a critical digestive organ, this might cause some Vitamin deficiencies as well as Protein deficiencies. Vertical sleeve gastrectomy patients are told they have "fully functional stomachs" but since the stomach is now only 1-2 oz, this is highly UNLIKELY. In truth, all that is left from their stomach is 1-2 oz pouch which is the same size as a gastric bypass patient except the gastric bypass patient can have their stomach reconnected if there are problems. A percentage of patients get severe reflux... not only of acid but of bile as well. The risk of death with the gastric sleeve is likely considerably less than the bypass but higher than with the adjustable lap band. In the long term, you may be in higher risk for a herniated stomach or distention of the esophagus. Some patients have complained that the tiny part of the stomach left can "twist" Because of most of the stomach being cut away, the digestion of protein and vitamin B12 may be compromised. This is due to less stomach acid and also possibly a lower amount of "intrinsic factor" being produced. You may have to take vitamin B12 shots. - should check levels often. Unlike the lap band, the amount of restriction is not adjustable. If you need a revision, it's another risky surgery. Again, all I'm saying is that all surgery has risks, what is the right choice for one person may not be the right choice for another, and that choosing a good doctor is critical.

Actually my point was that long term effects are primarily keyed off of the quality of the surgeon and not the type of procedure. For example, check out this web site. I wouldn't buy a ShamWow from this hard-sell clown college. - The Mini Gastric Bypass There are Sleeve Mills and Bypass Mills just like there are Band Mills. PS to "clos.net": Since you like to take our out-of-context quotes from lapbandtalk and use them without our permission to imply that lap band surgery is deadly and ineffective, I'm giving you permission to use this post on your site as well. :thumbup:

Agreed that PB is a really healthy food. I find that I can slowly savor a single tbs of PB right off the spoon and it usually satisfies a dessert craving. At around a hundred calories it's not a bad way to go if you have the self control to eat it the way you would a nice piece of chocolate, slowly enjoying it and making it last.

Not eating much junk food anymore was an important part of my weight loss journey. However it's fine to indulge yourself sometimes. The once or twice a month that I give in and get junk food, I'll usually get a Taco Bell taco or maybe some boneless fried chicken strips. If I'm just not feeling like cooking, my go-to quick meal is a can of Progresso or Chunky Soup. It's super cheap, I can nuke it in 3 minutes, it always goes down easy and it has some veggies in it. Another option is to buy the frozen pre-formed burger patties, either beef or turkey. You can go direct from the freezer onto a gas grill or into a frying pan and they're ready to eat in a few minutes. I just throw some seasoning on it while it's cooking, put the patty on a plate and squirt some relish, mustard and ketchup on it. Still quicker and cheaper than getting in the car and driving to McD's and back, tastes way better too.

Sleeves, RNY, bypass, lap band, etc. All of these are surgery. All of these have dire risks if done improperly. All of these can work or not work. A Lap band implant is the quickest of the options. Because of this, there are a lot of doctors out there setting up high volume "band mills" geared around quick surgical turnaround. Equalize away the hack doctors jumping on the "bandwagon" and I personally believe the band is the safest of all possible surgeries long term, simply due to it being the least invasive and not going down the malabsorption path. Bottom line? Whatever WLS you choose, use the best doctor you can find. It amazes me to read about surgery decisions made solely on best possible price. Some people research the shampoo they use more than the doctor they pick.

Not really a name, but I refer to mine as "The Leash" Might have to name my port though, now that I lost 80 of 100 lbs there's no swatch of whale blubber hiding it any more.

They're not bad if you have a sweet tooth. Personally, I'd rather have one real candy bar a week than one of those a day. YMMV. One other thing I found that works for me if my head gets into "must have dessert" mode while watching TV or whatever. I scoop out a spoonful of regular Peanut Butter and I'll take literally 10 minutes just slowly licking it directly off the spoon. Something about peanut butter seems to fill me up and quench that craving, even just the 1 tablespoon amount as long as I go as slow as I can.

Don't get discouraged, plateaus are totally normal. You are doing fine. More exercise, don't eat after 7:00PM, drink more Water, maybe it's time for another fill. Only you can know because all our journeys are individual ones. I lost 60lbs in the first 4 months, 10 lbs total in the next 3 months, and now 10 in one month. I'm not sure why. Just keep your spirits up and never give up. Watch yourself and learn the signs. I found that I can tell certain little things when I'm in weight loss mode, like I pee a lot more, I'm thirstier, I have more "nervous energy", my hands get colder easier, etc.

I like unsweetened iced tea, and also the zero-cal drinks I pick up at costco, like Vitamin Water, Talking Rain, Propel, etc. But mostly just water right up until I'm tired of it.

There are very few things that make me embarrassed for my species more than the idiotic ramblings of random morons on the web. Some people get a thrill from saying stuff hidden behind a keyboard they would never say in person. Never let anything get to you that was spewed by some anonymous internet mouth-breather (me included!) :cursing: