BDS_Geologist

Last Friday: 231 This morning: 228.5 Down 2.5 #s It been a good week for weight loss.

I've heard that it can get very confusing trying to learn Tai Chi from a video. A DVD just can't provide any feedback about form and isn't paced to meet your needs. Luckily, I can take a class that meets in the evening or on a Saturday AM. I try to go to both, since I can get 2 different instructor's take on the same moves. I hope that you'll get the opportunity to learn with a real live instructor. Bryan

Have any of you bandsters tried Tai Chi? My wife and I just started taking Taoist Tai Chi classed 2 weeks ago, and we're really diggin' it. We've barely scratched the surface with learning the first 4 of the 108 moves of the tai chi set, but it's deceptively strenuous. It's not at all vigorous exercise, but at the end of a 1.5 hour class I feel like I've gotten pretty good workout. It's also very good for relaxing and reducing stress. The instructors and other tai chi students claim that there are many other health benefits, but I'm just hoping to get stress relief, better balance, and increased range of motion from tai chi. So far I'm pretty happy with tai chi. Has anyone else had either positive or negative experiences with tai chi? Bryan

I was really working hard to have a good follow-up to last week's 4 lb loss, but I managed to gain 1.5 lbs. Last Friday: 229.5 This morning: 231 I've hit the gym at lunch and after work four days this week and I've been keeping my calorie intake around 1000 per day. I'm convinced that I've just added some muscle mass and Water, but the scale movement is discouraging (especially since I was at 228 on Saturday morning). I hadn't been under 230 since high school (30 years ago). Bryan

I used byetta for about 2 years before being banded. It made my digestive system a little rumbly at first, but that went away. I was also on maximum doses of metformin, amaryl, and avandia. Post op, my PCP took me off of byetta first. As my weight loss has progressed, I reduced and cut out the amaryl, and reduced my avandia dose. My blood glucose has never been better. My last A1C was 6.1.

Starting to exercise is a great idea. Additionally, you may want to start easing your way into a liquid diet for your 10 day presurgical run. If you start substituting one meal per day a few days per week, it will be an easier transition to going to full liquids in pre- and post-op. I took 1 week off of work, but I could have gone back after 2 or 3 days. I was needing a bit of down-time. The pre-op time can get a bit stressful (and the exercise will help with that too). Bryan

It's been a good weight-loss week for me down 4 lbs from 233.5 to 229.5. I've finally given up my evening snacking and even hit the gym at lunch time yesterday (for my first lunch time work out, ever). The holidays were tough, and I gained 7 lbs, but I've lost that and 5 more since!

I don't personally know of anyone who went from obese to 6-pack abs, but it's possible. I would think that it would depend on alot of factors that would be different for most people. First off, it would depend on how obese your starting weight was, how successful you are at weight loss, your personal commitment to diet and exercise, your age, your skin elasticity, and whether or not you get (or need) plastic surgery. I'm not shooting for a six-pack. I don't see it as a realistic goal for myself. I've been overweight for my entire life, and I just want to improve my health. Everyone needs their own goals. If a six-pack is your personal weight loss goal, then I wish you the best of success. Bryan

Hi Tiny, Since Christmas and the 4th Thursday of the month coincide in December, the support group is meeting one week earlier. It will be tomorrow (December 18th) at 6:30. Same place as mentioned earlier. Bryan

I've been using Verizon Voice-wing voice over IP (VOIP) for the past 3 years. Bell South (now AT&T) jerked me around for the last time and charged me a huge contract termination fee on my cell phones when we moved to TN and they wouldn't work at my house.:wink2: I just said FU Bell South, you'll never get a cent of my money ever again. Changed cell phones, and got rid of the Bell South land line. Now I get VOIP over my cable connection for less than $30 month with lots of cool features and unlimited local and long distance. I'm very happy with it, but I do lose phone service, when the cable goes down. ...but it automatically forwards to my cell phone when it does go down. It's not perfect, but it's much cheaper than a traditional phone line, and it allowed me to sever ties with "the phone company"! :crying: Bryan

You can order soups in a restaurant, but you need to understand that having the added liquid will make the band restriction less effective. This is the point where your conscious portion control and willpower need to take over. Eat what is good for you and enjoy your meals. Most of your weight loss success will be from your own efforts. The band just helps you, it isn't a silver bullet. Good luck and keep losing! Bryan

Bread and dry chicken breasts are the only things that really give me any trouble. I can eat just about anything else if I take really small bites and chew really well. If I don't, then there's nothing I can eat. Bryan

Try eating some probiotic yogurt like activia or any other brand. In the first month or two I went from constipation to diarrhea and back again, constantly. I later figured out that all of the heavy duty antibiotics that I got during surgery, killed off the normally occurring bacteria in my digestive system. Eating the probiotic yogurt every day helped to balance out my system and I'm no longer having any problems in that department. Bryan

I am a diabetic about 3-1/2 months out from my banding. My need for diabetes meds has been drastically reduced due to the weight loss. I was on maximum doses of metaformin, avandia, amaryl, and byetta. Now, I'm completely off amaryl and byetta and my avandia doseage has been cut in half. I got better blood sugar control now than I've ever had since being dianosed. Some banders eventually get completely off of their meds. You will be able to swallow pills after surgery, they just need to be small in size. This means that you may need to get a pill cutter or have smaller dose pills prescribed. There's no real problem with getting the medicine that you need inside of you. Overall, you should see a marked improvement in your type II diabetes. I hope that helps. Bryan

It sounds like your Doc made the right call. If you've got sufficient restriction, you just need to make the decision to use your band like the tool that it is. Don't risk doing any damage and having to be un-banded. Meet the challenge and keep working toward your goals. Bryan

Congratulations!! That is a truly significant milestone. A BMI under 30 is my weightloss goal and I'm moving closer. Bryan

I also recently read "The Road". Strange, but captivating. I read it in one sitting, which is a first for me. I also read Cormack McCarthy's "No Country for Old Men" over Thanksgiving. I've just picked up Doris Kearns Goodwin's "A Team of Rivals" about Lincoln's Presidential Cabinet. Definitely a change of speed from the CM novels, but very interesting. Bryan