Gaffer

Believe me the whole Sirens of TI thing is a little overblown on the website, but really I thought the hotel was pretty classy Sounds like you guys will have a great time. Andrew

Hello all, I am already banded, but I have a friend who is looking into it as well. I was banded here in Canada, but would have considered Dr. K if I knew about him at the time, and his excellent price for the procedure. I have a couple of questions that may have been covered in the previous parts of your thread but it is really long. Does Dr.K use the new AP bands or do you know what band he is using? Could someone briefly give me the details of his pre-op diet? Does any one know what kind of "warrantee" he offers if there is a complication with the band? Any other info about the Dr. K clinic would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Andrew

For me during the initial 6 months I was really diligent about my exercise and going to the gym. There is no real secret to it other than the combination of the lap-band, the correct fill and working one's butt off at the gym. Also being aware of your diet is important. I was always aware of what I call soft calories which are those that dont contribute to the weight loss and the feeling of being full. These are things like ice cream, booze, chips and other poor food choices. I am not going to tell you that I did not partake in these foods because I have and still do, but what I am doing at the gym makes up for that. For me I found that with the amount of exercise that I was doing I could be more liberal with my food choices. I dont claim that it will work for everyone, but it worked for me. The only other tip that I have is that I always start the day with a good quality protien shake, not a slim fast or carnation instant Breakfast but rather one from a body building store with plenty of protien and very low in carbs. If you are having trouble finding one let me know and I can steer you in the right direction. I personally prefer the NxCare IsoXP chocolate, it tastes good and does not give me gas. Good luck in you banding journey. Andrew

I dont think I will be able to attend this, but for anyone that is interested I just got back from Vegas. We stayed at TI and loved it. It was very clean the rooms were nice, especially compared to NY, NY where we stayed last time. We also did the hoover dam/ethel m tour and found that to be really good as well. Just make sure you all behave at the Ethel M factory. Thier chocolate is excellent. Andrew

There is a men's section now. Look here. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f110/ Andrew

I know there is the men's thread, btu I think a real great addition to this site would be a section for men to post issues specific to them & thier Lapband journey. Thanks, Andrew

I am in the same boat here. I have lost about 75% of the weight that I want to lose. I took August off from the gym, and still lost a couple of pounds, but I need to get my butt in gear and get these last 40 off. I really want to get them off by Christmas Time to focus in on getting to where I want to be. I have been a little lax with my diet, and not making it to the gym. Time to recommit to this. Perhap I should get another fill. I was defilled a little to allow some time to heal from being over filled. Andrew

I have found Mexican to be one of my favorites after banding, although there are few places here in Canada that do really good Mexican food. I love going to the states as you guys have so many more places for Mexican food. For me 1-2 hard tacos makes a full meal. I am not able to tolerate torillas or enchilades. Guac & refried Beans go great, just easy on the lettuce as it tends to get stuck if I am not careful. Andrew

Although not a before & after it is more like a "before & current". Still want to drop another 40lbs or so. These are from my 6 months post op post. Current (253lbs) One of me not follwing the rules. Andrew<!-- google_ad_section_end --><!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

My wife & I are headed to Vegas shortly to do some shopping. I have to get a new wardrobe since I only have 3 shirts & a couple of paris of jeans that dont fall off me. We have been to Vegas before, and have been to the Premium Outlets there, and found some pretty decent deals. That was about 3-4 years ago, and we will likely go back there this time. Someone told us about Fashion Outlets in Primm NV, and we can catch a bus from the strip, its about 45 minutes away. I notice that there is some of the same stores at each one, but I am wondering if anyone has been to both & if they can comment on which one they think is better or if itis worth going out to Primm over Premium Outlets? Thanks, Andrew

The Vegas trip came & went. We got crazy good deals leading up to the labour day sales. My wife finally told me we had to go home after shopping at the Premium Outlets for 7 hours in a single day. It was nice to shop in normal stores and buy XL and a couple of L As for what I am doing, it is pretty simple. I make sure that I am getting enough protien. I eat pretty normally, while being careful of hidden calories and keep my intake around 1500-1750 calorie a day. I always start the day with a good protien shake for breakfast (NxCare IsoPure). What has been the key for me is getting to the gym. I spend 50 minutes on the eliptical 4 time per week at the gym. According to the machine I burn about 900 calories per session. I know the calorie counters can be off my as much as 30% so I enter a weight 30% below my current weight. (I have been slacking and not going to the gym in August as I needed more energy for the major work that I was doing in my yard). Other than that it has been pretty simple for me. I have not really gone without except for the things that I can no longer eat. Here are some pics from my 6 month post op post for those that are interested. Current (253lbs) One of me not follwing the rules. Andrew

That is too bad. The lap-band does work for those that are committed to it, and especially as man your likelyhood of losing a lot of weight in a short time is good. Maybe show her the before & after section to show her that this is not just another weight loss gimmick. Andrew

You are right. She made a mess of my hand as they were not able to get a vein in Pilsbury Dough Boy arms. I dont normally bruise but I was sore for a long time. The next person who took my blood and my family Dr. both asked me about it. It was ugly. Oh well, Andrew

Here is my experience: There was a form that was filled out by my Dr. and some questions that he asked me about on the form if I recall. I was pretty young, and in otherwise good health so there was not too many other things that I needed. They required blood tests before, I am not sure what they all were but there was several on the form. I remember one being to do with clotting time and blood counts because they had to take mine twice as my Dr. forgot to put one on the form, and Nurse Ratchet that took my blood the first time left a huge bruise and the next one asked me who the hell did that to you. I met with Dr. Coburn the day before. I dont think it was nessecary, but it may me useful for those who have last minute concerns. He also met with me the day of my surgery before they walked me into the OR I did not have a two week with Dr. Coburn as I am in Calgary, but I did have one with my Dr. just to make sure that they insicions looked okay and that everything was normal. Andrew

My family Dr. did mine but depepnding on when your regular Dr. comes back you might just want to phone the clinic & see if it can wait until you regular Dr. can do it. If that does not work, I guess you could phone the walk-in clinic & see if they can do it. I dont see it being a big deal if the walk-in is at the same clinic where you regular Dr. is. Andrew

Thanks, perhaps I should add that to my list of goals. Get life insurance. As lame as it sounds it is something that I need to do. Andrew

No worries. When I look at the pictures I cant believe how much he has changed in a short while. I think we will have more in time. My wife had a pretty rough pregnancy, and the delivery was pretty traumatic for both of us due to him not breathing for quite some time when he came out & my wife losing alot of blood. I had nightmares for a while and there are certain birth scenes on TV that bring it back pretty vividly. We are really enjoying him though, so really I dont know if we are in a huge hurry to have another. In our eyes he is perfect. Andrew

I think that 4CC is a pretty standard first fill with Dr.Coburn. My first fill was 4CC in a 14CC band. I did feel some restriction right after, but then it faded. Just take it easy the day you get you fill & follow the instructions about eating for the rest of the day. Remember to really chew you food, and really follow those rules about small bites etc. so you dont have a PB/sliming episode. As for the fill itself they are easy as pie, dont worry about it. I have had them with freezing (my Dr. in Calgary uses it) and I have had them without, and really I cant tell the difference. You will be fine, Andrew

Quote: Originally Posted by peaches9 Yess ANDREW You are HOT!!@ You have done so well... congrats!!! but, is that a beer??? how did THAT go down??? Thanks, Yes, that was a beer in a football. I figure it was about 1.5L. It went down great, and it was ice cold. I did not finish it though because my wife would have had to carry me back to the hotel. It was not my first of the day, and I am a pretty cheap drunk these days. I really have no problem with carbonation, especially beer. I try to avoid it (although the picture may indicate otherwise) due to the excess calories. I figure life is too short to not enjoy the occasional indulgence. I have found that the natural carbonation of the beer creates smaller bubbles that dont bother me. I have to burp a little more, but I find it way easier to drink than pop. Andrew

I think the key might be uping the exercise a bit. I lead a pretty active lifestyle, but unless I am doing high intensity exercise a couple of times a week that the scales does not move. Also, watch out for hidden calories in your diet. Although I dont do it formally, it may be worth while to track you calories to make sure you are not getting too many. You may also not be at your ideal level of restriction so depending on what you & your aftercare provider think it may be worth getting another fill. Andrew

Here are the pics from my 6 month anniversary. Keep up the good work men. I just got back from Vegas and was able to buy some clothes in XL and a couple of L. Not bad for starting at 4XL. Before: about 360lbs Current:253lbs 6 month post op. Here is me following the bandster rules. Oh if my surgeon could see me now.

That is good news. I have never had life insurance, besides what is provided by my work due to the fact that I had been denied a couple of times at my high weight. I am hoping that once I get the weight off I will qualify. Andrew

That is actually the same baby in all the pictures. Yes, you are right, after AJ was born I new there was more to life than just being. I had to get busy living instead of killing myself with food. Andrew

Let's see if that works

Here are a couple more afters. Can you spot me not following the bandster rules? The outside one was taken at the Ethel M. Factory in Vegas (They make really good chocolate). The other was me at some Casino (Mermaids maybe in Vegas).