AshevilleEddie

EWWW!! Of course I do realize that's every Str8 man's fantasy...

5 lbs...WOO HOO! :clap2:

I agree...partially. Iceburg lettuce is pretty much just crunchy Water. Romaine and others (the darker the better) are much better choices. Spinach salad is probably one of the best, and tastes great too! Toss on a little low-fat cheese and some olive oil & vinegar dressing...yum!

Wow, I just noticed the volume of food you're actually eating. Three oz of chicken plus 1/2 cup each asparagus and green beans is a lot of food. Your pouch should not even be able to hold that much, especially if you've already had fills. I would definitely talk to your Dr about this...

Add another voice to the "too many carbs" chorus. I have done the low carb thing in the past and it really will get things moving better than low fat, especially if you are at all metabolically "challenged." Carbs are carbs, period. Some may be metabolized more slowly than others, but the end result is the same. So sugar-free foods don't really make a difference if the carb count is the same. Plus if the sugar is replaced with sugar alcohols, they can give you diarrhea. :omg: Another factor to consider is that since Protein foods are denser, they actually fill you up faster and keep you satisfied longer. The chicken and asparagus are great choices, but try an egg instead of the bagel (you could even make an omelet with egg or egg white (which I personally can't stomach) and a little low-fat cheese - don't use fat-free, it replaces the fat with too many carbs, plus it doesn't melt!). As for the pineapple juice, you may as well be drinking sugar water! Try a Protein shake, or better yet Isopure to drink instead. It tastes sort of like Crystal Light but has 50 grams of protein per bottle. On to your Snacks - the pretzels and trail mix, again, too many carbs. A few nuts a couple of times a week add some protein, Vitamins and minerals and will give you something to crunch on, but dried fruit is packed with carbs and useless calories and pretzels have pretty much zero nutritional value. Oh, and it would be better if you cut out the Pasta too, but if you do eat it at least there are whole-grain pastas out there now that are better choice. The carbs/calories are a bit lower because of the increased Fiber content. And they really don't taste any different that regular pasta IMO. Don't forget to drink as much Water as you can. It's supposed to help you feel full (doesn't do a thing for me), but beyond that it actually helps boost your metabolism so it should give you a little jump start to get losing again. We all have to learn to make better choices. The band is just a tool - make it work for you! Good luck!

I don't think there are too many people willing to jump into surgery without having thought long and hard about it. And I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of us have tried pretty much every other alternative first. Sounds to me like she either doesn't understand obesity at all or she's just trying to make as much money as she can off each patient.

One visit should suffice. And an extra fee to write a letter?? I would go back to that list from your PCP and find someone else, even if you have to travel a little farther...

BTW, I had my first visit with the surgeon today. I'm 4-6 weeks away, max. WOO HOO! DH also had his first fill today (4 cc).

Absolutely no need to apologize. Like Tracy said, that's what this area of the forums is here for. Just don't expect everyone to agree with you...

You know, I wanted to say that but didn't want to come across as catty. Not implying that whoever did say that was being catty...

Well, as one of the resident homos here I can assure you that I do have faith (same as yours, BTW). It is not exclusive of my sexual orientation, nor is my orientation exclusive of my faith. They are both simply part of who I am. Neither alone defines me. Just don't go thinking you need to "save" me and we'll get along just fine...

OH MY FREAKIN' WORD! That is SOO nasty!! But of course I'm laughing my a$$ off too! :guess On a serious note, it's a good thing it was just vitamins they screwed up on. Glad you're ok...

Hmm, I wonder if this tends to be a same-gender parent issue? My mother would have been worried about me getting banded, but would have been 110% supportive (sadly, we lost her 2 1/2 years ago). My dad on the other hand (still alive), will probably be like "Oh, ok." or something like that. If he notices at all, he probably won't admit it. He's pretty much been that way all my life. After 40+ years, I've finally come to realize that's just the way he is and he probably doesn't mean anything negative by it. Either way, I've also learned to just not give a rat's ass what he thinks! :lalala:

WTF? I'm glad I found the page that said it was a joke...

Thanks BJean! On a completely different note, I had my 1st appointment at the weight loss center today. I don't have to go through some of the preliminary stuff since I just sat through most of it with DH. Woo hoo! That actually moves my surgery date up by about 3 months. I should be banded by early May at the latest! Most likely (depending on surgeons schedule) mid-April though. I actually see a light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm starting to get excited. BTW, since I've now outed myself as a smart a$$, I thought I'd share my personal e-mail signature: Edina - "Inside of me, sweetie, inside of me, there is a thin person just screaming to get out." Mother - "Just the one, dear?" It's from Ab Fab (Absolutely Fabulous), although I'm not quite Gay enough to actually watch it... ROTFLMFAO!!!

EWWW! Don't even want to think about that one! On another note, now that I've been reading more posts since mine from yesterday, I see that most of you guys aren't any kind of bashers at all. In fact, a lot of you seem to be big fat (but shrinking!) smart a$$e$ like myself! :biggrin1: I'm really glad I found this forum and I promise I'll try not to take everything so seriously from now on...

beachgirl, thanks for attempting to allay the fears of this chicken $h!t. I do feel better about things today. I actually had my appointment with the weight loss center earlier today, and I'm even more confident now that this is the right thing for me to do. I should be able to have my surgery anywhere between mid-April to early May. Woo hoo! :clap2: Batty, are you pre-op as well? What hospital?

Actually, you're even closer than you realize. If you take 218 across to 17, then south to 16, come over the Shands Bridge and I'm about 5 minutes or so away!

Hi Batty! I'm just south of Jax, in Northern St Johns County! What part of town are you in? I'm going through the weight loss center on Baymeadows - can't place the proper name this early in the morning (need coffee!!!) - and Dr. Steven Webb is doing the surgery. I'm just starting the process, so I probably won't be banded until late June-early July.

Wow! I'm a new member - just joined tonight - I wound up sitting here reading through most of this thread. I gotta say, there are a lot of strong opinions on both sides. But unless I missed them, I haven't actually seen any posts from Gay or Lesbian folks. So here I am, in all my fabulous gayness! Just kidding! Well, sorta. I really am Gay, but hardly fabulous. I'm just an average, 40-something, divorced fat man raising two teenagers with my DH. For the record, he's also an average, 40-something fat man (although he was banded on 2/21/07 so he's not quite as fat now :mad: ). I am also (gasp!) a born-again Christian. As such, I struggled with my orientation (not preference, that's a load of crap) until my early 30s, when I finally realized that God made me who I am and that was good enough for me. I DID NOT choose to be Gay (who would want to be hated that much?), nor did I "give in to my sinful urges." I've always known I was Gay, even as a small child. Of course at that age, I didn't actually understand that I was Gay, just that I was different. Anyway, the reason I replied to this thread is not to further stir things up, but to let everyone know that there are actually folks like me out there that not only understand, but live both sides of this topic. It is very disurbing to me that people won't just stop bashing each other and let others have their own views and beliefs, rather than trying to force theirs on everyone else. I'm sure I'll get flak from a lot of folks on here, but I just felt I needed to get that off my chest (along with 30 or 40 pounds after I'm banded :biggrin1: )...

Hi! I'm a 42-yo male in N FL. I've struggled with my weight most of my life. I'm Type 2 diabetic, have high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol and triglycerides (imagine that!). My DH was banded on Feb 21 and after going through the entire experience with him, I decided it was my time (I had to make sure it wasn't too bad :guess). I've seen my primary care Dr and have my first appointment with the weight loss center tomorrow. I'm a little nervous - I watched my oldest sister live through stomach stapling, only to regain every ounce and more (probably double what she had lost) and I'm pretty much a chicken $%@& when it comes to pain. But if DH can do it, so can I. I appreciate any and all advice/support/encouragement I can get, so feel free to drop me a line. Thanks!