DeLarla

The Honeymoon Phase is a reality that everybody has to eventually face. The band honeymoon is no different than the marriage honeymoon where in the beginning it's perfect, easy, and natural. You can either chose to face it by heeding warnings and accepting encouragement from those of us who have passed it, or you can live in denial and pretend life is fair. I haven't seen anybody discourage new bandsters by shrouding the future with the gloom and doom of future failure. People often read between lines that don't exist. The only kinds of surprises I like are those that come in shiny wrapped packages or bank envelopes. When it comes to my weight, life and health, I want all the info up front. Knowing the "honeymoon phase" would one day be over helped me by making me aware that the newness of the band wasn't going to last forever, and it didn't. Even with good restriction, the thrill and excitement only lasted for about 8 months in my case; granted, I didn't have a port to get another fill, but I was tight enough and PBing often enough that I didn't need a fill. If you read suggestions and advice with a grain of salt you won't pick up on vibes that weren't meant to be.

I've been away so long that people are stealing my boyfriends now? Sheesh!

Magsi, the truth about love is that it doesn't come in any size. Honestly, before we found each other (my hubby) life was rough and lonely. I hated being fat because to me, fat equals alone. But now that I own a business that caters to women (I do home-parties for groups of women over 18) I've learned that love does not discriminate, and there are just as many skinny women lonely and hungry for love and marriage as there are full-sized gals. I'm totally for the new Internet dating because at least you get a profile and photo of the guy as a preliminary screen. Perhaps your standards are higher than you think? Under the income section, are you only selecting men in a certain financial bracket, color, age, etc? Sometimes men lie in their profiles because they don't want gold diggers chasing them so they don't admit their financial success right up front. I say to join as many dating services as possible and stop thinking the focus is on your weight. Put a picture of your face and give a description of what makes you beautiful on the inside, then let nature take its course.

Megan, learn from Penni and I to AVOID men at all costs who do not live a healthy, active lifestyle! We both have men that eat, want eating partners, don't give a damn about health and nutrition and make dieting more than double the struggle it should be. My hubby is mostly fit (except his little belly) but he works his ass off in construction. He lays on the couch from 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. as one constant eating machine, so that's what we do - we eat. Now go find yourself some guys at the gym or the park playing ball. If you have someone that's into a healthy lifestyle it would be so much easier. Sucks being us, but those skinny women could only wish they were as cute as us!

Here's a whole thread explaining screen names. Fun topic to bring up again! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=5118&highlight=screen+names

And third of all, everything Sue said. And fourth of all, get your ass on the phone and reschedule your hell-visit to Billy sooner, not later - STAT. Why put it off when you need the encouragement now? Not now, right f-ing now, as Chris would say. Do you think Billy will, respect you any more or less over a few pounds either up or down? No. He's seen it all and has hundreds of patients (does he even know my name?) Get to Billy, get to Dennis. Heck, maybe you'll meet another patient in the lobby that holds the special key to encouragement that you need right now. Or at least go eat some Mongolian Barbeque for me!

No way in hell. Sorry, but the longer I've gone after erosion, the more I'm convinced that the band should only be a short-term implant. This is just based on my own personal experience, but I have one F-d up stomach these days. I know another girl in my same shoes (both banded & de-banded about the same time.) Penni, you already eroded once... do you really want to take that chance again of possibly having another erosion, not knowing what shape it could leave your belly? I'm already convinced that if I get back to 300, I will look into a bypass as my last hope of life, but no more band for me. Ouch, YIKES! Mind you, I'm in my 40s with no children and my future seems kind of bleak considering how bad I struggle with food each day. I was pre-suicidal pre-band, which is why I decided to take such a drastic measure and run off to Mexico for a band. I know I'd feel the same way again at 300, which is why a bypass wouldn't seem as harsh as suicide. Is that too honest?

When you say your stomach has herniated through your band that sounds like a bad slippage to me. Many banded people think that a slippage is when the band slides down but the way you describe this herniation is the same way my doc described what slippage really is. When I was first banded I never assumed it the band would be a permanent fixture because I wasn't comfortable with a foreign object squeezing my belly shut (just doesn't seem natural or healthy.) I told myself I'd keep the band 3-4 years then fly solo. Los and beholdings - I eroded after 18 months and had the band removed. Now I'm in a lot of pain and need another scope to see what kind of damage the band did while I had it. I don't say this to discourage you - quite the contrary. I'm up 5 lbs (after losing 80) and struggling to maintain so I'm rooting for you to keep up your thin, healthy spirit and continue your new healthy eating after the band is gone. Good luck for a speedy healing.

I also lost my band due to erosion around my 18th month. Something tells me you're going to start feeling better soon. There still aren't enough long-term studies for any doctor to know 100% of potential band complications, and I don't believe the band is for everybody. One of my many surgeons diagnosed me with "band rejection." Even though he isn't the most admired man around here, he has been doing bands for over a decade, so who knows? Maybe band rejection or allergic reactions really are potential complications? Good luck, and I hope you start feeling better soon.

Who needs a suit? We're skinny dipping hippies.

I think they're all fabulos singers! I mean, I've heard myself sing and it ain't pretty! I'd take one of their voices any day of the week (in girl form, that is.) I'm just glad the obnoxious ones got kicked of early in the game.

Tan fat looks better than white fat for sure, but you really have to take care of your skin daily. I've lathered in almond oil after bathing for a couple decades (I air dry) but switched to my new favorite Body Dew oil (Slumber product.) My skin is always hydrated, and I never need lotion. I noticed how even I tan in a shorter period of time. I only use tanning beds for special winter occasions. I know girls that have memberships that look more like Oompa Loompas than people. Do you want pretty skin or leather?

"And I cannot believe the way Ryan told him!! It was like dumping a bucket of cold water on him!!" I'm convinced Seacrest was jealous of all the attention Chris got. Girls used to hold up signs saying, "Marry Me, Ryan." I haven't seen any "I LOVE RYAN" signs this season, have you? Again, today's radio is polluted with cRAP & pop. Funny, I can't think of ONE American Anthem where the lyrics chant about RAP, can you? Rap House Rock? Long live RAP, be it dead or alive? Rappin' robin? We will, we will rap you? Rap n' roll hoochie coo?

Chris got 100% of the ROCK votes; the problem is the world has gone to cRAP. Most young kids listen to rap and pop these days so they couldn't relate to Chris. I agree that he's much better off being unhitched from Idol's control. He was shocked and devastated, but I think he'll eventually realize that getting voted off was the best thing that could have happened to him for his ROCK career. I think McFee could be next year's #1 Idol after she perfects her "manic" style (gotta agree with Simon that she has a beautiful voice but takes songs all over the place.) By next year she'll be trained & ready to steal the title. I think it will be between Taylor and Elliot in the end. Even though Taylor isn't really a "pop idol" kinda guy, people love his infectious energy. Elliot is very generic in style and personality (even though he's got a beautiful voice.)

Can everyone help chase these folks down for me? These are all people that joined our weight loss challenge and promised to buy the winner a gift. JoLynn (Asphalt Angel) worked her buns off and won the challenge by losing the most weight, but there are still too many people that haven't sent her prizes. If you know these people, can you remind them? If you've already mailed a prize, just let me know and I'll remove your name from the list. Thank you. (Removed names out of respect for personal reasons and privacy issues. Penni)

I'm not sure why they pick such old music for young kids. Heck, why not Madonna week, at least something from this decade.

I'm just not feelin' the love this year. I have a feeling Taylor might win the whole banana based on his diversity over Chris' just being into the rock thang.

Bups, sorry you're not feeling well. I have something called Sarcoid Disease, which are nodules on my right lung that sometimes make it hard to breathe so I know how frightening that could be. How on Earth did your lung get scarred?

I went all alone to another country with no problem. Just travel light and make sure your doctor's office coordinates and English speaking person to get you around.

Get her something expensive and beautiful! Live for today, baby! If these are really her last days, make them brilliant, colorful and fabulous.

I once did research for breast implants and was told breast implants, which are somewhat similar to bands, are permeable. They said if you set a breast implant on a newspaper for a period of time, you'd eventually see a mark on the paper since the material does "breathe" to a certain extent.

Apparently this post is offensive to some people so please accept my apologies if you haven't sent a gift.

Hi everyone, this Coconut Diet was an annoying Internet Pop-up that I used to get all my friends to say HI to me since I'm hardly ever around LBT any more. I haven't even read it (nor will I) but it got you to my thread! How is everyone? Everything's peaches & rock n' roll at my end, though I could use more sleep and time. LOVE YOU! The Coconut Diet Coconuts are a way of life for millions of people around the world today in tropical climates. Known as the "tree of life," the wonderful fruit of the coconut palm is rich in specific fats that have incredible health benefits. Traditional tropical populations that consume a lot of coconut oil are seldom overweight, and traditionally have been free from the modern diseases that afflict most western cultures. The Coconut Diet picks up where traditional diets fail. Low-fat diets don't work. The body needs a proper balance of good fats, but in recent years traditional, healthy saturated fats have been substituted with harmful transfatty acids in the US food industry. We now know that these harmful transfatty acids that are found in most vegetable oils are not the healthy oils they were once thought to be, and they are considered one of the major culprits in modern diseases and obesity. The Coconut DietTM replaces these highly refined harmful fats with one of the healthiest fats known to mankind: coconut oil. The Coconut DietTM is a not one specific diet plan, but a way of life! Most diet plans are temporary and tell you exactly which foods to eat, how much to eat, how to count calories or carbs, etc. Statistics prove that those starting diet plans are usually doomed to failure before they even start, because while they may temporarily lose weight on specific diet plans, they will almost always regain that weight and more as soon as they stop using the diet plan. Our goal here is to educate you on the truth about how fats and oils affect your weight and health, and give you the knowledge you need to make basic dietary changes in your life that will give you optimal health, and that should continue as long as you live. We have seen traditional people in the tropics follow these dietary principles and live very long, healthy lives with coconut oil as the main dietary oil in their diet. The principles of The Coconut DietTM can be incorporated into any other major diet plan. Within this website you will find many ways to incorporate coconut oil into your daily diet, and you will read about the science behind the diet with links to the research that backs up the wonderful truth about this incredible oil. Success Stories! Brian and Marianita Shilhavy first brought Virgin Coconut Oil to the US at the beginning of the 21st century, and since its beginning tens of thousands of people have discovered the incredible health properties of this wonderful oil. Brian and Marianita Shilhavy are the founders of Tropical Traditions. Marianita is a Filipino who grew up on a coconut plantation in the Philippines and went on to become a nutritionist and dietician in the Philippines. She knows first hand how coconut oil in a daily diet brings about increased energy, vitality, and perfect weight. You can read her story here. Today thousands of people testify that Virgin Coconut Oil has tremendous health benefits, related to not only weight loss, but to such things as increased metabolism, helping sluggish thyroids, increased energy levels, killing Candida and yeast infections, improving cholesterol levels, clearing up skin infections, killing viruses, improving digestive health, and more! All across America health care practioners, including MDs, chiropractors, nurses, nutritionists, naturopaths, and others are seeing positive results in their patients or clients when using Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil. We bring you many of their stories on the pages of this website. Theresa: This Diet Has Given Me Renewed Energy and A New Life! I have been taking a tablespoon of coconut oil three times daily with meals. Taking the oil with my meals seems to give me a “full feeling” a lot faster. My sweet tooth has practically vanished—and this is from someone who should have bought stock in Hershey's long ago! Ironically, facilitating weight loss was my main reason for trying the coconut oil diet, but with all the wonderful benefits I am experiencing, the weight loss aspect almost seems like an afterthought. About three days into the routine, I had an energy rush on a Saturday morning that kept me going until well after lunch. I can’t believe how much I got done that day! My mental state of mind seemed to be much sharper. I was able to focus on the tasks at hand without getting sidetracked. I was not exhausted at the end of running my errands, which included traipsing around a huge mall. It seemed like I was practically running, rather than the leisurely walking that was formerly my habit. In addition to my energy level, my mood has been very stable—no up and down mood swings—even with the onset of PMS! My husband commented yesterday on how soft and silky my skin felt, and I have not used any lotion since I started taking the oil. from the Coconut Diet Forums Learn more about The Coconut DietTM

Why haven't you contacted an attorney? Document everything from the names of the officers, paramedics, witness, tow truck drivers, etc., and contact your local Bar Association for a referral to a good attorney. There's no reason for you and/or your insurance to cover all the damages and medical bills if someone else was clearly to blame. Don't talk too much about the accident till you have legal counsel. I realize a lot of people don't want to get involved in an ugly lawsuit, but when something legit (like this) happens you'll need good representation, not only to cover your damages, but to protect you in the event the other parties decides to sue you. I usually don't advocate filing a Complaint with the court since I work on the defense side of the law, but in your case I strongly suggest you heed my advice. Good luck to your family and friends.

Kathy, you better tell us how you spoiled yourself today! Did you get your toes done? Five new tubes of lipgloss that you didn't need? A new piece of jewelry? Have yourself a wonderful day and make everyone buy you presents if they haven't already!