Bsides

I'm not quite a year out, and Ive been working out a ton, but ive lost like 85 pounds and I want rid of this gut/apron thing lol. Obviously there are a ton of plastic surgeons in L.A., but I was wondering if anyone had any personal recommendations for doctors that are good at consulting lap band patients, know how to accommodate for port placement, and are friendly about working with insurance companies. Any help is appreciated!! thanks, Brendan

oh wow, your insurance covers a tummy tuck? can I ask what insurance you have? I was banded in February and have lost around 85 pounds. I really feel like I need one, but when I see people who have really saggy skin I feel like I'm just being insecure and should be happy with how It looks. My skin is not so bad because i have worked out obsessively since having the surgery, however my stomach still looks ruined. I would also really like to know what medically necessary means.

i've lost a lot of weight since february, and worked through a couple plateaus already, but the one i'm on now is the biggest one! I came down from 280 to 190, which is great, but I'd like to lose maybe 15 more pounds. And its nearly impossible! I work out like a madman, and watch my diet pretty good. I try to tell myself that maybe i am just building muscle, which might be, but it still feels like a plateaus when you dont see the scale going down too much.

Do any of you guys have this happen to you? Its very annoying and its kind of a new thing for me to be experiencing. Im a bit concerned because it can be a sign of type 2 diabetes. It would be weird for me to get type 2 diabetes after i lost a bunch of weight right? I do have a thyroid condition though. Contemplating seeing the doctor about it.

Admittedly I freak out everytime that this happens, and I guess its not an extreme amount or anything, but still I haven't been losing weight in a little while and now I'm starting to put it back on! I was down to 188, which was great considering I started at 277. This week I'm 196. I haven't changed my diet significantly, so its a bit confusing for me. I work out constantly, and recently I've started doing some more intense lifting. Mainly squats, which I can feel reaking havoc on my leg muscles this morning. My question is, could some of the weight gain be related to liquids being retained in the damaged muscles from lifting? Or am i just getting plain fatter and should schedule another adjustment. I've only had 2 so far. thanks, Brendan

I had the same fears after my second filling, but really its best to stay on liquids for at least a day or two after you get filled. I had heartburn too and it felt like everything was too tight! After a while though it got much better and everything was good. Keep in mind that whenever you get a filling, your body reacts to a foreign object being put into your body by swelling the stomach. So you will at first be tighter than you will be after the swelling goes down. As long as you can comfortably get liquids down, then I'd say give it a day or two.

thanks for the replies! I had my surgery at the end of February. And yes, ive made good progress. I've been working out really hard for the whole time. But recently I've noticed that I'm able to eat some of my problem foods again, like bread! Thats why i'm thinking its time for a new fill. I know people say the thing about building muscle, but i think the reality is that its really hard to put on muscle that fast. I think its gotta be Water weight, maybe from the swelling. I dunno, all I know is its frustrating to be at basically the same weight and gaining for a month or so solid after losing for so long consistently. Maybe you guys are right and I'm over reacting, but you will see how obsessive you can get about it after it starts working for you!

I think a really important thing to remember is that if you want to invite success into your life, then you need to embrace it wherever it occurs. If you see it in other people, do your best to Celebrate it! Be genuinely happy for them and be concious not to slide into jealousy or negative thinking. This way, success will more easily pass onto you as well. The fact that you guys are even concious of these feelings though is a very big step up from someone who just emits negativity. Being concious of negativity is the first step towards positive change. Its something that I think we are all guilty of though. It is very hard to keep these kinds of feelings in check, but if you just remember that they do you more harm than good it will help.

I think they mostly look for someone who is well adjusted and committed to a lifestyle change and not someone who could have a psychological condition that might put them at risk with the lap band. For example, someone who binge eats might not be a good candidate. But generally i think as long as your not mentally ill its all good. I wouldnt worry. :thumbup:

There seems to be a lot of varying reports on carbonated drinks. Me personally, I will have them now and again. On weekends I like to have a couple drinks. Gin and tonic, a beer here and there, but i dont make it a regular every day thing. As far as soda goes, that stuff really is the devil. Straight liquid calories and sugar and no nutritional benefit. Diet soda is better i guess, but still, just drop the stuff entirely and you will be soooo much better off. I just watched Supersize me the other day and the thing that struck me the most was how many calories are in a big gulp drink. Thats probably the worst thing about fast food even. I'm still a bit worried about the carbonation. I was banded back in febuary and have had no problems, but i guess its always better not to risk it. Some things I think they tell you though just to get you to quit drinking soda.

Hey there! I figured i better make an introduction before i start in with the questions because a lot of the stuff people talk about here seems to be of a personal nature. My name is Brendan, I live in L.A. I was banded at cedars hospital on feb. 28th. I have a thyroid condition, but i have been overweight my whole life. It had gotten to its worst point recently where I was about 280lbs. I'm about 5'11" so this made me pretty uncomfortably fat. I was a chain smoker and a non-exerciser as well. Since the banding ive dropped about 80 pounds. I feel so much better! I credit the band for some of that, but Ive also made major lifestyle changes. I work out daily now, and i quit smoking. I feel like this has been probably the best thing ive ever done for myself, but i remember how hard it was even to talk about it before I got it done. If anybody on here has any questions, feel free to ask me! I am here to help as well as have some of my own questions answered. This is a great forum that i have been lurking on for a while, so I decided its time i made it official and finally joined!

Most definitely fitted. I have a new affinity for fitted clothing! Speaking as a guy, I would rather see someone that is comfortable showing a couple rolls then someone that hides under a huge baggy t-shirt. Confidence is always sexier than insecurity no matter what you weigh.

Okay, so people who are really overweight will lose a lot of it very quickly, but they always told me as I get closer to my ideal weight things would get slower and harder to come off. I started at 280. I'm down to 196 today. I was 192 on friday, why am I gaining it back now? It's strange because throughout the week my weight will go down, but then somepoint in the next week it will spike up again. This has been going on for like 3 weeks now. Did it happen to you guys like this?

man, thanks for the responses. Unfortunately Im back at 198 today! yuck! I hate that I'm gaining weight right now. I think i need to get on a more hard core diet. Previously i didnt really have to worry about going hungry because I was exercising sooo much. But now that alone isn't quite cutting it. I have started to do alot more lifting. Maybe that accounts for some of the weight gain, but it still doesnt feel good. I really hope it goes back down soon. I dont really look any different, but I feel different. Bloated. Maybe its Water weight?

Hey guys, So like a lot of y'all I've been hitting the gym super hard since having the surgery back at the end of feb. I have gradually worked into things and have dropped about 80 pounds in the process. One thing I had always stayed away from is running. Mostly because i was afraid that at my weight and fitness level, I wouldn't be able to withstand the high impact. I've recently come around to it though and the last 2 or 3 weeks Ive been doing maybe 3-6 miles a day on the treadmill and really enjoying it! I started out in some old running shoes though, and after a while i started to feel pain in my forefoot. It used to be only when I was running, but now I feel it when i'm resting as well. I've since gotten some good running shoes (mizuno waves) and I've kinda still been running even though it kinda hurts. The pain subsides after ive been running for a minute, so I think thats a good sign that it might not be a bone injury. Anyways, I wanted to ask the boards opinion about this, and maybe get you guys to talk about some of the pains and discomfort you might experience coming from being overweight and sedentary and jumping into a workout regimine. I know everybody that goes through this process with encounter some discomfort, but the question I think is when the discomfort is serious enough that you should stop training? Well, thats kind of a wall of text, but hopefully somebody has gone through this sort of thing. With my foot, I havent seen a doctor yet because the pain isnt particularly severe. But it does sort of concern me, also I know that any doctor no matter what i tell them will tell me to stop working out. And that is not what i want to hear right now lol!

You know, that may be true, but by and large society hold a much higher prejudice against fat people. When someone says something spiteful about your diet its one thing, but odds are people will keep their prejudices quiet when it comes to overweight people. I personally always found it was those quiet sort of indignities that stung the worst. Like someone who wont sit next to you on the bus, or wont look you in the eye. Its just like all they see is a fat person, and not even really a person at all. As for things that skinny people say, Its really the worst when its someone who says something with genuinely good intentions. I was in an apple store in the bay area and an older guy came up to me and was like "you know, my nephew was just like you. but you know what he did?" and Im like "what?", and he goes, "he just started running every day, and soon, he wasnt even fat anymore!" and he said the last part real loud so all these people in the store turned around to look at me. I was dumbstruck, like "gee, I hadn't ever thought of that before, thanks guy!" I just walked away without saying anything, but geez sometimes people are so stupid.

LOL, I'm totally with you on the shopping thing as well. Trying on clothes was never so much fun before. I can walk away now unless its something I absolutely love, but coming down from a size 40 waist to a size 32 feels awesome. Its sort of neccesary as all my old clothes look super big now. But I also always told myself that if you are going to deny yourself the pleasures of bad foods that I used to love, I will indulge myself a bit with other things. Your progress pics are amazing BTW, you look great! I gotta put some up.

Man, I'm kinda sorry I missed this episode. I have to say that I am totally addicted to working out. Now, a lot of people would say this is a good thing, and I agree to a point. But I fully admit to being rather obsessive about it and sometimes that worries me. I dont really want to get TOO obsessed with my body image as thats not healthy either. I dunno, I think there definitely is some connection between overweight people and addictive tendencies. I know for a fact that I can be borderline compulsive. Oh well, at least its a healthy addiction for now. Hopefully I can come to peace with it once Im at goal weight and all.

OOh, thanks. Sorry about that knee. But yeah, my foot still hurts! I have to admit that i haven't given in and taken a rest day yet. I just switched it to elipticals. The thing that bugs me is that working out on it makes it feel better. The worst times are really at night. I guess I'm gonna have to go to the doctor. Maybe i'll give it one more day.

thanks so much for the responses. I'm very glad to hear that its probably not a stress fracture. I was kinda worried. I must say though that the pain is still present. It seems to get worse at night, which is kinda weird I guess. Maybe I do need a rest day. I did elipticals yesterday because thats supposed to be 0 impact. I will be very happy when it no longer hurts anymore though. thanks again, Brendan

Hi guys, Ive just joined up here and made a thread in the introductions section, but basically i was banded back at the end of February, and im down about 75-80 pounds. I think i have the 10cc band. First fill was 4cc, and I just recently got 2 more. The reason I'm asking is because I have been PB'ing a lot recently. I lost a lot of weight after my first filling and im pretty sure my stomach shrunk enough so that i didnt have major restriction. When i went back to get the second filling the nurse warned me that it would be alot smaller now. Well it certainly is, and am having to get used to it! I think im getting the hang of it, but even though im mostly on mushy foods right now, I will still PB a bit back up fairly frequently. Its not like a seriously painful vomitting or anything, just slight discomfort and usually a bit comes back up or just slime sometimes. Is this really dangerous? Im somewhat concerned that the band will slip, but maybe im over reacting. Anyways, if you guys have any experiences to share, id appreciate it. Thanks! Brendan

I got one from my parents doctor by the company Metagenics that was crazy expensive cause it supposedly has all these holistic Vitamins and stuff. The thing is that it was delicious! Every other type ive had is awful! I guess second favorite goes to the trader joes ones that come in cans. worldwide i think.

hmm, i didn't really lose any weight on the pre-op diet. Maybe one or two pounds. Day of surgery i was 277, today i am 199. Date of surgery was feb 28.

I'm not the most educated person to answer your question, but that kinda sounds like normal restriction. Its not something that's immediately pleasurable at first, but after you see results you will learn to love it.....or at least appreciate it. I'm not totally sure though.

If i had to describe it to someone who's never done it, i would say that when you throw up, food is partially digested so you get stomach acid and grossness coming back up kinda uncontrollably. PB'ing is kinda just like gagging on something really hard lol. When it comes back up its not nearly as bad cause it never really went down all the way.