Lap Band Surgery Answer Man Was Looking For

[CalKev]

WINDHAM, Maine -- Three months ago, News 8 introduced viewers to a Windham man who was taking drastic steps to lose weight. Daniel Keene had decided that weight loss surgery was his best option.When News 8 last spoke with Keene, he was about to undergo lap band surgery. The procedure, which is growing in popularity, involves installing a ring around the stomach to restrict the amount of food that can be eaten.After a lifetime of struggling with his weight -- and reaching nearly 400 pounds -- Keene said he felt it was the answer he was looking for. Three months later, he said he made the right decision.

"People at work call me 'the incredible shrinking man,'" Keen said in a recent interview. "Friends and family commend me all the time -- can't believe how well I'm doing, how good I look."Since the surgery Keene has lost nearly 50 pounds since the surgery and had shed an additional 40 pounds before the procedure.He explained, "I love it at work. I work on jet fuel trucks, crawling underneath them. I used to jack them to the moon to get underneath; now I can skate around. I go from one side to the other. This is great!"It's great, but it's not easy. Keene has had to work hard to get to where he is. Fortunately, he experienced no complications from the surgery. But he did have to stick to a blended diet for nearly a month."One time I was desperate. I wanted meat," he said. "So we pureed a hamburger with mustard. I got it down."Now he's back to regular food, but a half-cup is a typical portion, and he supplements his diet with protein shakes. It's a radical change from his life before the surgery."The surgery to me is cheap insurance. I'm not going to slip back. I'm full now. I've trained myself to feel full," Keene said.But surgery is only one part of the solution, according to Keene. He credited the pre-surgery counseling with helping him understand why he ate too much. Without that counseling, he said, he doesn't think the surgery would have been nearly as successful.Keene said he has had to give up a lot when it comes to eating, but he has gained other pleasures