2muchfun

I would not want to have your profession and attempt to lose weight. I have a lot of will power but that's just asking too much from me. It would be like working one day a week at a buffet restaurant. If you pull this off, congrats and you deserve an attagirl. tmf

I've been on South Beach before and to a certain extent I'm on it now. There are 3 stages and unless you want to lose weight rapidly phase 2 and 3 are fine for the band. But phase 1 is similar to Atkins with some olive oil thrown in. I'm doing that one now but it's only for one week and I'm doing it to break up a plateau I've been on for about 10 days. It's good to keep your body guessing and not get comfortable with the same diet every day. I eat more red meat than Agatson recommends but I try to keep the hamburger around 4% fat. I can't eat steak much anymore as it gets stuck easily. Another version of Atkins, South Beach is the Paleo Diet. But with the Paleo diet you're allowed to eat fresh fruit. No dairy, no sugars, no flour/grain products/pasta and no processed foods like bologna, hotdogs, etc. Write back if you have questions? I've got the books and cookbook right here. tmf

My nephrologist has me drinking about 96 oz a day too. Water doesn't stick for me though? I can still chug pretty good but I am more careful than I was before the band. I have to take this horse pill every day too(prevents stones) and it's too big for the band so I have to break it in two. I think you'll be fine as soon as the edema goes down. In the meantime just sip constantly. I know it's difficult when you're used to chugging but what else are you going to do? tmf

Some days I'm with ya on this. Seems like every day since Sunday I've been stuck at least twice a day. It sucks but just when I think about calling the doc I can eat again. tmf

Your concern is a valid one. There's a lot more to TKD than sparring. It is a great exercise tool. If you spar, you will be wearing a hogu(foam vest) so it would have to be a pretty good kick but there are some young ones who do kick that hard. I'd advise TKD for you even with the band. Just don't spar or make sure you are sparing with someone who has plenty of control. My wife is a 3rd degree BB and there are a couple of sparring partners who are pretty wild and can't control their kicks so good. But, believe me, talk to the master and they will know ways to avoid the kind of accident you wish not to have. tmf

Regarding surgeons? At the top of this page is a link to a search engine for surgeons in your area. Click on it, input your city and state and you'll see your options. I highly recommend going to several seminars. Not just one, but 2 or 3. Go to one of their support group meetings. There are always lapband wannabe's at our support group and it's a good place to learn. tmf

I think you inadvertantly swerved into a subject that I've never seen discussed here. When is the best time to consider bariatric surgery? Most people would say "as a last resort" and I might have to agree with that line of thinking. RE: lapband surgery, I think it's a huge step and one must be totally committed to making it work. It's not a panacea and it is a lot of work and a mental challenge. I think one must come to the realization that diets won't work for them. I've always had to fight being overweight. From when I was 25 to 52 I successfully dieted and exercised weight away and probably had a BMI around 25. But as the years went along and my knees wore out and my career took a turn towards sitting in front of a puter 10 hrs a day, the weight could not be held back. It took me nearly 10 years to give up on dieting. So, at 63 I knew I was ready to do this. I knew that dieting of any kind would not be the path to being thinner. So, for me, I know I made the right choice, even if for some reason this fails, I had no other option. You need to look at your life and where you've been and where you want to be? It's going to be different for every forum member. If you can make a commitment to this, you can be succesful too, but be sure you have no other options or you'll always look back and say, what if? What if I had tried that Jenny Craig or that Dr Atkins, South Beach, or the latest Acai berry smoothy weight loss scam? Good Luck and you have a lot of support here. tmf

My openness has got me in trouble at times. One of the downsides to being open with this lapband is the constant barrage of people curious about how well you are doing. Even my 23 year old daughter asked me how much I had lost over Father's day dinner and then commented, "that's all". I've learned to shut my mouth now and let the smaller clothes do the talking. tmf

I didn't have a pre-op diet plan. I've been quite open. The UPS guy came to the door a couple of weeks after surgery. I raised my shirt and said, Hey, look what I did. Then my little inside voice said, you're a moron Dan. So, I've kindof backed off the overtly openess I had the first 30 days. tmf

Bands seem to have a mind of their own. You will need to take much smaller bites and chew, chew, chew. It's also possbible that you may be too tight and need a small unfill but not likely. You should be feeling the stuck feeling with some foods that went down easy pre fill. You may have to learn how and what to eat now that you are in or near the green zone. But, yes, bands can be moody. I can eat chicken for 2-3 days in a row and then my band stops me dead in my tracks and just says, nope, not today pal. Welcome to restriction. tmf

Depends on what type of red meat? Hamburger, steak, roast beef? I can eat them all but steak and roast beef must be small bites and lots of chewing. tmf

I like Mio type of products. I have 2 qts of ice tea in the fridge and squirt a little mio in it to make an Arnold Palmer. tmf

Two weeks ago I went to a cooking school class. Someone spent $550(normally $1200 but this was a charity auction) bucks on this class and invited 10 of us to go and make our own salads, main course and then for dessert we made donuts. We made our own dough. Rolled and cut it into forms. Then we made this exotic glaze. We then made this blackberry jam with about 4 cups of sugar in it. It was incredible. I ate 4 of them. I gained 4 lbs that night. It was mostly Water weight and I lost it all in 3 days but I try to steer clear of events and people who might tempt me now. tmf

I meant to direct you to a magazine article Jean McMillan wrote down below. It's under "Recent magazine aticles" near the middle on the right side of the forums pages. Here's a link. It addressses your concerns about how others lose weight. Green eyed monster http://www.lapbandta...yed-monster-r70

Welcome! It's always good to see guys on the boards. The girls seem to dominate here but the differences between all our concerns, victories and setbacks seem to be similar. I can't relate to getting into a size 8 dress but I can relate to sitting in a plane and not rubbing shoulders with skinny passengers on each side of me. If you are like many of us who have been banded you will begin to learn all the minor and not so minor items that the seminars, doctors, nutritionists and nurses never told you. For example, and you may already know this, the first 30 days of your journey you will lose 10-30 lbs of mostly Water weight. You'll lose some fat but the vast majority will be water. You probably won't lose a lot of weight till you get that one fill that gets you into the green zone. And then it will only be 4-8 lbs a month. You'll probably meet "Bandster Hell" any time now. BH is the time between post op swelling and restriction. The docs don't put a lot of saline in your band and after the edema from the surgery trauma goes down your portal between your upper and lower pouch is larger than it will eventually be. During this time you will be hungry. Very hungry. This is the time to work on your food choices and eating habits. Some bandsters luck out and find restriction right from the gitgo. Let's hope you're one of them. Remember, It's still a diet until there's restriction. tmf

You started the same thread yesterday? Did you not read the replies or did you not like the replies? You stated you thought you should have lost 1/2 your goal weight loss in the first 6 months? That's about 60 lbs. That's a very very unrealistic expectation fo 6 months. You need to go back to square one and make an effort in understanding how we lose weight and the basic math behind losing. The most you will lose is around 8 lbs/mo. And that's if you don't make any mistakes, exercise a lot(and you don't) and keep your caloric intake at or around 1200/day. That's the most you will lose in the form of fat. And, as I told you yesterday, I only lost 32 lbs the first 6 months. I'm not sure where you see these people who are losing a lot more than that? Sorry, I don't mean to sound like I'm jumping on your post but your expectations are much too high. tmf

Don't worry, be happy! tmf

Can you imagine how many men would jump on the lapband wagon if Drs pushed the larger penis size advantage? I'm in sales and I know I'd use it if I was selling bariatrics surgery. I wonder how many mortgages I could sell if I could promise a larger penis with every closed loan? tmf

Read the replies to the thread prior to yours.

Just remember, one donut is the path to 2-4 donuts and a lost day or two in your Quest. tmf

A fill already? That's a new one? Most docs wait 4-6 weeks. Wish my doc would have given me one this soon. Lucky you

Mine was sore for a couple of months. And occasionally I'll lean over something and the pressure on that area can bruise the skin around it. And of course yours coulda flipped but highly unlikely. Your port is stitched to the muscles on your abdomen not your skin so bruised skin is not usually an indicator. I guess you'll find out when you go in for your first fill but nothing to be concerned about at this stage. tmf

^5...Now that's a good doctor!!

I missed some of your other comments so maybe a fill isn't necessary. That's why a visit with a good nutritionist who understands the lapband would really help you with your food choices. Listen to your band and try to give it foods that fill but don't stick. I know our bands seem to have a mind of their own sometimes but stay away from the slider foods and empty sugar calories. I have to post this. I read this earlier from another forum member. Pink Dahlia posted this: "I'm so stinkin' thrilled with my weight loss i dont even care about what i cant eat!" I thought this comment was so me and it would be great if all bandsters could find this zone. tmf

Well, that's disappointing? Gaining weight sucks. You need to start with something small like walking around your favorite park or lake. Taking small exercise steps is the first step in making yourself feel good again. Don't compare your now with your before. Your stomach probably adjusted itself to not being filled and some of the wrinkles and twists have gone away or are in different spots now. Ask for another small fill if you think it's necessary? Just do it all slowly. No rush. tmf