DeLarla

I've never seen your before pictures, but your jeans are so baggy! And it's such a shame that your jacket is way too big for you now, so I'll send you my address since I'm much bigger than you, okay? I don't mind keeping that jacket, really I don't. And are you trying to say the flames only turn red in the sun? Beautiful hair. And your home is amazing, it looks like you live in the wilderness.

Ice cream and Cookies after midnight? You're my kinda gal! Ice cream is my Number 1 binge. I used to eat a whole pint of Ben and Jerry's. But hubby started asking for bites, which would freak me out, so I'd buy his own pint. Well, he only eats a few tablespoons, so I graduated from one pint to almost 2, and that was after eating enough for 2 football players. No matter how full I am, ice cream fits in with no limits. Leatha, I didn't "become a woman" till I was almost 18. Does that mean I'll have the "beast within me" several years later than most women?

Greg, I don't think anybody wants any more stitches. Has this Chicago bash been confirmed? Where is it, date, time, etc.?

I used to have a lot more sinus problems and sore throats. This sounds gross, but I attribute it to acid reflux. My doc never confirmed it, but when you get acid reflux, the acids lay in the back of your throat and esophagus all night. Sometimes food would even come back up, so it seems likely that would cause throat and sinus irritation. Now I'm not half as bad.

Wait just a minute, what the heck is a King Cake? How many more years have to pass before I make it to Mardi Gras?

That kind of thing doesn't change, but you'll be eating enough food so that shouldn't happen. Some of us eat three meals a day, others eat 6 smaller meals a day. If you have problems with your blood sugar, eating 6 small meals should take care of those headaches. Also, as you lose weight, you'll gain energy. The band allows us to eat enough food that we don't have problems getting in sufficient nutrition. It's amazing how little food our bodies actually need to stay healthy and active.

Nancy, I need to learn from your "binge." If I could stop at what you ate in that one binge episode, I'd be happy. But my binges are a couple Taco Bell Meals, a pint of Ben & Jerry's, large bag Flamin' Hot Cheetos, several candy bars... I won't stop till I can't breathe. It's just a bad, bad habit that I hope the band helps me break one day. I was good with my band for 6 months, but then Christmas hit. I thought I would be able to do some controlled candy eating, so I started with 2 small pieces. But the next day was 4 pieces, and by the end of the week I ate 12 truffles in a few minutes, followed by days of uncontrollable eating. So I have to stick to my band rules of three meals a day, no snacking. If I want a candy bar, I have to make it part of a meal. If I go to the movies, the popcorn has to be a meal. I must train myself to eat only 3 times in a day, otherwise I eat the entire day without ever stopping. Sometimes it's so hard that I don't think I can make it an hour, so I just look at the clock and beg for 10 minutes. Some days aren't too bad, but the week before my period, you may as well lock me up. I'll beat someone up for a binge. I'm considering asking my doctor for some mild diet pills, but this time I'll count my cycle days and plan in advance by taking them for 3-5 days a month, just to get me through that insane period. That should be pretty, a high-strung PMS girl on diet pills. GET OUTTA THE WAY! But I don't know what else to do, my PMS is stronger than me.

My cat is a little disappointed cuz there's not as much dough to knead. I'm lying... there's still mountains. Becky, thanks for those NSVs.... I share a bunch of them with you.

Sue, I didn't give you permission to post my picture! My opinion of this kinda gal that flaunts her bod goes both ways. First, there's no way on Earth I'd walk around dressed like that in public. When I was talking of hip-huggin-belly-bearing outfits, I was dreaming of a much, much firmer me. I could never let my belly show like that... some tasteful low jeans and a t-shirt that bared the midriff is what I had in mind. But on the other hand, I envy women who aren't ashamed of themselves. I'm not offended when I see someone letting it all hang out, instead, I think, "it's about time!" Obese people make up a huge chunk of the population, so why should we hide in moo-moos and leggings with huge t-shirts? After losing 60 pounds, I have life and energy. I HATE sitting around the house, especially cuz I live in the funnest city on earth (Vegas.) My husband prefers the couch to the neon, so I'm forced to find my own fun. He doesn't mind - as long as he doesn't have to go. Too bad all marriages can't be made to perfection, so we make the best of what we have. Originally Posted by Marimaru "I told him that he'd noticed me and given me the time of day when I was overweight, and that anyone else who hadn't, and started when I got thinner wasn't worth my time." This is such a powerful statement. When I got out partying with my girlfriends, I do like to flirt - it feels incredible to get attention from good looking guys. But at the same time they're hitting on me, as I smile and giggle, in my head I'm thinking, "you SOB, you wouldn't have given me the time of day 8 months ago." My husband loves my flirty nature - I flirt with everyone - men, women, his friends, elders, kids. I just love life and laughter and making new friends. You have to find balance in your marriage, and you shouldn't have to suffer and give up the things you love for anyone, not even your best friend. If your marriage stinks now, it will still stink if you gain 100 pounds or you lose 100 pounds.

Just be good to your band. Make sure you have someone around to pamper you. Give yourself a break and take it easy till you feel well.

Also, some of the Mexican doctors have specials during the year, like if they have a seminar or a bash. If you go, you can get 1/2 price fill.

I've heard about the high divorce rate after weight loss surgery, but whoever did the study needs to go back and collect more data. How many of the 80% were happy and in love prior to the surgery? I bet it's a pretty low number. Most morbidly obese people are miserable in their own skin. How can you shower someone else with love and affection when you don't even like yourself? How many obese women stay in bad marriages in fear of being left alone, and afraid nobody will ever ask them on a date again? I know of 3 without even giving it any thought. When you lose weight, you gain confidence and courage. If you were in a bad marriage to start with, losing weight can give you the energy, confidence and ability to finally move on to greener pastures. Good riddance! Other problems stem from the jealous spouse when the losing partner starts getting more attention. But if you have a solid marriage now, this will only improve it. I was bitter before losing weight, and I can admit I took a lot out on my husband. Now that I'm energetic and positive, I'm bored to tears with my husband cuz he never wants to do anything. I get so angry I'd like to hit him! Sometimes I think I hate him, but that's just me acting like a baby cuz he won't come play with me. But that doesn't change the way we feel about each other or our marriage. He's my man, the guy I love and the person I've committed myself to till death parts us. We made vows to accept eachother "as is." Through thick and thin. I don't believe in divorce unless there's no love, or if there's abuse or cheating. I'm with Ryan, I made a vow and I'm sticking to it. If I lose 100 more pounds and fit into lowrise hiphuggers and belly-baring blouses, I'll still come home to him. I've gotten dolled up and went partying with girlfriends, and I've been flirted with and have flirted back. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that because I come home to my man - every single time. If any woman thinks their husband doesn't oogle over young hot chicks, think again. They are men, and if they are healthy, normal men, they look at naked women every chance they get. That's called flirting, even if the girl doesn't look back. Some guys intentionally look away when a hot chick enters the room, but only out of respect for the Mrs. But trust me, when wifey isn't around, they look. It's nature's way. They look, they oogle, then they go home to the woman laying on the couch in her moo moo because they love that woman. That's marriage, and that's what I had before surgery and it's what I have now. I weighed 130 pounds less when we met, and he encouraged me to eat over the years, then stood by my side at every failed diet attempt. He loves when other guys check me out (what man doesn't?) If you love your husband, and he loves you, then you have nothing to worry about (except him not keeping his hands off you.) But if you hate him now, then you'll probably get the confidence you need to leave him once you lose weight. If there's no love, there's no marriage.

Vera, this is the first "paid off band" thread I've ever seen... could that be a light I see at the end of this long, dark tunnel? Now you can concentrate on more important things, like how to let the band work for you. Have I told you I adore you lately?

I was in a hurry this morning, so I grabbed a can of ravioli instead of something healthy. I just ate lunch. I knew ravioli was a bad choice, so I just half the can. I threw the rest away. Now I miss it. I want my ravioli back. I have RSA (Ravioli Separation Anxiety.) I hate throwing away food. Hate it.

Curly, you said it perfect. About 100 years ago I went to the Schick Center for weight loss (torture facility.) They told me the same thing. They said it all ends up in the dump, so why use your precious body to process it? Then during one session they made me squish M n M's in my hands till they were all melty and my hands were gross and disgusting. Then the therapist told me to wipe my hands off on my shirt. I told her she was crazy! She got pretty agressive and demanded I wipe the mess off on my clothes and asked me, "WHY IS IT OKAY TO PUT THAT CRAP INSIDE YOUR BODY BUT NOT ON THAT BLOUSE?" Okay, lady, I get the hint! I went to the bathroom crying and washed my hands, but that was a pretty harsh message.

I don't have my Water jug today so I'm gonna drink 2 large Aquafina bottles instead. I need several of those large jugs cuz they really help me. I was a good little bandie and managed to stay away from choclates for a full 24 hours! Darcy talked about getting back to basics. I don't care what anyone says about drinking with meals, but it simply didn't work for me. Getting back to basics means I have to stop drinking my water 20 minutes before eating, and 20 minutes after eating. I was doing amazing with the weight loss till I started playing head games and making up my own rules. My original band doc said chew chew chew three meals a day, no caloric liquids, wait 20 minutes between liquids, and no snacking. He gave me zero restrictions on what else to eat because this isn't a diet, it's a way of life. I'm angry that I slipped at Christmas and nibbled my first in-between-meal snack. That one bite lead to potential disaster. Now I gotta fill my jug. And yes, I have to drink a lot more water than most people because I live in the desert. In the summer, I could drink my entire 8 glasses and never even pee. It's not easy getting in all that agua.

Lots of water and a long brisk walk always does the trick for me... ya gotta get movin' to get movin. Thanks for the name of that horrifying cyst. Most painful thing I ever had. It started small, and I thought it was a mosquito bite so I kept scratching and scratching till it got bigger. Gross.

Yeah, that was me. I started feeling okay at day 3, but I slammed into reverse on day 5 and felt lousy. Why is that?

I have a big-butt desk job. The gas and gurgling were just awful so sitting in chair was miserable. Make sure to wear loose clothes! Anything binding was awful.

Donali, while in Baja, Mexico, I went collecting in the tidepools. The octopus was too wiggly to keep, but I found a couple real gulf balls (snort snort) that you would envy. Apparently, the guys like to see how far they can whack balls when the tide is out. Pretty far! Hi darling, wonderful to see you!

Gotta hand it to the Toolman! And that poor mechanic! Fun stuff here.

One more step closer!

I took five days off work, but I was pretty miserable when I got back, so I went home for a couple more days. I got a bronchial infection, which didn't help much, but even without the bronchial infection I felt pretty lousy (bandwise) for almost 2 weeks.

I was having a not-so-good day... but what a nice post this is. Thanks for kicking me into upbeat mode. Beautiful!

My BMI wasn't 50, but they instructed me to go low cal for one week prior. But I blew it really bad. I was afraid they wouldn't do the surgery, but they were really nice about it. It all depends on the patient, doctor and the doctor's level of experience, I suppose. As far as the Molding Clinic, couldn't they have at least given it a better name? I've never heard of the clinic or the doctor, but if you have concerns, why not go to another doctor in TJ for about 8 grand instead of the 16 grand you'd pay at home? Many people rave about at least two very popular doctors in Mexico. Maybe it would be worth the extra 2 grand for peace of mind, while still saving half the cost of getting it at home?