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Right, you look great! And I agree that your current avatar does not do you justice, you gorgeous thing, you! Nancy

Yes, Lisa, you were beautiful anyway, but you can really see the weight loss in your face. Thanks for sharing these photos. Nancy

I have an announcement! It's snowing in Houston right this minute and the snow is sticking! The roofs are white and the grass is getting there! Kids are out making snowballs. I remember it snowed once about 20 years ago, but it didn't stick. This is great. We may even have a White Christmas. Falalalala! Nancy

Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope you enjoy your time with your family. Zoe, that is awesome about seeing everyone for the first time in 20 years! Nancy

The whole band experience is a learning process as far as I'm concerned. I'm 16 months out from surgery and I'm still working on changing my diet and my habits. Nancy

You've done exceptionally well and I know you must have done a lot of hard work to get to your goal. Congratulations and thanks for posting! It really helps to see people who have gotten to goal. Nancy

The list that is in the book is very comprehensive and too long to print. You can get good, but limited information at Mendosa.com or by googling "glycemic index." In general, the good news is that you don't have to give up carbs. You just have to be careful about which ones you eat. Surprisingly, Pasta is low-glycemic, so if your band allows, it's fine in small portions. Most (but not all) veggies and fruits are OK. meats and nuts have a glycemic index of 0. But be careful of the fat. Lowfat, no sugar milks and yogurts are OK. Beans and lentils are great. Most fruits are OK, but bananas, mangoes, and dried dates (darn it!) can be high. Apple juice is low, but orange juice is high. Oranges themselves are low. Rice is very high except for basmati rice (which is still kind of high) or Uncle Ben's converted. Breads, crackers, and cereals are the worst. White bread is worse than pure sugar! So are potatoes. But sourdough bread, oat bran breads (not just with oat bran sprinkled on top), and pumpernickel bread is OK. For cereals, oatmeal, All-bran are OK and just about everything else is horrible. Popcorn is very high. If you eat according to the band rules: Protein first, then veggies, and then fruits, and starches only if you have room, you'll be on a very low glycemic index diet. Hope this helps. Nancy

Congratulations, Darcey. So glad you had a relatively easy time of it. You're going to love your band. Nancy

The Glucose Revolution is the name of a book I just finished about high glycemic index vs. low glycemic index foods. Although I just finished the book, I had been reading a little bit about the glycemic index and had been on a low glycemic index diet (as well as the Omega-3 diet, they are not incompatible) for several weeks. Briefly, the glycemic index is a rating of foods according to how quickly and how high they boost blood glucose after consumption, but the main component is how quickly they raise it. Eating low glycemic index foods cause a lower, more gradual rise in blood sugar (glucose) and assist in managing blood glucose levels. I became interested because I have insulin resistance, a pre-diabetic condition in which the body produces so much insulin in order to maintain a normal blood glucose, that eventually the body can't compensate anymore and diabetes results. I am doing everything I possibly can (exercise, low glycemic index foods, weight loss) to try to manage this condition. Anyway, there is a lot of evidence that eating a low glycemic index diet lowers the blood insulin, which in turn makes it easier to lose weight and staves off the development of diabetes. All I can say is that since I've been on this diet I have not seen a dramatic change in my blood glucose (my fasting blood glucose is usually 105-110), but I have been losing weight much more quickly than I was previously. And it's not because I'm eating less. So for those of you who feel your weight loss is stalled, you might want to take a look at this. You may have insulin resistance or even full-blown diabetes without knowing it. Even if you don't, eating a low glycemic index diet will help improve insulin sensitivity and will help prevent heart disease. The book itself is not that well-written in my opinion and is confusing and contradictory in parts, but it is an easy and quick read and will give you the basic information you need to experiment with making this change. And if you try it, or if you are using it already, I would be interested in hearing about your experience. Nancy

I'm thinking of you, too, Lauri. I hope all is well. Nancy

Enjoy your holiday and congratulations on your weight loss. Nancy

Lisa, I just cannot believe your avatar! Didn't I just see you a couple of months ago? You look so different! And so great! Nancy

I know how relieved you must be, Penni, that your mom is cancer-free and I am so happy for both of you. I am very sorry about your sister, though. But despite her trials, she is blessed to have a sister like you. Take care. Nancy

Wow, Betty, snowing! They say it may even snow here in Houston tonight and tomorrow, but I doubt that it will down my way, since I live so far South. Is the snow actually sticking to the ground? I highly recommend menopause to those of you who are cold. I only wish that I could share some of my body heat with you. Nancy

Bandstock sounds great, but don't expect me to dance naked in the mud. I look better than I did, but not THAT much better! Nancy

Well, Penni, and everyone - I hope the time with family renews your spirit. As for me, I'm Jewish, and I have to say that as an outsider looking at Christmas, it has never looked all that fun to me - all that crazy rushing around, parties where we are tempted to eat the wrong things, spending too much - and it leaves so many people feeling stressed out and a little hollow. But it is a beautiful tree. Oh, and I have a suggestion as to where to go to renew your spirit: Guanica, Puerto Rico. Beautiful, deserted coves. Gorgeous giant trees with flaming red flowers. A flourescent bay in moonlight. And a U.N. biosphere dry forest to hike in. Ah, the memories. Nancy

There's another reason Dr. Ortiz should be upset. I am curious about the book, but I'd be a fool to order it now. So the sales of his book could well be affected. Nancy

I was at 183 yesterday, so that is my official weight for this week. I feel I am doing really well in the eating department on most days, but I did not do so well on the exercise this past week. I maybe got in two hours of walking total. But I vow to do better in the upcoming week. Nancy

LOL, Megan! Nancy

I miss you, too, Donali. I learned so much from you. I hope you are well and happy. Nancy

wow, she's really got a serious problem.

Am I the only one who's starting to get freaked out about all the erosions we've been hearing about lately? I'm beginning to wonder if this is a more common problem than I realize. Lately I've been thinking that it almost seems unreasonable to believe that one could have a tight band around one's stomach for a long period of time and that it wouldn't erode or cause some other problem. Does anyone know what the real rate of erosion is? When I get to my goal weight I am definitely going to get as much of an unfill as I can while still maintaining my weight. Nancy

Lauri, I don't want to scare you, but if your PCP can't see you or refer you to a neurologist who can see you today, I would go to the emergency center. I have no idea what your symptoms could mean but they do sound serious. Chest pain, shortness of breath, left arm tingling, and neck pain can all be heart related. Not being able to walk is certainly a serious symptom. This does not sound to me like something that can wait. Please let us know what the doctor says. Nancy

Chrissy, it sounds like you were very sick for a while there so I'm grateful that at least you are doing better. I am sorry you are having to go through this, though. But 54 pounds is a lot of weight. I am sure that by having the band you learned more than you knew before about what a reasonable portion is and I hope that you can continue to use this information. Let us know how you are doing. Nancy

My only advice would be, no matter how good you feel in the first few days or week after surgery, don't overdo it. You may not have any pain, but your body is still healing and you should be nice to it and go easy on yourself. Nancy