SchexyMomma

Thank you, Chica, for updating everyone! And thank you to all of you for all your prayers!!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!! WE WON!!! We Still Have Our Little Boy!!! I still can't believe it! It's true that the bio family may appeal, but I don't care right now... I can finally breath and get back to my life! yea!!! -mel

Hi everyone. I have been out of here for, I think, like a month...maybe more. Going through some tough stuff right now personally... need your prayers. The short story is that we are foster parents who desperately want to adopt our little guy that we have had since he was 12 months old, and he is now 2 1/2 yrs. Long lost Aunt & Uncle have crawled out of the woodwork after all this time and hired an attorney to get custody. It's a jury trial and this is the end of the third week of testimony (which doesn't include all the pre-trial hearings and depositions). If you live in Houston, channel 13 has been covering our story, but not the whole story. We decided not to talk to them, because it's a private matter, and as foster parents, there isn't a lot of information that we could give- even if we wanted to. So the reporting is coming from the side of the biological family and the Chinese community activists. But we know the truth. Anyway, we really need your prayers. We could have closing arguments tomorrow, or the other side may call more witnesses and then we will have to go back Monday and start week 4 of this trial. When we win, and all this is behind us, I'll be back on the boards. More reading than posting, but reading for sure. -mel

My little ones re adopted, and they are boys. So, my situation is very different from yours... but I am always thinking about what they are eating, too. My 2 yr old is little for his age, and refuses to eat much at all. My 1 yr old is big (90% for both charts) and has been since he was about 2 months old... and he eats anything and everything! I worry about the younger one out-growing the older one and how that will affect them (getting teased/questions & comments from rude people) as they grow up. I have had access to a nutritionist from the pediatrician's office, and learned all about portion size. Like, 2 tbsp. of veggies is a serving. I am sure you could find the info in a book or even on-line (reputable website). But even having discussed with a professional, it's a daily struggle to get their nutritional needs in every single day. Especially when they have such different needs!

I have pretty good protein intake... probably the same or even mroe pre-surgery. Yet my hair is falling out like crazy! Could there be another culprit besides protein (lack of)???

Have you looked into self-pay? If you are determined, then there is a way!!! If you could get a loan, it should be a heck of a lot cheaper than a little car note! I was covered by insurance, but I was really thinking that it would not be covered, so I looked into a personal loan for $15,000 and the terms were reasonable. I was also considering going to Mexico (less than half the cost here) because in all my readings, I have never seen one post negative about Mexican surgeons/surgery itself/after care, etc. Don't give up!!!!!!

I realize that y'all just had a meeting, but are you considering scheduling the next one? Count me in!

I would like to know more about this also. Three times since my surgery 4 months ago, I have had terrible episodes of such pain that I wished I had passed out! The first episode, I thought I was dying and went to the emergency room. When they took my vital signs and everything was reading normal, I then realized that it was probably gas and was so embarrassed! The next 2 episodes, I stayed home in complete misery. Episodes seem to last an hour. Blinding pain in abdomen, sometimes more on one side. GasX, mylanta, pepto, and sometimes a shot of the liquid painkiller from surgery... and then it goes away (but not "exiting" the body, more like dissipating). I can't connect the episodes with any particular food. Look forward to reading more about others' experiences.

TRACYK.... you look beautiful! wow! my only suggestion is to get a schexier (sexier!) swim suit... you look fabulous! :kiss2:

Hello Violets! I got my first Fill today, and now I finally feel like I am in the Bandster Club! I finally know what "restriction" is all about. YEA!!!!! I have to say that I am actually a little nervous, because doc said (and I have read it on here a thousand times) that the restriction may not set in right away, may take a few days... but tonight at dinner, I could only eat a few bites of mushies!!!! Perhaps it's not real restriction, but my tummy being mad that it was disturbed???

I'm a Poker Chick, too! I play all the time: casinos when I can, a weekly home game, a monthly game, poker rooms, and (the dreaded) online. My dream is to play professionally. I need to get mine done today, too! LOL

Power Plate has anyone seen this? i saw this recently on the news (I am in Houston and this was developed here by NASA- so maybe that's why it was on the news here?) they interviewed people who were using it and they said it was incredible... i think they said 15 min. on the PowerPlate was the equivalent to a 45 min. traditional workout!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it states that if you have an implanted medical device, then you cannot use it, but our Port is not listed. I am definitely gonna ask my doc next time i see him if this would be ok. just thought i would fish around and see if anyone here has actually used a Power Plate. ???

I feel for ya! I guess that I would suggest using this time to better prepare yourself... you'll be 100% ready by the next surgery date without all of the anxiety and that will help you so much for the big day. Try to look on the bright side- but I know that isn't easy. Pray about what God wants you to be doing right now. Pray for peace about the operation. Get yourself busy with projects that you won't feel like doing right after surgery (clean out garage, closets, etc. maybe). Remember that we do things according to His plan, not ours. oh, and one more thing.... where do you find Vanilla Diet Coke???!!! I would pay BIG MONEY for just one more of those!

First six weeks post-op, I lost about 20 - 25% of total needed to get to goal. I am nearly at the half-way mark for goal, and I just noticed my hair is really coming out in clumps and handfuls now. But I think it started falling out, (not in clumps) right at the -50# mark.

I forgot to address this part... I did lose the weight, so I can't say for sure; however, I think that he would have because he didn't want me to know how much and get stressed. I remember reading others' posts about this and recall that some lost 8 pounds, some lost 12 pounds...

My doc required a pre-op 10 day liquid diet to "shrink my liver" to "make the surgery go easier and safer". He went on and on about how a liver too big gets in the way... just losing even a little will make the surgery safer... blah blah blah... I really thought he was just testing me to see if I could lose any weight at all. so he wouldn't tell me how much he expected me to lose on this diet, because he didn't want me to stress out (Ha!) but later when I was alone with one of his assistants, I asked "can you tell me again how much I am supposed to lose on the pro-op diet, I can't remember?" and she cheerfully read my chart and said "fifteen pounds". I smiled and thanked her. In my head, I was like, "what??!!!!! impossible!!!!!! I can't!!!" Then, on tv I saw a show about WLS and the doc was stressing how a fatty and enlarged liver was so bad for surgery and dangerous... and they showed livers during surgery of patients with "good, shrunk livers" and "bad, big livers". I was convinced and began a low-calorie/low-carb diet a week before my actual liquid diet and I lost a total of 20 # before my surgery! Doc said I had an easy surgery and thanked me for the weight loss!!!! so this post is already too long, but here I go again.... I felt great after losing just that 20 pounds! And it was such a great way to start of my new life. I also think it helped me emotionally for the surgery... I had already said good-bye to unhealthy food and binging on my own - not because my new Band made me.

I have used mineral make up for a while now, and not just Bare Minerals... I get the knock-off brands from eBay (very affordable, but hit and miss with results). The best off brand that I have had success with is Everyday Minerals Mineral Makeup - Foundation, Eye Shadow, Concealer, Lip Colors, and Blushes by Everyday Minerals ... and I really love eBay for the brushes.

yes! please post it! Chica Chula - I am a size 22-24 so please bring the skirts. When I am out of that size, I will donate them and then give you the tax receipt! Tuesday, July 24 5:45 pm Town & Country villiage : (Escalante or Cafe Express?)

I am nearly at the half-way mark for weight-loss/goal and already I am having significant changes in my life thanks to the Band... I needed to pee on an airplane last week, and I walked right in and use the potty! I was in the middle of peeing when I realized that I hadn't been all nervous about fitting in the little bitty bathroom! I just waltzed right in- as if this were normal for me! Well it is now!!!! I haven't been so hot and sweaty this summer! And I live in HOUSTON!!!!!!! Oh, and I just returned from Las Vegas (desert... in July!!!) and I managed to walk from casino to casino without bursting into flames (as previously done). I am smiling for pictures now! Am planning a family portrait... long overdue. I don't need a gallon of coffee to wake up in the morning. I don't wake up with a stiff, aching back leaving me hunched-over... I just realized this one right now!!!! LOL!!!

I am so glad you thought of Town & Country... I forgot about all those restaurants! (you can tell where we mostly eat!) I do love Cafe Express for healthier and Caraba's is off the hook! Y'all choose! So far we are Tuesday the 24th at.... what time? I do not work, and I will speak for Josie that she does no either... so whoever is coming from work... what time is good???

Tuesday the 24th is great with me! I would suggest maybe near Beltway 8 and I-10... Papapdeauxs? or Papasitas?

this is a long article, so here is an excerpt: "If you offer your body something that tastes like a lot of calories, but it isn't there, your body is alerted to the possibility that there is something there and it will search for the calories promised but not delivered," Fowler says. _____________________________________________ Drink More Diet Soda, Gain More Weight? Overweight Risk Soars 41% With Each Daily Can of Diet Soft Drink By Daniel J. DeNoon WebMD Medical News Reviewed by Charlotte Grayson Mathis, MD June 13, 2005 -- People who drink diet soft drinks don't lose weight. In fact, they gain weight, a new study shows. The findings come from eight years of data collected by Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, and colleagues at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio. Fowler reported the data at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego. "What didn't surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to overweight and obesity," Fowler tells WebMD. "What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher." In fact, when the researchers took a closer look at their data, they found that nearly all the obesity risk from soft drinks came from diet sodas. "There was a 41% increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day," Fowler says. More Diet Drinks, More Weight Gain Fowler's team looked at seven to eight years of data on 1,550 Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white Americans aged 25 to 64. Of the 622 study participants who were of normal weight at the beginning of the study, about a third became overweight or obese. For regular soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was: 26% for up to 1/2 can each day 30.4% for 1/2 to one can each day 32.8% for 1 to 2 cans each day 47.2% for more than 2 cans each day. For diet soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was: 36.5% for up to 1/2 can each day 37.5% for 1/2 to one can each day 54.5% for 1 to 2 cans each day 57.1% for more than 2 cans each day. For each can of diet soft drink consumed each day, a person's risk of obesity went up 41%. Diet Soda No Smoking Gun Fowler is quick to note that a study of this kind does not prove that diet soda causes obesity. More likely, she says, it shows that something linked to diet soda drinking is also linked to obesity. "One possible part of the explanation is that people who see they are beginning to gain weight may be more likely to switch from regular to diet soda," Fowler suggests. "But despite their switching, their weight may continue to grow for other reasons. So diet soft-drink use is a marker for overweight and obesity." Why? Nutrition expert Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, puts it in a nutshell. "You have to look at what's on your plate, not just what's in your glass," Bonci tells WebMD. People often mistake diet drinks for diets, says Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and nutrition consultant to college and professional sports teams and to the Pittsburgh Ballet. "A lot of people say, 'I am drinking a diet soft drink because that is better for me. But soft drinks by themselves are not the root of America's obesity problem," she says. "You can't go into a fast-food restaurant and say, 'Oh, it's OK because I had diet soda.' If you don't do anything else but switch to a diet soft drink, you are not going to lose weight." The Mad Hatter Theory "Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly. "I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more." "You mean you can't take less," said the Hatter: "It's very easy to take more than nothing." Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland There is actually a way that diet drinks could contribute to weight gain, Fowler suggests. She remembers being struck by the scene in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in which Alice is offended because she is offered tea but is given none -- even though she hadn't asked for tea in the first place. So she helps herself to tea and bread and butter. That may be just what happens when we offer our bodies the sweet taste of diet drinks, but give them no calories. Fowler points to a recent study in which feeding artificial sweeteners to rat pups made them crave more calories than animals fed real sugar. "If you offer your body something that tastes like a lot of calories, but it isn't there, your body is alerted to the possibility that there is something there and it will search for the calories promised but not delivered," Fowler says. Perhaps, Bonci says, our bodies are smarter than we think. "People think they can just fool the body. But maybe the body isn't fooled," she says. "If you are not giving your body those calories you promised it, maybe your body will retaliate by wanting more calories. Some soft drink studies do suggest that diet drinks stimulate appetite." SOURCES: Fowler, S.P. 65th Annual Scientific Sessions, American Diabetes Association, San Diego, June 10-14, 2005; Abstract 1058-P. Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, University of Texas Health Science Center School of Medicine, San Antonio. Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, director, sports nutrition, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. WebMD News: "Artificial Sweeteners May Damage Diet Efforts.""Artificial Sweeteners May Damage Diet Efforts." Davidson, T.L. International Journal of Obesity, July 2004; vol 28: pp 933-955.

I am 5'6'' and about 230 # and I wear a size 22 - 24 !!!!!!!!! why??????

I know exactly what you mean... I have a couple of friends and even family members that are struggling and that I know would benefit from the Band. Just as you said, Amy, I think they are getting down because they see me "easily" losing weight... I just emphasize to them 2 things: (1) it's not easy; I have done a complete lifestyle change and (2) that if I ever begin to gain weight, I will look into the LapBand surgery. Ok, so number two is a total lie (cuz I already had it done) but I want them to know that should they decide to have the Band or other weight loss surgery, then I will be there for them and that I will be completely supportive.

<br /> <br /> right before surgery, i was actually afraid of having something "foreign" too... but then i remembered that since my early 20s, I've had a steel plate and nine screws in my arm- and my body doesn't seem to mind!

and me, too! I live in Katy (real close to josie!) and I think that Chica lives just outside of Houston.... who else? TRACYinKS.... wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!