male only For Just Us Guys

[Gaffer 1]

silentfades,

When I was looking into the surgery, it was the number/stats that sealed the deal for me. I have a strong science background, but at the end of the day, I looked at how the numbers where stacked in my favour. The chances of death were miniscule and the success rate was very good especially when weighed against the complications of other WLS.

Do some looking around at the stats, and you will see that the deck is stacked in your favour.

Apart from the numbers, I can tell you that I have not regretted for a minute having the band. I am 6 month post op as of today, and never has my life improved for the better in such a short amount of time.

Andrew

[Manatee 4]

It's the little things that make for good days. My weight loss has been stalled for a while, but apparently I'm still reshaping the body. Yesterday I had to go buy new pants because the ones I bought in July are getting too loose. I'm now comfortably fitting in 40 and a SINGLE XLT shirt. In February I was in 48s and a 3XLT, and barely fitting in those with the stretch waist

Still have a pot belly, etc, but so be it...

[Gaffer 1]

....another surprise in postOp BandsterLand....is discovering there are actually whole STORES that cater to non-XXX size customers!!!!

What a shock!!! HAR!!!

I went from 3X and some 4X shirts to merely "XL"....and actually have ONE in 'just plain L' size....oooh, I feel woozy.....

It is amazing. My favorite shirt was a RL Chaps button up (which I could not button up) in 5XL (I find their stuff fits small). I bought another one last night in XL, note the lack of digits in front of the XL.

The T-shirts that I wear I have gone from a tight 3XL to a comfortable L. I am headed to Vegas next week for some R&R, and some clothes. My closet is bare and the shirts I bought on sale at the beginning of summer to get me through are way too big now. I literally have 3 shirts that I can wear to work but I dont want to spend a ton of money on clothes that I will not be able to wear in a few months.

Do any of you guys still look at yourself & see your self like you did at your old weight? Despite getting rid of mountians of clothes that were way to big, I dont see myself much differently that I did at 360#. I can feel the difference and notice it, but sometimes I look in the mirror & still see the super-obese man I was before my surgery, not the new "just obese" person that I am.

I guess it has only been 6 months, maybe my brain needs to get accustomed to seeing less of me.

Andrew

[Manatee 4]

Do any of you guys still look at yourself & see your self like you did at your old weight?

Yes, absolutely. I know I'm losing, because the scales and the clothes sizes say so, but I still look the same in the mirror to me. I don't know if that's because I still see myself as morbidly obese, or if it's because I never saw myself as big as I was.

:shrug:

Of course, I remember thinking I was fat back when I was a freshman in college weighing 130. I've never felt skinny or normal, even though pictures from back then show a stringbean

[Chris_NJ 9]

Wooohooo ! Today was a good day.

I am moving to Florida the first week of September so I figured I would go through my clothes to get rid of a bunch of winter stuff and stuff that don't fit. Lets just say I filled up 2 huge bags of clothes that were waaaaay to big !

It makes you feel great to do that. So long 4x ! Hello 2x ! Its almost sad though because there was a lot of expensive polo and nautica clothing I was getting rid of. I guess some poor big guy will be hooked up since I just put it in one of those donate clothing bins.

[Gaffer 1]

Yes, absolutely. I know I'm losing, because the scales and the clothes sizes say so, but I still look the same in the mirror to me. I don't know if that's because I still see myself as morbidly obese, or if it's because I never saw myself as big as I was.

I am in the same boat. At 360 I thought to myself, "I dont look that bad." Maybe that was just me protecting myself from the truth. Now I look in the mirror, and I can recognize where I came from, but I am still thinking "Why do I look this bad?"

I think it takes *time* to become adapted to our NEW svelte selves...

Decades ago I felt too fat at a mere 225 lbs....Now THAT is my goal....

It's STILL work to keep headed DOWN towards what I swore I'd never get above....

I have photos from last summer that LOOKS rather like me but....thinner....and even younger I think.....and compared with my XXXXL days, it's just jaw :Banane20: dropping.....

HOW :Banane20: did I let:eek: it happen???:mad:

Good journey to ALL of us....

My wife & I were looking at an album that she was putting some new pictures in the other day, and I could not believe how fat I looked. I said to her "Why did'nt you tell me I was that fat?" Of course I was kidding, but she told me she had told me, maybe it was during hockey playoff & I did not hear her.

Wooohooo ! Today was a good day.

I am moving to Florida the first week of September so I figured I would go through my clothes to get rid of a bunch of winter stuff and stuff that don't fit. Lets just say I filled up 2 huge bags of clothes that were waaaaay to big !

It makes you feel great to do that. So long 4x ! Hello 2x ! Its almost sad though because there was a lot of expensive polo and nautica clothing I was getting rid of. I guess some poor big guy will be hooked up since I just put it in one of those donate clothing bins.

That is the best feeling being able to get rid of a bunch of stuff. I am pretty sure that there is not much in the way of thrift store finds for guys that were as big as we once were.

If you do have alot of expensive stuff, or suits, it may be worth while looking at a consignment shop. Many of them will just pay you up front, less than what it would to consign but still some money.

I have scored the last 2 days. The Bay up here has had all of their clearance stuff an additional 40% off. I managed to score some $115 Hilfiger shirts for a little over $20 each. It is great all the brands that I wanted to wear but was too fat & cheap to buy.

Andrew

Andrew

[Chris61 0]

I just wanted to let you all know that my wife and I have both been approved for lapband surgery. She will have heres done on Sept. 12, 07 and I will have mine done on 9/19/07 both at 1:00 P.M. CDT. We start clear liquid diets 3 days ebfore surgery.

Chris

Pre-Op

Dr. Minkin Des Peres Hospital

St. Louis, Mo

250/

:clap2:

[Manatee 4]

I'm O-fish-aly halfway to goal. Huzzah

[Brewa2000 1]

Good job! I hope the second half goes as fast!

[rick-g 0]

Hi I am new here. I met a guy last week who has lost over 40 lbs with the lap band. I am inspired. I went through some of the prep work for lap-bypass, but decided to pass. I am more encouraged with the lap band procedure than with the bypass. I have a long way to go before I am ready for surgery. Nice to have a place where I can get some support on this as my wife is very skeptical.:eek:

[Gaffer 1]

... my wife is very skeptical.:eek:

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

[lsvadala 0]

Hi guys, getting abnded Oct 23, very nervous about it, it is a live changing action. I have been heavy all my life, thanks to an Italina Mom and family , Also thanks to myself for not stopping eating. I was very active in Ice hockey until two years ago and I got nervous because of my weight. Since then I have been diag. with Type II diabetis I am on 11 pills a day plus insulin. I am 53 and I need something to help me lose weight. GUYS!!!! Does it really work?

[Manatee 4]

I am 53 and I need something to help me lose weight. GUYS!!!! Does it really work?

It's a tool. You can get around the restriction by eating junk, refusing a fill, not exercising, etc. There's lots of folks on this site that always have some excuse about why the Lap-Band isn't working for them.

As for me, I've been aggressive with the fills and have lost 60 lbs since May!

One thing to check with your docs about is the 11 pills. You'll likely need to find alternatives to those, as the pouch/restriction will affect your ability to take them.

The HUGE advantage of the band is that even when I want to binge, I really can't. Portion Control was my big problem, and now if I try to eat like I used to I get massive pain (without even getting close to the old volume). Aversion therapy

[MDix30 0]

Hi, I'm new here. I was banded late June and have lost 31 pounds so far. Couple of questions for you guys... what was your experience the first month after surgery? All of the middle aged women who had the band placed have indicated they couldn't eat very much, but I had NO restriction until my first fill. Also, the restriction seems to last about 1-2 weeks, and then loosens up. Will I get to a point where I stay satisfied with 3 oz meat and 1/2 cup veg? I just had my second fill today, so hopefully it will last longer.

[Wendell Edwards 73]

Hi, I'm new here. I was banded late June and have lost 31 pounds so far. Couple of questions for you guys... what was your experience the first month after surgery? All of the middle aged women who had the band placed have indicated they couldn't eat very much, but I had NO restriction until my first fill. Also, the restriction seems to last about 1-2 weeks, and then loosens up. Will I get to a point where I stay satisfied with 3 oz meat and 1/2 cup veg? I just had my second fill today, so hopefully it will last longer.

Hi there!

Here's a post I made a while back that might help:

This may help you in understanding the restrictive mechanism of a Lap-Band. The INAMED protocol for Lap-Band fills calls for a six-week delay after surgery, prior to any fills. The purpose for the six-week delay is for the patient’s stomach to heal from the surgery, as well as allowing time for the Lap-Band to “Seat” or “Nestle” into the fat pad between the stomach wall and the interior wall of the Lap-Band. Prior to receiving an EFFECTIVE fill, it is VERY uncommon to have any restriction from a Lap-Band. Some patients will NOT lose weight, or may even GAIN weight until they have received an effective fill in their Lap-Band. Normal weight loss with a properly restricted Lap-Band is between 1 and 2 pounds per week.

The normal cycle of fills, restriction and weight loss is as follows:

1. The patient's Lap-Band constricts when the patient receives a fill. Swelling for a few days after receiving a fill is very common. Many doctors require a patient to go on a liquid diet for a day or two after receiving a fill. A fill may have a “Delayed Action” of up to two weeks. A “Delayed-Action” means that the fill may not become effective for up to two weeks after the fill. That is why the INAMED protocol states that fills should not be performed on patients who will not have access to medical care for at least two weeks after a fill.

2. The patient's stomach capacity is lessened as a result of the restriction caused by the Lap-Band.

3. The patient loses weight because they cannot eat as much food.

4. The residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the outside of the patient's stomach reduces in size because of the overall weight loss in the patient.

5. The reduction of the residual fat-pad causes the Lap-Band to become loose again.

6. At that point, the patient needs another fill, because the Lap-Band is loose, and the patient has a loss of restriction, which allows the patient to eat larger amounts of food.

7. The patient receives another fill and the process starts all over again.

Most Lap-Band patients receive several fills to adjust the Lap-Band as their weight loss progresses, and there is less and less residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the exterior of the stomach wall. Once a patient has lost all of their residual fat-pad, fills become less common. As the Lap-Band patient progresses in their weight loss, the effect of very tiny fills (Less than .2ccs) becomes greater and greater. It is not uncommon for a late-stage Lap-Band patient to experience a significant difference in restriction with as little as .05cc of fill.