DeLarla

Right on! Now stick to your Band Rules, and don't let ANYTHING or ANYBODY get in your way. Be prepared, you new life is about to begin.

You sound like the perfect prepared patient. Chapstick and hotel-room size hand lotion if you're a lizzard like me (I live in the desert.) If you go to Mexico, make sure your cell phone works there. They gave me water after surgery, but Doc allowed me the one bottle of Gatorade I brought instead. It was Heavenly after fasting 48 hours. It took me all night to sip it gone, but much, much better than water. I also have cold feet, so I brought new pink fuzzy booty socks that also kept my bare feet clean.

Nana, I keep laughing every time you talk about eating through a straw... now please tell me, exactly what are you sipping through that thing? I agree that you shouldn't have eaten solids at that point. At least stick to thick liquids, like runny cream Soups with no chunks, or even watered down mashed taters, which are much more satisfying than clear liquids. I wouldn't be so patient with that nurse, either. Contact your band surgeon and tell him exactly what and how you've been eating, and let him make the call. Good luck to you, liquid stage isn't always easy.

"Do we ever "recover" from childhood tapes?" Excellent question. I have recovered, for the most part, but I haven't sucessfully reprogrammed. Does that make any sense? Even though I don't steal food and hide in corners and dark places cramming food in my mouth today, I did it for my entire childhood, so it became habit. It's what my body and mind want, crave, need. So the tapes don't play anymore, but the addicition lingers. I remember being very young, 4 or 5. Gramma was like a spy, always sneaking around. She lived next door and would sneak us Jello pudding, a cookie or a meal - always peeking out the window. She'd drive a block behind me as I walked to school alone each morning, all sunk low in her car, but she never gave me a ride. It wasn't till I was older that I learned the Momster wouldn't allow Gramma to take me to school, or to be "Gramma" for that matter. Momster made us walk alone to kindergarden. So Gramma would sneak in her car and follow me every day, all the way to school, just to make sure I was safe. She's my savior, my angel. Anything good about me comes from her. Till this day hubby gets mad cuz I step out of the shower soaking wet onto the bath carpet. He wants me to dry off in the shower. But that's the way Gramma bathed me - she'd pick me up wet and set me on the bath matt to dry me off. She's still alive, but she's not doing well. She saved my life.

I'm not so sure about the gas, Leatha, cuz I ate too much all week, but then clear-liquid-fasted for 48 hours before surgery, and I still had gas pains. But I was lucky cuz I didn't have need for a BM for a few days after surgery. I can't imagine having to take care of that kinda business the day after surgery, so if I ever had to do it again, I'd stick with the 48 hour liquid fast, at least.

Interesting question considering my husband is spending his day at the park with his metal detector. Tonight I'll lay on the lawn and see if he can pick up my band. Yes, I am a dork.

Ha Ha, like you're alone? Sorry, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you. I ate the Last Super every day for a month before surgery, even though I was told to stay on a low-fat diet. Doc didn't mind, he knows obese people EAT (which is why we need the band.) Michelle's right, you'll feel so gross with all these weird gas and bloating feelings that you won't even think about food for at least a week or two. Don't worry, we've all been through it. Nobody can tell you how much you'll lose in those first few weeks after surgery. It depends on a lot of things, like your personal metabolism, how much weight you have to lose, how many calories you drink, etc. The recovery period isn't about losing weight, although that's all we care about! It's about healing. If you lose, it's just a bonus. But if you aren't careful, you can drink thousands of calories in Clear Liquids without even realizing it. I was shocked after adding up all the liquids during my liquid phase. Add up Jello, fruit punch, apple juice, cranberry, skim milk, ice tea, popsicles. All those calories add up fast. If you want to watch liquid calories, either drink sugar free stuff or at least dilute the sweet stuff with Water.

As you exit Mexico, Border Patrol are telling folks going back into California that you'll need a passport in 2006. But no matter what way you look at it, you'll need a passport. Cause if you get into Mexico, you'll want to come out, right? Michelle, I'm with you. Maybe if we get passports we'll actually use them one day (other than for Mexico.) Mexico doesn't even count as another country to me since I can drive there in a couple hours. It doesn't feel official.

According to Boarder Patrol, starting next year you'll need a passport to cross the border.

Melissa, I'm sending you a PM.

Just another huge joke from the Big Guy above. I'm huge, 5'10", 250 lbs, size 11 feet, and dropped from a C cup to a B cup after losing 60 pounds. And my B cups are getting a little floppy. Everything is big except the one thing I want to be big. Grass is always greener......

Actually, I'm very tempted by brussell sprouts. When I was originally banded, I craved asparagus. Now I'm dying for a steaming bowl of them combined... throw in some carrots & cabbage, too. When I was at my lowest weight, I was eating massive salads every night jammed with heaps of veggies. I can eat pounds and stay healthy. Then I married a man who cooks real food in huge amounts and gained 130 pounds.

Hey, if sucking on candy canes could keep me from eating, I'd buy stock in them. And no, I've never been anywhere near Mardi Gras (that's probably a good thing cuz me and wild parties mix too well.) You still didn't tell me what a King's cake is. And since I stopped by here at the Water Challenge thread, I'll go down a bucket now.

"I'm tired of having my cups runneth over" That one made my belly jiggle. Sue, my best friend from high school just had a reduction at 41 yrs old. Her doctor recommended a reduction when we were still in high school since she had numb Patches on her shoulders since 16. She was teased in high school, they'd say she was smuggling watermellons. She never flaunted them and was very self-conscious, but that didn't stop her from eating up the attetion. I never understood why she had dates every single weekend (naive late bloomer figured it out when my friend that dated her admitted he just wanted her boobs.) She was size 7 then. But over the years she packed on the pounds. She went for consultations, and the docs told her to lose weigh first. It went on for years, and finally they allowed the reduction cause the weight wasn't coming off. She went into surgery with a Triple H cup. Being a nurse herself, she insisted on the best surgeon in the San Antonio area, and he later told her that she was his biggest case in history. He wasn't even able to tell her what size she'd be afterwards, but estimated a large C to a D. She had enormous pain and a lot of complications - hers were still so heavy that they kept opening the stitchs. But she's finally free. Her only regret was waiting so long. She's somewhere between a C & D cup and at 41 years old is wearing T-shirts with bras for the first time in her life. She was always the girl with the unbuttoned blouse over something else, pulling it closed all the time. Freedom at last.

Hello from Las Vegas! Nice to meet you.

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.