Wendell Edwards

Hi there. I think it's great that you are getting back on track. Mind if I ask you some questions? What is your current diet like? Are you getting guidance from your doctor, or from a nutritionist? How much food by volume are you eating at one time? How many times per day do you eat? How many calories per day are you eating? How many grams of Protein are you getting in a day? How much Fluid are you drinking in a day? How are you going to handle stress without eating food to cope? And finally, what are you doing for exercise?

Stupid people irritate me. Not IGNORANT people, stupid people.

Poor me, I'm just a human who dislikes labels and treats everyone as an individual.

:confused: Uhhh, I'm too boring to come up with one, so I use my real name! :nervous

I'm happy with my results. :confused:

I think Imus and his co-host used appallingly insensitive comments. Imus apologized and seems to be genuinely embarrassed. His employers suspended him, which will cost hi a great deal of money. All-in-all, I am satisfied with this conclusion. In addition, I believe that ANYONE who utters race-based comments should be held accountable for their words. No matter who they are.

Hi guys, I'm Wendell Edwards, nice to meet you all. Men with Lap-Bands are RARE in my world, it will be nice to have a group to bounce ideas off of.

Oh, there's a few: 1. I wish I had taken before pictures in tight-fitting clothes while posed in a doorway. I wish I had taken front, side and rear view photos every month since surgery. Having before and during photographs is one of the most powerful tools I know of for staying the course, as well as PROVING TO OURSELVES that this WORKS. 2. I wish I had known more about the importance of Protein. The USRDA for adults is .8grams per kilo of lean body weight per day, and other sources indicate a higher amount of protein retains lean muscle mass. The number I finally settled on is 1.25 grams per kilogram of lean body mass. Quite a few websites I have seen support that number. I took my goal weight and multiplied that by .85 to get lean body mass (Allowing for 15% fat at goal) then divided that number by 2.2 to get kilograms of lean body mass. Then I multiplied the kilograms by 1.25 to get my daily protein grams target. Once I started hitting that protein target every day, inches just FELL off! I think those two things are what I really WISH I had known.

Other: My Doctors say that I am replacing FAT with MUSCLE TISSUE due to increased physical activity and drinking Protein shakes. (I experienced severe muscle atrophy due to a very bad pre-op illness of almost a year) Muscle weighs more than fat does, so I am shrinking, but the scale weight loss is not especially impressive. (Though still dropping)

Averages only matter if you are average. Are you? I know that I am not. And I also know that ultimately, success with ANY weight loss surgery is determined by the amount of effort the patient is willing to put forth. If you are willing to PAY THE PRICE, you WILL succeed. If not.... you won't.

I told everybody. Anyone who was stupid enough to speak against my choice was obviously not a friend of mine, and I was perfectly willing to drop the relationship with anyone who did so. As it turned out, everyone was supportive.

There was not an applicable choice for me. I PB maybe every 3-4 months.

I think you are having soft-food syndrome due to being too tight.

My port is just below my ribcage, left side, in line with my left nipple. The port is sewed to the abdomonal faschia.

I own a doctors scale at home. I weigh myself naked. That scale is dead-accurate and I bought it 20 years ago.

Diets are a temporary thing to me. Tha Lap-Band is a permanent change in lifestyle.

Oh yeah. Some stuff just does not taste good any more.

Absolutely YES.

I am on "Auto-Pilot" at 2.5 years.

"Dear Mom, I want your support for me saving my life with this surgery, and if you cannot or will not support me, I will have to stop seeing you and talking with you. Love, Me"

MY COMMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS I can't decide between lap-band and gastric bypass. BOTH SURGERIES REQUIRE THE SAME TYPE OF BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION TO BE A SUCCESS. I am 28 years old and I weigh 440 pounds. MY STARTING WEIGHT WAS 570 POUNDS I have seen two surgeons already. The first one said lap-band would be great for me. I would lose the weight and still be able to have kids. THAT'S TRUE. The second surgeon pushed gastric bypass. He said b/c I am so overweight that I would lose more weight by doing gastric. THAT IS A COMMON FALLACY. He also told me that since lap-band is a new procedure, there is not much research on the matter. THAT, HOWEVER, IS A FLAT-OUT LIE. THE LAP-BAND IS NOT A NEW PROCEDURE. IT HAS BEEN AROUND FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS IN EUROPE, AND THE LAP-BAND IS AN FDA-APPROVED DEVICE. THE FDA DOES NOT APPROVE EXPERIMENTAL DEVICES. He claims that all bands will have to be replaced in 10-15 years. THAT IS ALSO A FLAT-OUT LIE. INAMED, THE MAKER OF THE BAND, TELLS SURGEONS TO INFORM THEIR PATIENTS THAT THE BAND IS A PERMANENT IMPLANT. Has anyone else heard this? Also, his nurse said that they will not be able to access the port to fill the lap-band for someone my size. OK, THAT'S THREE LIES AND THEY'RE OUT. I WEIGHED FAR MORE THAN YOU DO, AND GETTING A FILL HAS NEVER BEEN AN ISSUE. She said that they do not make 8-12 inch needles to fill the band. First of all, I thought the port was placed in the area under my rib cage. THAT IS EXACTLY WHERE MINE IS. I don't have 8-12 inches of fat there. Also, the second surgeon said that 54% of severe morbid ob. patients that get lap-band end up getting gastric bypass. HE'S A LIAR, WE ALREADY ESTABLISHED THAT, BUT IF YOU EVER WANT TO DEAL WITH THIS PERSON AGAIN, I WANT YOU TO ASK HIM WHERE HE GOT THAT STATISTIC. INAMED STATES THAT LESS THAN 3% OF ALL LAP-BANDS ARE REMOVED FOR ALL REASONS COMBINED, SO EITHER THIS GUY OR INAMED IS LYING. I am just very confused on what to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated HERE'S MY ADVICE: NEVER TRUST A DOCTOR WHO LIES.

So then, what you are saying is that those CDs put you to sleep??:notagree :biggrin1: Whatever works for you is what you should do.

Hi, My highest weight was over 570 pounds, and it was not until much later that I could "See it". I strongly recommend that everyone take a LOT of photographs to document their weight loss journey. Here's why: Most people who are morbidly obese do not like having their picture taken. They avoid the camera because the photographs don't lie. That fact can be put to good use before and during your weight loss. Simply put, the best way to document weight loss is not a scale graph of pounds lost, or a size chart of inches lost. The best way to document weight loss is to take photographs before and during the process. I advise people setting out on this journey to take three initial pictures. The recommendations that I give are these: 1. Take three views, front, side and back (That means you need a automatic timer camera or a friend to help you) 2. Take the pictures in the same place every time. A doorway is a great choice, because it helps put a known quantity into the picture. Other good places are in front of a fireplace or another known point of reference. 3. Take the pictures while wearing form-fitting clothes. A swimsuit is IDEAL. 4. Take the pictures with the same camera, and make sure you are standing the same distance from the camera every time. That's why a doorway helps. You can line yourself up in the doorway and use a measuring tape to find the distance to the camera. 5. Take that same set of pictures every month. Front, back and side views. Wear the same clothes and make sure the distance to the camera is the same. 6. Have the "Before" pictures printed out, and tape them to your refrigerator. 7. Have the latest set of pictures printed out, and tape those next to the "Before" pictures. In doing this, you mind has irrefutable PROOF that what you are doing IS WORKING. People frequently do NOT "See" their weight loss, and they become frustrated, perhaps by a scale weight that is not moving, even though their body size is reducing at an amazing rate. This is a great way to "See" your weight loss. The best way to document weight loss is to take photographs before and during the process. As an example, BEFORE: And AFTER:

Your brother has it right. Not many guys I know like STICKS. :biggrin1: