fredguy

For those of you wanting motivation and to see MANY before and after photos I spent a few hours one day sitting on my butt and googling weight loss photos. I stumbled onto two great discussion forums with a bunch of before and after pics. Two resources are - a Dr Atkins forum and the other is a generic weight loss forum . These are direct links to only the before and after picture forum threads. Hover over the links, you'll see the link address, this is not spam links, I assure you. These do not pertain to the lapband so I wouldnt read any diet advice, but great b and a pics! Enjoy!

I just got a negative 1 added to my reputation. I guess the external links, someone didn't like. There isnt even any advertising on those message boards.

I only noticed a before and after side by side of an employee id facial shot. Good Job though!

I was banded in 10-2010. I have lost 65lbs as of last week so in 3 months I lost 65lbs. 25lbs in 12 day fast. I was 5'10 379lbs at 31 yrs, male. I had an umbilical hernia and a heiatal hernia repaired at the same time. I woke up from surgery and could immediately breath better. The heiatal hernia was limiting my diaphragm from easily raising and lowering. That fixed and my CPAP, I am sleeping like a baby! Yes I am doing it right. I can hear the - "your losing to fast" comments now. Little meals and lots of exercise.I live in DC so I walk everywhere. I walk to and from work, round trip 3.6 miles, with hills, bout 35 minutes each way. I went from being sedentary and XL large pizzas AND super subs over the weekends to eating healthy and normal. I have since cut out beer and all breads and pastas. A few long islands here and there, socially. I don't know how anyone can be hungry after the second fill. I have 5.5cc in 10cc band. Its so easy to eat around the band with soft foods.... Remember 30/30 rule and eat your Protein first. That will "clog the hole" temporary, while your fruit and veggies pile ontop to reach the vargus nerve to tell brain STOP, daddy is full . Those that eat soft foods and chew them well, its easy to keep eating and eating. I remeber I was sitting in my recliner and looked down, I seen this big bump on my thigh, I said I dont remeber faling down. I felt it and it didnt hurt, I glanced at the other leg and it was symmetrical. It was muscle tone from years of carrying all this belly around... My legs are rocks, I swear... I wish I would have done this years ago.... If I am with co workers and don't want them to know, I drink Water before meals and during..no kinda crazy amounts of food. For all of you out there debating whether to do it or not, DO IT!. I think there are more success stories than failure stories. I think half the posts are marketing ploys from gastric band interest groups so dont get discourgaed by what you read. I felt so good after 2 weeks of liquid fasting and a week of recovery. I was addicted to getting all the Vitamins my body needed. That made a big difference in my mood and overall well being. Eating and eating and eating, all filled up will make you feel lazy... WIth the band, I dont feel a heavy meal and I am stuffed. You cheaters no your cheating and those that follow the program will succeed. Think about it. If I lock you in a closet and give you 1000 calories a day for three weeks. Guess what, Your going to lose weight. or 1500 calories for you nay sayers. One thing I think helps me is I only weigh when I go to the drs office to get a fill so I have only weighed twice. This will limit you being discouraged if you have a week or even two of plateauing....Also, sugar free pops and pudding have satisfied my sweet tooth cravings... I like the venti pepermint mochas but I found they have 50gs of sugar. Now I get regular coffee and keep peppermint sugar free mints in my mouth while I drink coffee Anyway, I am rambling...just want the people thinking of doing this, I have nothing bad to say... Onwards!!! Hope to start macking on some chicks this summer . Happy Banding! Stick to the program, you can do it!

Did the Omnifast for two weeks prior to surgery. If your asking what kind of liquid do I drink when I am walking around 4 1/2 - 7 miles a day, usually just Water. . I could never regularly get this much exercise living in the suburbs with a car in my driveway. You have to create a calorie deficit. Take in less than you burn. Check out your BMR not BMI. BMR is how much calories you burn just staying still and staying alive. The online calculators do not account for your muscle mass. You'll notice a guy that weighs 379 lbs, and walks for just ONE hour needs almost 4000 calories a day to maintain. If I eat less than 1500 calories a day, thats a 2500 calorie deficit so thats how people lose a pound every other day. Yes, its healthier to lose 5 lbs a week through diet and exercise than sitting around on my fat ass all day gaining a lb a week.

So I thought I would give an update - I am down 94lbs now! . I went to see my PrimPhys last week, first time since surgery...... She was so impressed with my results and so was I. As I mentioned I dont weigh except when I go to the Drs. I am only on one medication now and I no longer have diabetes Type 2! Down from six pills just six months ago. Long story short, I quit taking all my prescriptions (except blood pressure med) about two months after surgery so I have 4 months without. I personally stopped taking the medications by being lazy and not getting them refilled (you know us guys and dr's ) except for BP med, i aint that dumb. So I got the blood work done with just blood pressure med. All my numbers came back perfect for the first time in my life!! Perfect, no shit! I was on a diuretic, cholsterol, two triglyceride meds, diabetes meds, I only have one pill to crush now! No more ruining my cottage cheese and bananas with crushed funny color powders. I have some people "that dont see me everyday" say wow, what a difference the weightloss makes. They say I look like a different person. I don't have any pics of me at my highest weight to compare the difference, but O well. I dont wanna ever see that guy again anyway. I have started a cooking class and try to make all my meals from scratch.... I try to stay away from processed foods, but in this day and age, its kinda hard...Just stay outta the middle of the grocery store where all the packaged goodies are. I am not perfect, I had a super size slim jim the other day...not to worry..that big ass 1/2 mile up hill I walk every day will take care of that. I cant believe how much easier it is to get around. I am getting a little worried because walking two miles relatively fast (without looking like a crazy power walker) doesn't get my heart rate up anymore. I am afraid I am going to have to start jogging . When I stand up out of my chair I have to remember to stand up slowly because if not I'll jump up in the air cause I'm used to pushing so hard to get up... OK, a little exaggeration. Getting my third fill in two days...I am excited cause I think my restriction has subsided a lil.. Not bragging at all....I am new at this, i could balloon back up, its early in my journey.....but...I hope someone will look at my progress and make the life style change and see that it is doable. Keep on keep'n on! Banded 10-10-10 = 379lbs 01-05-11 = 314lbs 04-05-11 = 285lbs 48 inch pants - I wear them below my overhang 10-10-10 38 inch pants 04-05-11

Deskercise... .....I have a resistance band I do shoulders, biceps, lats and forearms with. Luckily I have a office so I can shut the door for 1 minute while I bang the shoulders out. I do bicep curls all day, with door open. I just put the band under my feet and pull the two handles up. You can increase and decrease the resistance by holding your feet down closer to the handles. Guns are getting toned..... Amazing what 200 curls a day will do here is an informative article . I think I paid like $30 for mine.... Watch out for all the camera phone flashes , dont wanna end up on YouTube's most watched list:)

Hello - I thought I would share one experience I had with my banding process. With so much paperwork we (at least me) just sign without reading the fine print. In the first stack of paperwork was an optional agreement to participate in a medical study (basically, allowing my dr to relay my weight loss and blood workup, ..stuff that needs to be done anyway). I agreed and signed it. I was in the pre-op room getting blood drawn, wiping my body down with antibacterial rags and getting ready for surgery in 30 minutes. A medical student came by and asked me to sign this paperwork to participate in a study. I read the fine print and they were going to take a liver biopsy (cut a chunk off my liver). First off I was overwhelmed with anxiety 30 minutes before surgery and couldn't believe that was in the fine print. The med student says "oh, everyone participates for the most part, its just paperwork". I said F U and told my surgeon when he visited me prior to surgery to not take a liver biopsy. Happy banding!

Hold your nose while your downing it. Chase it with sugar free koolaid or crystal light.. You can swish the koolaid around and get the pill dust our of your teeth. Then let go of your nose. :w00t:

How did you make it through the two week optifast diet without starving? Like me, you probably didn't. That stage was less food than you can eat now. We should be used to hunger pains :thumbup:. I had to use NyQuil to sleep at night. Toss back a protein shake. Drink 4 or 5 protein shakes a day (instead of 2) and that will give your body something to process. It wont feel like you just ate at a buffet, but adding 2 - 3 more shakes a day will take away the hunger feeling and it wont be many carbs. I think protein shakes is the one thing you can splurge on. Granted, it is liquid calories but if they get you through the day without hunger pains, I think its worth it. Besides, you have another 20 or 40 years of life to lose your weight. Do it slow and comfortably.

I have Carefirst BCBS PPO but supposedly I do not have WLS option on my policy therefore lapband is not even an option. Seems to me there should be a work around not having the WLS option on policy. I called them and asked if I weighed 1500lbs, would you pay for surgery or just continue to pay $600 a month for pills, year after year.....Guess what...they just wont pay for WLS without having WLS option on ones policy....anyone know workarounds for this? I meet all the criteria..BMI, sleep apena, diabetic, hpertension etc...