FutureMan

1/10/10: At the age of 35 began descent into obesity hell.  Long bout of pancreatitis.  Went from 170 to 228.  Serious surgery.  Battled weight down to 200 trim and fit weight.  This from hours of weight lifting and aerobic exercise.  Then at the age of 42 battled a series of illnesses .... BPH, Sleep Apnea, Asthma, mulitple Knee Surgeries and the big kicker ... Insulin Dependent Diabetic.  Gained 58 lbs in 1 1/2 months when I began shots.  It has been a long battle since.  I have been on diets since the age of 35 just to maintain weight.  Each time I tire of diets, on goes more pounds.  Added to these health risks I have added gout and high blood pressure.  Decided it's time TO TAKE CONTROL, thus, the lap band.  Three days into clear liquid diet and counting.  Successful thus far.  Pray for me. ................
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1/25/10: Surgery went well.  I've lost 15 pounds since beginning the clear liquid diet on 1/4/10.  It was really tough the first few days, but has gradually become easier and easier.  Found that I'm allergic to the adhesives on cloth bandaids and post op bandages.  When I took off the cloth bandages I was a mess.  Skin oozing.  The other spots looked like a burn.  Recovery has been good.  Mostly tired.  Returned to work today.  GLAD I HAVE A DESK JOB! 
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3/2/10: First fill today - 4 cc.  Down to 287 lbs from 319 lbs.  Yeah!  Process going much better than I expected.  Better than the weight loss is the reduction in diabetes meds.  Hypertension much better 180 / 100 at first office visit  - 127 / 67 today.  Swelling in legs greatly reduced (doc says it is reduction in salt intake).  I haven't felt this good since I began insulin.  Even thinking about returning to weight lifting this summer (goal). My wife is using my diet, with slight modifications, and has lost 20 lbs in the same time period.  She is wearing clothes that she has not worn in over 2 years.
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4/13/10: Second fill today - now at 7 cc.  Down to 279 lbs  Disappointing that I did not lose more but was told to expect that since I was returning to solid foods.  Didn't help that I went on a quick vacation then a weeklong seminar for work. We will see what the upcoming months bring.  Good news is that I am losing weight and have lost 3 belt notches.  Change isn't easy :~(
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5/27/10: Third fill yesterday - now at 9.6 cc.  Down to 275 lbs  Really had to work at gaining that little bit of ground.  Had to return to counting calories to get this far.  Diet log really helps.  I finally have that "Thanksgiving full" sensation with just a little bit of food. I can already tell a difference with this fill.  Guestimate was allowing me to snack too much.  I made it through yesterday with just a sugar free popsicle as a snack! Lost a total of 4 belt notches and getting really close to the 5th.  Funny note: I was playing catch with my granddaughter.  She made the comment that I was bending over to pick up the ball much easier now.  Makes the effort worthwhile!_______________________________________________________
7/13/10: Back up to 282 lbs  Really having to work hard to maintain this weight.  Calorie intake cannot exceed 1400 calories daily in order to maintain.  That is a long-term struggle!!  Bad eating habits are hard to shake ... but I am working on it.  Counting calories, Fat grams, Carbohydrates, and Protein.  9.6 cc's seems to be a bit much.  Occasionally back up with excessive drainage. 

I am disappointed in one aspect of the lap band.  My expectation was that the new pocket would be the size of a chicken egg.  However, I can still comfortably eat more than that .... just not as much as my former self.  I was really counting on the lap band to give me tighter control of my portion size by giving me that "Thanksgiving Full" feeling.  That feeling lasted only days.

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