donali

Terry - WOW - **hugs** I have NEVER thought you sounded whiney. Maybe I'm reading too fast? lol Good for you taking that new job. Sorry you had to do it, but so proud of you for sticking up for yourself. And the nasty email... I don't know what to say. I think that is very sad that there is someone out there who is so hateful. I hope they are able to bring themselves to a better state emotionally. Maybe it was just bandster rage???? :mad: Anyway, you ROCK!!! I just bought a book called "Loving What Is" by Byron Katie. I have only just started it, but basically it is supposed to be a simple four question technique that enables us to challenge our thoughts which cause our unhappiness. I'm the poster child of self-help books (many of which have never been opened...:sick - much like the exercise equipment that was purchased but never used... lol), but this one I think I will actually end up reading and employing in my life. Was it here that someone mentioned it? Or Spotlight? I don't recall, but I think I heard of it here or there. I'll keep you posted if I am suddenly able to shake off all my worries and what if's and if only's and he/she shouldn't's/should's that make me crazy... lol Chin up, girl - those pounds will come back off. **hugs** (again... )

Poor birdies... Glad they went to a good home. I hope Chris gets you what you want for your bday!! What's the date, again, Miss Libra??? :mad:

Whoo hooo, girl!!! Hot mama!!! :mad:

Yeah, Terry.... WAZZZUP? Where you be? :mad:

lol :mad:

Why am I arm wrestling Penni? If we're going to wrestle, I want us to be half naked in a mud pit. I mean, you might as well make it fun for everyone, right? lol :mad:

My suggestion for swallowed gum would be to eat some smooth Peanut Butter. For some reason, peanut butter dissolves gum - it's recommended as a method to remove gum from hair. Try chewing gum and eat peanut butter at the same time - the gum just disappears.... Glad you seem to be okay!

Yay, Megan!!! I was just about to post a "Where's Megan?" thread. :mad: DeLarla, we don't want this thread deleted - go back and edit the original posts you used to start the thread and either delete the pics, or post different ones instead.

Whoo hooo!! Yay, Penni!! You and DeLarla are certainly head to head... What if it's a tie? :mad: Congrats!!! :banana

Hi Cindy - I am afraid that you are finding out first hand that the band alone is not going to do all of the work. Dieting is not the answer. However, you are going to have to change your relationship with food. The band is only able to help with restriction of volume and dimming of hunger. The physical part is now taken care of. Now you need to take care of the mental/emotional part. My suggestion is to find a counselor/therapist that specializes in compulsive overeating disorders. This person should be able to help you with your relationship with food, and help you break the vicious dieting circle. Please bear in mind that "not dieting" and "eating mindfully" will at first seem like the same thing, but in reality there is a world of difference. For one thing, eating mindfully revolves around HEALTH, not weight. When your focus shifts to health instead of weight, somehow the choices seem easier - when you have permission to eat anything, but you're focused on health, what do you have? A healthful diet is full of satisfying foods, and has room for less healthy choices. A "diet" by its very nature has the connotation of restriction, which sets foods apart, and puts a judgemental quality on them - good/bad. So when you chose "bad" foods, you feel guilty, and your self-esteem plummets, which makes you feel worse, and then you get angry, and rebellious, and say hey, I'm so bad already, I'll just keep eating bad foods, because that's all I deserve anyway, I have the willpower of a gnat, blah, blah, blah. I dieted myself into a place where I told my counselor "I feel like a worthless waste of space." She asked me, "Can you see how feeling that way would be depressing?" lol Yeah, no wonder I was depressed! Anyway, please seek help for the mental/emotional part of this. Obesity is a complex issue, and is rarely solved simply by adjusting the physical. Wishing you all the best -

AAAAAHHHHAHAHAHHAHAHAH!!!!!ROTFLMAO!!!!!! :D :eek: Ah, DeLarla, you so crack me up! I'll have to try your advice. Although I will say, S**T has gotten me this far... lol *still chuckling, shaking my head* :mad:

Still looking good!! :mad:

:mad: :D :eek: lol

Whoo hooo!!! Kathy, you are doing great! :mad:

A lot of BOTH... Yes, the plan is for him to come and live with me "permanently." He will still travel a lot, and may be away 4-5 months of the year, all told and added together, but I believe the plan is that I will be his "base of operations." lol He was married for 10 years, so he has a better idea of what to expect than I do. I have never lived with an SO, so I feel like a highschool girl at 43, with all the insecurities and childish ways of that age. I'm hoping my relationship maturity comes on quickly, for both of our sakes!! You know I'll be keeping you posted... lol Good and bad... :mad:

Roberta, I think you are absolutely right in thinking that many people (most???) who have WLS think that's it - they've done their part - and then go their merry way without changing anything else. The body is an amazing thing, how it can compensate for what we do to it. But the mind... WOW The mind is the most amazing thing of all. We can change our thoughts and habits, but it takes work, and there is no quick fix. In the end, WLS is a tool to help us change our habits. I wish it was billed more that way, than as a way to "lose weight". Because again, I think for most people, that focus on "losing weight" is a false focus. The focus SHOULD be (IMHO) changing our habits and thought processes about food. That is WAAAAY easier to do when our capacity for large quantities of food is removed, and that constant physical hunger is turned off. But, it doesn't happen automatically. So if we don't work on the mind part, when the body starts compensating, the weight will creep back on. I certainly believe that compensation is not as drastic for the lapband as the RnY, but we still need to work on changing our habits, just in case we ever fall into that 1%-3% that must have our bands removed for whatever reason.

AMEN, Leatha!! So here's my take, you guys. My advice would be to let the band help you to develop a healthy relationship with food. That means that food is still wonderful, but we no longer live/breathe/obsess about it. Doing all the measuring/counting calories/timing stuff keeps our obsession to the forefront of our lives. I wanted to be "normal" - meaning when I was eating I enjoyed it, and I looked forward to a good meal, but except for the occasional craving/obsession (which I think "normal" people go through), thoughts of food would be pushed waaaay back on to the very back burner, where most of the time the flame wasn't even on. And you know what? That happened for me. It's an amazing feeling to be released from the what/how much/how often/must compensate for yesterday/should I?/will I? internal dialogue that has plagued my life since jr. high. This peace with food is what I wish for all of you - it's a fabulous place to be. :mad: **hugs**

lol Sometimes I wish I was more of a YDI than a DIY... As far as being absent online from the 28th on, I shouldn't be ex-communicado too much. Probably nothing from 9/30-10/3, as we'll be in Austin, and of course the Vegas Bash 9/8-9/10, but other than that, I'll be popping-in throughout the work day. SHHHHHHH!!! Did I really say that? lol Well, I do get a lunch hour and breaks.... :mad: I can't guarantee how much post-workday time I'll be spending on the computer, at least at first, but most of you will be the first to tell me that eventually the "cow-eyes" period fades, and life returns to somewhat "normal" - meaning we start doing our seperate things, and never see each other again, even though we live in the same house... lol Surely it won't get to be that drastic, right? I was just kidding about that last part! I'm counting on him dragging me to the beach and fossil-hunting, and vacationing, and eating lots of Mexican food together, even if we don't spend every waking moment gazing into eachother's eyes... :knockedou lol

Maurice - Even though you feel like you can eat anything, I'd be willing to bet $5 that you're STILL eating less than what you were pre-band. You are going to be absolutely amazed and humbled by this wonderful experience. You're outlook and relationship with food is changing, even if you don't think it is. Do your mental part, make the best choices when you can, and let the band do the rest. No need to worry! This is going to work for you - honest! :mad:

You people are so cute and wonderful!! I guess it's pretty obvious by now that this "lapband support group" has transitioned into an overall support group for me. I come here to read about what's going on in the lives of "strangers" I have come to love and care for, and to socialize, laugh, cry, and even occasionally try and give back to! Thanks for letting me stick around. YOU PEOPLE ROCK!!! :mad:

My first PB was on over-easy eggs. Believe me, it was a HUGE surprise, 'cause I eat them all mashed up like you would for a baby. But I was running late for work, and was eating quickly over the sink (which turned out to be a handy location... lol) I think Sue has nailed it on the head - eggs don't dissolve, they just turn into smaller pieces. The same holds true for most meats, particularly if they're dry, as there's not a lot of lubricant to help things slide through, which is why you'll often read recommendations to have sauce/gravy with your meats - to help them slide through. I personally think if you need lube to get your meats through, you're too tight - but that's just my personal opinion. I would say that most people still eat too fast and don't chew well enough, and that causes problems, and symptoms of being too tight, when they're really not. Like me - after I had my band removed, I had a couple of PBs. Now, you KNOW I wasn't too tight!!! lol But I still had some residual restriction, and I was swallowing faster than I was emptying, and voila! Return to sender! :mad:

And so the saga continues... the French doors still are not square/true/level, or whatever their problem is, but we have moved on to bigger and better things - the window panels!! I feel almost halfway there - tomorrow the front door and the rest of the inside, and then Saturday (fates willing) up goes the siding and then the painting, and on to the rest of the myriad of chores I have set for myself to accomplish in the next TWELVE :mad: TWELVE TWELVE days!!!:eek:

Hi Chris - I think that's great that your doc wants to do an endoscopy just to rule out erosion as a possibility for your lack of restriction. My endoscopy was a breeze - I don't know what they slip into that IV, but it seemed like I was awake, and then I was awake again, but time had passed inbetween, where I had some uncomfortable dreams about something stuck in my throat... lol I did have a sore throat the rest of the day, a little nagging cough, but all in all I have to say it was no big deal. Let us know what they find out, okay? Good luck, and wishing you all the best! **hugs**

Chantal - How truly amazing!! You might be surprised how you don't recognize yourself! I've stood in a crowd or walked by a reflective window and glanced over, scanning the images for me, and unable to FIND myself! Try it - it's fun!! And then there will come the time that you encounter a mirror that you don't realize is there, and you'll think to yourself, "That's an attractive woman." And then you realize in amazement that it's YOU!! :banana !!!

I am SO hoping this thing doesn't just fall over... lol That would be a great testament to all those DIY women out there. I still have hope, but last night was a little disheartening trying to set the French doors. I think I'll stop at Home Depot tonight and buy lots of metal Ts and angles and corner braces and... :guess :cross-eye :rolleyes :nervous