Alexandra

Everyone's metabolism is different, but it's not at all unusual to slow down or even plateau for a while even when eating very little. It's just the way our bodies work. If you feel satisfied on a small amount of food for several hours after a meal, you most likely don't need a fill. If you're eating what you listed above--that sounds to me like a great menu. Your weight will probably start to drop again, especially if you're exercising and drinking lots of Water. Don't worry--you're doing great!

Good luck and good on you for being persistent! As an insurance broker I know that 99% of the delays are due to paperwork sitting around on someone's desk. Congratulations on getting it moving!!

All of those suggestions are great. They're all things I've used in my dieting past, and definitely work when you work them. What has worked for me is plain old negative reinforcement: behavioral therapy. That is, MY BAND. When I eat too much it just plain hurts, and a few episodes of that really help to make me think twice about overdoing it again. It takes time, but really and truly now when I hear that voice in my head telling me I want something to eat, there is just as loud a voice shouting it down, saying OF COURSE NOT, there simply isn't room. And that's the end of it. So in addition to all of the tips listed above, have some faith in the effect of being banded long-term. It's really helped to tame the munchie monster inside me.

No one ever said this was a democracy. Alex the owner invited other people to be moderators, I'm sure because the site has now over 2000 members. None of the sites I've ever been on have held elections for moderator spots. Usually they have to be dragged into the jobs kicking and screaming. I've been doing it because I love this board and for no other reason. Until very recently it was not at all time-consuming.

There is a LOT to be said for having a thick skin and not seeing slams where not are intended. We should always assume that the poster is saying everything with good intentions.

...Whipping out my permanent marker to write all over my Day Timer... Ya-HOOO!! I'm gonna get to meet me some LBT-ers!!! :banana :banana :banana :banana

Posting this here for any Jersey bandsters who might be interested. We're talking about a bash to be held the weekend of September 23-25 somewhere in NJ, close to the city. Just something to think about! A weekend of social events close to home with fellow bandsters traveling the same road. When anything is firmed up there will be a thread in the Lounge with details. Hope to see you there!

I'll be able to get details when this year's walk is organized. It's going to happen, we don't have to do anything except wait for announcements about it.

A total aside: I was just looking around that Walk from Obesity website, and saw among the list of doctors' names the doctor who superrvised my Optifast program back in 1990. I would LOVE to see him again and show him that the band can do what an artificial starvation diet couldn't. (Though as an obesity expert, I hope and trust he's moved on from that by now.)

IMO Newark Liberty airport is the best one to use. It's easily accessible from NJ and NY. But that's getting a little ahead of ourselves. Hoboken and other towns right on the river are every bit as expensive as NYC. Doesn't anyone have budget restraints? I won't have to shell out for the hotel but even so I hate to suggest anything in three digits for one night's accommodation. Pat, what does going to AC as high rollers mean? I'm certainly not a high roller in any sense of the word.

Connorsmom, I certainly go through a mini-last-supper syndrome every time I have a fill scheduled. It's definitely not just you! You know what works--get yourself Water to drink at all times and stop picking!! But I'll venture to say that even with all your picking you're not really eating enough to do any serious damage. It may feel like that, but think back to pre-banding and compare. Blossom, yes indeed a lot of bandsters find that meat has to be mixed with something to go down at all if they have good restriction. It's called "food lube" and I guess the trick is to not overdose on high-fat lubrication. You too are not at all alone in this.

Scott: "unzip the mental fat suit" I LOVE IT!!

Bright, go ahead and book your flight. I know a few bandsters around here and if nothing else materializes, we'll get together to show you a good time.

That is a good weekend, indeed! Bright, the main negative for NYC is the hotel cost. Rooms at the Roosevelt (which I LOVE, btw) can go for upwards of $200/night. If we go somewhere in NJ we can save scads of money on the hotel, and it's going to have a restaurant and a pool and whatever anyway. And NYC is an easy commute in from here.

Someone tell me what's meant by "bash," anyway. To my mind, we pick a weekend and a hotel, people come from wherever and we have a couple of collective meals and/or expeditions. No speakers, nothing fancy, nothing obligatory. Just a social weekend for people with something in common, right?

Tarafeena, this site is first and foremost a place for bandsters to gather and talk about banding. As with any other groups of adults, stuff happens. Stick around and please post!

I'm not available the last week of August through Labor Day, but later in September would be perfect. That's the best time of year in NYC, as far as I'm concerned.

Now this is something I could get behind. New York is my hometown and I could definitely help set something up. Actually, New Jersey would probably be even better--something with a free shuttle service from Newark Airport. Sign me up! I'd even make a few phone calls. My area has loads of hotels springing up for corporate business and I know they're desperate for business. Anyone averse to a short bus ride from the airport? And we're an easy ride from the city so all of its attractions are right nearby.

No. It's a purely voluntary position.

The owner of the site is the one who gets to call the shots with regard to moderators' duties, and I've seen him say that editing or deleting of posts is something he is very much against. I happen to agree, but it's his call to make. We'll do what he says. With regard to the personal nature of PMs: I'd hope that anyone receiving a communication they feel crosses any lines will first bring it to the attention of a moderator rather than just going public immediately. I totally agree that verbal abuse is unacceptable in any venue, but taking this intermediate step might solve the problem without starting public bonfires.

Tanya, most people stay in the hospital one night, if that. I was in and out the same day. Don't worry about the rescheduling. March has begun and the end will come sooner than you think!! (On March 30 my brother will be turning 45, so it will be coming very quickly for him. )

Hi Tinkerbell! (Right now my younger daughter is prancing around the house in her Tinkerbell outfit. ) You've come to one of the right places to hear lots of people's personal experiences. We were all worried about all of the same things before deciding to have the surgery. For my money, it's been one of the best decisions I ever made--and it was a pretty easy one to make, too. It's given me a power over my body I've never had before and thought was a completely lost cause. Children are extraordinary motivators, aren't they? They're the reason I ever said the "s" word to myself in the first place. I thank all the powers that be that I had my kids AFTER the band was approved in the US, because if it had all happened 10 years earlier there would have been no alternative to the RNY. And that scares the bejesus out of me. The procedure was a lot less painful than giving birth, that's for sure. But surgery is no picnic and it took a few days to bounce completely back. Since then I've had no complications to speak of, and the adjustments are quick and easy. I have no discomfort now unless I eat unthinkingly, which is exactly what the band is designed to teach me not to do. (And I AM learning, really!) I would indeed do it again. And again after that, if I had to.

All of my digits are crossed too! (Betcha wonder how I can type, then, hmm?) Good luck!!!

Laura, sounds like you're on top of the world with a quick approval and a super-experienced surgeon! Congratulations!!

Theresa, the new weight-loss thread was started as a neutral ground to track our amazing collective progress. For some reason, there was some conflict on prior lists of pounds lost. No threads have been deleted or altered without the express permission of or at the request of the author. Discussing the ins and outs of board policy is perfectly fine. Let's just try to be civil about it.