DeLarla

Chrissy, my heart hurts for you. I am genuinely sorry. I worry that I may be in your shoes since my port incision has been infected and problematic since Day 1. I've been portless since June, and still have an open incision. I have an endoscopy scheduled for January 6, so I may wake up unbanded myself. This is your post, so let's not anybody worry about me here. This post is for Chrissy.

I miss you Vera! I still have our picture in my office (the one with Sachi wearing the boa.) Well, I made it the whole week avoid Erin at lunch. But nothing's changed. Today I was in the middle of a deposition (meaning we had several people in the office needing my assistance) and Erin was on my feet like my dog, following every step, eating chocolate and trying to get my attention about a can of ravioli at 8:45 a.m.. I spun around and snapped, "this isn't a time to be discussing ravioli" and I walked in my office and closed the door, practically in her face. After the deposition, my attorney asked me to have lunch in the lunch room (he has to suffer because of Erin, since Jon and I have been lunching together for years.) Well, Erin saw us and joined us with her lunch consisting of (I'm not lying here): family size package of bread rolls, package of deli ham, package of cheese, large carton of potato salad, coke, a bag of fried chicken legs, a jar of mayo, a bottle of Ranch and a jar of mustard. It was all spread out, so another attorney walked by and said, "you're having a buffet??" All Erin's food looked like a picnic for the entire table. All I had was some slices of cheese for lunch while Jon had Soup, but Erin somehow made us look like hogs.

Hi Paula, this is a fun site... the best one around in my opinion!

Penni listed the ingredients at the beginning of this post, so these liquid vitamins have 17% of daily recommended amount of chromium. Maybe that's why they don't spin you guys out like those shakes did to me. The shake contains 30% daily recommended, so the shakes have almost twice as much. A lot of diet pills contain chromium. I've done quite a bit of research, and it seems to be good for the body (in most reading.) But at the same time, it increases my heartrate, and my anxiety shoots through the roof. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad in a lower dose, but I started getting addicted to the shakes. I'd have so much nervous energy that I'd get a horrible night's sleep. Then I'd feel so lousy in the morning that I couldn't get motivated till I had another shake... it was a vicious cycle and hard for me to break.

I really do try to make good choices for the most part. I'm lucky that I love salads (probably my favorite meal.) I'd like the better if someone else did all the chopping though. I have gotten pretty sloppy lately, so I want these holidays to be behind us along with all the tempting goodies.

Hi Patty, thanks for posting. It's great seeing someone that's had the band for 2 years and is still happy. I'm just like you in that I refuse to diet. I enjoy food too much, and I've dieted too many times to know it only makes me fatter in the end. There is a table full of goodies in the kitchen right now (at work.) Last year I ate my way across the entire table, but this year I'm picking and chosing which goodies I'll endulge in. Today I ate fudge for lunch. I usually have something healthy, but I'm not saying no to fudge!

I just checked the ingredients, and sure enough it contains chromium. Chris thought I was on crack the other day after taking chromium (it was hidden in my protein shake.) It makes me go in 20 different directions at once and I get really panic-attacky, then I can't sleep at night. I also can't handle plain old caffeine like most people, so be careful if you're caffeine-sensitive. It also contains spirulina, ginseng root, and bee pollen, which all make me jittery. I wish I could take it cuz my house sure gets clean when I'm all spun out!

I don't get energy from my regular Centrum or One-A-Day. What is inside the vitamin what give you energy? I had to get rid of the rest of the Advant Edge protein shakes because they had chromium in there, which gave me way too much energy (couldn't sleep and was all spun out.) I might like to try these liquid ones, but what is the source of the energy?

I haven't checked in for a long time. I think I'll come back and see you all on Monday, cuz I keep losing and gaining the same old 5 pounds. I want them to GO AWAY!

The seminar I went to discussed Band vs. Bypass, and bypass patients shed weight much more rapidly than Band patients because a bypass is two weight loss surgeries in one. The are given a smaller "pouch" just like us, which helps them eat like a bandster. But the 2nd part of the surgery,where their intestines are wired to quickly eliminate everything they eat really speeds up the process. So bypass patients lose like crazy, while us bandsters have a slower yet steadier loss. I think it's much healtier to lose slower while still absorbing all the nutrition, which is the huge benefit of the band. My doctor drew me a diagram of the bypass, and the bottom part of the stomach that is cut off has very important digestive properties. Once it's cut off, you can't digest or absorb effectively. As far as the bad press, my doctors haven't even heard of the band! The same doctor that drew the bypass diagram asked me for information. I sent her LapBand pamphlets and she is very impressed and has since suggested it to other patients. So we aren't getting any bad Band press in Vegas either, since nobody has even heard of the thing... though there are now 4 band doctors here, so I'm sure it will eventually become the latest local rage.

BETTY DRANK ROOTBEER..... Busted! heee heee.... next time add a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

I hope for better self-control, not just for myself, but for all of us. This has been a hard struggle, but I'm thankful I always have LBT to pull me through my darkest moments. Let's make 2005 just a wee bit easier! xo

If I lose some more weight I can fit in Penni's luggage.

I still say you should visit the wig shop and explain your problem. They are experts in the hairloss department and might have heard of some things your doctor didn't mention. Couldn't hurt.

I'm waving the white flag. It's all baffling. Cunning, baffling, powerful (from the Big Book of AA.) My 3 small meals a day have gone by the wayside. There's no time like the present, so I'll attempt to eat band-like tonight. Every time I lose a couple pounds, it comes right back and I fight and fight and fight!

Wow, I'm blushing here. Yes, Vera, the shirt was lovely! And I will bring it to the next clothing exchange since it's actually a little loopy on me now! Thank you everyone, especially Greg for making me blush. Now if I can just keep myself in check during the holidays. I have one of those jobs with a heap of goodies next to my office (I have the office next to the kitchen.) There's everything from gormet chocolates to a variety of baklava. So far, so good. I'm having bits here and there, but not going too crazy. I hope it's all gone before my next PMS cycle!

LOVE IT! Makes me miss you less. And what a cute family. And you love them so much, which really shines through. I adore you!

Done that more than once. I finally decided to get even. Chris HATES when I leave cupboard doors open, so every time I fall in the toilet, I open all cupboards in the kitchen, his bathroom and a couple dresser drawers. Then I look at him like "I didn't do that" as he slams them mumbling. Hard to keep a straight face. After they're all shut, I open just a couple for good measure. Maybe one day he'll figure it out.

It's freezing here too! It's got to be at least 68 degrees!

How about buying hubby everything he possibly wants to shut him up for one day... ahh, peace! (Remember, mine is 9 years old.)

I decided it's best to go cold-turkey, and I stuck to my guns. Today I left the office at lunch and ran errands. I didn't even announce that I was leaving. Jon (the attorney we work with) is on my side, so he ate in his office. Erin had to eat alone. Boo hoo. The best way I can describe her is like my 100 pound Lab-Dane. You know how dogs spend their lives sniffing around for food? That's Erin. A couple people have candy dishes, plus there's a "catch all" table in the kitchen that always has goodies, so Erin makes rounds, hitting each spot and stopping by the fridge or the kitchen cupboards. Once she ate my entire can of Pringles without asking cause I keep food in the cupboards instead of packing a daily lunch. And she got into my Havarti cheese and didn't zip it closed, so the edges hardened. She ended up replacing the Pringles, but she didn't even know who they belong to till she asked me.

Is that my darling Francesca??????????? Thanks everyone, now Frannypants, post that picture of me & you in our hospital gowns the day after our surgery!

Rita, I feel all your pain. Any one of us could lose our band any day, so we're all here for you.

I can stop sweating now because I thought Greg was gonna shoot his mouth off and tell you what really happened. Whew! Blushing here! Thanks you, Greggles. Winky wink.

I'm going to win this fight. She's getting a double-whammy. For every time she mentions food, I'm going to do 10 Jumping Jacks in front of her then drink an extra glass of water while looking her right in the eye! Don't mess with me! Bring it on!