Gaffer

Can we please have a men's section? I posted a while ago about it, and there was some positive feedback from the men here. I know we have the men's thread, but a section to post guy stuff would be great. There are so few resources for lapbanded men and I think it would be a real copmpliment to the site. Andrew

I like the changes, and I can totally understand the need for ads. What bothers me is the Teal text on the lighter teal background is killing my eyes. It is way too hard to read. Either black text or a white background should solve the problem. Pretty please. Andrew

Since you are hanging out in the questionable parts of Calgary, you must be near a costco. Go there to buy your Benefiber, they run more powder than Tony Montana. Dont deal in street benefiber, they could cut it with anything, even icing sugar. I heard about this on the news. Were you the guy crushing Walnuts outside Anderson Station? My mother warned me about guys like you. :heh: I know what you mean, and it is great. I dont dread getting up off the floor when I have to stop the baby from eating the fern/vacuum hose/shoes/ whatever else he spots. Great aint it. Trust me, it only gets better. Mrs Gaffer is blessed. Other benefits I have found is that there are going to be alot more fat guy clothes in the thrift stores around Calagry these days, I just filled my 5th bag the other day. Good new... more closet space. Bad news... nothing to were and my ass crack is hanging out even more that it used to. Andrew

I stayed at the Novatel. The rooms were nice & clean and the staff were good. It is also close to the Square One Mall, which is about a 5 minute walk, which was nice to help pass the time in the 2 days before my surgery. The weather was crappy, and the way my appointments lined up did not allow us to see anything else. As far a I know, the waterside in is pretty fancy, boutique style hotel major $$$. I asked at the clinic before my surgery, and they said that they novatel was nicer than the HI, but I can not confirm that Look at the website for the Novatel. I was able to get a package deal that was cheaper than the rate offered throught the clinic. I booked 2 of theier 2 night getaway packages for Valentines (not my most romantic on record). Also look into using a car service to get to and from the hotel. They are nicer & cheaper than cab as they only charge a flat rate. To get from Pearson to the Novotel was about $35. I used Aerofleet. Andrew

I would not be as woried about the ketosis as I would be about sticking to the diet. I also am not sure if the pre-op for the TLBC is designed to promote ketosis, maybe one of the others who did thier pre-op will know. Anyway, there are a couple of ways to know if you are in ketosis. After a couple of days if you are true to you diet you will notice that you are less hungry, you are losing weight, you may urinate more often, you may notice a slight acetone taste/smell to to you breathe/urine. Some people get a hightened sense of well being. The only sure-fire way to tell it to get Ketostix from your pharmacy, which you pee on and it will tell you if you are in ketosis. I would not bother with this though as long as you are follwing your pre-op you will be getting the effects that the Dr. wants whether you are in ketosis or not. Hang in there, and just keep reminding yourself that this will be the hardedst part of the process and that you are going to be true to the pre-op as you can be in an effort to ensure that your surgery will go as planned. Andrew

It is hard to keep that momentum going, I know what you mean. That has been the undoing of all my previous attempts. Hang in there. Your time will come and you will be off to the races. Andrew

I found it easier to move my desk into the bathroom. :heh: Why? Or do I want to know. Andrew

That is frustrating, hopefully it will all work out for you soon. I was kinda suprised that they only put in 1cc, but now I am glad that they did not go for more. Are you feeling any improvement over before you were filled? Andrew

They are a smaller, greener version of Romeo & Juliet.... I know what you mean about being apart though, I am not fond of it either. Andrew

I dont know, but I noticed that I was noticeabley tighter Sunday than I was friday and saturday. I noticed with my first fill that it began to fade after a while. I dont know if anyone has an answer as to why sometimes fill take some time to kick in, but that is why they make you wait a couple of weeks between fills. Andrew

I specifically mentioned that I got naseua from anestetic and they assured me that they would give me medication to combat that. What I found to be worse was taking crushed demerol on an empty stomach. I always chased my demerol with a chewable gravol. I also liked the Gas-ex strips, they helped with the gas, plus the minty flavored helped with the horrible taste in my mouth. Andrew

Dill pickles were my saving grace. I ate a huge jar from Costco that my wife instisted I would never finish. Just look at the labels and make sure that there is not too much sugar in them. Also, look for the sugar free Davinci Syrups. They also helped spice up the routine, I got them at a shop that caters to diabetics. Also, I have noticed that there are the new salad spritzers that are something like 15 calories for 10 sprays. I thought to my self the other day that they would have been great to have on my salads for optifast. I also would put the Kraft Calorie wise italian dressing on my salads, and had a couple of ceasar salads throught the process. I figured that these "little cheats" would stop me from falling off the wagon completely. As long as you stay in ketosis while avoiding fats you will get the result that you need. Andrew

I had my second fill last friday, they added 1CC for a total of 5CC. The restriction really kicked in Sunday afternoon, which means that I spent Sunday night sliming and PBing. Joy. Today seems a bit better, but I think I will take stock of this fill later in the week and see about getting .5CC taken out. I think my stomach might be a little swollen from the PBing so I feel pretty tight today. I am still able to eat and drink so I am fine that way. Hopefully all goes well with your fills. Andrew

I really only used my magic bullet during the mushies stage, other than that I founf it to be a waste of money. They are not that powerful and generally I just found the food to get stuck in the blades, which are not that sharp to begin with. I think a regular blender is more useful, especially as you start your Optifast. You will want to mix it with ice to make it thicker. Andrew

I was done at the Surgical Weight Loss clinic. When I booked it was about 6-8 weeks from the time of the consult. It only took a week or so to get the consult after I called to ask about it. Andrew

Stop, your killing me here. I have had the perogy pizza. Actually I dont think there is a thing on the menu that I have not tried. When I worked for my Dad in the summers before I was old enough to go to the pub we ate there pretty much everyday. Andrew

Neal is the man. It was his success that really helped me decide to take the plunge and get the band. Andrew

Welcome Patti, I am from Calgary and was on the list for Calgary & Edmonton but opted to pay for it myself rather than wait. I am interested to hear your experience with the system in Alberta. There are a couple of Albertans here, but to my knowledge you are the only person who is being done by Dr.Davey in Edmonton in recent history. Andrew

I was refering to these ones. Yes they are collapsable. http://www.rubbermaid.com/rubbermaid/collapsibles/collapsibles.jhtml Yoda: Damn you, now I am going to be craving those damn cactus cut potatoes. They are the best thing ever. Mrs. Gaffer was addicted to those when she was pregnant. My mouth is literally watering right now, where can I get some of these at 8:14am? On a side note. The Kit Kat blizzard was a dissapointment. Split one last night and it was not the peice of nirvana that I thought it would be. Andrew

Sorry, could'nt pass this one up. Andrwe

Shopping in the States is way better, and the prices are super cheap. Mrs. Gaffer & I are planning to go somewhere in the states to shop in late summer. My wardrobe is shrinking faster than I am, amd Mrs. Gaffer needs some new clothes to go back to work after her mat leave (I dont think they will let her wear her sweat shirt and jeans to work) Have fun. Andrew

I did not mean to say they you "started" anything, it was just that I had not heard of any problems with the inamed bands over any other band until you mentioned it in this thread. I think it is a good point to bring up. Now I am just more curious about it than anything. Andrew

Optifast baaaaaaaaby. Really, it was not that bad. I find I am the only one that says that, I am starting to think that I am the weird one. Andrew

Welcome & good luck with the Optifast. It can be a challenge, but worth it in the long run. Andrew

They dont want to eat yogurt an cottage cheese for 3 weeks? :heh: I guess I did'nt really have this problem as my wife could fend for herself and Jr. just eats formula and baby food. What I found to be harder were those social situtations where you did not want to tip people off that I was pre-op, especially when my diet consisted of shakes, pickles and salad. Andrew